Fordham Law School Dedicates Urquhart Learning Center

Described as a visionary who had a knack for spotting talent and seeing the potential in others, Bill Urquhart FCRH ’69 LAW ’78 was lauded by friends and family at the unveiling of the Urquhart Learning Center at Fordham Law School.

Urquhart, who was an evening law student, went on to become a partner at Quinn, Emanuel 

Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, helping grow a boutique law firm into a global powerhouse—now with over 1,000 lawyers, and 35 offices on four continents, during his 30-year career there.

He died in 2019 at the age of 72. During his legal career, he specialized in complex business disputes, ranging from international arbitration to patent disputes. He represented many large corporations, including IBM, Apple, Samsung, and Nokia.

Many of his family members and close friends came to the unveiling of the Center in October, which is memorialized on the third floor of the Law School. His firm’s generous gift to Fordham Law also will support other evening law students with scholarships and financial aid, health and well-being support, experiential learning opportunities, and programming.

“The A. William Urquhart Memorial Evening/Part-time J.D. Fund keeps this legacy alive by supporting today’s evening students and those in the future,” said Dean Emeritus Matthew Diller, who knew Urquhart personally. “Our profession and our society needs their contributions—their vision, their energy and their brilliance. We need the Bill Urquhart’s of tomorrow to build institutions to strive for excellence and to create community.”

His wife, Mary, said Bill would have said of the Center, “This is pretty nice.”

“Bill was a good judge of character. He had the unique ability to see the potential of others and was committed to helping them realize that potential,” she added. When students come into the Urquhart Learning Center, she said she hoped “They’re inspired by the same qualities that made Bill so extraordinary.”

Many described his warm and friendly personality—recalling he wore his signature Hawaiian shirts and flip flops when interviewing potential law associates—and they touted his generosity, whether he was springing for a meal, or giving up a comfortable hotel room so a colleague appearing in court the next day could get a good night’s rest.

Colleagues said he went to great lengths to recruit talented lawyers, often showering them with thoughtful gifts, and in one instance, he sprung for a future associate’s engagement ring.

Former Stanford Law Dean Kathleen Sullivan was recruited by Urquhart to create the firm’s appellate practice. She said he surprised her with business cards with the firm’s name before she had accepted the job. Sullivan said Urquhart even threw in some copies of his cases he thought she’d like working on. Sullivan joined the firm and is now its only female senior counsel.

Urquhart attended Fordham University on a track scholarship prior to law school, and was remembered for his competitive spirit. Friends said he sought “world dominance,” whether it was in a law firm basketball game or in expanding Quinn Emanuel globally. “He brought the same enthusiasm and passion to the law that he brought to his athletic career,” said his friend Peter Calamari ’73.

George Dalton FCRH ’73 LAW ’78, who was Urquhart’s study partner in law school, said, “Bill observed, he absorbed what was happening around him, and then he acted.” Dalton recalled that no matter where they traveled for work, they would always run into someone Urquhart knew, “Bill was just this extra gentleman. He was one of the most loyal friends you can ever imagine. He also was an intense advocate for former students.”

Reflecting on Urquhart’s impact on future generations of Fordham Law evening students, Sullivan said, “Everyone who passes through this space will be very lucky indeed.”