University of Maine School of Law Names Jennifer Wriggins its First 'Sumner T. Bernstein Professor'

Professorship in honor of prominent attorney and community leader who served as senior partner at Bernstein Shur for more than 50 years

PORTLAND, Maine - The University of Maine School of Law has appointed longtime professor Jennifer Wriggins its first Sumner T. Bernstein Professor, named in honor of the prominent attorney and community leader who served as senior partner at Bernstein Shur for more than 50 years.

The Sumner T. Bernstein Professorship of Law honors the memory of Sumner Bernstein, who was known for his public and professional service. In addition to his vibrant legal practice and community activism, he also served as an adjunct professor at the Maine Law School. Bernstein died in 2002 at age 78.

The professorship supports the research, scholarship, and teaching of one or more distinguished members of the Law School faculty. The endowment is held and managed by the University of Maine School of Law Foundation.

"Sumner would be delighted to see his good name attached to this important professorship," said Charles E. Miller, Bernstein Shur's managing partner. "He served as an inspiration for attorneys at the firm, and through this professorship, his legacy will continue to inspire a generation of law professors."

The Sumner T. Bernstein Professorship of Law was funded through a lead gift from Bernstein Shur and with numerous gifts from other friends, family and admirers of Sumner Bernstein, said Dean Peter Pitegoff of the University of Maine School of Law.

"Professorships and scholar funds are critical to attracting and retaining stellar faculty in a competitive national and global environment," Pitegoff said. "Support from a wide array of donors helps strengthen the Law School, and we especially value Bernstein Shur’s central role in building the endowment fund in honor of Sumner Bernstein."
Jennifer Wriggins, who joined the faculty of the University of Maine School of Law in 1996, is a nationally known scholar whose articles on race, gender, tort law, insurance law and family law are frequently reprinted and cited. A Yale College and Harvard Law School graduate, she practiced law for 11 years before joining the law school, where she teaches torts, family law, constitutional law and insurance law. She is presently writing a book with Professor Martha Chamallas of Ohio State University entitled The Measure of Injury: Race, Gender, and the Law of Torts.

The University of Maine School of Law in Portland, Maine, is one of only two public law schools in New England and is the only Law School in Maine accredited by the American Bar Association.

Bernstein Shur is one of northern New England's largest multi-service law firms, with more than 90 attorneys in offices in Maine and New Hampshire. Founded in 1915, the firm provides practical and innovative counsel in the areas of business law, litigation, and municipal law to clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur is Maine's exclusive member of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms.

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