lawyer 
spring 2010
A work in progress Emory women making strides as legal profession evolves also see inside:
Adelman 89L New Ambassador to Singapore
Commencement 2010
associate dean for development and University Relations Susan Fitzgerald Carter, JD
wo hundred sixty graduates were honored May 10 during the Emory Law Hooding and Diploma Ceremony. Prior to the Emory Law ceremony, graduates were addressed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who received an honorary doctor of laws. Frank S. Alexander received this year’s Most Outstanding Professor Award. Jason Esteves 10l, president of the Student Bar Association, received the Most Outstanding Third-Year Student Award. The Minister Gloria Jean Fowler Angel Award — which recognizes a graduating student who embodies the kindness and grace of former Emory Law employee Gloria Jean Fowler — was awarded to Brandon Goldberg 10l. Professor Charles A. Shanor received the Emory Williams Teaching Award, which was established in 1972 and is the highest award at Emory for excellence in teaching. The Ben F. Johnson Teaching Award, which recognizes a commitment to teaching and excellence, was presented to L.Q.C. Lamar Professor of Law Peter Hay and Professor Nathaniel E. Gozansky. Learn more about Commencement 2010 at www.law.emory.edu/ 10commencement. Photos from the Hooding and Diploma Ceremony are available at www.law.emory.edu/10diploma. Watch the ceremony on Emory Law’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/emoryschooloflaw.
senior director of Marketing and Communications Timothy L. Hussey, APR
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editor Wendy R. Cromwell Associate Director of Publications Contributors April Bogle Liz Chilla, Assistant Manager of Communications Holly Cline Danielle Friedman 10L MIchael S. Kang, Associate Professor of Law Margaret Lisi Ginger Pyron Robert Schapiro, Professor of Law art direction/design Winnie Hulme Photographers Tony Benner, Wendy Cromwell; Winston Gu 12L; Kay Hinton; Caroline Joe; Gary Meek; Tom Meyer; Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts; James Reyes 10L about the Cover The cover illustration was created by Brian Stauffer. about Emory Lawyer Emory Lawyer is published biannually by Emory University School of Law and is distributed free to alumni and friends. Produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications. Contact Us Send letters to the editor, news, story ideas and class notes to Wendy R. Cromwell, Emory University School of Law, 1301 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322; wendy.cromwell@emory.edu or 404.712.5384. accolades Emory Law won a Bronze Anvil for the 2009 – 2010 viewbook for the Office of Admission and a Bronze Anvil Certificate of Accommodation for Emory Lawyer, the highest tactical awards presented by the National Public Relations Society of America. Emory Law also won an Award of Excellence for the 2009 magazines in the Print Excellence Competition of the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia. Clarification Stephen Patrick Johnson 09L was omitted from the list of alumni who passed the July 2009 Georgia Bar exam (Emory Lawyer, Fall 2009). The Georgia Bar Association failed to include his name in the list sent to Emory Law. © 2010 Emory University School of Law. All rights reserved. Articles may be reprinted in full or in part if source is acknowledged. Change of address: Send address changes by mail to Office of Development and Alumni Records, Emory University, 1762 Clifton Road, Plaza 1000, Atlanta, GA 30322. Email: Communications@law.emory.edu Website: www.law.emory.edu
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spring 2010
features
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Top Chef Honors
by Liz ChiLLa
Ronald McDonald House families benefit from first-year contest
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by ginger pyron
Emory women making strides as legal profession evolves
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A Work in Progress
Reading Their Writes
by Margaret Lisi
Emory Law graduates shine as authors and communicators
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PersPective
17
Adelman 89l Ambassador to Singapore
by wendy r. CroMweLL
Business is top agenda item for new diplomat
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Finding Their Creative Outlets by Liz ChiLLa and wendy r. CroMweLL
Photography and creative writing enrich students’ experience
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Professor’s Project Goes National by Liz ChiLLa
rank Alexander expands his work to put abandoned and vacant F properties into productive use
Trading Legal Briefs for Beaded Bracelets
by hoLLy CLine
Cindy Hyman 01l transformed her hobby into a successful business
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A New First Year by tiMothy L. hussey
Incoming students will have more choices as they plan their studies
dePartments 2
dean’s View
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in brief
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Class notes
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in Memoriam
28
giving back
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Faculty Voices
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Closing
Dean’s View
Forging a New Direction Emory Law identifies the path to ongoing success
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s the legal profession continues to experience economic challenges, law schools too are faced with difficult choices in this ever-changing marketplace. Emory Law has been actively engaged over the last four years in building on the foundation established by my predecessors.
We have accomplished much during my tenure as dean. Alumni often draw me aside to comment on the law school’s energy and momentum. Students work with one another and with faculty and administration in community. The administration collaborates with students to identify ways to improve the school. Our faculty is reshaping the curriculum and fashioning an educational program that will better prepare our graduates for a successful future in the profession. Despite these improvements, we have much to do if we are to position Emory Law for success in a challenging future. Toward that end, this summer Emory Law will launch an effort to focus on six strategic initiatives that we are confident will provide a foundation for success: Enhancing our academic strengths and faculty, developing a plan for sustained financial health, enriching our student experience, attracting highly qualified students, engaging our alumni and integrating our communications process. I have appointed a coordinator in each area and have formed working groups of administrators and faculty for each. These groups will identify and prioritize initiatives to foster improvements. For example, the faculty has started examining ways to enhance our academic strengths by evaluating existing llm programs for possible improvements as well as identifying new program areas for llm, certificate and joint degree programs. These improvements will augment the fine work faculty members have completed and will continue to focus on related to improving our jd curriculum (see story, p. 17). Our Office of Admission, led by Assistant Dean Ethan Rosenzweig 02l, has undergone a fundamental transformation this year. The entire application process is now paperless. 2
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Communication efforts have been strengthened and personalized for prospective students. The intention is to extend the community that is so much a part of the present student experience to our prospective students. The success of these efforts was reflected in the record number of admitted students attending our annual Visiting Day. Comments from students and families participating were overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated the personalized efforts and sensed the strength of our student-centered community. Ethan will lead a working group to continue these improvements as part of the development of our new strategic initiatives. Given the challenges facing law schools and the legal profession, it is imperative that we build on our successes and forge a law school experience that continues to be relevant to our students and our alumni. We simply cannot rest on our laurels. We must be bold and envision a law school for this century; one that is led by a faculty bent on providing a superb legal education and one that reaches beyond the walls of the academy to provide opportunities for meaningful partnerships with the profession. In this way, we can ensure our students are prepared for more than practice and that Emory Law is positioned to be even more successful in the future.
David F. Partlett Dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law
In Brief
Romney Visits Emory to Discuss America’s Strengths
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hat makes America so strong is not the geography of our land. It’s the geography of the American heart,” said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to a packed crowd at Glenn Memorial Auditorium on March 30. The event was hosted by the Emory Law Federalist Society. Romney spoke about the values he believes make America strong — hard work, education, family — and his concern that “these elements of our culture are weakening and are under attack. “The attitude of government entitlement, as it spreads through our society, weakens the sense of self-reliance and independence that’s always been part of the American culture.” During the question-and-answer session, Romney discussed the newly passed health-care legislation, addressing its similarities with his plan in Massachusetts and arguing against the federal plan’s tax increases, cuts to Medicare and price controls.
Former Massachusetts gov. Mitt romney talks with Joanna Crowley 11L (center) and Cristina goizueta 11L (right) at a reception before his speech on March 30.
First-year student experiences politics Firsthand at debate
“I
’ve been behind the scenes at various events as comptroller at the Clinton Foundation, but I have never been the one sitting on the stage asking the questions,” says Marc Gross 12l, who represented Emory Law at the spring Democratic gubernatorial debate at the law school.
his inexperience, Gross says fellow panelists treated him as a peer. “They were clearly the pros, having done this before,” Gross says. “They gave me pointers on how to make my questions more concise, which helped me feel less intimidated and more at ease.”
attorney general thurbert baker 79L holds up a piece of paper as he answers a question during the democratic gubernatorial debate at emory Law. Marc gross (first table, second from left) serves on the panel posing questions to the four candidates, which also included former secretary of state david poythress 62oX 64C 67L (fourth candidate from left.)
Gross was part of a three-person panel that included Tom Baxter, editor of the Southern Political Report, and Robin McDonald, reporter for the Fulton County Daily Report. Despite
The April 1 debate, sponsored by the Emory Law Democrats, featured four of the five Democratic candidates: Attorney General Thurbert Baker 79l, Georgia House Minority Leader
Dubose Porter, Ray City Mayor Carl Camon and former Secretary of State David Poythress 62ox 64c 67l. “I got questions from students,” Gross says. “Sometimes the questions were very pointed and specific so I had to research the topics to be able to manipulate or ask a follow-up question if another panelist asked a similar question. I wanted to be sure student concerns were addressed.” Gross appreciated how the candidates integrated their Atlanta accomplishments with the broader picture of what they planned for Georgia. “My questions were Atlanta specific because that is the Emory Law student experience,” he says. “You want a candidate who is able to think about how what affects Atlanta will affect the state as a whole. “My goal is to one day run for office. I believe a law background will serve as a great foundation for politics,” Gross says. “You learn how to think and approach problems and issues in a way that will be effective when serving as an advocate for the people.”
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In Brief
EPIC Raises More than $142,000 for Public Interest Grants This Summer
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he Emory Public Interest Committee raised more than $142,000 to fund summer grants for Emory Law students working in unpaid public interest positions through its annual Inspiration Awards and a targeted email solicitation. The money will fund 36 grants when combined with endowment revenue. “Emory Law was so good to me, and I would love to help someone else out,” says Laura Huffman 08l, a former Woodruff Fellow and associate at King & Spalding llp, on donating an epic grant. “I know that I would not be where I am epiC award winners: rita sheffey (from left), terry walsh 70L without the genand doris downs were all honored for their commitment to erosity of others public service during the annual epiC inspiration awards. to Emory Law. I’m pleased to be able to help someone.” The Inspiration Awards are epic’s largest annual fundraising event, celebrating the efforts of individuals making a difference in the legal community and raising money to assist the next generation of public interest lawyers. This year, epic honored Terry Walsh 70l, retired partner at Alston & Bird, with the Lifetime Commitment to Public Service Award; the Hon. Doris L. Downs, chief judge of the Fulton County Superior Court, with the Outstanding Leadership in the Public Interest Award; and Rita A. Sheffey, partner at Hunton & Williams, with the Unsung Devotion to Those Most in Need Award.
Schwartz Receives MLK Jr. Community Service Award
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aley Schwartz 05l received the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for her work with the Breast Cancer Legal Project. As director of the project, Schwartz addresses legal needs for low-income breast cancer patients. The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards Program is sponsored by Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and Goizueta Business School. The award celebrates people and organizations in the greater Atlanta community whose schwartz 05L work exemplifies the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Fight for air Climbing team places Fourth overall
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he Emory Law “Climb Atlanta” team of Professor Polly Price 86c 86g (first row from left), Sherry McPeeks and Sheri Halpern 11l 11ph, Bryan Stewart 12l (second row, from left), and Brooks Suttle 12l finished fourth overall in the April 17 Fight for Air Climb, sponsored by the American Lung Association. The Emory Law team raised more than $750 for the association by climbing to the top of the 191 Peachtree building (50 flights, 1,150 stairs). Stewart received a second-place medal in his age division and finished fifth overall in a blistering 8 minutes and 38 seconds to the top. Price reports that no medical attention was needed for anyone on the Emory Law team.
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In Brief
alexander appointed to sam nunn Chair proFessor Frank s. aLeXander has been appointed
Guessing Game Fred bentley sr. 49L (right) holds a skeleton for others to guess
during the art of history event, celebrating the bentley art collection at emory Law in March. bentley talked about paintings he has given the law school and their historical significance before getting audience members ruth primm 82L (left); elizabeth Christian, assistant law librarian, and students to guess what his “fun pieces”— curios — were. the skeleton was among the curios bentley brought, including a papal guest book page, tin apprentice tests and a Jerusalem oil lamp from the first century.
to the Sam Nunn Chair in Ethics and Professionalism. The announcement was made at commencement. Alexander’s “scholarship in affordable housing and real estate finance have deeply influenced the nation’s policy, alexander and his work in law and theology continues to be of deep resonance,” said Dean David F. Parlett in making the announcement. Alexander’s investiture will be held in the fall. See story about Alexander’s national project, page 19.
ti:ger team wins First place An-Na’im Delivers Tanner in georgia tech business Lectures on Human Values plan Competition abduLLahi an-na’iM, Emory Law’s Charles Howard
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lpZhi, a company that evolved through the Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results, or ti:ger, program, won first place in the Georgia Tech Business Plan Competition on March 12. Judges honored AlpZhi with the $10,000 first prize for its innovative manufacturing process for microlenses. This process facilitates an improvement in the design flexibility of microlenses and the devices that incorporate them, including digital cameras, cell phones, lcd computer screens and fiber-optic equipment. ti:ger, a collaboration between Emory Law and Georgia Tech, brings together law students, science and engineering PhD students and mba students to work on commercializing technologies. The AlpZhi team includes Emory Law student Brian Baum 10l. In addition to first prize, AlpZhi won the $10,000 Innovators Award, which recognizes a potentially disruptive technology. AlpZhi’s technology will enable creation of such advanced products as 3d tvs, flexible displays, compact biosensors and high-efficiency solar panels.
