Perroni Gives $500,000 to UALR Law School
Alumnus Sam Perroni's gift will renovate a courtroom and fund an endowed scholarship for out-of-state students.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Criminal Justice
Sam Perroni, a 1974 graduate of the Bowen School of Law, donated $500,000 to the school, announced at a gathering of students and alumni on Monday. The gift will fund renovations to the Herschel F. Friday Courtroom and an endowed scholarship for out-of-state students.
Why it matters
Perroni said he decided to give back because he could never repay the debt he owes the law school. The gift will also equip students with better technology in Little Rock.
Perroni, a former special justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court and former Department of Justice special prosecutor, is a 1974 graduate whose $500,000 gift is announced but not yet implemented. The renovation timeline and scholarship award criteria have not been disclosed.
The players
Sam Perroni
Perroni is a 1974 Bowen School of Law graduate and former special justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court who also served as a Department of Justice special prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Bowen School of Law
The Bowen School of Law is the law school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, which received the donation.
Colin Crawford
Colin Crawford is the dean of the Bowen School of Law who introduced Perroni at the announcement.
The details
Dean Colin Crawford introduced Perroni and outlined his career before Perroni addressed the audience of students and alumni. The Herschel F. Friday Courtroom is slated for renovation, and an endowed scholarship will support out-of-state students.
Timeline
1970s: Perroni moved from Illinois to Little Rock to attend law school.
1974: Perroni graduated from the Bowen School of Law.
Monday, November 2, 2026: Donation announced at a gathering of students and alumni.
Legal Context
Alumni-funded courtroom renovations and endowed scholarships are a recurring pattern at U.S. law schools, where former practitioners give back to the institutions that trained them. Perroni's gift follows this model, tying a named courtroom to trial-advocacy training he himself once taught.
The gift will add scholarship support for out-of-state students at the Bowen School of Law and fund renovations to the Herschel F. Friday Courtroom. Students and local legal trainees in Little Rock will gain access to upgraded courtroom technology and training space.
The takeaway
Alumni giving can directly shape practical training, and prospective law students weighing out-of-state programs may look to endowed scholarships as a funding option.
Further reading
Explore more Criminal Justice coverage from Little Rock for context on the legal system this gift supports.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
