Curtis Huff and Lori Gallagher
A Lasting Legacy: Largest Gift in UNM School of Law History Invests $5.7 Million in New Mexico’s Economic Future
A great teacher’s influence can extend well beyond the classroom, shaping careers, building lasting relationships, and creating opportunities for future generations. For University of New Mexico School of Law alumnus Curtis Huff (’82), his relationship with former professor and Dean Emeritus Theodore “Ted” Parnall (’67) has done all three.
Curtis Huff (’82) and Lori Gallagher (’84)
Now, Huff and his wife, fellow UNM School of Law alumna Lori Gallagher (’84), are honoring that relationship with a historic $5.7 million commitment, the largest gift in the School of Law’s history. Their investment will establish the Theodore Parnall Endowed Chair in Business Law and develop a comprehensive Corporate, Business and Transactional Law Program at the UNM School of Law. The gift, the largest on the School of Law’s history, will expand educational opportunities, strengthen faculty excellence, and prepare future attorneys to support New Mexico’s economic development.
The gift is part of Accelerate New Mexico, UNM’s $1.2 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign. It reflects the couple’s gratitude for their education, their respect for Parnall’s mentorship, and their belief that developing legal expertise is essential to the state’s economic future.
“Curtis and Lori’s extraordinary generosity shows exactly what Accelerate New Mexico is all about: investing in our people to move our state forward,” said UNM President Steve Goldstein. "By honoring Ted Parnall’s legacy and building a new generation of business law expertise, they are strengthening faculty excellence and opening doors for our students. Just as important, they are helping ensure that the breakthroughs emerging from UNM become businesses, jobs, and growth for New Mexico. Because of their vision, the next generation of Lobo attorneys will be ready to help build the future of our state.”
A Relationship That Began in the Classroom
When Huff entered the UNM School of Law, Parnall was building a career that would influence generations of attorneys. A 1967 graduate, Parnall joined the faculty in 1970 after practicing corporate and securities law in New York City at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. During his 27 years at UNM, he taught generations of students and served five years as dean, becoming the only School of Law alumnus to hold that position.
His work also extended internationally. For more than five decades, Parnall participated in legal development initiatives with the Ford Foundation, United Nations, USAID, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. For Huff, Parnall’s expertise in corporate and securities law helped establish the foundation for his career. After earning a Master of Laws from New York University School of Law, Huff spent 15 years practicing corporate law, securities law, and mergers and acquisitions at Fulbright & Jaworski before transitioning into business and investment leadership. The two maintained their friendship, and their conversations eventually turned to the future of business law education at UNM.
“Curtis and I are graduates of the University of New Mexico School of Law and the education we received from the outstanding professors at the Law School prepared us both for successful careers with major law firms in Houston,” Gallagher said. “Ted Parnall was a particularly important mentor to Curtis’ practice in corporate and securities law.”
She added, “We both feel that we could not have achieved what we have been able to accomplish but for the education and support from professors like Ted. We therefore felt it was appropriate for the new Endowed Chair in Business Law at the Law School to be named after Ted for his contributions to the Law School and business law in New Mexico.”
Working with UNM School of Law Dean Camille Carey, Huff and Gallagher developed a commitment that would both recognize Parnall’s contributions and expand the School’s academic capabilities. For Parnall, the recognition matters deeply.
“If a teacher has had students use whatever scattered words and ideas he struggles to express in such a way that they produce a net positive in the world, he is a lucky person,” Parnall said.
Reflecting on Huff’s accomplishments and the couple’s generosity, he added, “Curtis and Lori have had careers that demonstrate the kind of foundational legal education UNM School of Law should always be able to provide to our students, and this gift will help make sure the school can provide it.”
Preparing Attorneys for New Mexico’s Emerging Economy
New Mexico has significant opportunities in emerging industries, including quantum computing, advanced materials, and medicine. Realizing their economic potential will require more than scientific discovery. It will also require the legal and business expertise necessary to bring new technologies to market.
