Honoring An Uncommon Leader

The Wayne Budd ’63 Scholarship at BC Law

“He’s helped craft the trajectory of everyone at the table…This is our way to give back to Wayne and to celebrate all that he has done for us and for Boston.”

Wayne Budd with former members of his law firm including Tom Reilly Steven Wright, JD'81; Ralph Martin, Stephanie Lovell, Craig Browne, Fletcher "Flash" Wiley, Dean Richlin

Former members of Wayne Budd’s law firm include: (l-r, top) Tom Reilly, JD’70; Steven Wright, JD’81; Ralph Martin, Wayne Budd ’63, H’13, and R. Malcolm Graham, JD’74; and (l-r, bottom) Stephanie Lovell, Craig Browne, Fletcher “Flash” Wiley, Dean Richlin.

The son of the first Black police officer in Springfield, Massachusetts, Wayne Budd ’63, H’13, didn’t decide until his second year of law school—when he met a successful African-American attorney—that he could actually practice law himself. That experience, of the power of representation, set him on the path to become a widely respected attorney and role model to countless others.

Now, two of those who count Budd as their mentor and friend have launched an initiative to celebrate Budd with a Boston College Law School scholarship in his name—honoring his impact and extending his influence to future generations of underrepresented law students. Led by Steven Wright, JD’81, and Ralph Martin, a small group of Budd proteges have begun raising funds from other community members, all motivated by their deep admiration and appreciation for their mentor.

Both successful lawyers, Wright and Martin met Budd early in their careers at a time when there were few, if any, role models for aspiring African-American lawyers.

“I walked into my corporate law class and saw this dynamic Black attorney, and he was my professor,” recalls Wright. “He was inspirational from the very first moment, and I thought ‘I want to be like him.’”

The story was much the same for Martin, who met Budd in 1975 and was immediately drawn to his kind, encouraging demeanor. “I was thinking about going to law school and I asked if we could talk. He said ‘Absolutely, come on over,’” recalls Martin. “And that was the beginning.”

Martin went on to law school and was then invited to join Budd’s firm, Budd & Reilly; the two worked together several more times, most notably when Martin was the Suffolk County District Attorney and Budd was the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts.

While Budd made a special effort to advocate for Black attorneys, Martin says his circle of proteges includes men and women from all professions, ethnicities, and walks of life.

Join Us in Honoring Wayne Budd

Wayne Budd has touched countless lives—and now is the time to pay it forward.

Make a gift to the Wayne Budd ’63 Scholarship Fund today and keep his legacy alive for future generations.

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Founders:

Steven Wright, JD’81
Ralph C. Martin II and Deborah A. Scott
Craig Browne
Jonathan Chiel
Stephen Hall
Brent and Minnie Henry
Sandra Jesse, JD’81
Roderick Ireland
Stephanie Lovell
Karen Morton-Grooms
Walter and Dorothy Prince, JD’74
Tom and Ruth Reilly, JD’70
Dean Richlin
Flash and Bennie Wiley, P’06

“It’s the nature of his ecumenical spirit,” says Martin, now general counsel at Northeastern University. “He’s always been an inclusive leader, bringing people into the conversation, challenging people’s assumptions but always, always appreciating their humanity.”

Wright agrees, adding that Budd led by example with his commitment to public service and community leadership, as well as his commitment to helping young attorneys find their way.

“He’s helped craft the trajectory of everyone at the table,” says Wright, who also worked at Budd & Reilly before going on to government positions and then a 20-year career at Holland & Knight; he currently serves as a corporate general counsel. “He attracted us by virtue of his uncommon leadership, his uncommon gracefulness, and his uncommon generosity.”

These are the values that Wright and Martin hope to pass on through the Wayne Budd ’63 Scholarship at BC Law, which will provide tuition support for students from underrepresented groups including African-American and first-generation law students. Though Budd was initially reluctant due to his trademark humility, they say he gave his blessing of the scholarship’s potential to expand access to a BC Law education.

Wright and Martin hope to inspire other BC alumni, Boston-area lawyers, business leaders, and others who count Budd as a mentor, role model, connector—and to some, a hero—to contribute to the fund so that it can benefit as many law students as possible.

“Wayne taught us to always give back,” says Wright. “This is our way to give back to Wayne and to celebrate all that he has done for us and for Boston.”

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To contribute to the Wayne Budd ’63 Scholarship at BC Law, click here.

Wayne Budd ’63, P’90, H’13

A highly-respected attorney and community leader, Wayne Budd earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at Boston College before entering law school at Wayne State University. He returned to Boston in 1967 and founded Budd & Reilly, the city’s first interracial law firm.

In 1989 he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts—the first African American to hold the post in New England. Budd also served as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association—breaking barriers as the youngest president in the association’s history and the first African-American to head a state bar association anywhere in the U.S.

Budd returned to private practice in 1993 and went on to serve in leadership roles at John Hancock Financial Services and Bell Atlantic Corporation. He is now a senior counsel in Goodwin Proctor’s litigation department, and has received numerous awards, including the American Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award.