SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec.3, 2025—Madhumita “Mita” Datta, J.D. ’16 has made a transformative gift to Santa Clara University School of Law’s High Tech Law Institute to support the growth and impact of the renowned, pathbreaking institute.
The $5 million donation, being made in honor of Datta’s late parents, Madhuri Datta and Sunil Datta, will endow the High Tech Law Institute, which will be renamed Datta Center for High Tech Law, and its mission to educate and prepare students to lead at the intersection of law, technology, business, and society. Since its founding in 1998, the Institute has offered a variety of programs covering privacy, entrepreneurship, business, intellectual property, sports law, and more, while connecting students to a powerhouse network of legal professionals.
The Institute has also seen a rise in future lawyers who studied STEM and, like Datta, see the value of science and engineering knowledge for fostering and protecting innovation and creativity. In 2025, 20% of incoming Santa Clara Law students studied STEM as undergraduates. Just under a decade ago, Datta herself was one of the students making that transition from engineering to law. After earning her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, during which she obtained her very own patent, Datta became a patent agent, practicing for eight years at various law firms before starting her law school journey. She was drawn by the opportunity to learn about exciting, cutting-edge technology through a different lens and to help others, including under-resourced solo inventors, legally protect their ideas.
“Every profession is powered by what is in the backend and the backend is essentially high tech. For example, a transcription tool used by a doctor, a risk assessment tool used by a social worker, a strength training algorithm used by an athlete, a sound mixer used by a musician—I can go on and on,” said Datta. “We should think of high tech law as not only applicable to creating semiconductor chips or computer programs, but also in terms of what those high tech products are enabling. Contributing to the Center is probably going to lead to impact in all the fields that I have cared about.”
Datta made many contributions during and after her time at Santa Clara Law, championing diversity and accessibility. She received the 2025 Rising Star Award for furthering inclusive excellence at the school, mentoring aspiring professionals, and participating in patent-focused pro bono initiatives. Datta credits her parents, both professors of biology, for instilling the value of education in her and her experience at Santa Clara Law for helping her jumpstart a new career in giving back that she’s always been passionate about.
“Dr. Datta’s extraordinarily generous $5 million contribution will not only empower our faculty and students to shape the ever-evolving technology landscape, it will inspire generations of legal professionals to follow the Datta family’s example of using their education and emerging technologies to design human-centered approaches to solving the world’s most urgent problems for the greater good,” said Dean Michael J. Kaufman.
The newly named Datta Center for High Tech Law is one of three specialty-focused centers of excellence at the law school, including the Center for Global Law and Policy and Center for Social Justice and Public Service.
About Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. Santa Clara Law offers students an academically rigorous program including certificates in high tech, international, public interest and social justice, privacy, and sports law, as well as numerous graduate and joint degree options. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara Law is nationally distinguished for its faculty engagement, preparation for practice, and top-ranked programs in intellectual property and international law. For more information, see law.scu.edu.
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