Vanderbilt Law School recently received a $10 million dollar commitment from Sara J. Finley (J.D. ‘85) dedicated to advancing equality, equity and opportunities for women in the legal sector. Additionally, law professor Jennifer Bennett Shinall has been appointed the inaugural holder of the newfound Sara J. Finley Chair of Women, Law and Policy.
The investment will be used to establish a program for research and advocacy centered on improving conditions for women in the legal sector as it pertains to equal rights, opportunity and discrimination. The funding will also be used toward Vanderbilt’s ongoing Dare to Grow campaign, which assists the law school by providing scholarships, faculty support and facility upgrades.
In a press release on Dec. 3, 2024, Law School Dean Chris Guthrie commended Finley for her donation and longtime support of the law school.
“Sara has long been a leading adviser and supporter of the Law School, and we are grateful that our faculty and students will have additional opportunities to both study and impact our legal system through her visionary gift,” Guthrie said.
Alongside her new role as chairholder, Shinall teaches Employment Discrimination Law and Employment Law. Her research examines gender and disability discrimination in the workplace and potential solutions to address these disparities. In 2022, she was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Research in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for her essay “Protecting Pregnancy,” where she analyzed which state laws best supported pregnant women in the workplace.
In a message to The Hustler, Shinall shared her excitement about being appointed as the Sara J. Finley chair and her vision for how the donation will be used to further Vanderbilt’s mission to support women in law.
“The establishment of the women, law and policy initiative at Vanderbilt secures our long-term commitment to advancing women’s position in the labor market — as well as in society more generally,” Shinall said. “Sara Finley’s gift provides the necessary resources to support Vanderbilt’s emergence as a thought leader in current debates surrounding women’s rights.”
Araceli Ubl, a first-year law student, described her hopes for how the funding will be used.
“An important policy for me would be shifting the tide toward supportive environments in big law for women, especially those who see themselves having a family [in the future] and wanting the opportunity to do so without facing fear of judgment,” Ubl said. “I’m hoping that some of the policy and regulation [Vanderbilt] plans to research might be targeted on how law firms can develop their programs to make a supportive environment for women.”
Carol Chen, also a first-year at the law school, expressed similar sentiments about addressing barriers to women in the legal sector.
“I’m hopeful that this donation can provide resources to educate students about the issues women face in the broader legal community and how people, organizations and the law school itself can be a leader in addressing those sorts of systemic barriers that women face,” Chen said.