John F. Kimberling Chair in Law
John F. “Jack” Kimberling graduated from Indiana Law in 1950. A native of Rushville, Indiana, he was once called “one of the top trial lawyers in the country” by The American Lawyer. He was widely known as a leading U.S. litigation specialist, a charter member of the ABA section on litigation, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a veteran of two wars.
Kimberling was recalled to active Navy duty during the Korean War just after he had opened his own law practice in Muncie, Indiana. Upon his discharge, he became managing partner in the Los Angeles firm Lillick & McHose, where he was instrumental in guiding the firm’s growth to a general commercial firm with 150 attorneys. In 1986, Kimberling was recruited to head the litigation unit at Dewey Ballantine Bushby Palmer & Wood, where he remained until his retirement in 1990.
Kimberling was named to the IU Foundation Board of Directors in 1988, serving as as national co-chair for the highly successful Endowment Campaign for Indiana University Bloomington. He was also was a member of the steering committee for the Campaign for Indiana (conducted in the 1980s), which raised more than $300 million for IU. He was a longtime member of the Law School's Board of Visitors. In 1990, he was inducted into the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows and, in 1993, served as a visiting law professor. In 2001, Kimberling was one of five alumni chosen for achievements in their fields of endeavor and significant contributions to IU and their communities. The Law School's planned giving society was renamed in his honor in 2009. Kimberling died in 2013.
Charles Geyh, John F. Kimberling Chair in Law