Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins Endowed Scholarship

Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins are both graduates of The University of Akron School of Law, where they met as students. They have maintained an active involvement with the University, including establishing The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins Endowed Scholarship in 2020 in support of the School of Law and in celebration of The University of Akron’s 150th Sesquicentennial Anniversary. Yamini and Lewis care a great deal about the Akron community in which they are actively involved, and are appreciative of the education they received from Akron Law and the abundance of opportunities it has provided for them.

Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. is a shareholder with Roetzel & Andress, where he serves as the Practice Group Manager for the Public Law Group. After graduating from Akron Law, his career began as a law clerk for Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge James R. Williams. Additional public law service followed with jobs as an assistant prosecutor for the Akron City Prosecutor’s Office and general counsel in the Summit County Executive’s Office, before he began his private sector career.

Lewis continued to serve the public with his involvement in many civic, cultural, and philanthropic organizations, including the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Akron Urban League, Cleveland City Club, Cleveland Urban League, Summit County Consumer Affairs Board, National Democratic Club, and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. He was instrumental in founding The Honorable James R. and Catherine D. Williams Scholarship Fund, which supports law school students, and the creation of The Dr. Sylvester Small Endowed Scholarship in Education. He received the School of Law’s J. Dean Carro Professionalism Award from the Black Law Students Association in 2015 and currently serves on The University of Akron Board of Trustees.

Yamini Adkins has spent her entire career in public service. She currently serves in Mayor Horrigan’s administration as Deputy Director of Law for the City of Akron, bringing her expertise in public law, employment, labor relations, and human resources in service to the city and its residents. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the City of Akron law department and a judicial clerk for Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer at Akron Municipal Court. She went on to serve as Director of Human Resources for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Richard Warren and as the Deputy Director of Human Resources/Labor Relations for the Summit County Executive’s Office under County Executive Russ Pry. In this role, Yamini acted as the chief negotiator on many union contracts, guiding the County on collective bargaining agreements, and overseeing a vast array of human resources functions and legal employment matters.

Yamini moved on to serve as a United States Federal Commissioner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services in the Northeastern Region of Ohio, where, in addition to mediating complex labor cases, she provided training to numerous public agencies on building harmonious labor/management relations and human resources best practices. She has served on various boards and committees in the realms of tax, human resources, policy and grievance, and humanitarian causes.

The Lewis W. Adkins, Jr. and Yamini Adkins Endowed Scholarship will award scholarship dollars to a University of Akron School of Law student, with a focus on diversity and minority students, and first consideration given to first-generation college graduates who have faced financial and/or personal challenges. Additional factors that will be considered include community service and/or volunteer activities, involvement in extracurricular activities, evidence of leadership ability, and completion of special projects or programs that offer evidence of significant effort, accomplishment and a special suitability to law school.

Additional Considerations include:

High academic performance at the undergraduate or graduate level
Demonstrated financial need
One or more letters of recommendation from, but not limited to, former teachers, college administrators, community leaders or other similar persons concerning the academic ability, character, reputation or professional aptitude of the applicant
Work history
Recipient selection will be made by The University of Akron School of Law Scholarship Committee or the Dean.