The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has announced three gifts totaling $12 million in support of its law school.

The largest of the three, $8.6 million from the estate of Elizabeth Hamilton, will establish and endow a scholarship fund in memory of her father, Owen J. Roberts, a graduate and former dean of Penn Law and a U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1930 to 1945. The fund will provide financial assistance to Penn Law students who exemplify the law school's commitment to academic excellence, service to the community, and future contributions to the profession.

In addition, Robert and Jane Toll, 1966 graduates of Penn Law and Penn's Graduate School of Education, respectively, have given $2.5 million to further support public interest programs at Penn Law, through the Toll Public Interest Center. And Michael J. Rotko, a 1963 Penn Law graduate, has given $1 million in memory of his late wife, Denise A. Rotko, who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Penn's School of Nursing, and was also a faculty member. The funds will endow the Denise A. Rotko Associate Deanship of Legal Writing and Communications, to be held by Eleanor Barrett, the head of Penn Law's Legal Practice Skills program. 

"These gifts provide crucial support for students and programs across the Law School," said Ted Ruger, dean of Penn Law. "This funding will help us continue to attract the best students, while supporting them financially, academically, and professionally."