Cappello & Noël LLP law partner Leila J. Noël recently made a $250,000 donation to her alma mater, Marshall-Wythe School of Law at William & Mary.
The donation will be used to establish an endowment named for one of Noël’s classmates, Gregory J. Mitchell, and provide needs-based scholarships with a preference given to African-American students or students of color.
“I think it is critically important, especially in these times when law school is financially out of reach for so many students, to do something to make it more accessible to a wider group of young people,” Noël observed. “William & Mary is the oldest law school in the nation, and it provides an incredible foundation for a legal career. Greg was a remarkable person and it is fitting to have the scholarship named for him.”
Cappello & Noël, located in Santa Barbara, is a nationally known complex business litigation firm. Noël has tried or co-tried most of the firm’s largest cases. She has obtained jury verdicts in excess of $125 million and negotiated more than $130 million in settlements and workouts.
Noël was named one of the “Top 75 Women Litigators” in California for 2011 and one of the “Top 100 Women Lawyers” in California for 2013 by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals. She also was named Southern California Super Lawyer in 2012 and 2013. She is consistently listed in the “Who’s Who of Professional Services” by the Pacific Coast Business Times and was named one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” in 2016 and 2017 by the paper.
