Advocate 2024

NEW PROFESSORS ENRICH INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY

CONNECT.

LEAD.

$5M Stanton Foundation gift is largest in school history

• Back-to-back Top-20 ranking and other milestones

• Rutledge steps down from deanship

LEADING the NATION in LEGAL EDUCATION

U.S. News & World Report 2024/25 & 2023/24

TOP

20

LEADER IN GEORGIA

(fourth straight year)

Ultimate Bar Passage Rate (99.48%) (Class of 2021)

Participation in clinics/externships (Class of 2024) 91% Real-World Outcomes Affordability

1#

Best Value Law School, National Jurist 2024 (#1 for 5 of last 7 years) 95%

11#

Full employment outcomes (Class of 2023)

Federal clerkships (Class of 2023)

LOWEST TUITION

among U.S. News Top-20 law schools

$8.2+ MILLION 54% reduction in annual student borrowing since 2013

18

Clinics and externships

100%

Veterans and firstgeneration college grads receive aid

83,000 SERVICELEARNING HOURS

performed by students (2022-23) (approximate)

Students receiving scholarships (2022-23) 92% Diversity enrollment (2023-24)

26.5%

Rutledge to step down as dean

Class of 2024 Commencement

VOLUME 58, 2024

ISSN 1557-1025

Editor’s Note: The Advocate is published annually by the University of Georgia School of Law for alumni/alumnae, friends and members of the law school community. Please contact the Office of Communications and Public Relations at (706) 542-5172 or lawcomm@uga.edu if you have any comments or suggestions.

Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge

22 Four professors join faculty

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Andrea L. Dennis

Associate Dean for Clinical Programs & Experiential Learning Jason A. Cade

Associate Dean for Faculty Development

Usha Rodrigues

Assistant Dean for Admissions, Diversity and Inclusion & Strategic Initiatives

Xavier R. Brown (J.D.’17)

Assistant Dean for Career Development

Anthony E. “Tony” Waller (J.D.’93)

11

Fellowships grow to $1.4M+ over five years

School launches Emerging Scholars program

Email departmental inquiries to: Admissions – ugajd@uga.edu Alumni/Alumnae Relations – lawalum@uga.edu Communications – lawcomm@uga.edu Development – lawgifts@uga.edu

Dean Rusk International Law Center –ruskintlaw@uga.edu Law Library – tstriepe@uga.edu Career Development – cdo@uga.edu

Heidi Murphy, editor and writer; Lona Panter, principal writer; Mason A. Brock, student intern; mPrint Design Studio, design; Kaptiv8, website design and hosting.

ABOUT THE COVER: Enriching the School of Law’s faculty this fall are (l. to r.)

© 2024 University of Georgia School of Law. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia. The University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office at 278 Brooks Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822. https://eoo.uga.edu/

The University of Georgia Foundation is registered to solicit in states where required and provides state specific registration information at www.ugafoundation.org/charity.

Professor Pamela Foohey, Assistant Professor Assaf Harpaz, Assistant Professor Meighan Parker and Assistant Professor Desirée LeClercq. Photo by Dennis McDaniel.

FROM THE DEAN

Was it worth it? Unequivocally.

A former law dean, reflecting on their years of service, once aptly asked: “Was it worth it?” It’s a question we often ask ourselves at various junctures in our lives. As I prepare to step down from the deanship at the end of this calendar year after 10 years on the job, my answer is a resounding and unequivocal “Yes.”

Why? The people.

Begin with our students (several of whom are featured herein). Each of them attends our law school with a dream – something that draws them to want to continue their education and join a noble profession. Perhaps it is upward socioeconomic mobility. Perhaps it is to serve their country. They are first-generation college graduates and veterans. They are Georgia residents. They come from around the country. And for three years, those of us who work here at the School of Law are blessed to help them on their journey – whether imparting some bit of knowledge in class or helping prep them for a moot court. Those moments are life-changing, for both teacher and student.

Now consider the staff, the unsung heroes of the School of Law. They perform tasks like helping to prepare letters of recommendation, coaching students before interviews or counseling them through a difficult patch in their lives. Every single one of these people, including folks like Chief of Staff Lara Pulliam and Senior Director of Finance and Administration Blake Waldrop, thinks beyond their job descriptions and goes out of their way to advance the welfare of our students. It has been a true blessing to count these individuals as colleagues in pursuit of a common goal.