Candler Professor of Law, delivered the Tanner Lectures on Human Values on March 9 –11 at the University of California-Berkeley. An internationally recognized scholar of Islam and human rights, An-Na’im spoke on mediating the paradox of inclusive universality of human values in the permanent reality of human difference. During the threeday event, professors from Columbia, Princeton and Washington universities, provided commentary on An-Na’im’s lectures. an-na’im The Tanner Lectures are a distinguished multi-university scholarly lecture series on human values. They are presented annually at nine universities including Cambridge, Harvard, Michigan, Oxford, Princeton, Stanford, Utah, Yale and Berkeley. Appointment as a Tanner lecturer is recognition for uncommon achievement and outstanding abilities in the field of human values. spring 2010
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In Brief Center for Transactional Law and Practice Cited in National Law Journal proFessor tina L. stark
and Emory’s Center for Transactional Law and Practice was recognized as a leader in the emerging stark field of dealmaking curriculum in the April 19 issue of the National Law Journal.
emory bLsa wins southern region Chapter of the year
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he Emory Black Law Students Association won Chapter of the Year at the 39th annual Southern Region Black Law Students Association Convention on Jan. 13– 17 in Baton Rouge, La. The conference was hosted by Louisiana State University Law Center. Emory competed against the top seven schools in the region. The Southern region is the largest under the national association with 2,100 members and more than 100 blsa chapters. “It was quite an honor to be chosen among the region’s top competitors to represent the largest region in the national competition,” said Emory blsa President Chantelle Aris 10l.
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emory Law student wins prestigious burton award
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lex Whitman 10l was selected as a recipient of the prestigious Burton Award for Legal Achievement. Whitman’s article, “Pinpoint Redistricting and the Minimization of Partisan Gerrymandering,” earned him a spot as one of 15 law school winners from across the country. “I was surprised to win the award,” said Whitman, executive symposium editor for the Emory Law Journal. “I worked extremely hard on that comment and had no idea that it would measure up against any in the nation. I am a bit of a perfectionist. When I turned it in, I never thought it would be published, let alone win an award.” The Burton Award, presented annually by the Burton Foundation, is a program dedicated to rewarding effective legal writing. The award recognizes lawyers and law students who “use plain, clear and concise language and avoid archaic, stilted legalese.” Student recipients are selected from nominations by their law schools deans. Whitman was honored at an awards ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 14. whitman 10L Guest speakers at the event include U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg, author and cnn legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and legal author Bryan Garner. “This comment is probably the most influential thing in my life,” Whitman said. “It helped me get a clerkship with a federal judge in Texas after graduation. To win this award is just icing on the cake — a crowning achievement.”
Class of 2010 Raises Money to Support LRAP and Clinics
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he Class of 2010 raised a record-setting $95,000 plus at the annual 3L Spaghetti Dinner on March 25. This year, funds from the class gift will support the Loan Repayment Assistance Program and Emory Law’s three clinical programs: the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, the International Humanitarian Law Clinic and the Turner Environmental Law Clinic. The LRAP Board also has pledged to match $25,000 of the money raised. The class raised $107,135 overall. “The Class of 2010 wanted to reinforce the importance of students who dedicate their careers to public service and clinical directors who dedicate their careers to giving law students a practical interaction with the law,” says Nicole Brisbane 10L, class gift committee co-chair, of this year’s gift.
In Brief
From Mergers to Weddings
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n law school, students can learn a lot about mergers and during a weekend trip to Hilton Head, S.C., in October acquisitions. For two Emory Law couples graduating 2008. May 10, their lessons extended to merging households. The Montgomerys married during spring break this year. “There really isn’t a good time to get married in law “It was just easier for our law school friends to attend this school,” says Charles Montgomery 10l. “You’ve got class way,” Charles Montgomery says. assignments and wedding assignments due. If you wait until Katie Lamb Balthrop 10l and Adam Balthrop 10l were after graduation, then you’ve got the bar prep.” engaged when they arrived at Emory Law. The couple marCharles and Julia Elizabeth Montgomery 10l met one ried the summer after their first year. month into their first year in 2007. Charles proposed “When we both decided to apply to law school at the same time, we each expanded our lists slightly so we’d be applying to the same schools — luckily, we were both looking for the same things, so our lists already substantially overlapped,” Katie Balthrop says. “It was definitely a selling point that we were both accepted at Emory, but it was only one of the many reasons we both decided on this school.” Both couples had fairly big weddings, which meant quite a bit of juggling. “We focused on our studies and tried not to let wedding planning be too big of a distraction, with varying levels of success,” Katie Balthrop says. “Lots of things fell by the wayside,” Charles Montgomery says. “Law school students are used to doing things on deadline, but I wouldn’t recommend [planning a wedding while in law school].” Charles and Julia Montgomery will move to Philadelphia after graduation. Adam and Katie Couples Julia 10L and Charles Montgomery 10L (from left) and adam 10L Balthrop will stay in Atlanta. and katie balthrop 10L each got married during their time in law school.
emory streetLaw helps reach 80 high school students
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mory Law’s StreetLaw program, part of a national effort to teach high schoolers about the law and legal system, teamed up with King & Spalding llp and the Coca-Cola Co. to reach more than 80 minority students in 2009 – 2010. “We had 23 law students teaching high school students consumer law, First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights, intellectual property law and family law for about eight weeks during the year,” says Nicole Brisbane 10l, one of the Emory student leaders. Coca-Cola representatives included Simone Deny, the pro bono representative, and Kenya Pierre. The joint effort of lawyers and law students worked with Mays, Therrell and
Booker T. Washington high schools. The program teaches high school students how the law affects their daily lives and creates a diversity pipeline program for law schools. “We prepared lesson plans and worked around our own class schedules to do this,” Brisbane says. The high school students responded well, she says. “They loved it. They really got into the subject matter and were curious. They asked a lot of questions and were more comfortable asking us questions than the lawyers because we were the younger faces in the classroom, which made the law and law school more tangible to them.” The program ended with a half-day conference at Coca-Cola to review lessons learned.
“We discussed next steps for seniors and looked at historical Coke memorabilia as well as the legal implications of the company’s advertising campaigns through years,” Brisbane says. Participating Emory Law students were: Brisbane, Meghan McIntee 10l, Pamela Rosen 10l 10ph, Stacy Tolos 10l, Aliyya Haque 12l, Ally Gold 11l, Audrey Patten 12l, Chris Sperry 12l, Dan Shulak 04c 10l, Dominique Martinez 10l, Doug Arborio 09b 12l, Grace Park 12l, Jason Vaupen 12l, Kristin Romano 12l, Lindsay Van Houten 12l, Melissa Softness 12l, Paula Nagarajan 10l, Rachel Berube 12l, Rob Twomey 12l, Sara Hamilton 12l, Shar-Day Smith 11l and Song Choi 12l.
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team softness shows off its gourmet pizzas. Members include: alexandra kraus 12L (from left), Melissa softness 12L, Craig runyon 12L, rachel kaufman 12L, Matthew emanuel 12L, adam sinton 12L and aaron siegel 12L.
top Chef honors Ronald McDonald House families benefit from first-year cooking contest by Liz Chilla
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group of first-year Emory Law students tested their cooking skills when they volunteered to prepare meals for children and families staying at the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House in February. The event was organized by Ben Katz 12l, a regular volunteer with the organization. The Ronald McDonald House, near Emory’s campus, is a residential facility for families with children receiving medical treatment in one of Atlanta’s hospitals. Katz became involved with the organization after heeding the advice of Professor Jim Elliot 63C 66l to “stay involved in things outside of law school” and not devote his life to just being a practicing attorney. “I look for opportunities to get involved with something outside law school. A couple weeks before law school, I was riding my bike around Lullwater Park and rode up to the house,” Katz says. “I went inside, met the volunteer coordinator and applied for a position. Now I’m a volunteer there once a week. 8
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“I thought it would be a good idea to get Emory students into the house to see what they do,” he says. “When you get to law school you get caught up in 1l life and studying, and you lose touch with the real world. I had this opportunity to volunteer at the house, and I wanted other students to get in there.” katz pitChed the dinner idea to Four Friends.
Suddenly, there was a group of law students ready to help. “I was thinking, how am I going to find enough people willing to do this,” says Melissa Softness 12l, “but the first people I asked said yes. So many people wanted to do it, and I was worried about not having enough.” “We had an overwhelming amount of students. I had to turn people away,” Katz says. “They don’t allow more than 14 people in the kitchen at one time to prepare a meal, so only a limited the number of students could participate.” Eventually, they decided on four teams of seven to cook over two nights.
“Many of my friends are accomplished chefs and have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, so our team filled up quickly,” says Ruth Dawson 12l, one of the team leaders. “Ben knows I love to cook, and I was happy to accept the opportunity to cook for charity with my friends,” Gabrielle Mercadante 12l says. Meals ranged from a traditional Southern dinner — complete with fried chicken, collard greens and blueberry cobbler — to pizza, spaghetti and tacos. “We were afraid it was a bit ambitious, especially since the fried chicken was a first attempt,” says Dawson of her team’s meal, “but, we got rave reviews.” “One of the teams made pudding cups for dessert with Oreos and gummi worms,” Katz says. The kids loved it.” “I think all of us really enjoyed the fact that we were able to cook a meal that the kids and families would not have every day,” says Winston Gu 12l, whose team created a Mexican-themed dinner. “I always like to see the smile on people’s faces after they’ve had something amazing to eat.” Mercadante agrees. “Being able to share my love for food with the children and their families at the house was very rewarding.” Although the children did not participate in the cooking, “we did have a very curious 2-year-old girl come and supervise us for a while,” Dawson says. “We could tell she had been staying at the house for some time and was the queen of the kitchen.”
organizations have offered to sponsor future outings. “I was so proud of our law students for initiating and implementing this volunteer project,” Brokaw says. “The law school encourages students to reach out to our community. Ronald McDonald House is a beautiful facility, and I hope our students will continue volunteering there.” “Having the opportunity to make something tasty and memorable for the families is something I would love to do again,” Gu says. “People [at the house] were still talking about the dinner,” Katz says. “The energy the Emory students brought was new to the families.” “Cooking for the Ronald McDonald House reconnected us stressed-out 1ls with service and the community,” Dawson says. “We were laughing and working together, solely focused on making good food for families under the much more real stress of caring for an ill child.”
Team Dawson members include (top photo, from left): Sari Bourne 12L, Ruth Dawson 12L, Rachel Gordon 12L, Meghan Clevenstine 12L, Jaime Hais 12L and Sydney Spector 12L. Rachel Kaufman 12L shares a moment with house residents. Top Chef Contest organizer Ben Katz 12L is a regular volunteer at Emory’s Ronald McDonald House.
the students organized the dinners, sponsored by
the Emory Law Food Club, as a Top Chef-style competition. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Katherine Brokaw participated as a judge for one of the night’s competitions. Though, as Katz explains, it was difficult to declare a winner. “All four teams worked so hard, a lot harder than I imagined, that I just couldn’t choose,” he says. The students hope to continue the dinners at the Ronald McDonald House, and other Emory Law student
going Forward • The student organization, EPIC, is considering a request to help fund the dinners so more students can participate in 2010 – 2011. • Ben Katz 12L , Rachel Fox 11L and Katherine Brokaw, assistant dean for student affairs, applied for a Community Engaged Learning Initiative grant to provide funding to develop a more intensive public service curriculum for first-year students.
