The UW Law School’s new look this spring is due in great measure to the generosity of the Habush Habush & Rottier Law Firm, which has made a substantial gift directed specifically toward the upgrading and refurbishing of the building.

"This was the Habush Firm’s vision: wanting to keep the Law School up to date," commented Dean Kenneth B. Davis, Jr., in appreciation of the donation.  Firm partners Robert Habush (Class of 1961) and Dan Rottier (Class of 1976) spearheaded the plan to underwrite improvements that the School needed.  The School's most recent renovation took place in 1996.

"The physical improvements that everyone is noticing, accomplished with part of the Habush donation, are beautifying our now ten-year-old building," Dean Davis said.

The major gift from the Habush Firm is also the source of a new name in the Law School: the Law Library’s Grand Reading Room is being renamed the Habush Habush & Rottier Reading Room. A celebration of the new name and the renovation project will take place when all three phases of the project have been completed.

Major improvements provided by the gift and with additional contributions from the University include new flooring on the second floor, new stairway tile in the main and north stairways, painting of halls and classrooms (often adding new color), and – coming later in Spring 2006 – carpeting on three levels of the Law Library, painting of student lockers, and complete remodeling of the second-floor restrooms.

"We have carefully considered many suggestions provided to us by students, staff, and faculty," said Lynn Thompson, the Law School’s Manager for Alumni Events and Continuing Education, who, together with Building Manager Josh Cutler, organized the implementation of the renovations. "We have tried to be judicious in selecting which tasks we could accomplish, in order to do as much as possible to improve the public areas and consequently benefit the most people."

Submitted by on March 17, 2006

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