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Center for Entrepreneurship and Law Named after Alumnus Geoffrey Harrison Palmer

 

Pepperdine University School of Law recently announced a major gift naming the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law. Through a certificate program consisting of tailored coursework, seminars, conferences, and externships, the Palmer Center gives students opportunities to apply their legal education as entrepreneurs or attorneys for entrepreneurs.  

 

Geoffrey Harrison Palmer graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1975, and was honored by the school as the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus. Founder and CEO of G. H. Palmer Associates, a diversified real estate development firm, Palmer has consistently demonstrated both entrepreneurial and keen legal skills throughout his distinguished career. By investing in the School of Law, its professors, and students, the alumnus has provided funding that will impact future generations of law students.

 

A native of Los Angeles, Palmer takes pride in participating in philanthropic efforts in the Los Angeles area.  He is a board member of the Los Angeles Music Center and a founder of its Fund for the Performing Arts.  He and his wife, Anne, organize and host charitable events for community groups including Friends of the Family, a counseling center in the San Fernando Valley.      

 

Vice chancellor and dean emeritus of the School of Law, Ronald F. Phillips, praised Palmer’s generosity. “His gift is the largest from a Pepperdine law graduate to date and will make an enormous impact on the vitality and progress of this important program and the law school in general, while undoubtedly inspiring others to offer greater support as well,” said Phillips. “Having known Geoff since he was a student in my contracts class in 1973, I am extremely proud that the Palmer Center is dedicated in his honor.”  

 

At a recent ceremony commemorating the gift Palmer said, "My law student days at Pepperdine remain vivid, as do the valuable lessons of professors that continue to guide my interactions in business, law, ethics, and life.  I am proud to be able to invest in the School of Law and the strategic coursework and opportunities that the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law will make possible for law students as future professionals."

 

Led by its founding director, Professor Janet Kerr, the Palmer Center provides students with an enriched legal education preparing them for demanding roles in the high-tech environment. Additionally, the Palmer Center's programs give students the opportunity to pursue alternative careers in high technology entrepreneurship as lawyers, business consultants, and venture capitalists. The center also hosts cocurricular events, such as the Annual Entrepreneurship and Technology Law Conference, which provide students with access to various individuals active in the business and technological fields.

 

Through partner institutions, students take part in one of the most unique experiences available during their law school career, assisting in developing and facilitating high technology start-up companies. The Palmer Center's association with the technological community has allowed Pepperdine’s School of Law to become the first and only law school to form a strategic alliance with an internationally renowned, cutting-edge technological research laboratory.