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“‘so, son, how many women are in your law class now?’ my dad liked to ask. he knew quite well that my class of 600 at harvard contained only 20 women — and also that emory, with a much smaller class, could boast twice that many.” — Ben F. Johnson III 64C about his father, Ben F. Johnson Jr. 36C 40L 05H, in the mid-1960s
work in progress ] Emory women making strides as legal profession evolves by Ginger Pyron
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their names are legend. Patricia Collins Butler died hree job-searching years after graduation — having ranked second in a class containing one other woman last year at age 101, after a long and influential career in — Patricia Collins Butler 31l got her foot in the door. Washington, D.C. (see “A Pioneering Spirit,” Summer 2008, and “Blazing a Trail,” Summer 2009). Thanks to E. Smythe Gambrell, she had an appointment Her story offers a touchstone for women with Harold M.J. Stephens in the antitrust division of the seeking an individual path within law. U.S. Department of Justice. An even earlier icon is Eleonore That meeting led to a job, literally at ground level. Butler Raoul 20l, the first woman to enroll in said when she arrived, ready to start, she was taken to a Emory University and the first woman room where stacks of books covered the floor. Her work? to graduate from Emory Law. Before To create an antitrust library from the scattered volumes. and after receiving her jd, she followed her ideals, passionately championing raoul women’s right to vote — a legend in the making. Four decades after Raoul’s graduation, Ben F. Johnson Jr. 36c 40l 05h became dean of Emory Law School (see “Opening Doors,” Summer 2009). His son, Ben F. Johnson III 64c, chair of the Emory trustees, recalls one of his father’s frequent remarks: “I’m here to protect the integrity of your aspirations.” In his 24 years as dean, Johnson acted decisively from that platform, helping to spearhead the integration of the University and supporting the education of women lawyers. the Class of 1931 sits for a formal portrait. patricia Collins butler 31L was one of two women to graduate in the class.
continuing the story. Butler, Raoul and Dean Johnson won admiration as pioneers, making places for women spring 2010
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toward one-half of the sky
“w
omen hold up half the sky,” the saying goes — and a number of Emory alumnae are proving it true in the profession of law. Women employed by the 94 percent of law firms that have no women managing partners may still see their potential as trapped between the floor and a glass ceiling. Louise wells 74C 78L, unanimously elected last August as the first woman managing partner of Morris, Manning & Martin LLP in Atlanta, sees differently. “There’s a natural evolution going on,” she says. “Once women began to go to law school, they also entered the workforce, practiced law and began to rise to the top — just like any other lawyer. In
time, the law school percentages will follow on into the workplace. There are more and more powerful women; it’s a fascinating progression to watch.” Along with Wells herself, women to watch include Mary devlin Capizzi 94L, the second woman from Drinker Biddle & Reath’s Washington, D.C., office to serve as a managing partner of the firm; and Mary Jane augustine 69C 71b 76L, recently elected managing partner at the New York office of McCarter & English LLP, the first woman in her office to hold this leading position. “A thriving law firm today retains, promotes and values women,” says Capizzi. “If it doesn’t, from a business perspective
in a profession where, at the time, women didn’t quite belong. Today women lawyers not only belong, they attain high levels of influence. Witness Louise Wells 74c 78l and Mary Jane Augustine 69c 71b 76l, who recently became the first women managing partners in their respective firms: Morris, Manning & Martin llp in Atlanta and McCarter & English llp in New York. “Morris, Manning & Martin is transitioning from a firstgeneration firm into a second-generation, sustainable one,” Wells says. “I’m working diligently on that — and I have a lot of good help here.” From the beginning, lawyers like Dean Johnson aided women’s advent into the profession. On their own, however, the early women lawyers accomplished something subtle and lasting. Their stories reveal that when a woman enters a profession considered the province of men, she becomes — not only by her abilities, but by her initially conspicuous difference — a likely agent of change. And change, once begun, tends to keep rolling. Wells is among the dozen Emory Law alumnae who shared their experience of what happens when women in the law both stand out and stand tall.
it won’t be as vibrant. Having women in positions of leadership — to mentor, to provide a possibly different perspective — is key. Fresh perspectives can effectuate positive culture change in the profession.” Wells emphasizes, “I don’t perceive a glass ceiling for women lawyers. I know I have been held to a high standard — but so have my partners around me. In terms of advancement, gender is a nonissue for me. If you come in and you produce, if you’re a good lawyer with a good practice, you’re treated on equal footing.” “And if you find the right spot,” she adds, “the sky’s the limit!”
who have left the profession, or who remain but are unhappy. I think women often “step down” to make this career work for them. But positive change is evident and building. Many firms have efforts in place — women’s initiatives, mentoring programs, flexible options for working mothers — to help stem the attrition of talented women and to make the associate years more manageable.
making strides. Emory women began making strides in the profession from the moment Raoul completed her law school application. One by one, they covered more distance. Critical mass may have arrived even before Butler lifted the first law book from the stack nearest her shoe. In intervening years, while the profession has adjusted to accommodate and welcome women as colleagues, women lawyers themselves have continued to evolve. With the perspective born of hitting one’s stride, alumnae observed their inner changes paralleling outer successes. Every woman in the sample group described some new awareness, some release of self-imposed pressures or perceived limitations. Across the board, alumnae expressed appreciation for the men who helped them along the way — judges durWhere do women stand? Statistics show that in 2009, ing clerkships, mentors at the firm or the court, trusted roughly equal numbers of women and men graduated from colleagues. These women see themselves as part of a law school. In similar percentages, they occupied associ“collective we,” male and female alike, who together can ate positions. The parity ends there. Women make up 31 remove lingering barriers to women’s advancement. From percent of U.S. lawyers and 19 percent of partners. an “insider” perspective, the problems — and also the Managing partners or not, alumnae register progress, successes — clearly belong not to any one group, but to all. reporting other successful rises through the ranks. Most “Firms need to do an even better job of retaining and mentoring women, grooming them for leadership and say they have no regrets: They speak of current satisfacthen letting them lead. I think that we — the ‘collective we’ tion, barely mentioning their associate years’ stresses or of law firms — need to work harder at that,” Stephanie the difficulties of trying to raise children and billable hours Shellenback 82l says. simultaneously. “I’ve learned that your success is not solely about you. Such gains stand alongside contrasting perceptions: For Success in the firm’s management won’t be about me, but every woman with a good experience, there’s a handful about all the attorneys here,” Wells says. whose experience was not so good. I know many women 12
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the new generation. Alumnae also place themselves in another “collective we:” seasoned attorneys plus younger women, whether recently graduated or upcoming. Mentoring thrives; these women take seriously their responsibility to give back. The younger women coming along have something to give, too. Shellenback, who co-chairs national recruiting at Drinker Biddle & Reath llp, calls today’s talent pool — women and men — “impressive.” “Many of these young people undertook work experience after college; they can articulate their career goals, and they’re not afraid to speak up and ask questions. Rather than just letting things happen, they’re asserting affirmative control over their careers,” Shellenback says. Recent alumnae, products of their generation, may be tending their careers more assertively than their predecessors did. Jennifer Dickinson 01l respects the pioneers, but not necessarily because of their relentless perseverance. “Here’s the legacy those women have given this new generation: They flat-out changed the rules,” Dickinson says. “They gave us the ability to say, ‘I know that in law, this is the accepted measure of success, but it’s not necessarily what defines me as successful.’”
What’s ahead? The road signs along women’s law trail may have altered. In place of old truisms — Success requires sacrifice. Take what you can get. If you fall, get up and work harder. — perhaps new signs are saying, Define your own success. Ask for what you want. You have many choices. For women and men entering the law, a new era may be afoot. And Dickinson may be a legend in the making. “For nine years I’ve been shaping my practice, discovering what’s important in my life. This is one more step: I’m moving to New Zealand — for a while, maybe permanently. I want to keep practicing law, but in a different way. I’m interested in working with indigenous people, and the Maori have unique legal challenges; there are opportunities for me to do really good work,” Dickinson says. Butler, Raoul, even Dean Johnson might never have imagined such a choice, but all three are probably applauding the spirit that did. When Dickinson sums up her standing, perhaps she voices not just for every woman in law, but for every lawyer, a multilayered truth: “My career is a work in progress.” Ginger Pyron is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.
Benchmarks? You be the judge.
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mong the Emory alumnae who have donned the black robe on behalf of the process—and progress—of justice are brenda hill Cole 77L, judge of Georgia’s Fulton County State Court since 1998, and Leah ward sears 80L, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Known and loved for her respectful courtesy to colleagues and offenders alike, Cole grew up in Joaquin, Texas, a small Jim Crow town with a volatile edge; she began making clear distinctions between right and wrong at a young age. In the 1960s, as a Spelman College student, she entered campus activism by joining hundreds of other students from the Atlanta University Center in a human rights protest march through downtown Atlanta. From the bench, Cole often asks penetrating questions designed to make misdemeanor offenders understand the risks of their behavior and the alternate choices that are available: “If you keep doing things like this, do you know what will happen? Is that what you want for your life?”
She muses, “I say those things often, because you never know when you’re going to get someone’s attention and change their lives for the better. Occasionally, someone will write a note that says, ‘Judge, I got my GED.’ I treasure those.” In 2009 when her term as chief justice ended, Sears resigned from the Georgia Supreme Court. Since that time, she has enjoyed other pursuits: serving as a fellow at the Institute for American Values, a nonpartisan think tank; teaching a course in family law at the University of Georgia Law School; practicing law as a partner at Schiff Hardin LLP in Atlanta. “I went on the bench so early — I was 27,” she says, “and these are the things I’ve missed. I like doing the family law work at the institute, being able to speak out more, to get more involved in policy.” What’s next? Sears says she’s ready to respond to opportunities: “I tend to be a catalyst for change, for new ways of doing things. My work at the think tank is definitely breaking new ground, and I enjoy being at my firm so much. Depending on the opportunity, I’m open.” This April, Sears was reported to be on President Obama’s short list for the U.S. Supreme Court, to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.
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herry boston 99L and nicole Marchand 03L have sat at matching — but separate — tables in the same courtroom, as defense attorney and prosecuting attorney, respectively. Now, as candidates for Georgia’s DeKalb County State Court judge, they are looking together — and separately — toward the 2010 election. Boston is the Municipal Court judge for Dunwoody, Ga.; Marchand serves DeKalb County as chief assistant solicitor-general. Marchand: “Among the five candidates, three are women. It’s great to know that women are choosing a role of public service, and I’m happy that Sherry Boston and I are both in the race. We respect each other as women striving to accomplish something beneficial.” boston: “I didn’t get this far by myself, so I’m always aware of how I can give back — or, as they say, ‘pay it forward.’ If you’re not giving back, then you’re not putting your life’s lessons to good use. Every position in public service offers countless opportunities to do both.” Question: If you don’t win this time around, will you run again? Marchand: “I will.” / boston: “Absolutely.”
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in their Own Words Chilton Varner 76L Partner and celebrated rainmaker, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta; the firm’s second woman partner and its first woman partner in litigation then. Emory, earlier than most law schools, was quite accepting of women. I’d been the secretary for my husband’s law practice; I was in my 30s, with a young child. And there was nothing unusual about me in my class. But in the profession, a woman still stood out as an oddity. At King & Spalding, while I had every opportunity to learn, I was acutely conscious that the quality of my work would shape people’s opinions of women who came later. Some of the demands I put on myself were probably greater than they needed to be. now. Talking through challenging problems with colleagues remains the best way to ensure that you’ve made the best decision. It makes me a better lawyer. I’ve had the good fortune to be in a practice where my partners are my best friends, and I value those relationships more than anything.
“i’ve learned that your success is not solely about you. success in the firm’s management won’t be about me, but about all the attorneys here.” — Louise Wells 74C 78L
brenda hill Cole 77L Judge, State Court of Fulton County, Ga.; appointed 1998 and elected for three subsequent terms then. Being a wife and mother — and 10 years older than most first-year law students — distracted me from the question of how I was being regarded as a woman. I treated law school as a full-time job. I would tape my lectures and play them in the car, or while doing laundry, or when the kids were asleep. Although I was interested in working at a firm, I wanted to have time with my children. I was very happy to get the offer for my first position at the Attorney General’s Office. now. I keep my gavel in the drawer, and for 11 years I’ve never had to pull it out — even though sometimes my voice has to get a little sterner. When interns come through my office, I make sure they know they can come to me for advice, or even a shoulder to cry on. It’s tough to have a career in law, but it is really worth doing.
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Louise wells 74C 78L Managing partner, Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, Atlanta; the firm’s first woman attorney and first managing partner, unanimously elected then. When I was hired, firms weren’t looking for women; there wasn’t much attention to diversity. And I did experience intense pressure to succeed. But my firm treated me like any of the other attorneys; we all encouraged each other. The firm was highly ambitious, yet also cooperative and entrepreneurial. After six months, I decided I’d like to expand the real estate practice to include residential real estate, a growing area. They said, “Give us a plan, and if it makes sense, go for it.” now. Some of the women I’ve mentored have started their own firms, and we keep in touch. Women are often particularly successful through the quality of their relationships with both coworkers and clients. I tell my clients that when I’m working out an issue for them, I mentally put myself in their seat and act as if I’m a member of their board. Leah ward sears 80L Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP; former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia; first African American woman chief justice in the United States; first woman and youngest person (age 36) to sit on Georgia’s Supreme Court then. As a young person, I thought I could jump into law and help address the big problems of race and gender. My class at Emory was at least onethird women but had only six black students total. The firm where I first worked had very few women, no women partners, no black women. So, I had no role models at all. My parents said, “That’s ok; no one is like you. Just do the best you can.” I worked around the clock, even on weekends and holidays — until my baby son’s sudden hospitalization taught me that I needed to find a better balance. now. I don’t see myself as a torch-bearer; I just believe in moving ahead. When I do slow down and look back, I feel good about what I’ve done, especially with my family. Being selected chief justice was a satisfying moment — knowing that my peers, with no hesitation, selected me to lead them.
sally hogsette 81L First full-time executive director of the Atlanta Bar Foundation, Atlanta; formerly general attorney and first full-time international lawyer for Delta Air Lines Inc. then. After a wonderful clerkship with Justice Charles L. Weltner, I had several offers from law firms. But I really wanted to work in-house, to sit at the table of one client and help guide the company. My 20 years with Delta were the ultimate career; I probably would have paid them for that job! We built a great legal team to handle Delta’s rapid international expansion. now. Following my own interests has brought joy to my practice. After I took early retirement from Delta, the position with the Atlanta Bar Foundation was a match made in heaven. I love the mission of serving the community and am excited about leading this organization to the next level. With so much international travel, I rarely had the chance to focus on my hometown of Atlanta, so this is a rare opportunity to give back to the community that I’ve been a part of for so many years. I’ve had an inspired career — and it’s still going on!
