Kenneth E. Jaconetty, J.D. ’88, Makes $2 Million Bequest to Support IP Program and Scholarships

Kenneth E. Jaconetty, J.D. ’88, has made a planned gift of $2 million establishing the Kenneth E. Jaconetty Scholarship Fund, providing need-based funding for second- and third-year GW Law students active in the Black Law Students Association or members of a Native American tribe with an interest in intellectual property (IP) law.

Law is one of the nation’s least diverse professions, where 85% of all lawyers are white and 65% are men. These inequities are more pronounced in IP, where just 1.8% of lawyers are Black, 2.5% are Hispanic or Latino, and less than 0.5% are Native American.

Attending GW Law’s evening program, Mr. Jaconetty’s costs were covered by the law firm where he clerked during the day. He understands many minority students lack access to such generous benefactors and have historically been discriminated against in the legal profession.

Mr. Jaconetty has also established a scholarship at his undergraduate university for minority students studying chemical and bioengineering. “The background you need to go into this profession can be more limiting in terms of race and ethnicity because, typically, to be a patent attorney, you have to have a technical degree such as some sort of engineering or science-based degree,” he said. “These endowments work hand in hand.”

After providing for the scholarship in his estate plan, Mr. Jaconetty decided to jump start the endowment—making additional contributions to get it started in his lifetime. The scholarship is already providing opportunities for GW Law students.

Interested in making a gift through your will or trust or contributing to scholarships? Please contact us for more information.