The building is named for the late Leon and Dora Wolf, parents of Marvin, Melvin and Erving Wolf, who, with their spouses, were the lead donors. The building is being financed largely by student fees and is being built to meet environmentally friendly "green building" standards. "This is a new high for the law school literally and figuratively," says Getches. "It is tangible evidence of what we are achieving through the generosity of our private supporters and of the students at the University of Colorado."

Two years ago, the law school was close to losing accreditation due to the Fleming Law Building's poor condition. But last year the University of Colorado Student Union stepped in and approved a bill to assess all full-time students a fee to retire $21 million in bonds that are helping to finance construction of the school.

The "green building" standards require that 100%t of the electricity for the new buildings come from renewable resources, making CU-Boulder's building requirements some of the most environmentally sound in the country. The school still needs to raise $3.1 million by the time the building is completed. The finished building will feature 18 state-of-the-art classrooms and about 75 faculty and administrative offices spread over five floors in an L-shaped structure. It will feature a 250-seat courtroom and a 42,047-sf research library. The Fleming Law Building, built in 1957, was expected to accommodate up to 250 law students. More than 500 students are now enrolled.