PICTURED ABOVE: David and Jan Ichel (center) with 2025 recipients of Ichel scholarships.
Their scholarships currently support 14 students across Duke University.
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The Ichel gift will help secure the future of the century-old scholarly journal and advance rule of law initiatives.
David and Jan Ichel have established the David & Jan Ichel Judicature Endowment at the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School. Their generous gift will provide essential support for Judicature, the Bolch Judicial Institute’s flagship publication, and will further the Institute’s mission to promote rule-of-law principles and judicial independence.
Judicature is a more-than-100-year-old scholarly journal for the judiciary, published three times a year and distributed to more than 5,000 U.S. federal and state judges. The publication serves as a vital forum for judges, practitioners, and academics to share scholarship, best practices, and perspectives on the judiciary and the administration of justice.
David Ichel AB’75, JD’78, has maintained deep ties to Duke Law School for over four decades. He has served on the school’s Board of Visitors since 2002 and as its chair from 2009 to 2014. He and Jan have long provided substantial financial support for professorships, scholarships, and other programs. David has also played a key role in supporting the Bolch Judicial Institute’s work since its founding in 2018, serving as chair of Judicature’s editorial board, the inaugural chair of the Institute’s Leadership Council, and, currently, chair of the Institute’s Advisory Board. David and Jan’s generous philanthropy has also included broad support for the Institute, including gifts to the David F. Levi Professorship and Directorship, the Star Rule of Law Fund, and the McGovern Symposium.
“David and Jan’s commitment to the Bolch Judicial Institute exemplifies the kind of leadership and vision that makes Duke Law such a special place,” said Kerry Abrams, the James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean of the School of Law. “This endowment ensures that Judicature will continue to serve as an essential resource for judges nationwide while advancing the Institute’s broader mission to strengthen our democratic institutions. David’s long history of service to Duke Law makes this gift particularly meaningful.”
A Legacy of Leadership and Service
Under Ichel’s leadership as chair of Judicature’s editorial board, he helped engage nearly 45 law firms in providing the funds needed to expand the publication’s distribution among state court judges.
“Jan and I believe deeply in the power of Judicature to strengthen our judicial system by fostering the exchange of ideas and best practices among judges at every level,” said Ichel. “Having served as the journal’s inaugural editorial board chair, I’ve seen firsthand how Judicature serves as a vital bridge connecting federal and state judges with scholars and members of the bar. This endowment ensures that this essential dialogue can continue for generations to come. At a time when our courts face unprecedented challenges, it’s more important than ever that we support the institutions that promote judicial excellence and preserve the rule of law.”
The Ichels have also established the David W. Ichel Duke Leadership Law Scholarship to provide support for outstanding Duke University undergraduates who are continuing their education at Duke Law School, as well as other Duke Law School and Duke undergraduate scholarships. The Ichel scholarships currently support 14 students across the University. In addition to scholarships, the Ichels have provided generous support to many professorships, programs, and initiatives over decades of deep engagement and leadership at Duke and Duke Law.
Ichel was a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he spent over 37 years from 1978 to 2015 litigating complex commercial disputes. He currently serves as a mediator, arbitrator, and special master at his firm, X-Dispute LLC, drawing on his extensive litigation experience. Chambers USA ranks him as one of the country’s leading mediators. A member of the American Law Institute, Ichel also chaired and served as a long-time member of the Board of Mobilization for Justice, Inc., one of the country’s oldest providers of legal services to the underserved.
Ichel received his AB degree, summa cum laude, from Duke University in 1975, and his JD from Duke Law School in 1978, having served on the Duke Law Journal. He currently teaches Complex Civil Litigation at Duke Law School and has taught a similar course at the University of Miami.
Advancing the Institute’s Mission
The endowment represents the latest chapter in the Ichels’ ongoing commitment to legal education and judicial excellence.
“David and Jan Ichel exemplify the kind of visionary leadership that strengthens our entire judicial system,” said Paul W. Grimm, the David F. Levi Professor of the Practice of Law and Director of the Bolch Judicial Institute. “This endowment reflects their deep understanding that supporting judicial excellence requires sustained investment in the institutions that connect and educate our judiciary. At a time when courts face evolving challenges, this gift provides crucial resources to ensure that Judicature can continue serving as an essential forum for advancing best practices and fostering dialogue among judges, scholars, and practitioners nationwide.”
The gift comes at a pivotal time for the Bolch Judicial Institute, which was established in 2018 by Carl Bolch, Jr., and his wife, Susan Bass Bolch, to study and advance rule of law principles, judicial independence, and law reform through technology and innovation. The Ichel endowment will help ensure the long-term sustainability of Judicature and provide ongoing support for the Institute’s educational programs, which include conferences, judicial training initiatives, and scholarship that address critical issues facing the judiciary. The gift is amplified by a matching pledge from the Bolch family company, RaceTrac Inc., which has pledged to match up to $10 million in endowment funds raised for the Institute, and by a generous gift in support of the new Judicature endowment fund from the Kathrine Robinson Everett Trust.
“David and Jan have been extraordinary leaders for Duke Law and the Bolch Judicial Institute, and this endowment represents the culmination of decades of thoughtful engagement with our mission,” said Peter J. Kahn, senior counsel at Williams & Connolly and former chair of the Bolch Judicial Institute’s Advisory Board. “David’s work as chair of Judicature‘s editorial board helped establish the journal’s reputation under Duke’s stewardship. This gift not only honors David and Jan’s commitment to the rule of law but also ensures that future generations of legal professionals will benefit from Judicature‘s scholarly contributions to judicial education and reform.”
About the Bolch Judicial Institute
Established in 2018 with a $10 million gift from Carl Bolch Jr. and Susan Bass Bolch, the Institute provides unique educational opportunities for sitting judges in the United States and around the globe; conducts research and supports teaching and scholarship; and develops civic education initiatives to advance its mission of promoting the rule of law. Among the Institute’s flagship programs are the Master’s in Judicial Studies LLM program; Judicature, Duke’s scholarly journal on judging; conferences and seminars that bring together lawyers, judges, and scholars to examine challenges and develop solutions for improving and advancing the administration of justice; the Bolch Prize for the Rule of Law, which is awarded annually to an individual or organization who has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the rule of law and advancing rule of law principles around the world; and the Raphael Lemkin Rule of Law Guardian medal, given annually to an individual who has contributed to the preservation and advancement of the rule of law.