In recognition of Arthur and Diane Abbey’s $17 million of lifetime giving and service, the Law School will name its main academic building in Tribeca “Abbey Hall.”
New York, NY (January 23, 2023) – New York Law School announced today it is receiving a historic $10 million gift from Arthur and Diane Abbey, totaling $17 million from them in charitable giving to the Law School over 60 years. As lifelong champions of the Law School, NYLS’s main academic building will be named “Abbey Hall.”
This generous endowed gift, one of the largest donations in the Law School’s 132-year history, will deepen the Abbeys’ exceptional legacy of support by funding a multitude of initiatives and school activities, including scholarships, academic and bar success, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as expanding programs that seek to increase access to justice and support the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Arthur and Diane Abbey’s generous gift will propel New York Law School forward and support our students in receiving a world class legal education in New York City,” said Anthony W. Crowell, NYLS Dean and President. “Diane and Arthur go above and beyond to help every student succeed. The depth of their commitment is only matched by the depth of the impact the Law School and its graduates have on the profession and in advancing justice and equality. We are eternally grateful to the Abbeys for their extraordinary legacy of generosity and unprecedented commitment that make these ends a reality. It’s only fitting that their name graces the entrance of our flagship building where academic excellence, professionalism, and a life in service to others are core values.”
The Abbeys believe deeply in the power of the law to uplift our society. They have long supported the Law School and community at large, making them inextricably linked to the Law School’s most significant milestones and the immeasurable success of generations of graduates.
“New York Law School profoundly changed my life, giving me a degree that allowed me to have a rewarding career, and thus the ability to give back to new generations of law students,” said Arthur Abbey. “I am always in awe of our alumni, and the impact of the Law School’s programs and faculty. NYLS will continue to graduate leaders in our profession who transform the world and understand that our calling is one that is always in service to others.”
“New York Law School has been a foundational part of our life together, and has empowered us to help so many in our communities,” said Diane Abbey. “I am incredibly proud of the programs and students we have supported throughout the years, and their work has changed so many lives. We believe in this wonderful and unique institution and are so excited knowing the best is yet to come.”
Diane Abbey founded The Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families at NYLS. It provides students the opportunity to gain ground-level experiences working in family court and with government agencies and nonprofits charged with protecting children and families, and recently the Institute began publishing a student-directed journal in partnership with the American Bar Association titled Family Law Quarterly.
They have helped make possible the Law School’s innovative and customized academic and bar success programs, which provide wrap around support to students from the moment they set foot on campus to when they sit down to take the bar exam. Further, they have promoted the School’s community engagement, such as a partnership with the Interfaith Center of New York, which provides community-based training religious competency programs to benefit students, practicing lawyers and New York’s diverse religious communities. Diane and Arthur also are among the most significant supporters of student scholarships enabling many deserving students to afford a legal education, and summer fellowships, enabling students to get paid for public sector work and launch them into careers that directly impact New York City’s diverse communities.
The Law School will hold an event to celebrate this historic moment, and install the new signage of “Abbey Hall,” this Spring.