In recognition of Judge Gina C. Higgins’ exemplary service to the Summer Law Internship Program (SLIP), the Memphis Bar Association (MBA) established The Honorable Gina C. Higgins Endowment Fund. The MBA surprised Judge Higgins when it announced the endowment fund at its annual meeting on December 7, which happened to be Judge Higgins’ birthday.
Prior to the public announcement, the fund already reached $158,000. It is managed through the Memphis Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the MBA, and will be funded by 100% tax deductible donations. The initial capital will be kept intact and the fund’s earnings will be used to support operations of the SLIP each year, as needed.
Judge Higgins co-founded the SLIP in Shelby County in 2007. She has remained actively involved as a leader in the program, which provides high school students from underrepresented backgrounds with summer placement in law firms, corporate law departments, and judicial chambers. Many former interns, some of whom are now practicing attorneys, have continued to be mentored by their SLIP employers. Since its inception, the SLIP has supported more than 900 students.