“even in a tough economy, there’s always room for an excellent lawyer. and an excellent lawyer who enjoys her work is even better.” — Sally Hogsette 81L stephanie shellenback 82L Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Chicago; co-chair of the firm’s national recruitment team then. Back in 1982, we wore those bow blouses and suits. We tried to dress like men, look like men, act like men. The firm where I started out had just one woman partner, and I was the only woman in my practice group. I had terrific male mentors teaching me about real estate practice, but no women to learn from — so I would size up any woman working on the other side of a deal: How does she operate? How does she interact with the client? now. My practice group is still predominantly male, but I no longer look nervously around me, wondering what the next step is going to be. I love what I do; I enjoy getting up every morning and coming to work.
Mary devlin Capizzi 94L Managing partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Washington, D.C. then. “Don’t do it!” That’s what some lawyer friends said when I announced I was headed to law school. But I was young and optimistic—and impressed with what I’d learned about Emory. I had a good experience there, was well prepared for the practice of law, and had no difficulties finding work far from Atlanta. My associate years were stressful at times, and integrating the demands of a busy legal practice with a busy family life still presents challenges. Interesting work and supportive colleagues, combined with my husband’s flexible schedule, helped me navigate many demands as I began my practice and looked to grow it. now. Law is demanding work; you’re serving a client, so the pressure will always be there on some level. Women starting out in the profession should explore strategies that facilitate their advancement as well as the optimal use of their talents: Do excellent work. Be your own advocate: if you want new opportunities, make that known and go for them. Request clear feedback — and give it. Be open to change. danette Joslyn-gaul 94L Wimberly, Lawson, Steckel, Schneider & Stine PC, Atlanta; in Gov. Zell Miller’s administration, the youngest-ever executive counsel; first general counsel for Georgia Technology Authority then. Law school taught me to think differently about study and research; to go beyond the facts and look at patterns, then apply them to new situations. Those skills served me well in an interesting series of professional roles that I explored during my pregnancies and my children’s early years: litigator, lobbyist, writer, executive counsel, general counsel. now. I’ve enjoyed settling down again. Wimberly Lawson offers me plenty of opportunities to work with different kinds of cases in commercial, labor and employment law. And the firm has been wonderfully flexible about my parenting obligations. I’m able to work from home two days a week, which is a good arrangement for my family.
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sherry boston 99L Partner, The Bernstein Firm PC, Atlanta; Municipal Court judge for the City of Dunwoody, Ga.; 2010 candidate for DeKalb County State Court judge then. In high school, I was always a social activist, always wanting to be an advocate. That was a natural fit for a career in law. After Emory, I started out as the only woman associate in the firm. The men were wonderful — they were very supportive when I decided to argue a case (which I won!) in the Georgia Supreme Court, challenging a statute as unconstitutional. But I wanted to meet strong women who could be my mentors — like Leah Ward Sears, whom I had served as a student law clerk at Emory. now. I’m now a criminal defense attorney, working with a very strong partner in our two-woman practice. When a part-time judging opportunity came up, I thought, “Let’s see if this is a good fit for me.” Immediately, it was. Jennifer dickinson 01L Associate, Hunter Maclean Exley & Dunn PC, Savannah, Ga.; fourth woman president of the 200-year-old Savannah Bar Association then. Yes, in court I’ve actually been called “little lady” and have been mistaken for the court reporter. And many of my contemporaries — even from Washington, D.C. — have the same litany of complaints. But those things haven’t stopped me from wanting to give a voice to people who need it. now. I did a lot of research and planning before I proposed my firm’s new pro bono program. I thought, “If we could harness our scattered efforts, work together in the same direction, imagine what we could accomplish!” The firm agreed — and told me, “Go forth and conquer.” I recognize, of course, that following my passion is not without personal risk. You’re not going to be a profit generator if you do that.
women in Law schools* JDs awarded, 2007– 2008 academic year Women: 47% Men: 53% 16
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women in the Legal profession* 31% of U.S. lawyers
nicole Marchand 03L Chief assistant solicitor-general, DeKalb County, Ga.; 2010 candidate for DeKalb County State Court judge then. What I have seen over the years in so many other women attorneys I’ve known, including Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, is that no matter what happens, you remain professional. You work hard, and even harder — because you represent not just yourself, but all the women who came before you and the ones who will come after you. now. In my own work as an attorney, I see that too many people ignore honesty and ethics to accomplish their goals. Even more important, I’ve realized that in this profession, being a woman is not only ok — it’s a strength. I’m proud of how far women have come. If we stay strong, anything is possible! Jennifer Fairbairn deal 09L Clerk for Judge J. Owen Forrester; associate (deferred), Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, Atlanta; first honor graduate in her class then. From childhood, my parents and grandparents encouraged me to pursue whatever I wanted to do. And my women friends at Emory were strong and confident; we never had any sense of doubt. When I interviewed with Kilpatrick Stockton, everyone seemed friendly and open. I learned that the intellectual property group contains a large proportion of women, so there’s opportunity for me to grow. now. A Kilpatrick Stockton attorney I had lunch with told me that she had been one of two or three women in her law class at Harvard — and when she went out into the world, she had an extremely hard time. It’s not that way for us anymore. While there is still room for improvement, being a woman in the law isn’t the uphill battle it used to be. I look forward to witnessing and working towards further positive growth for women in the legal field.
women in private practice* 19% of partners
*Commission on Women in the Profession, American Bar Association **Report of the Fourth Annual National Survey on the Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms, October 2009, National Association of Women Lawyers, p. 2.
women Managing partners** Only about 6% of law firms have women managing partners.
Perspective
Adelman 89L Ambassador to Singapore Business is top agenda item for new diplomat in Southeast Asia
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o two days are alike, says David Adelman 89l, U.S. ambassador to Singapore. “There is not as much ceremony as people think,” Adelman says. “Rather the workdays are long and intense with a broad range of issues. We are at the center of an increasingly important part of the world. Singapore is a very sophisticated business market and our commercial work is quite complex.” Adelman and his family arrived in Singapore in early April after he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 19. He was nominated by President Obama on Nov. 20. “I know it is fashionable to complain about the U.S. Senate confirmation process, but mine was a very positive experience,” Adelman says. “Both U.S. Senators from Georgia were very supportive of my candidacy. Sen. (Johnny) Isakson, who is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, was especially helpful.” As ambassador to Singapore, Adelman serves as the president’s personal representative and has authority over all U.S. government activities there. Because Singapore is the business capital of Southeast Asia and central to U.S. trade, business is Adelman’s top agenda item. “We have a very successful Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, which is home to the world’s busiest container port and the U.S. commercial interests in the region are
u.s. ambassador david adelman 89L (left) presents his credentials to singapore president s r nathan on april 29.
very often based here,” Adelman says. “In January in his State of the Union address, the president announced what has become the National Export Initiative, which established as its goal doubling American exports over the next five years. ”
“My goal is to strengthen the U.S.-Singapore relationship and our relationships throughout Asia through commercial diplomacy.” Singapore, an island city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, has a diverse population of about 5 million, of which 42 percent are foreigners. Hundreds of U.S. Navy vessels visit Singapore every year. More than 20,000
“My goal is to strengthen the u.s.-singapore relationship and our relationships throughout asia through commercial diplomacy.” — daVid adeLMan 89L Amercian expatriots live there. Thousands of American businesses have a presence in Singapore. As for the weather, “Singapore is approximately 50 miles north of the Equator,” Adelman says. “It is a tropical climate. Think July in Atlanta but with more of a breeze and water everywhere. We love it.” “We live in a home owned by the United States, which is not far from the embassy,” Adelman says. “The main floor is for representational events. The second floor is a lot like a typical American home. “Caroline, our three children and I are very happy and have settled in quite easily,” the ambassador says. “Our two dogs made the trip here. The children are in the Singapore American School. The school is large with more than 3,000 students in k through 12, most of whom are U.S. citizens.” Adelman credits his Emory Law training with teaching him to be a better analytical thinker and instilling in him the value of thorough preparation. Serving at the pleasure of the president, Adelman resigned his partnership at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan llp, where he was a member of the commercial litigation group. Adelman also served eight years in the Georgia Senate, where he represented the Emory community. As a state senator, he was known as a moderate who often crossed the partisan aisle to build consensus. “There is no greater privilege than to represent our country in another country,” he says. “I’m honored by the confidence President Obama and Secretary [Hillary Rodham] Clinton have in me. We will miss our family and friends, including my colleagues at Sutherland and in the Georgia Senate very much.” —Wendy R. Cromwell spring 2010
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Finding Their Creative Outlets Photography and creative writing enrich students’ law school experience
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mory Law professors often encourage students to find a hobby outside of law school to relieve stress. For James Reyes 10l and Chad Ralston 11l, these hobbies have turned into small side businesses.
James reyes 10L: capturing the moment “I love the experience of capturing moments in time, freezing them,” says Reyes. Since the beginning of his third year, Reyes has been working as a part-time photographer. “Photography is a great way to be able to break away and do something that is truly interesting, and that can be considered an art,” he says. The hobby started in college with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera. Then, after taking several thousand pictures on a trip to Europe reyes 10L and again on his honeymoon in San Francisco, Reyes upgraded to a digital single-lens reflex camera, or dslr. “There’s only so much you can do with a point-and-shoot. With a dslr, the options are so expansive,” Reyes says. Soon family and friends started commenting on the quality of Reyes’ photos, so he created a blog and website to showcase his work.
“i love the experience of capturing moments in time.” — JaMes reyes 10L
“It started with taking pictures taking of my nephew,” of he says. “Then he people asked, people ‘can ‘can you take photographs photographs for this this or for that,’ so I started shooting a few events.” A member A member of the Emory Public Interest Committee, Reyes volunteered to photograph several epic events, including this year’s Inspiration Awards. He has considered incorporating photography into his career plans, particularly in humanitarian law, where he 18
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says documenting events through photography would provide a great synergy with the law. “It’s certainly turning into something that could be great, especially if I could figure out how to combine law and photography,” Reyes says. “It’s something that will definitely be a lifetime passion of mine.” chad ralston11L: Putting ideas on Paper “It’s a creative outlet,” says Ralston of his fiction writing. “I can focus on my writing without having to concentrate on legal issues, which helps my subconscious. It enables me to come up with creative solutions for my legal classes.” Ralston released his first novel, Portman: The Great Exchange Artist, in February through Amazon.com for its Kindle electronic reader. The novel follows a young investment intern who forms a friendship with his New York roommate and the struggles the ralston 11L two encounter when they fall in love with the same girl. “I tried to publish it through traditional routes and even got a literary agent’s assistant to read the first chapter,” Ralston says. “I got positive feedback, but was told the fiction market was too thin.” His mom suggested he distribute his novel electronically, “which is ironic,” he says, “since she doesn’t use email.” She heard about the Kindle and the e-reader market listening to npr. For Ralston, the Kindle’s popularity and the cost to publish it through Amazon — basically nothing — were driving factors.
