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The James Wilson Legacy Society
Members of the James Wilson Legacy Society want to ensure that the future of American Jurisprudence is one rooted in moral reasoning. Your bequest will offer young lawyers and law students, as well as judges, professors, and citizens the knowledge they need to revive and protect our Constitutional order, for generations to come.
Our Co-Chairs
Douglas Neff
"Natural Law’s greatest strength is its appeal to non lawyers: the idea that there are rights and wrongs, that a thinking being can understand that they existed in nature before written laws and therefore before government—these concepts come naturally and make for a just society and a life well-lived. They also happen to be central to the founding of our Republic. JWI, like no place else, teaches those things we should know but so often forget."
-Douglas Neff, JWI Board Chairman
Chair of IHP Capital Partners
Mary Ellen Bork
“When young lawyers and judges deepen their understanding of Natural Law they can think more clearly about serious issues and render better decisions. This is the unique goal of the James Wilson Institute.”
-Mary Ellen Bork, JWI Trustee
Writer and Philanthropist
Robert Miller
“The James Wilson Institute is critically important to the development of the law in the United States. At the founding, practically all lawyers agreed on the existence and significance of natural law in the sense that there are principles of morality, knowable by reason, that underlie and in some ways are incorporated into the positive law enforced by the state. Today, our legal culture has largely forgotten that basic truth. The mission of the James Wilson Institute is to recover this truth and to ensure that the law develops in accordance with it. In doing this, the James Wilson Institute has no equals. The institute is far and away the most important voice in the public square advocating for natural law and its importance in the life of the law.”
-Robert Miller, Professor, Scalia Law School
Allison and Dorothy Rouse Chair in Law, Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University
Michael Maibach
“The James Wilson Institute is a school for judges, lawyers, and citizens. We teach the Natural Law insights that informed our Founders as they crafted the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. James Wilson, a Scottish immigrant who served on the first Supreme Court, signed both of those historic documents.”
-Michael Maibach, JWI Trustee and Managing Director
Former Vice President of Global Government Affairs at the Intel Corporation
Former President and CEO European-American Business Council
Joining the James Wilson Legacy Society
Action: Please click on one of the options below:
What are the benefits of the James Wilson Institute Legacy Society?
Including the James Wilson Institute in your estate is a simple and impactful way to leave a lasting legacy, enhance the future of American jurisprudence, and ensure JWI is able to continue offering young lawyers and law students as well as seasoned judges the vital insights needed to engage with today’s most challenging legal and moral questions.
How can I remember the James Wilson Institute in my estate?
Include specific language in your will or estate plan, such as: "I bequeath to The James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding, Alexandria, VA, [dollar amount, estate percentage, property, etc.] to be used for its charitable purposes."
What other ways can I make a legacy gift to the James Wilson Institute?
Other ways to make a legacy gift include naming JWI as a retirement plan beneficiary, naming JWI as a life insurance beneficiary, giving through a charitable remainder trust or making a gift through a donor advised fund.
Will my family still benefit from my bequest?
Yes, your family will still be bequeathed an amount of your choosing, with JWI and other bequest recipients receiving the remainder.
How Your Gift Will Be Distributed
The James Wilson Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the American Founders’ understanding of the moral grounds of our rights by bringing back a commonsense foundation to the study of law to inspire a new generation to discover anew our Nation’s absolute truths.
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