To say Walter Mondale ’56 left a legacy is an understatement — especially here in Minnesota. The 42nd vice president of the United States is remembered across the nation for his integrity and commitment to service, and as a longtime advocate of Minnesota Law. In 2011, he created the Walter F. Mondale Scholarship to support students who demonstrate a strong content of character in their study of law.
When Mondale passed away in 2021, Dorsey & Whitney, where he was a partner, senior counsel, and retired partner for three decades, stepped forward to further fund the scholarship. The firm believed support for future generations of lawyers was an ideal way to honor its late colleague’s many contributions. “Mr. Mondale was a leader and a highly respected part of the firm,” says Jennifer Ede, partner at the firm and board member of the Dorsey & Whitney Foundation. “Continuing this scholarship builds upon the long history that Dorsey & Whitney, both as a law firm and a foundation, have in working with the University of Minnesota and supporting its students.”
Ede, who started at Dorsey & Whitney in 2011, recalls being a little star-struck when she ran into Mondale in the hallway. He had a reputation for leading the firm to new opportunities, building strong bonds with clients, and establishing relationships across the country and the world. He was also known to stay engaged at the local level, lending his perspective on various issues and advising the firm’s summer associates.
Helping to establish the next generation of lawyers resonates with Ede and the Dorsey & Whitney Foundation. They understand the role financial assistance plays in
bringing students to the Law School who later become talented lawyers who make an impact on their firms and communities.
“It’s extremely important that we support students and enable them to go to law school regardless of their socioeconomic background,” Ede says. “Whatever we can do to increase access to this profession will help us serve our clients better.”
Energizing Change in a Career
The scholarship has helped Shaadie Ali ’25 take the next step toward an environmentally focused career. From the start, Ali had had an interest in environmental justice, but he wanted to make sure he could approach the subject with a strong technical understanding. He obtained his undergraduate degree in geological engineering from the University of Wisconsin and went on to work in several different roles in the energy and environment industries, including for an energy utility, Wisconsin’s state utility commission, and an engineering consulting firm.
From there, Ali saw a natural next step to nonprofit management. He served as the interim executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.
That experience whetted his appetite for law school.
Support from the Mondale scholarship eased the financial pressure of enrolling and left him free to explore a path that aligned with his interests.
“I think for a lot of folks, when they come into law school, can feel a lot of financial pressure to go down a particular path,” Ali says. “The scholarship was one of many ways the Law School supported me in my journey to figure out what path was right for me. I think my experiences around public interest only could have happened through financial gifts that support students.”
After spending his first and second summers during law school as an associate at Fredrikson & Byron, Ali has accepted an offer with the firm. He is excited about the firm’s work in energy and environmental litigation and looks forward to seeing where his career goes next.
In the meantime, he has enjoyed the opportunity to explore new activities during his remaining time in law school. In a career setting, it can be difficult to branch out and develop new skills that do not directly relate to the job, Ali says. He has relished the opportunity to participate in moot court competitions, academic journals, and externships in public interest roles, including the Minnesota Judicial Branch and the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.
Finding so many experiences in a school with a relatively small student body made Minnesota Law feel like a very big place and a very small place at the same time, he says.
“As someone who is winding my time down at law school, I am really grateful for the variety and quality of different experiences I’ve had here,” he says. “And the scholarship is one of the reasons I was able to come to this law school and experience those things.”