Adkins, Jr., Lewis W. and Yamini Adkins Endowment
Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins are both graduates of The University of Akron School of Law, where they met as students. They have maintained an active involvement with the University, including establishing The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins Endowment in 2020 in support of the School of Law and in support of The University of Akron’s 150th Sesquicentennial Anniversary. The fund was revised in 2024. Yamini and Lewis care a great deal about the Akron community in which they are actively involved and appreciate the education they received from Akron Law and the abundance of opportunities it has provided for them.
Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. is a shareholder with Roetzel & Andress where he serves as the Practice Group Manager for the Public Law Group. After graduating from The University of Akron School of Law, his career began as a law clerk for Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge James R. Williams. Additional public law service followed with jobs as an assistant prosecutor for the Akron City Prosecutor’s office and general counsel in the Summit County Executive’s Office before he began his private sector career.
Lewis continued to serve the public with his involvement in many civic, cultural, and philanthropic organizations, including the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Akron Urban League, Cleveland City Club, Cleveland Urban League, Summit County Consumer Affairs Board, National Democratic Club, and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. He was instrumental in founding The Honorable James R. and Catherine D. Williams Scholarship Fund, which supports law school students, and the creation of The Dr. Sylvester Small Endowed Scholarship in Education. He received the School of Law's J. Dean Carro Professionalism Award from the Black Law Students Association in 2015 and currently serves as Chair of The University of Akron Board of Trustees.
Yamini Adkins is an Attorney and proud graduate of the University of Akron School of Law. She has dedicated her career to public service on both the local and national level and cares deeply about giving back to her community. Currently, she is the Executive Director for Human Capital with Akron Public Schools where she brings her expertise in public and employment law, labor relations, and human resources. She previously served as the Director of Human Resources for the City of Akron where she was integral in streamlining and centralizing efficient government work systems. Yamini also served as a United States Federal Commissioner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services in the Northeastern Region of Ohio where, in addition to mediating complex labor cases, she provided training to numerous public agencies on building strong labor/management relations and providing guidance on best practices in human resources and management. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the City of Akron law department and as a judicial clerk for the Akron Municipal Court. She went on to serve as the Director of Human Resources for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and also served as the Deputy Director of Human Resources/Labor Relations for the Summit County Executive's Office. In this role, Yamini served as the Chief Negotiator on all union contracts, guiding the County on collective bargaining agreements and overseeing a vast array of human resources functions and legal employment matters.
Yamini has served on various boards and committees and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Leadership Akron, The International Institute of Akron and the University of Akron Human Resource Advisory Committee.
The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. And Yamini Adkins Endowment was established to support The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins Scholarship and The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. And Yamini Adkins Student Diversity Recruitment and Retention Fund in °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s School of Law.
The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins Scholarship will award scholarship dollars to a University of Akron School of Law student with priority given to a first-generation college graduate who has faced financial and/or personal challenges. The scholarship committee should focus on underserved students by assessing the following criteria: location of high school attended; financial need/economic background; first-generation college attendance; evidence of leadership ability; extracurricular activities; creativity; community involvement; students with a history of overcoming adversity; and students from urban areas. Consideration should also be given for completing special projects or programs that offer evidence of significant effort, accomplishment, and special suitability to law school.
Additional considerations include:
- High academic performance at the undergraduate or graduate level
- Demonstrated financial need
- One or more letters of recommendation from, but not limited to, former teachers, college administrators, community leaders or other similar persons concerning the academic ability, character, reputation, or professional aptitude of the applicant
- Work history
Selection of the recipient will be made by the School of Law Scholarship Committee or the Dean.
The purpose of The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. And Yamini Adkins Student Diversity Recruitment and Retention Fund is to recruit and retain underserved students who have faced financial and/or personal challenges by assessing criteria such as the location of the high school attended, financial need and economic background, first-generation college attendance, evidence of leadership ability, extracurricular activities, creativity, community involvement, history of overcoming adversity, and urban background. The listed criteria will be considered the definition of diversity for awarding funds to students.
The funds can be used for various purposes, including but not limited to scholarship support for incoming students, programming and events within the law school designed to attract and retain a diverse student body, and any expenses that promote diversity at °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s Law School.
To make a tax-deductible gift to this scholarship, please visit °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s . Select “A different designation” from the drop-down menu and enter “Lewis and Yamini Adkins Endowment” in the text box. Thank you!
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