“it [my writing] enables me to come up with creative solutions for my legal classes.”— Chad raLston 11L “You get a percentage of each copy sold,” he says. “It hasn’t taken off yet, but I am in double digits for the number of copies sold. I’m heartened by releasing the novel this way — at least mine is out there now.” Ralston already has started his second novel, though he assures that “my studies take precedence. “I’m just trying to get my ideas on paper. That’s good for now.” —Liz Chilla and Wendy R. Cromwell
Perspective
Professor’s Project Goes National by Liz Chilla
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rofessor Frank S. Alexander is working to turn “… vacant spaces into vibrant places” through the new Center for Community Progress, a nonprofit organization focused on revitalizing vacant and abandoned properties. Given the state of the national housing market, the timing for this venture could not be better. “The requests for this kind of work and this form of assistance have continued to grow each year and then exploded exponentially in light of the mortgage foreclosure crisis,” Alexander says. “This initiative creates a national organization with considerably more capacity to provide this assistance to communities.” For more than 20 years, Alexander has worked on the local and state levels to identify and eliminate legal barriers that prevent converting vacant and abandoned properties back into productive use. He and his colleague Daniel T. Kildee, former treasurer of Genesee County, Mich., launched the center in March. The organization’s goal “is to create a model of holistic revitalization in the nation’s communities and reverse the abandonment that has escalated with the current economic crisis,” Alexander says. The center has offices in Washington, D.C., and Flint, Mich. The project has received nearly $2 million in grants from the Charles Stewart Mott and Ford foundations — the largest amount of funding secured by an Emory Law professor. Alexander serves as general counsel and director of policy and research, while maintaining his responsibilities
professor Frank alexander has worked at the local and state levels to put abandoned and vacant properties into productive use.
Alexander has been a central figure in land revitalization policy-making since founding cslr’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Project in 1987. “For me, where law and religion lead is the call to respond in service to those who are facing really tough issues, and to do so with all of the resources of legal and religious traditions,” Alexander says. At the federal level, he has been highly influential during the mortgage crisis, consulting with congressional leaders and testifying before congressional committees and subcommittees. At the state level, he drafted improved mortgage legislation in Georgia and postKatrina Louisiana. Alexander regularly testifies before the Georgia General Assembly and frequently speaks before housing authorities, conferences and university-led symposiums. At the city level, his work has led to real estate reform in Baltimore, Baton Rouge, La., Indianapolis, Detroit and Flint, Mich., among others. “Frank is an outstanding scholar and teacher who, at the same time, is driven by a deep social commitment,” Emory Law Dean David F. Partlett says. “I applaud this new opportunity for Frank to be a champion on the national stage in the crucial task of stabilizing and restoring neighborhoods and communities throughout the United States.”
the project has received nearly $2 million in grants — the largest amount of funding secured by an emory Law professor. at Emory Law and Emory’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion. Kildee is the organization’s president. The project’s success will be measured by how local and state governments reform existing law and policies and how they reduce the number of vacant, abandoned and foreclosed properties, Alexander says. A key component is the land bank, a governmental entity that acquires these properties and converts them into productive use. He and Kildee established Flint’s Genesee County Land Bank in 2002, one of the most efficient and productive land banks in the country. Additionally, the center will support and conduct research related to unlocking the value of vacant and abandoned properties.
April Bogle, director of public relations and information for the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory, contributed to this article. spring 2010
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Trading Legal Briefs for Beaded Bracelets Cindy Hyman 01L transformed her hobby into a successful business venture
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hen Cindy L. Joffe Hyman 01l told her mentor that she was leaving Kilpatrick Stockton to pursue her hobby, her mentor responded “Are you crazy?” That was in 2002. Today, Hyman’s hobby designing jewelry is a lucrative career, and she’s never looked back. Hyman always wanted to be a lawyer. After graduation, she thrived as a trademark attorney, but was forced to go on medical leave because of mold exposure. She and her husband moved in with her parents as she recovered. To pass the time, Hyman and her mother, Avril Joffe, made jewelry. When she returned to work, Hyman’s clients and colleagues wanted to buy the pieces she wore. Soon, she was selling items in the firm’s bathroom. Her hobby became a business. “Since our pieces were selling so well at work, my friend encouraged us to host a trunk show. We ended up doing about $8,000 in sales,” Hyman, now a mother of two, says. “After that, I believed that we could do this full time.”
From their Atlanta studio, the two create unique handcrafted jewelry using diamonds, semi-precious gemstones, antiqued sterling silver, hammered gold vermeil and rare beads. With a staff of 10, they spend their day designing pieces and shipping orders. “We draw inspiration for our jewelry in the details of all things beautiful and unique — everything from nature, to
“don’t be scared to take a leap of faith.”— Cindy L. JoFFe hyMan 01L ancient and vintage jewelry, to unusual fabrics,” Hyman says. The distinct look of avindy (a combination of Avril and Cindy) has captured the attention of the media, jewelry showrooms and celebrities. Their big break came when the exclusive jewelry showroom, Fragments, offered avindy representation. In the first month, Fragments placed their work in Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s Japan and on Britney Spears. Success came quickly. “We never had the time to contemplate the success,” Joffe recalls. “The timing of our launch was perfect, and everything happened before we could say, ‘Is this really happening?’ We’ve been fortunate.” Hyman credits her legal background with helping the business side of avindy. “My knowledge of trademark and copyright law helped me build and protect our design and brand from day one,” she says. “Also, people are less likely to infringe upon your designs if they know you’re a lawyer.” continued success
Last August, Hyman and Joffe launched avindy on qvc. They describe the experience as nervewracking, but exciting. Their next appearance was slated for June 8. “We just fell into this and got lucky,” Hyman says. “I advise anyone considering a career Cindy L. Joffe hyman 01L (right) and avril Joffe make “avindy” in their change to think outside of the box. Don’t be atlanta loft studio with a dedicated staff of artistic women and, on several scared to take a leap of faith and see where that occasions, their dogs and hyman’s children, dylan and Jonah. takes you.” Joffe, also an attorney, wasn’t initially sold on the idea. Neither Hyman nor her mom has any regrets about She wanted Hyman to continue her career as a lawyer, but starting their business. They agree that avindy is a team her daughter was very convincing. effort, and one they are proud of doing together. “As a mother, you want the best for your child,” Joffe The avindy line is in more than 400 stores and catalogs says. “I worried about us working together, competing for worldwide and can be purchased from www.avindy.com. —Holly Cline ideas; but we learned how to respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We work brilliantly together, and it’s fabuCline is a freelance writer based in Atlanta. lous sharing this experience.” 20
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Perspective
A New First Year Incoming students will have more choices as they plan their academic studies
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irst-year students will be able to exercise a little choice next year thanks to significant changes to the first-year curriculum approved by the faculty this spring. Changes include the addition of a new required first-year course in Legislation and Regulation and the creation of an elective course option during the second semester. “The legal profession has changed in innumerable ways over the past few years. We saw the need to pursue curricular reforms that would better position our students in this new marketplace and help prepare them to make an immediate impact in the practice of law upon graduating,” says David F. Partlett, dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. The new Legislation and Regulation course introduces firstyear students to the central role of legislatures and administrative agencies in the practice of law today. The course is a primary building block for Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Legislation and a number of specialized upper-level courses.
practice by helping them discern their legal path. By creating the first-year elective option, the curriculum committee is giving students the option to explore areas of possible legal interest or get a head start on an area of interest. “One of the more unique features of the Emory Law curriculum is the
“today’s practicing attorneys operate in a world where regulations and legal statutes are as important, or even more important in some cases, than decisions made by the courts.” — dean daVid F. partLett “Today’s practicing attorneys operate in a world where regulations and legal statutes are as important, or even more important in some cases, than decisions made by the courts,” Partlett says. “The addition of the Legislation and Regulation course exposes our students to the critical role this aspect of law will play in their future practice.” Emory Law prepares students for
availability to our first-year students of an elective course in the second semester,” says Timothy P. Terrell, professor of law and chair of the curriculum committee. “This unusual early opportunity for individual choice allows our students to begin pursuing special interests even as the basics of legal education are being stressed.” The list of elective courses offered
will change from year to year. These courses will be offered as “building blocks” for more specialized legal study. “In their first year, law students are put in the same classes, with the same students, and focus on the same type of law….” says Stacy Tolos 10l, the student representative to the curriculum committee. “The elective will allow students to take at least one class that they are very interested in, thus providing them with much needed autonomy and choice. Exposure to a new subject of interest in the first year also will help students to choose their upper level courses more carefully and deliberately.” Other changes include the reduction of Civil Procedure from a twosemester, six-credit-hour offering to a one-semester, four-credit-hour course. The faculty approved elimination of the Legal Methods course, which will be subsumed by existing courses. The new course requirements take effect in August for the Class of 2013. —Timothy L. Hussey Hussey is Emory Law’s senior director of marketing and communications. spring 2010
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rita Lewis 96L, assistant district attorney for butts County, tries cases in the courtroom used in the movie, “My Cousin Vinny.”
Reading Their Writes emory Law graduates shine as authors and communicators
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o the students, Emory Law’s writing courses can be particularly challenging. However, those courses honed the skills not just of exceptional attorneys but several authors as well. Over the past decade, quite a few graduates have seen books they’ve written crack Amazon’s online bookshelves or achieve national distribution by publishers. The books are as varied as the graduates themselves; one, a slim 52-page guide on services marketing, is as easy-going as its author. Another, at 245 pages, reflects its author in stories of what laughably can go wrong in the courtroom.
“i’Ve aLways seen LiFe’s eVents in terms of the stories I
could later tell,” says Rita Lewis 96l of her book Excuse Me Your Honor…The Masturbating Defendant Just Called Me a Bitch. The book is a collection of unbelievable-buttrue stories Lewis has collected during her 13 years in criminal court. “Being a prosecuting attorney in rural Butts County, Georgia, you see a little of everything,” Lewis explains. “I just started collecting all these really off-the-wall stories, and many people urged me to write a book.” The title, which she had to fight for, came from one of these courtroom experiences. She describes herself as a 22
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by Margaret Lisi
“thoroughly Southern” woman with a taste for pearls. “I think many defendants say things to me for shock value,” Lewis says. “Early in my career I had to practice some of the more embarrassing words I had to use in court in the mirror first. But it’s not possible to shock me anymore.” Lewis is working on two books — one about a Georgia murder, the other a second collection of courtroom stories. JiM durhaM 83L wanted to CoLLeCt more busi-
ness when he wrote The Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering. Written in one sitting, Durham says his Emory Law writing experience taught him the value of brevity and clarity. At 52 pages, the book is nevertheless packed with common-sense truths about what takes a lawyer from good to great. The content was gleaned over years of training lawyers and practices how to develop and keep business. “In 1991, I went to a law firm as its marketing director,” Durham explains. “There, I started consulting with lawyers on how to build their businesses, and many asked for something that captured the concepts we covered during the training. For example, ‘good lawyers return phone calls promptly; great lawyers initiate phone calls.’ I’ve had several attorneys say ‘I read it on a plane and when I touched
down, I made a couple of calls.’” “It’s common sense ideas, not theory, that every lawyer can apply in their practice,” Durham continues. “It’s not a marketing book, but if you do the things in this book, business will come regardless of whether you’re a lawyer or other service provider.” Joey asher 94L began his Career as a journalist and
credits his experience covering politics and crime contributed to his decision to enter law school. Though he has left practicing law to focus solely on his communications coaching business, Speechworks, Asher said his Emory Law experience still informs his writing and business. “My books grew out of my experience helping people become better communicators,” Asher says. “My experience at Emory Law trained me in rigorous thinking. Law is about understanding issues, sifting through them and finding solutions. So is writing.” Asher’s book, How to Win a Pitch: How to Create and Deliver Great New Business Presentations, provides readers with the solutions they need to attract and win business, regardless of their industry. “As a consultant, you write a book to improve your business,” he says. How to Win a Pitch has been successful at delivering that result. Asher expects to complete his latest book on public speaking soon. one oF the Most hard-hitting authors from Emory Law is Cynthia Cooper 76l. A former journalist based in New York City, she writes on issues related to women or social justice. Two of Cooper’s most notable works are The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens, which lays the legal case for impeachment of the 43rd president, and A Mockery of Justice: The True Story of The Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case, a re-examination of one of the 20th century’s most sensational crimes. Sheppard, convicted of the 1954 murder of his pregnant wife in their Cleveland-area home, served almost a decade in prison for a murder Cooper demonstrated he could not have committed. Her investigation took seven years to write, unearthed suppressed testimony and evidence and resulted in legal proceedings against her by many entities involved in the original trial. The author of many works of fiction and nonfiction, Cooper agrees Emory Law helped her work. “My legal training made me a much more rigorous thinker,” she says. “Emory taught me to challenge all assumptions, not skim over something because it’s easier. To dig into each point and apply wonderful intellect to what, in terms of writing, might be half a sentence. As a journalist, I had the writing skills, but to be able to pierce the law and reflect it back in translation so people can understand it — even lawyers — took the grounding I received at Emory.”
additional alumni authors • Charles t. autry 81L, co-author, The Law of Cooperatives. This book by the founding partner of Autry, Horton & Cole provides an overview of cooperatives and cooperative law. • walter M. Cheatham 56L, No Man Walks Alone: The Life and Times of Thomas G. Pownall (2003) and Your Friendly Neighbor (1998). Thomas G. Pownall was a mountaineer who rose to become CEO of Martin Marietta Corp. (now Lockheed Martin Corp.) Pownall was a dominant figure in the world of aerospace technology in the second half of the 20th century. • zoe M. hicks 63oX 65C 83L, author, The Women’s Estate Planning Guide: Techniques for Protecting Yourself and Your Family (1998). The Women’s Estate Planning Guide demystifies estate planning and provides inspiration for taking the steps necessary to complete it. • Megan h. Magruder 80C 83L, contributing author, Understanding Insurance Regulations and Coverage (2007) and Insurance Law 2008: Trends and Key Strategies. These valuable legal publications are both available from Aspatore Books. • adam d. roberts 01C 04L, The Amateur Gourmet. This Emory Law graduate has written The Amateur Gourmet (2008) and The Amateur Gourmet — How to Shop, Chop and Table Hop Like a Pro (Almost) (2007). He also blogs about food and cooking at www.amateurgourmet.com. • h. grady thrasher iii 68L: Tim and Sally’s Vegetable Garden (2007) and Tim and Sally’s Beach Adventure (2008). Tim and Sally’s Vegetable Garden was awarded a bronze medallion by the Independent Publishers Association. Thrasher also was named Georgia Writers Association’s Georgia Author of the Year for Children’s Picture Books for 2008. • Other books by Joey asher 94L: Communication & Selling Skills for Lawyers and Even a Geek Can Speak: Low-Tech Presentation Skills for High-Tech People. All of Asher’s books are available at amazon.com or speechworks.net. • Other works by Cynthia Cooper 76L: Cooper again teams with co-author Elizabeth Holtzman (The Impeachment of George Bush) on Who Said It Would Be Easy: One Woman’s Life In the Political Arena (2006). She also is author of An Insider’s Guide to the Top Fifteen Law Schools (1990). Books are available on amazon.com; her numerous plays, articles and other works also are available on cyncooperwriter.net. • Other books by Jim durham 83L: co-editor and contributing author, The Lawyer’s Guide to Marketing Your Practice (Second Edition), published by the American Bar Association. The Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering is available at greatlawyeringbook.com and amazon.com.
