The Honorable George M. Lipman '76 Memorial Fund

The Honorable George M. Lipman passed away on Monday, August 3, 2026. Judge Lipman spent his career devoted to mental health law. In his role as Chief Attorney in the Mental Health Division of the State Public Defender’s Office, he zealously defended the rights of people with mental disabilities. In his twenty years on the active bench of the Baltimore City District Court, which culminated in his appointment as Presiding Judge of the Mental Health Court, Judge Lipman demonstrated a breadth of knowledge and understanding of the complex legal, medical, and social issues at the heart of mental health law. Judge Lipman served on many state advisory commissions and committees examining mental health law issues and won widespread recognition for his work. He received the Robert C. Heeney Award from the Maryland State Bar Association’s Section of Criminal Law and Practice for exemplifying the highest professional standards and achievement in the field of criminal law and practice, and he received the Legal Excellence Award for the Advancement of the Rights of the Disadvantaged from the Maryland Bar Foundation. Judge Lipman was a 1976 graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Gifts made in support of the Hon. George M. Lipman ’76 Memorial Fund will be used to support efforts at the law school related to mental health and may be converted to an endowed fund if total gifts reach a minimum of $50,000.

If you are interested in making a formal, multi-year pledge through a pledge form, please contact Shara Boonshaft, Associate Dean for External Relations, at sboonshaft@law.umaryland.edu.