The Theodore Parnall Endowed Chair in Business Law will provide academic leadership for a new Corporate, Business and Transactional Law Program, preparing students to advise businesses, structure transactions, navigate regulatory requirements, and support commercial development.
“We believe that New Mexico is at a crossroads economically. There are emerging business opportunities with new technologies in areas such as quantum computing, materials design, and medicine that are being developed in our own backyard,” Huff said. “Our hope is the new Corporation, Business and Transactional Law program at the Law School will provide training for the next generation of business lawyers in the State to assist in commercializing these opportunities for the benefit of New Mexico.”
The program addresses an important connection between higher education and economic development. Researchers and entrepreneurs may develop promising technologies, but bringing those discoveries to market requires investment agreements, intellectual property protections, corporate structures, and sound legal guidance. By preparing attorneys with these skills, UNM can strengthen the professional infrastructure that supports innovation and business growth.
“This extraordinary gift is truly transformational for the University of New Mexico School of Law,” said Dean Camille Carey. “Thanks to the remarkable generosity and vision of Curtis Huff and Lori Gallagher, we will be able to build a robust program in corporate, business, and transactional law that will open exciting new opportunities for our students and help meet the evolving legal needs of New Mexico’s business community.”
The $5.7 million commitment, to be fulfilled over four years, will support both the program’s establishment and its long-term sustainability. Initial funding will support faculty recruitment, curriculum development, and other startup expenses. The remaining funds will establish a permanent endowment supporting the chairholder’s salary, benefits, and professional development. The School of Law anticipates recruiting a visiting professor for fall 2027 while searching for the inaugural Theodore Parnall Endowed Chair in Business Law.
Advancing Accelerate New Mexico
The gift advances Accelerate New Mexico's three priorities: Student Success and Access, Research and Innovation, and Faculty Excellence. By establishing a permanent faculty position and expanding specialized legal education, the investment will create opportunities for students while developing expertise that supports New Mexico’s emerging industries. It also demonstrates how philanthropy can connect the University’s academic strengths with the state’s economic needs.
“Accelerate New Mexico is about investing in the people and ideas that will shape our state’s future,” said UNM Foundation President and CEO Jeff Todd. “Curtis and Lori’s generosity connects faculty excellence, student opportunity, and economic development. Their commitment will strengthen legal education at UNM while preparing the professionals New Mexico needs to support innovation, grow businesses, and build a stronger economy.”
The gift illustrates a broader principle behind the campaign. Investments in faculty and education can generate benefits that extend beyond individual students, strengthening institutions, supporting industries, and creating opportunities across generations.
A Shared Commitment to Education and Opportunity
Huff and Gallagher bring extensive professional experience to their philanthropy. Huff is president and chairman of Freebird Partners, a private investment firm focused on energy, biotechnology, and renewable technology. He also chairs the board of Patterson-UTI and serves on the UNM Foundation Board of Trustees. His career spans corporate law, investment management, and business leadership.
Gallagher, a 1984 UNM School of Law graduate, practiced at Andrews & Kurth LLP in Houston, where she became a partner and chaired the firm’s civil appellate section before leaving in 2002. Their commitment to education extends beyond this gift. The couple previously established the Joseph C. Gallagher Scholarship Fund for Study in Ireland and Europe, supporting undergraduate study abroad and international graduate research. Their latest investment builds on that commitment by strengthening faculty leadership and creating educational opportunities that will continue well into the future.
A Legacy That Looks to the Future
For more than five decades, Ted Parnall has contributed to legal education, international legal development, and his students' professional lives. The endowed chair bearing his name will carry that influence forward while preparing future attorneys to meet New Mexico’s changing economic needs.
For Huff and Gallagher, the commitment honors a professor whose mentorship helped shape their careers. For UNM, it establishes a permanent investment in faculty excellence and legal education. For New Mexico, it develops the expertise needed to support innovation, business development, and economic growth.
What began as a professor-student relationship more than four decades ago will now help prepare generations of attorneys. It reminds us that a university’s most enduring impact comes not only from the knowledge it creates, but from the people it prepares to put that knowledge to work.