Margaret Lisi is a freelance writer based in Atlanta. spring 2010
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Class Notes Alumni Board to Focus on Class of 2010 It has been a busy spring at the law school. On May 10, we welcomed 260 new alumni into our community at commencement. Just as exciting, 14 of these graduates are legacies, furthering the Emory Law lineage within our alumni. Graduation is one of the most invigorating events at Emory Law. As I spoke to our new graduates, I truly sensed that all things are possible. This class donated a record of $107,135 to the law school through its class gift campaign. Our emphasis on community is resonating with these graduates. These wonderful people will quickly enhance our alumni community. Yet, we all are aware of the economic conditions affecting new graduates — especially new lawyers. Thus, I have prioritized assisting the Class of 2010 with transitioning to the workforce as our main programming objective for the alumni board. At our spring alumni board meeting, Carlos Kelly 97l agreed to chair this important initiative. He and Greg Riggs 79l, associate dean for student services and community engagement, are forming a Class of 2010 taskforce to provide alumni and faculty mentorship as our graduates continue their employment searches. Called Emory Law Connecting, the program matches Class of 2010 graduates with alumni in their preferred practice area and, if possible, preferred geographic area. Alumni advisers will help these students by offering networking contacts, mentoring and career advice. In addition, 2010 graduates can request to be matched with a faculty member who is an expert in their preferred practice area. The approach provides a two-person team to do whatever is reasonably possible to help graduates in their job search. Emory Law Connecting also will provide seminars this summer such as “How to Start One’s Own Law Practice.” Finally, we will be able to communicate part-time or contract legal employment opportunities that become available to assist class members in gaining valuable hands-on experience. Emory University continues its nationwide search to identify the strongest candidates for our director of alumni relations position. We appreciate all your ideas and recommendations. Forward your thoughts to Susan F. Carter, associate dean for development and university relations, at susan.carter@emory.edu. While this process continues, Dean David F. Partlett has asked me to continue as president for another year to ensure a smooth transition. I am honored to do this and look forward to sharing more exciting news about Emory Law in the months ahead. As always, I am eager to hear your suggestions and ideas. I look forward to hearing from you, and most importantly, seeing you at an alumni event soon.
Halli D. Cohn 90l, hcohn@kslaw.com
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Editor’s Note: Class Notes are submitted by alumni and are not verified by the editor. While we welcome alumni news, Emory Lawyer is not responsible for information contained in Class Notes.
60s The Hon. Clarence Cooper 67L, a federal judge with the Northern District of Georgia, received a Leadership Award from the Atlanta Bar Association at its February meeting.
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U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop 71L was named to Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians Power List. Tommy Hills 66C 70L was named to Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians Power List. Hills wrote a book, Red State Rising: Triumph of the Republican Party in Georgia, which was published by Stoud and Hall. Eric Holzapfel 71L, a partner at Drew Law Firm Co. in Cincinnati, was named a 2010 Ohio Super Lawyer for the fourth year in a row. Steve Labovitz 74L was named to Georgia Trend’s list of Most Influential Georgians: Notables. Doug Warner 75L, partner at Warner, Hooper & Ramsey in Peachtree City, Ga., was named the Outstanding Business Person of the Year by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce in January.
Mary Jane Augustine 69C 71B 76L was appointed managing partner for the New York office of McCarter & English. She is the former head of the construction practice.
Oscar Clark Carr III 76L, a partner at Glankler Brown PLLC in Memphis, Tenn., was chosen for the SuperLawyers Corporate Counsel edition for business litigation.
Cynthia L. Cooper 76L, journalist and founder of Words of Choice, received the 2009 Anne E. Fisher Champion of Choice Award from Pro-Choice America. Patrick W. McKee 77L, with McKee & Mitchell in Newman, Ga., was named a Super Lawyer in Georgia for 2010. Thurbert Baker 79L was named to Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians Power List.
Class Notes
80s John C. Stivarius 80L, partner at Elarbee Thompson in Atlanta, has been selected as one of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite for 2009.
Stanford G. Wilson 80L, managing partner of Elarbee Thompson in Atlanta, has been selected as one of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite for 2009.
S. Renee Huskey 75C 81L is a founding partner in the new litigation boutique firm of Ichter Thomas LLC in Atlanta. Mark O. Shriver 73B 81L, a partner with Shriver & Gordon PC in Woodstock, Ga., received the Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service by the State Bar of Georgia. Richard Slutzky 81L joined Bank of America’s Global Philanthropic Consulting Group as a partner. The financial advisory team focuses on investment management consulting for nonprofits and foundations. Bruce S. Sostek 81L was included in the 2010 Chambers USA “Leaders in the Field” legal directory.
90s John R. Voigt 81L, an attorney with Sherrard & Roe PLC in Nashville, has been named among Tennessee’s Best 150 Lawyers on the annual list compiled by BusinessTN magazine. Sharon Gay 82L was named to Georgia Trend’s list of Most Influential Georgians: Notables. Lee Miller 82L was recruited by Glenmede Trust Co. to open the Venerable Wealth Management firm’s New York office. She also was named to Emory Law’s Dean’s Advisory Board.
Howard Osofsky 82L received the 2009 Kids Chance Auction Award in October for his help in establishing scholarships for the organization. David Bedingfield 83L, a London barrister, was named a circuit judge. Samuel S. Olens 83L, former Cobb County Commission chairman, was named to Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians Power List.
Tom McCally 84L helped his firm, Carr Maloney in Washington, D.C., celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Gregory R. Hanthorn 85L, partner with Jones Day in Atlanta, was presented with his own severed head in appreciation for his service as chair of the board of directors for the Atlanta Shakespeare Co. during the opening night for Richard III. He will remain on the board as finance chair. Mark D. Jackson 85L, a commercial real estate attorney, joined Ballard Spahr’s Bethesda, Md., office as of counsel.
Grady L. Beard 87L, with Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC, has become a fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. Lisa Azzato 88L has been named one of the Long Island chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphona Society’s Man and Woman of the Year candidates. She owns Azzato Law and is on the board of trustees for the Long Island chapter.
John Lyle 88L, partner at Adams and Reese LLP in Birmingham and Mobile, Ala., has been asked to serve on the board of directors of the Alabama Federal Tax Clinic.
Stacey Kalberman 90L is the new executive secretary for the Georgia’s State Ethics Commission.
Kellye L. Walker 92L has been named senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at American Water Works Co. Leah S. McCarty Cusker 93L has accepted a position as assistant inspector general in the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
John W. Mills III 90L, a bankruptcy attorney, has joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Atlanta as a partner. Sarah H. Lamar 91L, partner at HunterMaclean in Savannah, Ga., has been elected chair of AFLA International, one of the largest legal networks in the world.
Willie J. Lovett Jr. 91L has been appointed director of the Office of the Child Attorney for Fulton County, Ga. Previously, he served as deputy county attorney for the Fulton County Attorney’s Office. Brian T. Casey 92L, partner with Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell in Atlanta, has been named to Insurance Newscast’s list of the 100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry.
Bruce Henoch 92L was named vice president and general counsel of Stratos Global Corp. of Bethesda, Md. Previously, he served as vice president for legal and regulatory affairs.
Jeffrey Hamilton 95L, a partner at Jackson Walker LLP in Dallas, was elected president of the board of directors for Heart House Dallas. Heart House Dallas is an organization that provides free after-school care for underprivileged school age children in Dallas neighborhoods known for high crime and unemployment rates. He also was named a “Rising Star” by Texas Monthly.
Michael A. Morse 97L, a partner with Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick and Raspanti LLP, wrote an article, “Protecting the Empire: A Practitioner’s Primer on the New York False Claims Act,” which was published in the New York State Bar Association Journal. David S. Weidenbaum 97L, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, and his wife, Samantha Brooks Weidenbaum 95L, celebrated the birth of Noah Jack on Oct. 30. Noah has a 3-year-old sister, Jess.
spring 2010
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Class Notes
00s
Evan A. Allison 98L with Miller & Miller PLLC has been named to the firm’s policy committee, which approves all major decisions for the firm. Jay Govindan 98L works as a senior trial attorney in the environment and natural resources division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
James O’Connell 98L joined Covington & Burling LLP as partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Prior to the firm, he was with the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Prasad Sharma 98L became vice president and deputy counsel for the American Trucking Association. Jason S. Lichtstein 99L, an environmental lawyer and partner with Akerman Senterfitt, was elected president of the Florida Brownfields Association, a statewide environmental organization, in November. Rachel Brod Berger 99L 99B and her husband, David, celebrated the birth of Ezra Leo on Oct. 27.
Michael Cross 00L, a partner with Alpharetta, Ga., firm Briskin, Cross & Sanford LLC, was named a “Rising Star” by the Georgia Super Lawyers magazine for 2010. He also was elected to serve as chair of the board of Alpharetta Development Authority. Tomasita Denise Crowell 00L and Ricardo L. Carmona 02L were married on Aug. 20, 2008. The couple opened the Carmona Law Firm PA, which focuses on real property, construction, estate planning and mediation, on July 20, 2009.
J. Christopher Miller 97C 00L, co-founder of Robinson & Miller law firm in Alpharetta, has been selected as one of Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite for 2009.
Kevin A. Stine 98L was elected a shareholder in the Atlanta office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC.
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Christopher Davis 01L has joined Document Technologies Inc. in Atlanta to lead the company’s hosted document review services. Matthew Gilley 01L made partner at Ford & Harrison LLP in the firm’s Spartanburg, S.C., office.
Lindsay Couch 03L, founder and CEO of In Words Consulting, married Jon Kilgore on Nov. 7 in Durham, N.C. The couple resides in Orlando, Fla. Erin Englebrecht 03L 03T married Mike Hannum in 2009. She works with International Baby Food Action Network in Geneva.
John D. Livingstone 01L made partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Faabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP in the firm’s Tokyo office.
Virginia Iglesia 06L and Steven D. Weber 06L of New York were married on April 17. Iglesia is an associate in the litigation firm of McKool Smith, and Weber is an assistant corporation counsel at the New York City Office of Corporation Counsel. Hannah F. Singerman 06L has joined Weltman, Weinbefg & Reis Co. in Cleveland as an associate in the complex collections department.
Dalia Geeslin Racine 03L is running for the Douglas County district attorney in the November election. Scott N. Sherman 01L with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Cadwell & Berkowitz PC has been appointed to the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeastern Region Board of Directors.
Kristy Seidenberg 00L won the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer’s Foundation Family Law Award in February.
Laura W. Speed-Dalton 96C 99L has established The Speed Firm PC, a law practice providing personalized legal representation for seriously injured people, in Atlanta.
Danny Kraft 01L is an associate with Weitz & Luxenberg PC in New York Prior to Weitz & Luxenberg, Kraft was an assistant district attorney for the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office. He and his wife, Nicole Foley Kraft, celebrated the birth of Caitlyn Foley Kraft in July 2007.