The faculty are amazing. They are intellectual leaders in their fields and dedicated pedagogues in their classrooms. This year’s magazine features them to highlight some of their most notable accomplishments and to introduce you to the amazing individuals who join our ranks this fall. But those stories only scratch the surface of the achievements of these individuals who contribute to the national, and indeed international, reputation of this professional intellectual community.

Finally, all of you – the friends and graduates of the School of Law – who have invested in our vision, you have served as mentors, employers and contributors. You have unfailingly answered the call, whether to help create a new scholarship or simply take one of our students under your wing. You have contributed directly to this institution’s success over the past decade, and many of you have become dear friends.

Has it all been peaches and cream? Of course not. As one of my own mentors once observed: “If it were easy, they wouldn’t call it work.” But we do the important work here not because it is easy but, rather, because it is hard – and important.

Looking back on a decade of hard work, we can take pride in our achievements as a community: historically high rankings, nationally recognized employment rates, statewide leadership in bar passage and an unbridled commitment to reducing student indebtedness. Since 2013, we have reduced the aggregate annual indebtedness of our student body by 54%, and currently half of the student body is obtaining its legal education debt free. First-generation college graduates, veterans and Distinguished Law Fellows have been three pillars of this strategy. The fruits of that commitment will be borne in the years and decades ahead as those graduates, freed from the burdens of debt, make significant contributions to state and society.

Serving this community has been the privilege of a lifetime. It would not have been possible without the people. And I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my gratitude to three groups.

The first is the associate deans – Andrea Dennis, Jason Cade, Usha Rodrigues and, before his departure to become law dean at Ohio State, Kent Barnett. They have been valid counselors and able leaders. The School of Law is in good hands.

The second is our president and fellow alum, Jere Morehead (J.D.’80). His dedication to and work ethic toward this University are without peer. He has been an inspiring leader, an indispensable supporter and a dear friend. He will always have my gratitude and support for being by my side from day one and seeing me through some dark days in the early months on the job.

The third and final group is my family: Birgit, my wife of 25 years, and our four children (Anna, Marie, Nina and Franki). Many of you have met them and welcomed them into your lives. What you may not know is that they too have stood by their husband and father during late nights, long hours and heartbreaking emergencies. I can only hope to make up for the moments when this job took me away from them. Along the way, though, we have made some wonderful memories together, ones that we will carry for a lifetime.

Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge Dean and Talmadge Chair of Law

1 2 3

D Dean Rutledge announces he is

ean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge announced earlier this year that he will step down as leader of the School of Law and return to its faculty at the end of this calendar year. Under his decade-long deanship, the School of Law achieved historic rankings, set fundraising records, expanded access to student financial aid and was consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best returns on investment in legal education.

In April, the School of Law defended its highest U.S. News & World Report ranking ever – No. 20 overall and No. 7 among public institutions – for the second straight year. Additionally, the school has been rated the No. 1 or No. 2 Best Value Law School by National Jurist for eight straight years, including five years as the No. 1 Best Value.

Rutledge said it has been an honor to serve the law school community as dean since Jan. 1, 2015. “With thanks to the unflagging support of President Morehead, Provost Hu and his predecessors, the UGA Foundation trustees, the University System of Georgia and the state’s elected leadership, we have successfully executed a vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education.”

stipends to some of the most academically gifted students in the law school.

Student indebtedness at the School of Law has decreased by 54% since 2013, and currently half of the student body is completing its legal education at UGA free of debt.

The law school’s graduates also achieved impressive employment outcomes during Rutledge’s deanship. The school posted the nation’s highest employment rate for high-value jobs for the Class of 2021. More recently, 95% of the Class of 2023 secured full-time, long-term, bar pass required/J.D. advantage jobs or enrolled in further graduate studies within 10 months of graduation. The school currently boasts a near perfect (99.48%) Ultimate Bar Passage Rate.

“Bo Rutledge’s tenure as dean has been extraordinary, and I am grateful for his commitment to the School of Law and the University of Georgia.”

—President Jere W. Morehead (J.D.’80)

The law school set several fundraising records during Rutledge’s tenure, with much of the support devoted to student financial aid. The school created 90 new scholarship funds, including the Amos First-Start Scholars and Butler Commitment programs that guarantee financial assistance to all first-generation college graduates and military veterans, respectively. The Distinguished Law Fellows program, created in 2016 thanks to a transformational commitment from The John N. Goddard Foundation, offers more than 25 full-tuition scholarships and professional development

“Bo Rutledge’s tenure as dean has been extraordinary, and I am grateful for his commitment to the School of Law and the University of Georgia,” President Jere W. Morehead (J.D.’80) said. “He has strengthened the school’s long-standing record of excellence and led it to even greater heights. I have appreciated his friendship and wise counsel as well as his dedication to our students.”

