A dedicated family of West Virginia University supporters is strengthening academics at the WVU College of Law with a gift to establish a new professorship.

The Deem family, of Bridgeport, established the Patrick D. Deem Professor of Law, which provides faculty support to aid research, teaching and service. First preference for the position goes to a faculty member whose focus is on real estate, energy and natural resources, or business law.

The professorship recognizes Patrick Deem’s commitment to the legal profession for more than 50 years. He earned his law degree from WVU and practiced with Steptoe & Johnson, joining the firm in 1969 and retiring in 2020.

“We are so thrilled to receive this transformational gift from the Deem family,” Amelia Smith Rinehart, William J. Maier, Jr. Dean and professor of law, said.

“With the Patrick D. Deem Professorship of Law, the WVU College of Law will be able to recruit and retain excellent faculty in the fields of real estate, energy and natural resources, and business, all of which are critically important areas of practice for our students and for the state. Generations of College of Law students will benefit from the knowledge and skills that the Patrick D. Deem Professor of Law will provide, and the impact of this gift will reach far and wide within the legal profession in West Virginia and beyond.”

Deem’s law practice focused on the energy industry, including real estate and mineral rights, commercial transactions, business mergers and acquisitions, and more. He also served the firm in leadership roles as business department chair and executive committee member.

Deem is a fellow of the American Bar Association and previously served as president of the West Virginia Bar Association.

“The practice of law was such a central part of Pat’s life for so long, bringing him purpose and happiness,” wife Alison Deem said. “He is forever grateful for the opportunities the WVU College of Law gave him. Helping support the faculty in the practice areas most important to him is just one way of paying that forward.”

Together, Patrick and Alison Deem have generously supported their alma mater for decades, including scholarship gifts to the WVU College of Law. Much of the family’s generosity has benefited arts education and programs at the WVU College of Creative Arts and Media and the Art Museum of WVU.

Alison, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the University in 1970, has also advanced WVU through a variety of volunteer roles. She chaired the WVU College of Creative Arts Visiting Committee, helped found Friends of the Art Museum of WVU, and served on the WVU Foundation Board of Directors, among others. She was inducted into the Order of Vandalia, the University’s highest honor for service to WVU, in 2012.

The Art Museum of WVU is hosting a special exhibition through May 11 to honor the Deems’ 30-year legacy of support for the School of Art and Design. The exhibition features artists who have participated in the Deem Distinguished Lecture Series, which brings outstanding artists and arts professionals to campus each year for a guest lecture.

The Deem family gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.