Alumnus makes largest gift in the School of Law's history

By Micah Mertes

This month, the Creighton University School of Law received the largest gift in its 120-year history.
 
The estate of James Menehan, JD'63, has given Creighton $9.7 million to support the law school’s students, faculty and programs. 
 
Menehan — who passed away at the age of 85 in October of 2023 in Monroe, Wisconsin — was an attorney who worked at CUNA Mutual in Madison before retiring to care for his parents. 

“The size of Mr. Menehan’s gift is a testament to how much his time at Creighton’s School of Law meant to him,” said Dean Josh Fershée, JD. “His generosity will create a legacy of support that will create numerous meaningful experiences for our law students for years to come.

"This gift will create scholarships, support our students and faculty, and help provide the tools necessary for a next-generation law school. We are excited and grateful for the countless possibilities this will create in the law school and for future Creighton lawyers.”

Menehan was a longtime Creighton donor, starting in 1988 with a $175 gift and making annual gifts to the University nearly every year since. 

Menehan’s godson, Father David Flanagan, of Cuba City, Wisconsin, said Menehan was a kind, generous person with a great sense of humor. 

“I know he enjoyed being at Creighton and that he had a lot of respect and affinity for the School of Law,” Fr. Flanagan said.

“I am profoundly grateful to Mr. Menehan,” said the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD. "Clearly, Creighton greatly influenced his life and career, mostly so in the excellence of the legal education he received. With this transformative gift, he will ensure that Creighton’s School of Law continues to be one of the finest in the country, training a new generation of lawyers and judges in the Jesuit tradition."