Rutledge championed several curricular initiatives as dean, including an undergraduate law minor, a combined bachelor’s and Juris Doctor program, and three-year degree programs that combine a Juris Doctor with an MBA or Master of Accountancy. The school also created an innovative mentorship program that matches each incoming student with an alumnus/alumna, faculty member, career advisor and fellow student.

Under his leadership, the law school expanded its experiential learning/outreach programs, creating the externally funded Veterans

stepping down

Legal Clinic, First Amendment Clinic, Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic and Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills. It also secured additional external funding for the existing Jane W. Wilson Family Justice Clinic and Community Health Law Partnership Clinic.

Consistent with this track record of strong philanthropic and foundation support, the law school also created several new endowed professorships during Rutledge’s tenure.

“The UGA School of Law is now on course to redefine what it means to be a great national public institution,” Rutledge said. “Alongside the university’s leadership, many deserve credit for this record: a generous alumni/alumnae base, a brilliant faculty, a hardworking staff and inspiring students. Above all else, my wife of 25 years, Birgit, and our four children – Anna, Marie, Nina and Franki – deserve loving gratitude and boundless credit for their support during sleepless nights, long hours, heartbreaking emergencies and a pandemic’s challenges.”

Rutledge added that serving the law school community has been the privilege of a lifetime. “As a first-generation law school graduate, I credit my own law professors, folks like David Strauss and Richard Epstein, for inspiring me to dedicate my professional life to the legal academy. The core of my work has involved investing in the next generation of lawyers and leaders. This past decade of service as dean has offered the exceptional honor to work with an incredibly talented group of colleagues and alums to make that same sort of investment at the institutional level, laser-focused on a vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education. As I prepare to return to the faculty, I look forward to continuing that dedication to the next generation and to supporting my successor as they develop their own vision.”

1. Rutledge teaching on Herty Field in 2011.

2. Rutledge with (l. to r.) U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald, U.S. District Senior Judge Lawrence Piersol and UGA President Jere Morehead (J.D.’80) in 2017.

3. Rutledge at the 2022 Commencement ceremony.

4. Rutledge and students at the Pie-A-Professor/Peer event in 2023.

5. Rutledge with CeCe Davenport –the daughter of Chester Davenport (LL.B.’66), who was the School of Law’s first Black graduate – at her father’s portrait unveiling.

First-gen scholarship program renamed in honor of Rutledge’s tenure

Soon after Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge announced his decision to step down as the leader of the School of Law, several members of the law school community called for a lasting tribute honoring the strides the school made under his 10-year deanship.

Early in Rutledge’s tenure, he identified a goal of creating a program that would benefit first-generation college graduates. In 2019, through the generosity of Kathelen V. Amos (J.D.’82) and the Daniel P. Amos Family Foundation, the FirstStart Scholars Program was established to provide scholarships and specialized programming for this special cohort of students.

This initiative speaks to the heart and legacy of Rutledge’s leadership and, upon the announcement of his transition to the faculty, the Amos family requested to rename the program in his honor. The Rutledge Family First-Start Scholars Program, as it will now be titled, will continue to support first-generation college graduates with a demonstrated commitment to service, community building and problem solving.

In addition to the renaming, the effort will be expanded so that every firstgeneration college graduate enrolled at the School of Law is guaranteed endowed scholarship aid, both now and in the future. Notably, Dean A. Adelman (J.D.’90) and Gary P. Jackson have matched the first $100,000 of new gifts supporting the expansion of the fund.

For the last decade, support for first-generation college graduates has been a high priority for the School of Law under Rutledge’s leadership.

“Birgit and I are incredibly grateful to Kathelen and the Amos family for this touching gesture to rename the scholarship. They have been dear friends, and we will remain invested in the success of the Rutledge Family First-Start Scholars Program,” Rutledge said. “Dean and Gary’s thoughtful matching gift means a great deal to our family as well. Inspired by their donation, Birgit and I will likewise contribute to this important cause as the law school builds on its successful track record of supporting first-generation college graduates.” 4 5

LARGEST DONATION IN SCHOOL HISTORY TO BENEFIT THE FIRST AMENDMENT CLINIC

School of Law receives $5M gift from the Stanton Foundation

The University of Georgia School of Law is pleased to share news of its largest gift in history – a $5 million donation from the Stanton Foundation to support the ongoing operations of the First Amendment Clinic with an endowment.

