In honor of their son, Jacob, attorneys Fred and Renee Pritzker established the Jacob E. Pritzker Disability Law Fund at the University of Minnesota Law School. This fund will provide stipends to Law School students for summer internships with the Minnesota Disability Law Center, which provides legal representation to people with disabilities, or to participate in other legal work that protects the rights of people with disabilities.
Fred Pritzker, who graduated from the Law School in 1976, represents clients in personal injury and wrongful death claims.”I very much appreciate the Law School and what it did for me. Being able to contribute to it, advance the fight for people with disabilities and honor Jake in a very positive way is such an easy win-win-win for all concerned,” said Fred.
The first students to receive stipends from the Jacob E. Pritzker Disability Fund are Alex Dyste (’14) and Sandra Pierzchala (’14). According to an article about the Pritzker fund on the GENERATIONS website:
Dyste became interested in disability law while researching Americans with Disabilities Act cases. Pierzchala’s focus is on disability policy issues and advocacy for individuals with disabilities.
Fred says, “This is an opportunity that marries our support for the Law School with our desire to serve people with disabilities and to expose law students to this area of the law with the hope that they will be moved to, if not practice in that area, at least be much more receptive to the needs of people with disabilities.”
Both Fred and Renee Pritzker volunteer with national and local organizations that serve people with disabilities, including the Angelman Syndrome Foundation and the Highland Friendship Club.