Eden D. Doniger 02L and husband David Itai Tsur 02L celebrated the birth of daughter Orli Sivan Doniger Tsur on Dec. 3. Matthew I. Gennaro 02L, senior associate with Clyde & Co., was selected to help start the international law firm’s New Jersey office.
Alicia Grahn Jones 04L and husband Jeffrey Jones celebrated the birth of Emma Jane. Michael David Laycob 04L 07B has accepted an executive position with Precision Practice Management Inc. Katherine Kale 04L and husband Joe Minias 02L celebrated the birth of Eleanor Charlotte Minias on Sept. 24. Joe Minias also made partner at Quinn Emanuel Urguhart Oliver & Hedges LLP.
Scott Greenberg 02L has been promoted to special counsel with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP in New York. Jennifer Pritzker Sender 99C 02L 02MPH and husband Eric R. Sender 02L celebrated the birth of Noah Avery in September. Ethan Michael Rosenzweig 02L was appointed assistant dean of admission at Emory Law. Marni Weiss 02L married Michael Friedlander on March 14. Weiss Friedlander is a lawyer with the Queens Borough Public Library in New York.
Haley Schwartz 05L received the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and Goizueta Business School for her work with the Breast Cancer Legal Project through the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.
John Taylor Chenery 08L has joined Bass, Berry & Sims in its litigation department in Nashville. Prior to the firm, Chenery served as a judicial clerk to the Hon. Samuel H. Mays Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Elizabeth Newcamp 08L works with NASA’s Innovative Partnership Program Office at Andrews Air Force Base in California. Joseph Tipograph 08L 08B has joined Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C., as an associate in the antitrust practice. Andrew R. Boardman 09L with the legal department of One United Bank in Boston married Adrienne Michelle Boehm on June 6, 2009.
In Memoriam Emory Law mourns the passing of the following alumni, whose deaths were reported to the school since the date of our last alumni publication.
40s
israel katz 40b 42L of Atlanta died Jan. 1 at age 90. During World War II, Katz served as a military intelligence officer and parachuted behind enemy lines. After the war, he graduated from Emory Law with honors and became a well-respected attorney and senior partner at Katz, Paller & Land. He practiced law until he retired at age 70. During the 1960s, Katz chaired the Democratic Party in DeKalb County and was offered a position with the Jimmy Carter White House team. He chose to stay in Atlanta and served the party in various positions. Katz was a significant contributor to Emory University’s medical research efforts, where he was honored for 50 years of lifetime achievement. In addition to supporting Emory, Katz and his wife, Annette, donated a library at the Atlanta Yeshiva, a science lab at Hebrew Academy and to the Marcus Jewish Community Center. He is preceded in death by his wife. Survivors include his son, Lee Katz; his daughters, Lynn Kempler and Lisa Katz; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Judge anthony a. alaimo 48L of Savannah, Ga., on Dec. 30. Please see In Closing, page 32.
50s irving h. buchalter 50L of Marietta, Ga., on Jan. 6
James eugene wilson 50L of Atlanta on Nov. 6
wayne wright gammon sr. 50L died Nov. 16. He was 80 years old. Gammon was quarterback for two years at West Georgia College before he attended Emory Law. He took the bar exam at age 19 and was sworn in months after his 20th birthday. He served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division from 1950 to 1954. He was discharged as a captain. After serving in the Army, Gammon graduated from the University of Virginia Judge Advocate School in the first class after the adoption of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He served as a Judge Advocate General and jumpmaster for the 82nd Airborne. He was a member of the Tallapoosa and Georgia Bar Associations for more than 59 years. Gammon was solicitor of the State Court of Polk County from 1957 to 1969 and attorney for Polk County from 1963 to 1998. He was a member and vice chairman of the State Disciplinary Board of the state Bar of Georgia from 1981 to 1984. Gammon received the 2004 Tradition of Excellence Award from the state Bar of Georgia. He as a founding partner of Gammon, Anderson and McFall and was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church of Cedartown, Ga. Survivors include his wife, Beth Page Gammon; four children; grandchildren; a greatgrandchild; and a number of nieces, nephews and cousins. thomas wade allen 51L of Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2009 F. h. “pete” boney 51L of St. Simons Island, Ga., on Nov. 19 robert w. storey 54L of Atlanta died on Dec. 27. He was 79 years old. A graduate of Washington and Lee University, Storey was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity at Emory Law.
He began his career at the firm Howard and Story before starting the Storey and Obenschain firm, which specialized in real estate law. During the Korean War, Storey served in the U.S. Naval Supply Corps. For 20 years, he also served in the U.S. Naval Reserve Corps, retiring as a commander. He and his wife, Julia, received the Villa International Distinguished Service Award for their service to many civic and church organizations. Storey was a founding member of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which presents the annual Naismith Award to the nation’s outstanding collegiate basketball players. A longtime Republican, he served on the Fulton County committee for many years. He is survived by his wife and cousins in Texas and California. w. warren woolsey 48b 54L of Clearwater, Fla., on March 17 Charles h. wills 57L 60L of Atlanta on Feb. 14
60s the hon. Louis J. ditrani 60L of Vienna, Va., on Feb. 9
reuben pierce head Jr. 61L of Decatur, Ga., on Nov. 20 the hon. James h. weeks 61L on Nov. 5 the hon. thomas e. baynes 67L 72L, a U.S. bankruptcy judge from Lake Wales, Fla., died Dec. 16 after a lengthy battle with ALS. Born in New York, Baynes graduated from the University of Georgia before earning his JD and LLM from Emory Law. He also attended Yale Law School. In 2005, he retired from the bench after 17 years as a bankruptcy judge for the Middle District of Florida. Baynes served as chief bankruptcy judge from August 2000 to
March 2003. His peers named a courtroom at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Tampa after him for his years of service. Prior to becoming a judge, Baynes was a partner with the Lake Wales firm of Peterson and Myers PA. He also served as a professor of law and public administration at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was a member of the administrative staff of the late Chief Justice Warren Burger of the U.S. Supreme Court and a retired commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, JAGC. Baynes is survived by his wife, Maija; daughters, Cynthia Lynn Hudgins and Barbara Ann Brown; four grandchildren; and his sister, Nancy Lux.
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robert h. Mcdonnell 76L of Douglasville, Ga., on April 16 hewell donald Fleming 77L 78L on May 21, 2009 donald w. thurmond 77L of Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 8 Martin w. alpert 78L of Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 20 robert J. durden 70C 73g 79L on May 2, 2002
80s
s. gaye reese Moody 80L
He graduated from the University of South Carolina with his AB and JD. He earned his LLM from Emory Law in 1986. Warner was the co-author of two nationally syndicated columns, “Flying Solo” and “NextSteps,” via the United Media Syndicate. His columns were published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post and L.A. Times. He was a certified fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the American Bar Association, the South Carolina Bar Association and the American Judicature Society. He also was an adjunct professor in the University of South Carolina’s Department of Neuropsychology. Warner is survived by his wife, Vicki Shuford Warner; his mother, Naomi Warner; five children, Paul Manville, Monty Warner, Mark Manville, Brandon Warner and Carrie Warner; a brother Edwin; a sister, Bonnie; two grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
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Jennifer g. williams 96L of Atlanta on Jan. 13, 2009
Faculty donna Ferguson of Norcross, Ga., widow of Emory Law Professor Bill Ferguson, on April 6
ronald t. gold 83L of Marietta, Ga., on Dec. 1 glenn eric simensky 83L of Woodmere, N.Y., on Dec. 17 James ryan Marietta 84L of Atlanta on March 17 Jan L. warner 86L of Columbia, S.C., died Oct. 27. He was 67 years old. Warner attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he played football.
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Giving Back
Paying It Forward Through Mentoring by April L. Bogle
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pril Ross 11l knew she wanted to serve the court. She just didn’t know whether employment law or criminal law was the best path until her mentor, Rich Escoffery 95l, literally led her through the courtroom door. “Rich was insightful about how to market myself, gave me the big picture and always helped me get to the next step,” Ross says. A top student from San Francisco with plenty of confidence and charisma, Simon Snyder 11l has everything going for him — except East Coast contacts who could help him find a job in energy law. He so impressed his mentor, Della Wagner Wells 86l, she is “calling in her chips” to arrange meetings with her most important connections. “I know I have someone who is completely in my court and whom I can rely on to do whatever reasonably is possible to help me,” Snyder says. “That is such a comfort.”
A genuine interest in making the relationship work is essential, say mentors and mentees. “It’s reciprocal,” Snyder says. “The more you are interested in them, the more they are interested in you. It’s great to have someone so supportive in your court.”
a genuine interest in making the relationship work is essential.
Wells, a partner at Alston & Byrd llc in energy finance law, arranged meetings for Snyder with prominent energy attorneys in Washington, D.C. “The best I can do is make sure he has the opportunity to speak with people about how they got where they are going,” she says. Mentors and mentees agree that appropriate expectations are critical. “Don’t expect a job out of it. It’s about relationships and advice,” says Ross, who encourages mentees “to be assertive in the first contact, stay on top of it and prepare a list of questions in case things get awkward in the conversation.” Escoffery, a partner at Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson llp in labor and employment litigation, appreciates Ross’ approach. “When you have someone who wants to be actively involved, the mentor gets as much out of it as the student.” simon synder 11L discusses his summer rich escoffery 95L talks with his mentee plans with his mentor della wagner april ross 11L about changes since his He took Ross to lunch with his wells 86L. student days. mentor, federal Judge Gerrilyn Brill A strong mentoring program is the “cornerstone for 75l, in the courthouse cafeteria so Ross could rub elbows students to connect with the world of practice and the platwith other judges and attorneys. Escoffery also suggested form that sends them on their way,” says Gregory L. Riggs she consider the district attorney’s office as a step to run79l, associate dean for student services and community ning for a judgeship and encouraged her to apply for a engagement. “We want the program to bring students and clerkship. alumni together to enrich the student experience, to help Ross will spend the summer working at the Fulton discern their path and to help prepare them for success.” County District Attorney’s Office and interning at Taylor To strengthen the program, Riggs held focus groups and English llp. Snyder continues networking along the with students and alumni in the fall. A few enhancements East Coast. But one thing is certain, they appreciate the resulted: help they’ve received and understand its value. • First-year students sign up during the second semester, “Della had someone help her, so it’s a ‘pay it forward’ making the mentor-mentee match more effective. kind of a thing,” Synder says. “When I’m out of school, I • Matches are based on concentrations within practice will feel obligated — and happy — to give back.” areas, requiring students to complete a form that drills down to specifics. April L. Bogle is the director of public relations and • Mentor guidelines suggest activities and provide a information for the Center for the Study of Law and process for providing feedback. Religion at Emory. 28
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Faculty Voices
Justice For All Cases, Great and Small by Robert A. Schapiro
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For Justice stevens, no person was above the law, and no person was below the law.
