Judy and Jim Brown Make Second Major Gift to Support Women in Law

Professor Emerita Judith Olans Brown and her husband, Jim Brown, have made a second major gift of $500,000 in support of the Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law, bringing their total contributions to $1 million.

Judy and Jim Brown Make Second Major Gift to Support Women in Law
Jim and Judy Brown

11.05.2025—With deep gratitude, Northeastern University School of Law is honored to announce Professor Emerita Judith Olans Brown and her husband, Jim Brown, have made a second major gift of $500,000 in support of the Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law, bringing their total contributions to $1 million. The Brown Forum is the driving force behind the law school’s signature Women in the Law Conference, now in its 18th year, which has brought together thousands of women lawyers and other professionals for annual conferences that feature nationally recognized speakers and include dynamic programming that inspires women to achieve and advocate for themselves in their professional journeys. The Browns $500,000 gift in 2021 provided funding for the annual conference as well as the launch of affiliated programming, including the Brown Forum Practitioner-in-Residence program, which annually brings a nationally recognized woman attorney to Northeastern for three days to share wisdom and insights about her field of law.

“Our Brown Forum for Women in the Law thrives in large part because of the vision and generosity of Judy and Jim Brown,” said Dean James Hackney. “As a beloved faculty member, colleague, mentor and co-founder of our Women in the Law conference, Judy made an indelible impact on our law school community. Through their remarkable generosity and leadership, Judy and Jim are ensuring that our law school will continue to create meaningful programs that support women lawyers, empowering them to achieve their goals and change the world.”

Judy Brown graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1962 and from Boston College Law School in 1965. She won numerous academic honors at both schools and was the articles editor of the Boston College Law Review. She was one of the first women to serve as a law clerk to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, to be appointed to the board of directors of the Boston Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and to achieve the position of tenured professor at Northeastern University School of Law, where she taught for almost 30 years. Her scholarly focus was on equality for women and people of color and her efforts in the classroom and the courtroom to expand legal and civil rights for women and people of color defined her professional life. In addition to traditional scholarship, she drafted numerous civil rights statutes and authored several amicus briefs in her areas of expertise.

As a faculty member, and since her retirement from Northeastern in 2000, Judy Brown has been a passionate advocate for the advancement of women attorneys and students from Northeastern Law. In 2013, she was selected by the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts to receive the prestigious Lelia J. Robinson Award. Since her formal retirement, she has taught constitutional law in the continuing education programs at Dartmouth College and the University of Arizona.

Jim Brown was a member of Harvard College’s class of 1964 and went on to graduate from the University of Colorado Law School in 1968. He was a partner in the Boston law firm of Foley & Hoag for more than 30 years. He also served as chair of the Boston Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Together the Browns share a lifelong commitment to safeguard civil rights and equality as well as a deepening concern that the resources to fight against discrimination are dwindling. Their new gift will reinforce the School of Law’s status as a leader in legal education and elevating women leaders, and will enable the school to continue to educate, develop and support the advancement of women attorneys and the profession as a whole.

“These are especially challenging times,” said Judy Brown. “Our country and our politics are dangerously politicized. Jim and I hope that this gift will help us create new ways for women lawyers and allies to protect constitutional norms and prevent them from disappearing in the fog of partisan wrangling.”

This gift will amplify the Brown Fund endowment, which was established at the time of Judy’s retirement and has received significant funding through generous contributions from the Browns as well as colleagues, graduates of the law school and other friends. Additional contributions to the Judith Olans Brown Fund for Women in the Law are welcome.

Additional contributions to the Judith Olans Brown Fund for Women in the Law are welcome; please contact Director of Alumni/ae Engagement and Initiatives Mielle Marquis at [email protected] for more information.

About Northeastern University School of Law

The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,100 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.

For more information, contact [email protected].