Established in 2019, the clinic defends and advances freedoms of speech, press, assembly and petition through direct client representation and advocacy, while also serving as a hands-on learning opportunity for roughly 15-20 law students each year.

“The long-term support provided by the Stanton Foundation’s generous gift means that many future classes of UGA law students will have the opportunity to work on real-world cases in Georgia and beyond, all highlighting how essential free speech and a free press are for a healthy democracy,” according to First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins. “Many graduates describe the clinic as one of their most meaningful experiences in law school, noting that they have a heightened appreciation for the importance of protecting First Amendment rights.”

provided significant funding for the law school’s Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills and other initiatives for an overall investment in the school of almost $8.5 million.

“Our law school’s partnership with the Stanton Foundation has been transformative,” Rutledge said. “I am grateful to the Stanton Foundation for its steadfast commitment to our institution and our students. The foundation’s remarkable generosity, which is helping to educate the next generation of legal leaders, will have an immense and lasting impact.”

Stanton Foundation codirector Liz Allison said, “The Foundation looks for investment opportunities as eagerly as schools look for donors, and no one has done more to identify opportunities for impactful giving at UGA than Dean Bo Rutledge. He has provided unwavering support as Director Norins shaped the First Amendment Clinic and has expertly connected us to multiple other giving opportunities within the university.”

Norins added that the Stanton Foundation’s gift also assures the clinic will be able to continue serving as a free educational resource on First Amendment issues for a variety of audiences including organizations, students, journalists and citizens defending and advancing First Amendment issues.

School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said the Stanton Foundation has been a staunch partner of the law school and, with this latest contribution, the organization has become the school’s largest overall donor.

The group contributed approximately $1 million to establish the First Amendment Clinic roughly five years ago. Since then, it has

Rutledge added that the School of Law is redefining what it means to be a great national public law school through strong relationships like this one with the Stanton Foundation. “Together, we are providing our students world-class, hands-on and purpose-driven experiences with a focus on remaining one of the best returns on investment in legal education today.”

The Stanton Foundation was established by former television broadcasting executive Frank Stanton, who was a longtime president of CBS. The core objectives of the foundation include protecting the First Amendment, supporting work in nuclear security and promoting the welfare of dogs and strengthening the human/dog bond. In addition to the School of Law, the foundation has provided substantial support to UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public and International Affairs.

Since the initial gift to establish the First Amendment Clinic roughly five years ago, the Stanton Foundation has provided significant funding for the Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills and other initiatives for an overall investment in the School of Law of almost $8.5 million.

First Amendment Clinic team members include: (front, l. to r.) Charlotte Umanoff, Adoris Gibbs, Ellie Wilson-Wade, Clinic Director Clare Norins, Jessica Cooper, Clinic Fellow Urub Khawaja, (back, l. to r.) Carsen Christy, Jackson Rowe, Alex Klein, Joseph Will, Avery Hill and Clinic Fellow Christina Lee.

100% of first-gen students receive aid and specialized programming

The School of Law continues to focus on transforming the legal education experience and, for the fifth straight year, 100% of its incoming first-generation college graduates received aid.

First-generation students are supported by approximately 25 scholarships, including the First-Start Scholars Program, which was established by 1982 alumna Kathelen V. Amos and the Daniel P. Amos Family Foundation.

These scholarships help students at the law school who are the first in their families to attend college through monetary aid as well as other offerings.

Students can take part in programming especially designed for this cohort that focuses on professional and social opportunities. One such initiative was the Preparing to Practice Series for second-year students, which was co-led by Henry G. Garrard III (J.D.’70), a member of the School of Law’s Board of Visitors, and First-Start Coordinator Amanda J. Fox (J.D.’14).

In this program, students participated in small group sessions that exposed them to the practicalities of the legal profession. Topics ranged from a panel discussion with Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley staff about the variety of supporting roles at private firms to a roundtable discussion with attorneys from different practice areas sharing how to build relationships and model leadership as practitioners. The highlight of the series was a trip to visit U.S. District Court Senior Judge for the Northern District of Georgia Richard W. “Rick” Story (J.D.’78) at his chambers in Gainesville.

Other offerings included a regular coffee hour, an etiquette dinner, financial planning classes, bar preparation assistance, networking events and a first-year student academic enhancement program called “Checks & Balances.”

