Legal Trailblazer Sherrese Smith (JD ’96) Establishes Scholarship Fund to Support Students

When Sherrese Smith (JD ’96) looks back on her years at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, she remembers both the academic rigor and financial challenges. Today, as the global managing partner of Paul Hastings LLP and one of the nation’s leading advisors in media, technology, and telecommunications law, she is ensuring the next generation of law students can pursue their goals without being limited by financial constraints.

Smith, with her husband Ade Heyliger, established the Smith & Heyliger Endowed Scholarship Fund, to support Northwestern Pritzker Law students facing the significant costs of a legal education. This fund will provide scholarship aid to help students offset tuition and other expenses that can weigh heavily on aspiring lawyers.

“Talented students should have access to a Northwestern legal education regardless of their financial circumstances,” she said. As she reflects on her path from law school to today, Smith emphasizes the role that community, mentorship, and support have played in her success.

“The creation of this scholarship fund is a tangible way to extend that support to students who are beginning their legal education,” she said.

Smith said her own professional trajectory was shaped in part by opportunities she received while a law school student, including scholarship support. Those experiences, she emphasizes, underscored the importance of establishing this fund to ensure students from all backgrounds can achieve their goals.

A Leader in Law and Policy

At Paul Hastings, Smith is highly regarded for her expertise in leading complex regulatory, transactional, and policy challenges. She advises Fortune 500 companies, global technology businesses, and major media organizations on emerging issues where law, innovation, and public policy converge.

Her path from Northwestern Pritzker Law student to influential lawyer and policy leader illustrates the doors a legal education can open. Recently, Smith became Chair of the Law Board for Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Supporting Students Today

Smith’s success is a testament to how scholarships can shape the trajectory of talented students. By reducing the burden of law school debt, scholarships enable graduates to pursue a wider range of career paths, including public service and nonprofit work, without being constrained by financial pressures.

The Smith & Heyliger Endowed Scholarship Fund is an important addition to these efforts. It will allow Northwestern Pritzker Law to extend greater support to students who might otherwise struggle to finance their legal educations. The scholarship reflects both Smith’s gratitude for her own experiences and a strong desire to support the next generation of leaders.

A Lasting Legacy

Interim Dean Zachary D. Clopton lauded Smith’s gift as an investment in the future of the Law School and the profession.

 “This scholarship will make a lasting, tangible impact on the lives of students for many years to come,” Clopton said. “Sherrese Smith has already contributed so much to the Law School, and we are incredibly grateful to her for her generosity.”

Smith’s scholarship also continues a long tradition of alumni philanthropy at Northwestern Pritzker Law. Over the years, gifts from alumni and friends have provided critical support for scholarships, endowed professorships, academic programs, and other initiatives that strengthen the Law School’s mission.

That tradition now includes an additional scholarship inspired by Smith and her gift to the Law School. Spearheaded by Aaron Charfoos (JD ’02), Geoff King (JD ’09), and Jason Fiebig (JD ’10), a group of fellow Northwestern Pritzker Law alumni at Paul Hastings came together to provide their own gift to the Law School. The firm matched the gift to establish a new endowed scholarship: the Paul Hastings LLP Scholarship Fund. Like Smith, Charfoos is dedicated to providing support for students who might otherwise not be able to attend law school.

“A lot of deserving people who could have profound impact on the legal profession and the world just don’t have the opportunity to go to law school,” he said. “We wanted to have a scholarship that was directed at identifying those people and giving them the opportunity.”

Charfoos also noted that he and his fellow donors wanted to honor Smith and help contribute to something meaningful to her. “She has been a transformative leader at the Firm, at the Law School, and in the community as a whole.”

With Smith’s new role as Chair of the Law Board, he said it felt like an especially fitting time for alumni at Paul Hastings to recognize their colleague.