David Culp, Assistant Professor of Law, Receives
La Salle University’s Brother Scubillion Rousseau Justice Award

When David Culp, Assistant Professor of Law at La Salle University, graduated fourth in his class from Kansas University School of Law in 1969, his academic success opened many doors to high-paying jobs in prestigious law firms. However, Culp chose a different path. For almost 40 years, Culp has dedicated his life to representing the discriminated and underserved as a civil rights lawyer.  

In recognition of Culp’s dedication to service, he was recently awarded La Salle University’s Brother Scubillion Rousseau Justice Award. The award was developed to honor La Salle faculty or staff members who understand their roles in creating a more just world. Remembered as the “catechist of the slaves,” Brother Scubillion Rousseau dedicated the last 34 years of his life to educating the enslaved natives of the island Reunion in the Indian Ocean. In the last years of his life, he assisted the local pastor in visiting the sick, winning over sinners, encouraging vocations, and even performing what seemed to be miraculous cures. 

When Culp accepted the award he said, “I am very touched by the honor; it is wonderful to know there are other kindred spirits who share your values and dedication to social justice.” 

“Dave is known to students and faculty alike as a person who habitually speaks out for the disenfranchised and the disempowered. Anyone who has taken his classes will readily tell you that he has infused his classes with a respect for the dignity for all people, and he has sensitized our students with a sense of social responsibility for those less fortunate than themselves,” said Majid Tavana, Ph.D., Professor of Management Information Systems at La Salle.  

After graduating from Kansas University School of Law, Culp went on to earn his Masters of Law degree, with a concentration in Constitutional Law, from Columbia University School of Law. In 1975, he began working for the United States’ Department of Health Education and Welfare. During his time working for the federal government, Culp helped desegregate school districts in the Midwest. 

In 1978, Culp was named Deputy Regional Attorney for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Philadelphia, before being named Acting Regional Attorney in 1981. In these roles, Culp was responsible for prosecuting Medicare fraud and civil rights violations against women, the handicapped, elderly, as well as people who had been discriminated against on the basis of race, national origin, and religion. 

A resident of Chestnut Hill, Culp has been a partner in the law firm of Berry & Culp, P.C., a private practice he operates with his wife, Isobel Berry since 1984. In private practice, he has remained dedicated to civil rights with approximately 80 percent of the work focused on civil rights litigation. Culp took a racial discrimination case, (Perry v. Command Performance) all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court—pro bono. 

“His entire legal career has been one of service to social justice, and he brings that devotion into his work at La Salle,” said Tavana.