Last modified: Friday, March 23, 2012
IU Maurer School of Law inducts four as Academy of Law Alumni Fellows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Four Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni will be inducted today, March 23, into the school's Academy of Law Alumni Fellows. Induction into the academy is the highest honor the law school can bestow on its graduates.
The academy consists of an elite group that includes U.S. senators, federal judges, successful business leaders and distinguished practitioners. Each brings honor to the legal profession and enhances the Maurer School of Law's national and global reputation. The 2012 inductees include an accomplished entrepreneur, a longtime IU general counsel, a distinguished tax attorney and a widely acclaimed litigator.
"Our newest additions to the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows have achieved success in a wide array of fields," said Hannah L. Buxbaum, interim dean and John E. Schiller Chair in Legal Ethics. "They represent the values that the law school holds in highest esteem: intellectual rigor, continuous achievement and a commitment to the highest standards of the profession. We are honored to call them alumni of our school."
The 2012 Academy of Law Alumni Fellows are:
Stephen F. Burns, JD'68
Stephen F. Burns
A lawyer turned corporate executive, Stephen F. Burns has built a company from a small van line to a household name. Burns graduated from the IU law school in 1968, where he was elected to Order of the Coif. He initially went to work for his father's law firm, where he began working with Earnest S. Wheaton, who founded a small van line in 1945. Wheaton took Burns under his wing and coaxed him into taking the helm of the company in 1987.
Burns and his management team developed a five-year plan for Wheaton to reach $95 million in revenue by 2007. That goal was reached two years early in 2005. Wheaton's recent purchase of Bekins Van Lines makes the company the fourth-largest moving and storage company in the U.S.
Burns has received numerous honors for his industry achievements, including Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2006 (Indiana, Midwest and U.S. finalist); 2008 Lifetime Achievement award from the American Moving and Storage Association (the industry's highest award); and Wheaton's highest honor, the Extra Mile award, in 2010. He has also been an active volunteer, with a special emphasis on Give Kids the World, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses realize their dream of visiting Disney World. Burns stepped down as Wheaton's CEO in September 2008, but he remains the company's chairman, focusing on acquisitions and diversification.
Dorothy J. Frapwell, JD'73
Dorothy J. Frapwell
Dorothy J. Frapwell has dedicated her professional life to her alma mater, building a reputation as a strategic thinker, an expert in higher education practice and a collaborative colleague. She joined Indiana University in 1975 and was the IU Medical Center attorney until 1990, where she advised doctors and administrators on challenging matters of patient care, ethics, hospital law and medical education.
In 1990, Frapwell was named special counsel to the president. She was appointed general counsel to Indiana University in 1994 and was named a vice president in 2006. Known for her poise, equanimity and common sense, Frapwell has embraced the many challenges of being the lead counsel of a complex, vibrant multi-campus research university. Throughout the course of her distinguished career, she has advised the trustees of Indiana University and four of its presidents. She attests that this position is incredibly fascinating and never, never boring.
Frapwell also served on the Maurer School of Law board of visitors for 16 years and as a member of the law alumni board, culminating in a term as president in 1993. While the Medical Center attorney, she was a member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. She has also served on the Indiana Supreme Court committee on character and fitness.
Stephen H. Paul, JD'72
Stephen H. Paul
Stephen H. Paul is recognized nationally as a leading expert on property tax law and locally as a civic leader. Paul's recent election as president of American Property Tax Counsel, the pre-eminent property tax lawyers' association in North America, is testimony to his standing in the tax bar. Throughout his career, Paul has argued numerous cases before the Indiana Tax Court and Indiana Supreme Court that have shaped the current state of Indiana property tax law.
An Order of the Coif and magna cum laude graduate of the Maurer School of Law, Paul served as editor-in-chief of the Indiana Law Journal from 1971 to 1972. His volume remains the most cited in the publication's history.
After graduating in 1972, Paul joined Baker & Daniels, now Faegre Baker Daniels, in Indianapolis, where he has practiced tax law for 40 years. A leader within the firm, he has previously served as chairman of the firm's management, finance and compensation committees.
Among the highlights of his diverse career was serving as general counsel to the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club from 1989 to 1991. Other notable clients include Eli Lilly and Co., Duke Realty Corp., Simon Property Group, General Electric Co., PepsiCo, Nordstrom, Target Corp. and JPMorgan Chase.
In the community, Paul has served as president of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck and its foundation in Indianapolis. He is a member of the IU Maurer School of Law's board of visitors and an adjunct professor of state and local taxation.
Richard S. Rhodes, LLB'53
Richard S. Rhodes
For the past half century, Richard S. Rhodes has brought distinction to the profession as a litigator, arbitrator and mediator. Rhodes graduated with distinction from the IU law school in 1953, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as note editor of the Indiana Law Journal.
Soon after his release from the Army in 1956, Rhodes was appointed to a clerkship for Justice Sherman Minton, LLB'15, at the United States Supreme Court. When Justice Minton retired, Rhodes was one of the first law clerks for newly appointed Justice William J. Brennan.
When his clerkship ended, Rhodes became associated with Chadwell, Kayser, a leading Chicago antitrust firm. He soon became a partner and specialized in antitrust law, enjoying a long and distinguished career for more than 30 years. During that time he spent a year as chairman of the Chicago Bar Association's antitrust law committee and a year as president of the IU Alumni Club of Chicago.
After 40 years of private practice in litigation, Rhodes turned to alternative dispute resolution: arbitration under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association and mediation for the Center for Conflict Resolution. Fifteen years later, he continues to enjoy this practice.
Rhodes has been a dedicated and tireless civic volunteer. For many years, he and his wife, Judy, organized meetings for high school students to learn about IU. He has served as president of two synagogues and was one of the founders and the first president of the Chicago Foundation for Jewish Education. He has been an active member of the law school board of visitors for 30 years.