ith the retirement of Justice John Paul When the Court invoked the rule to bar Stevens, the U.S. Supreme Court loses access to one Vladimir Zatko, Justice Stevens a judge with an unusual ability to get dissented. His opinion criticized the Court the big things right by getting the little things for undermining its commitment to offering right. Justice Stevens will be remembered for “equal access to justice for both the rich and his stirring opinions in cases of great national the poor.” significance. From where does Justice Stevens’ concern He also should be remembered for his for the plight of the indigent arise? At least in equally compelling commitment to justice in part from his pro bono work while in private scores of other decisions that received little practice. He has explained that this experipublic notice. That commitment long preceded ence gave him a valuable perspective on the his service on the bench and helped to inform plight of criminal defendants. Summarizing the his work on the Court. importance of pro bono work, he wrote, “In In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld in 2006, Justice the law, as in other professions, the primary Stevens wrote the majority opinion holding reward for human toil is not what you get for that even in the face of real threats of terror, it but what you become by it.” What Justice the president must follow the law. The Court Stevens became was a great champion of declared the Constitution reached into a justice. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, That perspective may be lost with his Cuba, and offered the protection of the rule of departure. To this day, the Court continues to law to the driver for Osama bin Laden. invoke the Zatko rule to reject pleas from cerFor Justice Stevens, no person was above tain indigent litigants. Justice Stevens continues the law, and no person was below the law. In to dissent, but he dissents alone. his view, that dedication to ensuring justice in Justice Stevens pursued justice in all cases, all cases constituted the defining characteristic great and small. It will be a great challenge for of a judge. In the presidential election decision, Elena Kagan, or whomever ends up being conBush v. Gore, Justice Stevens penned a stinging firmed, to match Justice Stevens’ commitment dissent, castigating the majority for underminto the rule of law in all of the diverse cases that ing the “Nation’s confidence in the judge as an come before our nation’s highest court. impartial guardian of the rule of law.” His commitment to the rule of law tranRobert A. Schapiro, professor of law, teaches scended partisan boundaries. In 1997, he Federal Courts, Constitutional Law and Civil spoke for the Court in Clinton v. Jones, finding Procedure. He is the author of Polyphonic that the Constitution did not shield President Federalism: Toward the Protection of Bill Clinton with immunity from civil suits. Fundamental Rights (University of Chicago Cases involving presidents are important, Press, 2009) and served as a clerk for Justice but rare. Justice Stevens insisted on promoting Stevens in 1991–1992. the rule of law in all cases. When I think about Justice Stevens, I think not only of Bush and Gore, of Clinton and Rumsfeld, but also of Vladimir Zatko. It is a bedrock principle of the American legal system that lack of wealth should not translate into a denial of justice. Accordingly, courts do not charge filing fees to those who cannot afford to pay. In the early 1990s, however, the Supreme Court deviated from that practice by barring access to people it deemed frequent filers of frivolous actions. The Court refused to waive the fees for these litigants notwithstanding their poverty. spring 2010
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Faculty Voices
Impact of the Citizens United Decision by Michael Kang and Danielle Friedman 10L
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ew U.S. Supreme Court decisions ever receive the publicity that followed Citizens United v. FEC, which was decided in January. The case received a great deal of public attention because it addressed a major question of federal campaign law and represented a number of notable firsts, including the first oral argument by Elena Kagan as solicitor general and the first case for Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Initially some three years ago, the case presented a surprisingly mundane question of statutory interpretation — how to apply the electioneering communications provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act to videoon-demand showings of a political documentary, Hillary, the Movie. However, on the last day of the 2008 term, the Court unexpectedly delayed its decision in the much-anticipated case. The Court instead scheduled a second round of oral arguments for the following fall and requested additional briefing on the fundamental question whether federal law prohibiting campaign advocacy by corporations was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The decision the Court finally handed down in January has the potential to transform campaign finance law. In Citizens United, the Court ruled unconstitutional a basic element of federal campaign finance law — longstanding prohibitions on corporate expenditures in federal elections. These prohibitions applied to expenditures by corporations from their treasury funds to pay for campaign advertisements expressly advocating the defeat or victory of federal candidates. They prevented corporations, for instance, from directly paying for the production or broadcasting of campaign advertisements with a federal election. In earlier decisions, the Court ruled that the government could restrict such corporate expenditures because they presented a risk of political corruption. Particularly in light of the riches available to corporations from their treasuries, the government was constitutionally entitled to restrict corporate expenditures with
the goal of reducing the risk that corporations might unduly influence federal officeholders by paying for expensive advertisements that would benefit their political prospects. However, in Citizens United, the Court
the decision the Court finally handed down in January has the potential to transform campaign finance law.
kang
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overruled this precedent and reasoned that corporate expenditures present no threat of political corruption and therefore their restriction by the government was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The Court explained there was no threat of corruption because corporate independent expenditures, by definition, are made without coordination with, or any other involvement of, any federal candidate or officeholder, even if federal candidates or officeholders benefit from the expenditures. As a result, absent the risk of this type of corruption, the Court ruled that government restriction of campaign speech, specifically the federal prohibition on corporate expenditures, is unconstitutional. Although the immediate effect of Citizens United is surely to be increased corporate spending in elections, the decision may be more important for what it signals about the Court’s future direction on campaign finance law. Of course, the decision ignited a media firestorm regarding the potential of corporations to flood the media with influential campaign advertisements in unprecedented fashion. However, the doctrinal impact of Citizens United is likely to be even more significant and far-reaching. Citizens United indicates the Court is likely in future cases to narrow the scope of the government’s constitutional interest in of the prevention of corruption. This narrowing would have profound consequences that extend well beyond Citizens United, because virtually all campaign finance regulation depends on this anticorruption rationale for its constitutionality. Taken to its logical extreme, the Court’s view of corruption, as articulated by Justice
Faculty Voices
Anthony Kennedy in Citizens United, may limit finance case for more than a decade under the campaign finance restrictions not much beyond Rehnquist Court through McConnell v. FEC in 2003. the regulation of contributions to candidates However, since Chief Justice William and officeholders. Indeed, Citizens United is Rehnquist’s retirement, the Roberts Court has making an immediate impact on a number of decided a series of significant campaign finance important campaign finance cases before the cases against the government. Citizens United lower courts and may be only an early step in signals the direction of the Roberts Court the transformation of campaign finance law. toward a larger rollback of campaign finance In SpeechNow.org v. FEC, the first signifiregulation. cant case taking its cue from Citizens United, the D.C. circuit struck down the routine Professor Michael Kang teaches Election application of federal contribution limits to independent 527 organizations that make only Law, Business Associations, and Law and Democratic Governance. His research focuses independent expenditures. on issues of voting rights, race, redistricting, What is more, there is a line of cases campaign finance and direct democracy. through which the Court may dismantle other significant elements of federal campaign Danielle Friedman 10L is a student focused finance law, including soft money restrictions on election law. Her interests include topics on political parties and 527 groups, as well as related to voting rights, campaign finance and different forms of disclosure requirements. disclosure. Citizens United therefore marks a critical moment in campaign finance law. The government won nearly every major campaign
Internship Leads To Active Role in Amicus Brief in Citizens United
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hen the U.S. Supreme Court issued the order for supplemental briefing in Citizens United v. FEC last summer I was working as a legal intern at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. The Brennan Center is one of the leading advocates of strong federal campaign finance laws that meet constitutional standards and encourage broad candidate participation in elections. In this role, the center became part of a group helping to coordinate the amicus effort in support of the government’s position in Citizens United. In addition, the Brennan Center drafted an amicus brief with new media journalists, including the Center for Independent Media, Calitics.com Friedman and Eyebeam. As a legal intern, I researched the history and application of the media exemption in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act for the brief and assisted in drafting the brief that ultimately was submitted. My experience went far beyond the work on this brief, however, as I was able
to participate in brainstorming sessions about strategy for the entire amicus effort. Most of my efforts focused on developing potential narrow solutions that might appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and prevent a ruling similar to the broad opinion that was eventually written. These solutions centered largely on the idea of the expansion of an exception for nonprofit corporations from the campaign finance regulations at issue. Further, I conducted significant preliminary research on disclosure provisions and developed arguments aimed at encouraging the Court to reinforce the constitutionality of disclosure provisions in its decision. As a culmination of my work on the case, I was able to attend U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments for Citizens United with attorneys at the Brennan Center on Sept. 9, 2009. The entire experience, including the short briefing schedule, with amicus briefs due less than two months after the order was issued, allowed me to gain a tremendous amount of experience and expertise in campaign finance reform. As my professional goals are in the election law field, the opportunity to participate in a case of such significance has proven to be invaluable. — Danielle Friedman 10L
spring 2010
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Closing
Remembering The Sicilian Judge by Timothy L. Hussey
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his ties to the republican party, a rarity in the then deeply democratic south, lead to his 1971 nomination as u.s. district judge by president nixon.
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nthony Alaimo 48l, senior U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Georgia, died Dec. 30. He was 89. His parents, Salvatore and Santa, immigrated to the United States in hope of providing a better life for their children. Growing up in Jamestown, Ohio, Alaimo shined shoes outside the town barbershop. He watched the attorneys in the law office across the street and imagined what that life would be like. This dream of the law shaped his life. The day after Pearl Harbor, Alaimo joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. The Nazis shot down his b-26 bomber over occupied Holland. He crashed into the North Sea and was captured. He later was held in Stalag Luft iii. “I cannot describe the terrible feeling of claustrophobia that engulfed me when the gates of the camp closed behind me,” he says in The Sicilian Judge, by Vincent Coppola. “Loss of liberty is one of the most serious injuries that can be inflicted on an individual… I didn’t appreciate freedom’s true import until it was taken away.” Alaimo participated in many escape attempts, including The Great Escape, which later became a movie. After being transferred to yet another prison camp and nearly being shot in another botched escape attempt, Alaimo traded places with a Jewish soldier on work detail and slipped away to France, then Italy and Switzerland, before reaching the United States. Two weeks after he returned, the war ended. He applied to Yale Law School, remembering when a fellow prisoner tutored eight or nine men from a law book at Stalag Luft iii. Those legal discussions were the one bright spot in an otherwise miserable existence.
Yale turned him down. At the suggestion of a friend, he visited Emory University where he asked about being admitted one week before classes began. Emory accepted him on the spot. After graduating, he struggled to find a job in Atlanta. His Italian heritage — as well as being a Yankee — turned most people off. They didn’t know what to make of him. Eventually, he found a job with flamboyant Atlanta attorney Reuben A. Garland working for $35 a week. Alaimo resigned in 1951 to return to Ohio to work on his father-in-law’s farm. Nearly two years later, Garland wooed Alaimo back to Atlanta with a partnership. After moving to Brunswick, Ga., Alaimo built a strong practice. His ties to the Republican Party, a rarity in the then deeply Democratic South, lead to his 1971 nomination as U.S. district judge by President Nixon. He was assigned Guthrie v. Evans, a case involving prisoner complaints from the Georgia State Prison at Reidsville. Guthrie and 50 other African American inmates complained about the prison’s cruel and inhumane conditions. Harkening to his days as a pow, Alaimo’s visit to the prison made a tremendous impression. “As I walked along the cellblocks, I saw men who should have been in the insane asylum in Milledgeville. Men lying on the floor in their cells covered in feces…. The guards used long poles to shove the food to them. … I could not look at this and consider myself a human being and not do something about it,” he says in The Sicilian Judge. Alaimo spent the next 25 years working to reverse the prison’s poor living conditions. His reforms cost an estimated $400 million and led to him being both derided and then lauded for as a visionary in prison reform. Alaimo’s wife of 62 years, Jeanne, died in January 2009. He is survived by his son, Phillip, of Savannah, Ga., his sister, Josephine Curry of Cincinnati, four granddaughters, one grandson, one great-grandson and many nieces and nephews.
the sicilian Judge Learn more about Judge Anthony Alaimo in The Sicilian Judge: Anthony Alaimo, An American Hero by Vincent Coppola (2009).
Celebrating Faculty and Alumni ihl Clinic Receives $25,000 Challenge Grant
new scholarship named in Honor of Gozansky Dean David F. Partlett congratulates Professor Nathaniel Gozansky on a scholarship being dedicated in his honor. Gozansky’s wife, Elizabeth Johnson 82L (from center), Beth Damon 73C, and Susan Fitzgerald Carter, associate dean for development and university relations, look on. The scholarship was started by a $150,000 lead gift from Facundo Bacardi 96L. “Nat Gozansky has enriched the lives of so many law school students through his knowledge, humor and genuine interest in the development of their careers. This scholarship is a way to thank him for his many years of untiring commitment toward making Emory law school a special place and simply for just being himself,” Bacardi says. To contribute to the scholarship by credit card, contact Angela Eyer, director of donor relations and stewardship, at 404.727.6511. To contribute by check, mail your donation marked GOzO (Law School) to Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 1762 Clifton Road, Plaza 1000, Atlanta, GA 30322.
Alumni Admitted to U.S. Supreme Court Bar Professor Robert Schapiro (second row, second from left) and Dean David F. Partlett helped celebrate as eight alumni and retired Professor Gary Smith (first row on left) were sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court Bar on April 27. The alumni are Michael Weiss 03L (first row, second from left) Allison Elko 03L, Halli Cohn 90L, Rebecca Weinstein 81L, Neal Weinstein 81L and Nathan Belzer 98L; Kenneth Murrah 55C 58L (second row on left) and Han Choi 93L (on right).
The International Humanitarian Law Clinic received a $25,000 challenge grant from John M. Dowd 65L and Carole L. Dowd 65L. “Unfortunately the nature of warfare today presents extraordinary new risks and challenges for our young men and women on the front lines in the war on terror,” John Dowd says. “These risks and challenges require that we marry the very best minds in our great universities with our military universities to equip our fighting forces with all the knowledge and skill to defeat the enemy while protecting the lives of innocent people around the world. The IHL clinic is on the cutting edge of this noble effort.” The clinic is charged with raising additional funds to match the Dowd donation. To learn more about the clinic, visit www.law.emory.edu/IHLC or contact Laurie Blank, IHLC director, at 404.712.1711 or lblank@emory.edu.
Class of 1974 Celebrates Reunion Members of the Class of 1974, including James Langford 74L (above), gathered at the home of Susan Hoy 74L on April 10 to celebrate their 35th reunion.
Office of Development and University Relations 1301 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30322-2770
Class of 2010 Raises $107,135 Class gift chairs, Nicole Brisbane 10L and Max Klupchak 10L present the Class of 2010 class gift check for $107,025 to Dean David F. Partlett during the Hooding and Diploma Ceremony on May 10. The class has since raised $107,135. The gift will benefit the Loan Repayment Assistance Program and Emory Law’s three clinics. Learn more on page 6. There still is time to contribute to the Class of 2010 gift and help support LRAP and the clinics. Simply donate online at www.law. emory.edu/give. Please type “2010 Class Gift” in the “Other” field.