Morgan ’76 and Helen Chu make record $31.4M gift to Harvard Law School 

Morgan Chu ’76 and Helen Chu have made a $31.4 million gift to Harvard Law School, the largest in the school’s history. The funds will endow six new professorships, providing long-term support for faculty scholarship and teaching. 

“I am deeply grateful to Morgan and Helen for their extraordinary generosity and their deep and longstanding commitment to Harvard Law School,” said John C.P. Goldberg, the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law. “Great law schools depend on great teachers, scholars, and students. This remarkable gift will help ensure Harvard Law School continues to attract and support the most talented faculty, whose teaching and scholarship will advance our understanding of the law and guide the next generation of Harvard lawyers and leaders.” 

“Morgan and Helen’s contributions and partnership have enriched Harvard Law School in countless ways, and I am profoundly grateful for their historic gift,” said Steven Oliveira, Associate Dean and Dean for Development and Alumni Relations. “By establishing these professorships, they are investing in faculty who will prepare students to lead in a rapidly changing world. Their enduring commitment will strengthen HLS for generations.”  

A prominent intellectual property attorney, Chu earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School magna cum laude in 1976 and, upon graduating, clerked for Judge Charles M. Merrill ’31 of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Chu then joined Irell & Manella in 1977 as an associate, became a partner in 1982, and currently serves as chair of the firm’s Litigation Group. He previously served as co-managing partner from 1997 to 2003, completing the maximum two terms permitted. 

Morgan Chu said: “I am grateful to the law school for mistakenly admitting me, where I had a world-class education – and a lot of fun.  Helen and I wanted to say ‘Thank You.’” 

Morgan and Helen Chu’s previous contributions to the law school have supported professorships, prizes for academic achievement, need-based scholarships, annual and general-purpose funds, and student and academic initiatives. A 2013 gift permanently endowed the dean’s chair at Harvard Law School, now held by Dean Goldberg.  

Fiscal Year 2026 was Harvard Law School’s most successful fundraising year in history. Donors contributed more than $135 million, exceeding the previous record by nearly $30 million. The funds support a broad range of priorities, including the Opportunity Fund (a tuition-free initiative for students with the greatest need), financial aid, the Annual Fund (immediate, flexible dollars), professorships, and other academic and faculty initiatives.