By Catharine Skipp
Read the original article on Miami.edu.
The University of Miami School of Law recently announced a significant gift from Gary S. Lesser, J.D. ’92, to establish a new fund to advance teaching methods and honor student excellence in legal ethics with a book award. The five-year commitment honors the legacy of Lesser’s late father, Shepard P. Lesser, a distinguished attorney who practiced for over half a century.
The gift will create the Shepard P. Lesser Teaching Innovation Fund, a new initiative to foster cutting-edge pedagogical approaches within the law school. The fund will be administered by the dean of the School of Law to support and incentivize new ways of teaching and learning.
A key component of the fund is the creation of the Shepard P. Lesser Excellence Award in Professional Responsibility. The annual award, which includes a $5,000 book award, will be granted to the top-performing student in the professional responsibility course, a cornerstone of the law school education. The award directly reflects the values of Shepard Lesser, who, according to his son, “strongly believed that a lawyer’s ethical responsibilities are a key part of a lawyer’s professional job.”
“My father was a lawyer for over 50 years. He loved being a lawyer and helping clients,” said Lesser. “We are proud that we can honor his memory with the Book Award for Ethics and Professional Responsibility at the University of Miami School of Law. This gift is a tribute to his enduring legacy and his unwavering commitment to the highest standards of legal ethics.”
Lesser is the managing partner of Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel PLLC in West Palm Beach, one of Florida’s most respected personal injury law firms. His career has been marked by handling high-profile cases involving automobile injury, wrongful death, and product liability. Beyond his practice, Lesser has demonstrated a profound commitment to the legal community through extensive service.
The 74th president of The Florida Bar (2022-2023), Lesser served for 10 years on The Florida Bar Board of Governors and was appointed chair of the board’s Legislative Committee for three consecutive years before being elected to lead the organization. He has lectured extensively on personal injury and ethics and frequently comments on legal issues for national and local media.
As a law student, the West Palm Beach native was a member of the Bar & Gavel Society, served as associate editor of the Yearbook of International Law, and editor-in-chief of Res Ipsa Loquitur, the law school’s newspaper. He continued to support the university by later serving as vice president of the Law Alumni Association.
“We are grateful to Gary for his generosity,” said interim dean Patricia Abril. “The fund will play a vital role in shaping innovative teaching methods and growing the next generation of legal professionals who are not only skilled practitioners but also model exemplary professionalism and ethics.”
