The founder of a civil litigation boutique has given $2 million to the New York University School of Law to study the decline of the civil jury trial in American jurisprudence.

Susman Godfrey partner Stephen Susman, the benefactor behind NYU's Civil Jury Project, will be the think tank's executive director while continuing to handle cases at his firm.

The four-year project will seek input from attorneys, judges and politicians with diverse opinions on the topic to discuss if civil jury trials still have a place in the justice system or if they are now a “quaint tradition,” Susman said. It also will propose ways to improve how jury trials are conducted, such as presenting jury instructions at the beginning of proceedings.