Washington lawyer donates gift to UA

FAYETTEVILLE — The founder of a Washington lobbying firm has given $125,000 to the University of Arkansas to support public service job training opportunities for law students.

John D. Raffaelli, founding partner of Capitol Counsel LLC and a UA law school graduate, in a statement released by UA said he wants his gift “to help ensure Arkansas’s pipeline to our nation’s capital stays open and vibrant for years to come.”

The Raffaelli-Lineberger Public Service Fund will provide what are known as externship opportunities, which involve workplace training, according to UA. The idea is to help students accept jobs “in sectors where they may not otherwise be paid for their work or where compensation is well below market rates,” according to UA’s announcement of the gift.

First preference will be given to students seeking to work in the Washington, D.C., area, according to UA.

“We look forward to using this gift as a foundation for a robust public service initiative,” UA law dean Margaret Sova McCabe said in a statement.

The fund is named partly in honor of John Lineberger, a UA alumnus and retired circuit judge. Raffaelli’s brother, Louis, was married to Mary Lou Lineberger, sister of the judge, according to the gift announcement.

Barry Currier, managing director of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, in a statement said law schools have been “finding a variety of ways” to support students interested in public service work.

“Schools are supporting externships in public interest/ public law settings, loan forgiveness programs, student organizations, and coordinating pro bono public service opportunities for students,” Currier said.