1. 16
After Brown graduated, he
immediately continued his studies
at the Law School, where he also
received a scholarship and was a
member of the William & Mary Law
Review and Phi Alpha Delta.
“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer and I
was already in the academic routine,”
says Brown. “I applied to another law
school but I chose William & Mary Law
and never regretted it.”
After graduation, he worked for
Shanley & Fisher, a large insurance
defense firm in New Jersey, where
he handled medical malpractice and
product liability insurance defense
litigation. In 1977, Brown began his
nearly 33-year career with the General
Motors Legal Staff in Detroit.
“Being a corporate lawyer fit me quite
nicely,” he says. “But if you had told
me when I started at W&M Law that
was what I would end up doing, I
never would have believed it.”
During his GM career, he managed
product litigation cases, certain
regulatory matters, and also negotiated
and drafted product responsibility
agreements with GM’s international
business partners. He traveled worldwide
and spoke quite often in Asia and
Europe, familiarizing foreign companies
doing business with GM about U.S. tort
law and litigation processes.
“I started my volunteer work before I
retired because I wanted to stay busy,”
says Brown. “William & Mary has meant
so much to me that it was an obvious
choice when I wanted to give back.”
Brown serves as secretary/treasurer
of the Law School Foundation,
chairs the Development Committee,
and is a member of the Campaign
Steering Committee. He has been
active in the Law School’s Alumni
Ambassadors Program, the Co-
Counsel Mentoring Program, and
also has co-chaired several of his Law
School and undergraduate reunion
gift committees. Brown served
seven years on William & Mary’s
Annual Giving Board of Directors,
chaired the Board for two years,
and is a Class Ambassador for his
undergraduate class.
“I love being part of the William &
Mary community and working as a
liaison for William & Mary in Michigan,”
says Brown, who has served as the
College’s Alumni Admissions Network
representative for southeastern
Michigan. “Today’s students are
exceptionally smart and well-qualified.”
Brown believes that having William
& Mary on his resumé twice, for
undergraduate and law degrees, has
been enormously valuable in his career.
“There is tremendous name recognition
and prestige that comes with the
William & Mary name, especially in the
Midwest,” he says. “I’m very thankful for
the scholarships and other opportunities
William & Mary gave me.”
A generous contributor to the College
and Law School, Brown took his support
to another level last year by establishing
The Douglas E. and Escha J. Brown Law
Scholarship Endowment.
“The scholarship is available to any
student with financial need who
maintains good academic standing,”
says Brown. “I wanted to keep the
requirements as flexible as possible.”
The scholarship was fully funded in 2014.
“I recently had the pleasure of
meeting Ethan Smith (’18), the first
recipient of the scholarship,” he says.
“Attending William & Mary on a
scholarship changed my life and I look
forward to doing the same for others.”
Actively Engaged in Helping
the Next Generation
Douglas E. Brown ’71
J.D. ’74
A loyal and proud alumnus, Doug
rown spends significant time in
retirement actively involved with the
William & Mary community. Like
many alums, Brown feels grateful and
happy to give his time and resources to
the alma mater that gave him so much.
A scroll through Brown’s LinkedIn
profile reveals a successful career
and an impressive list of volunteer
appointments, most of which are with
William & Mary.
“I owe a lot to William & Mary and
I want to give back,” says Brown.
“Having the College on my resumé
made a huge difference in my career.”
Originally from Marion, Indiana, Brown
received his bachelor’s degree in
sociology from William & Mary in 1971.
“I grew up in the Midwest and I
wanted to broaden my horizons,”
he says. “William & Mary was the
best choice. I liked the campus, the
academic programs, and, of course,
the basketball scholarship the College
offered me.”