Morgan and Helen Chu make record $31.4 million gift to Harvard Law School

Morgan Chu, a prominent intellectual property attorney and firm leader, and his wife, Helen Chu, just handed Harvard Law School a staggering $31.4 million. According to Harvard Law School, it is the largest single donation in the school’s history. The historic funds will endow six brand new faculty professorships to provide long-term financial support for teaching and research.

John C.P. Goldberg, the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law, called the extraordinary generosity a vital boost for faculty recruitment. "Great Law schools depend on great teachers, scholars, and students," Goldberg said. Morgan Chu earned his J.D. from the Cambridge, Massachusetts institution magna cum laude in 1976 before building a storied career at Irell & Manella, where he chairs the litigation group.

The couple has a history of major giving to the campus, including a 2013 endowment that permanently funded the dean's chair. Chu offered a characteristically modest note about his time on campus. "I am grateful to the Law School for mistakenly admitting me, where I had a world-class education — and a lot of fun," Chu said.

"Helen and I wanted to say ‘Thank You.’" Steven Oliveira, the associate dean for development, noted that the massive contribution arrives as the School wraps up a record-shattering fiscal year 2026 that brought in over $135 million total. For local business owners balancing their own ledger books, it is a reminder of the sheer scale of generational wealth built through top-tier professional practice.

When a single IP lawyer can write an eight-figure check to say thank you for an admission letter, it shows just how far a specialized degree can take you.