The CUNY School of Law community celebrates the establishment of the David H. Savidge ’99 Memorial Fund, a new $50,000 endowment that will provide critical summer funding for law students pursuing careers in prisoners’ rights advocacy and international human rights law.
The fund, established by Jenny Chung Savidge ’99, creates a direct pipeline between CUNY Law students and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York (PLS), where David began his legal career after graduation. The endowment will provide needs-based summer fellowship grants, alternating between placements at PLS and organizations focused on international human rights and gender justice work.
“CUNY Law opened doors for both David and me to pursue public interest careers,” said Jenny Chung Savidge. “This fund ensures that students continue to have the same opportunity to build upon the hands-on experience that is a hallmark of a CUNY Law degree through opportunities beyond the Law School in prisoners’ rights and human rights advocacy, regardless of their financial circumstances.”
Karen Murtagh, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, emphasized how these fellowships increase the organization’s capacity to serve clients while building a pipeline of dedicated public interest lawyers: “Summer placements at PLS give students invaluable exposure to civil rights advocacy while expanding our ability to serve incarcerated New Yorkers. PLS has a long history of hiring CUNY Law students and they have been incredible assets to PLS and our clients. The David H. Savidge Memorial Fund will help ensure this vital work continues.” Murtagh thanked the Savidges for establishing the fund, noting that “David Savidge was an excellent attorney dedicated to ensuring that the constitutional and civil rights of all people are defended and enforced. PLS is honored to have been chosen as one of the target organizations for this fund and eternally grateful to both David and Jenny Savidge for their dedication to and passion for human rights work.”
David Savidge passed away on August 17, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado at age 57. A member of CUNY Law’s class of 1999, he worked in the Law School’s gender justice clinic then called the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic with Professor Rhonda Copelon. After graduating, he served as a staff attorney with Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York before pursuing an LLM in Admiralty Law at Tulane Law School. His career included litigation, maritime, and business law practice with Coudert Brothers LLP and Wilson Elser LLP, and most recently, teaching business ethics and legal studies at the University of Denver.
The first David H. Savidge Memorial Fellow will be selected for Summer 2025. Students selected for this fellowship in prisoners’ rights advocacy or human rights work will be selected from the pool of applicants for the Law School’s summer grants.
David is survived by his wife Jenny and their daughters Olivia and Julia.
