Sioux Falls law firm establishes Johnson Heidepriem Abdallah Trial Advocacy Fellowship at the USD
“For us, this was a harmonic convergence,” stated Steven M. Johnson (USD School of Law, ’76) of Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah, LLP. “It's an opportunity to give something back to the school we love, where most of us first learned to love the law, while at the same time promote excellence in trial and appellate advocacy, which is the primary focus of our firm.”
The first recipient of the Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah Trial Advocacy Fellowship is Thomas J. Horton, who joined the USD Law School faculty in 2009. Prior to joining South Dakota’s Law School faculty, Horton spent 28 years litigating and trying antitrust and complex civil cases in federal courts throughout the United States. His career includes governmental stints with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, and private practice as a partner with several major international law firms in the District of Columbia, including Howrey & Simon, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. Horton received a J.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University, a M.A.L.S. (American Studies) from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in biological sciences from Harvard University.
“I am honored and thrilled to receive the Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah Trial Advocacy Fellowship,” Horton said. “This generous and substantial gift will enable us to continue increasing trial advocacy opportunities for USD’s students, and to continue building our reputation as a strong national trial advocacy program.”
Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah, LLP, a leading litigation firm in the region, established the fellowship as a commitment to assure that the USD School of Law continues to offer high quality teachers and scholars, and to support trial technique courses and competitive national trial teams.
According to Tom Geu, interim dean of the School of Law, the Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah Trial Advocacy Fellowship is significant because it is the first named fellow program or long-term commitment by a firm or individual to support faculty salaries at the Law School.
“The gift indicates confidence in the Law School, legal education, and lawyers in South Dakota,” added Geu, who noted that the Law School is grateful to Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah for its generous gift and for its role in educating USD School of Law students. “Additionally, the Law School thanks the firm for the time many of its lawyers donate to help educate and train law students and new lawyers at the Law School and in Sioux Falls.”
Download a photograph of Horton.
For more information about Johnson, Heidepriem & Abdallah, LLP, please visit the firm’s website at www.jhalawfirm.com. More information about the USD School of Law is also available on the web at www.usd.edu/law.
You May Also Like
Third Academic All-America honor for Duffy
AUSTIN, Texas — South Dakota senior guard Ciara Duffy was one of five Division I women's basketball players selected to the Academic All-America first team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Duffy earns Academic All-America honors for the third consecutive season.
Perfect Finish Coyotes beat Jacks for Summit crown
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — All five South Dakota starters scored in double-figures and the Coyotes completed perhaps the greatest regular season in Summit League history with a 63-58 win against rival and second-seeded South Dakota State in the tournament championship game Tuesday inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
