Success in Intellectual Property Inspires Gift

When C. Larry O’Rourke, JD ’71, considers his 30-plus year career in intellectual property law, he sees the legal education he received at GW Law as its root. “I have made my career in IP law and feel the foundation I obtained at GW Law provided the impetus for what success I’ve had,” O’Rourke said.

Now senior counsel with Finnegan (formerly Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner)—a firm that employs more GW graduates than any other firm—O’Rourke has spent most of his career with Finnegan and opened and served as managing partner of the firm’s Palo Alto office.

O’Rourke’s practice focuses primarily in the electronic and computer industries and in IP litigation. He has served as lead appellate counsel in patent appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals and handled investigations into unfair trade practices in the International Trade Commission. Many of his cases involve Japan, Korea, China, and other Pacific Rim countries, and in litigation he draws on his familiarity with their cultures based on his travels there.

As an expression of his gratitude to GW Law, O’Rourke serves as chair of the Intellectual Property Advisory Board. In addition he and his wife Joy established a deferred charitable gift annuity in tandem with a current gift pledge in 2006. “Giving a future gift is welcomed by the Law School, but a present gift goes right to work,” he said. “A combination of the two was right for us.”

O’Rourke and his wife Joy have begun receiving a stream of income for life from the deferred gift annuity. Because he deferred payments at the time of his gift, his immediate charitable income-tax deduction was larger than if he had established a typical, immediate-payment charitable gift annuity. The longer the payments are deferred, the larger the charitable deduction. At the death of the last annuitant, the remainder will go to GW Law.

“It is attractive to have tax benefits and a stream of income associated with the gift, but our primary motivation was to support a school which has meant so much to my career and our life,” O’Rourke said.

His gift supports the endowment underwriting IP Dean John Whealan’s salary. O’Rourke said, “It is my hope that GW Law continues to be the best in IP.”

Back