Miller Gift to Fund High Road Buffalo Fellowship Program for Five Years

The Buffalo Co-Lab at Cornell University’s ILR School has received a $1 million donation to fund its High Road Buffalo Fellowship program for the next five years. The generous gift from James (Jim) E. Miller ’88 and his partner at Miller Shah LLP, James C. Shah, will support the entire program, and the majority of the funding will subsidize fellows’ salaries. 

Launched in 2009, the High Road Buffalo program connects more than 20 Cornell students each summer with community groups and local leaders working to advance high-road principles of uplifting workers, promoting sustainability and resiliency, and fostering equity, justice and democracy. 

“I’m thankful in many ways for Jim Miller,” says Cathy Creighton ’87, executive director of the Buffalo Co-Lab. “His commitment to ILR students has been extraordinary throughout his career, and this is just the latest example of his generosity and love for the ILR School.”

“This gift will allow the High Road Buffalo program to continue providing much-needed assistance to community groups, while providing valuable engaged learning opportunities for Cornell students to work with local groups, labor unions and organizations committed to revitalizing the city of Buffalo.”

Miller has been a long-time supporter of the ILR School and its students. Over the past 15 years, he has hired more than 150 ILRies through the Miller Shah Credit Internship program.

The internships, run through ILR’s Office of Engaged and Experiential Programs, offer students opportunities to work in a cutting-edge legal environment alongside attorneys and staff committed to defending labor and employees’ rights.

“Providing hands-on experiences for our students has always been a priority at the ILR School,” says Alex Colvin, Ph.D. ’99, the Kenneth F. Kahn ’69 Dean and Martin F. Scheinman ’75, M.S. ’76, Professor of Conflict Resolution. “From our earliest days, when ILR’s bus-riding class took students into factories and mines across New York state, to today’s high-impact engaged learning, these opportunities complement what is being taught in the classroom and enrich the educational experience. These opportunities help prepare students for their careers and demonstrate civic leadership and engaged citizenship.”

Miller, whose own undergraduate experiences as an intern with the Doctors Council inspired him to pursue a career in the law, also created a scholarship that pays for one student each semester to intern with a union or labor organization because he feels that “anybody who goes to ILR should work for a union in some capacity at some time to gain a full ILR education.”

“That internship is when I realized that I wanted to be a lawyer because it seemed like you could do interesting, meaningful and impactful work in that role,” Miller says. “It’s also one of the reasons that I’m so committed to ILR’s Credit Internship program.”

Despite having been classmates with Creighton and reconnecting with her several years ago when he needed local counsel for a case in Buffalo, Miller learned about the High Road program through the interns he was interviewing for Miller Shah.

“Several students were High Road graduates and spoke really highly about their time with the program,” says Miller, winner of the Groat Award in 2024. “Then I learned more about the great work being done by Cathy.” 

Miller expects to support the program in ways that go beyond just providing financial assistance. 

“Our intention is to become at least modestly involved,” Miller says. “We’re not planning on just providing financial support and walking away. This is a community-oriented program where we hope to provide meaningful, direct support and engagement in ways that are helpful to Cathy and the program.” 

Miller, a managing partner at Miller Shah, concentrates his practice on financial services and whistleblower litigation, including ERISA, securities, corporate governance and employment matters. He has also represented clients in trade regulation matters and other complex commercial litigation, including patent, licensing and other intellectual property matters.

“The work Jim does professionally demonstrates his ILR values,” Creighton says. “He fights against injustice and takes on cases that put workers first.

“This gift reflects Jim’s life’s work. Through his practice, he hires ILRies as interns, who gain experience in labor law and in protecting employees’ rights. Now, through this donation, Cornell students will be hired to work at small grassroots organizations that are fighting injustice. 

“All these opportunities created by Jim are incredibly important for both our students and for working people.”