Russell and Dorothy Budd have formed a $3 million endowment for the University of Texas Law School to fund the Budd Innocence Center, to help students and faculty investigate claims on innocence by Texas prison inmates.
A press release on the University of Texas Law School’s website stated: “The Budds’ gift will establish an endowment that will support the activities of the law school’s Actual Innocence Clinic. Founded in 2003, the Actual Innocence Clinic allows law students to work under the supervision of experienced faculty to investigate claims, prepare briefs, file motions…More than 350 law students have worked with the clinic since its founding.”
Russell Budd is President and managing shareholder of Dallas law firm Baron & Budd. Dorothy Budd is a former Dallas prosecutor and co-author with daughter Peyton Budd of Tested: How Twelve Wrongly Imprisoned Men Held Onto Hope.
“This extraordinary gift from the Budd family will let our students pursue one of the most noble aims of all lawyers: to protect the innocent,” said Dean Ward Farnsworth in a press release on the school’s website. “Russell and Dori have each dedicated their lives to helping those who have been victims of injustice. This is their passion, and we couldn’t be more pleased to open the Budd Innocence Center to honor the commitment that they’ve made to this cause.”
To find out more about this project, click here.
