Jeffries commits $5 million to building renovation and expansion project

Christopher Jeffries, founder of Millennium Partners, a New York-based real estate development firm, has provided a $5 million gift for the Law School’s building and expansion project. 

Jeffries, of New York City, is a 1974 alumnus of the Law School. 

“Michigan Law is a world-class legal educator, and a school of its stature requires a first-rate environment for learning, teaching, research, and clinical practice,” says Jeffries. “The Law School has been instrumental in my career path. I’m delighted to be able to express my gratitude by supporting the building project.” 

The project is a major goal of the Law School’s $135 million “Building On” campaign, part of The Michigan Difference, the University’s $2.5 billion campaign. 

“We are deeply appreciative that Chris Jeffries understands the importance of the Law School’s building and expansion project,” says President Mary Sue Coleman. “His generosity will help the School meet its critical need for new space, thereby adding to its well deserved reputation as one of the world’s great learning communities for legal education.” 

Dean Evan Caminker says Jeffries’ gift has accelerated the Law School’s building campaign at a critical juncture for the School’s needs. 

“Consistent with its status as one of the top law schools in the world, Michigan Law has continued to enroll outstanding students, hire outstanding faculty, and reshape its curriculum so as to maintain its ability to train great leaders of the bar, bench, and business for the next generation,” says Caminker. “But we need to upgrade and expand our facilities in order to continue providing a top-notch legal education into the 21st century. Chris Jeffries’ magnificent gift is the most recent indication that our alumni recognize the critical importance of high-quality and updated space to the educational enterprise. Now, with Chris’s partnership, new excitement for the building campaign is palpable.” 

Jeffries founded Millennium Partners in 1990 to pioneer a new concept in mixed-use urban living and entertainment centers. The firm’s prototype venture was Lincoln Square, which adjoins Lincoln Center in New York City.  

In 1995 Millennium began work on a new generation of properties that include luxury condominiums, five-star hotels, sports club facilities, and retail, which were built in five gateway U.S. cities.  

Jeffries was previously a partner in New York-based General Atlantic Realty Corporation, which he co-founded in1984. Prior to that he was a principal in the leveraged buyout of Key International. He began his career at the law firm of Keywell & Rosenfeld in Southfield, Mich.