Board of Visitors member Henry Garrard (J.D.’70) and First-Start Coordinator Amanda Fox (J.D.’14) led the Preparing to Practice Series that culminated in a visit to U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rick Story’s (J.D.’78) chambers. Present are (l. to r.): Hunter Payne, Ikram Ali Mohammed, Daisy Gonzales, Garrard, Yaritzi Ortega, Presley Sneed, Eman Mistry, Doraly Blanton and Fox.

Distinguished Law Fellows network with legal leaders

The Distinguished Law Fellowship program continues to offer some of the School of Law’s brightest minds unparalleled opportunities –including financial aid and experiences including externships, research opportunities and networking with top legal, business and government leaders –as they pursue their law degrees.

Over the past year, fellowship recipients were invited to a number of events such as a chance to speak with then-U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other members of the legal community.

For the fifth straight year, 100% of incoming first-generation college graduates received aid.

Additionally, first-year Distinguished Law Fellows met with members of the law school’s administration and had the opportunity to connect with many of their benefactors at receptions.

Initially established in 2016 by a gift from The John N. Goddard Foundation, the Distinguished Law Fellowship program currently has the ability to offer more than 25 full-tuition-plus scholarships. The program is modeled after the university’s prestigious Foundation Fellows initiative, which was established in 1972.

Board of Visitors Chair Marlan (J.D.’86) and Diane Wilbanks enjoyed meeting Motz Distinguished Law Fellow Hannah Peters (right) at a reception during November.

Wilbanks CEASE Clinic continues to expand services for survivors

Eight years after opening in 2016 – thanks to a founding gift from 1986 alumnus and Board of Visitors Chair Marlan B. Wilbanks – the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic continues to demonstrate the value of quality, trauma-responsive legal representation for survivors.

In 2023, the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s TANF Grant Program for Minor Human Trafficking Services and Training awarded the clinic $242,090 to increase community-based services for survivors of child trafficking. The award is a continuation of a 2022 grant, through which the clinic hired a full-time social worker, which ensured interdisciplinary, holistic services for survivors. The 2023 award expanded the clinic’s work to dismantle the sexual-abuse-to-prison pipeline by increasing access to postconviction relief for survivors under Georgia’s Survivors First Act of 2020.

More than 55 survivors in 12 Georgia counties received direct client services during 2023.

More than 55 survivors in 12 Georgia counties received direct client services from the clinic during 2023, while dozens more received indirect advocacy through the clinic’s partnerships with law firms, child advocacy centers and other agencies across the state.

Notably, Wilbanks CEASE Clinic Director and Clinical Associate Professor Emma M. Hetherington (J.D.’11) and Staff Attorney Brian Atkinson (J.D.’13) provided expert testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law on the human rights of children in foster care. Hetherington provided additional testimony on how proposed legislation would affect survivors of child trafficking before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee, while Atkinson provided expertise on the criminalization of survivors before the Georgia House Judiciary Non-Civil Subcommittee.

Atkinson’s work led to the recent enactment of HB 1201, which filled a significant and unintentional gap left by the Survivors First Act of 2020. Before the passage of HB 1201, the act allowed for vacatur or record restriction for convictions but did not provide relief for survivors who had entered a plea under Georgia’s First Offender Act. Atkinson recognized the law’s shortcomings and advocated for reform.

In March, the clinic hosted its annual conference, focused on courageous advocacy and a lawyer’s responsibility in combatting child sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking. Sandeep Prasanna, a Washington, D.C.based attorney and policy expert who has advised members of the U.S. Congress, the Department of Justice and others on some of the nation’s most pressing challenges and has helped them to develop bipartisan relationships and support in Congress, delivered the keynote address.

A focus on veterans

CLINIC HELPS TO CLAIM $6.5M+ IN BENEFITS, 100% OF STUDENTS RECEIVE AID

The School of Law supports military service members through its programming and advocacy for veterans throughout the state of Georgia.

Since its establishment through a lead gift from renowned trial attorney James E. “Jim” Butler Jr. (J.D.’77) in 2018, the Veterans Legal Clinic has helped approximately 800 veterans and their families claim more than $6.5 million in benefits.

The clinic, led by Professor & Veterans Legal Clinic Director Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr, assists Georgia veterans with claims before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and provides law students with an opportunity to engage with real-world clients, cases and communities.

Some of the former military members studying at the School of Law in the fall of 2023 included: (l. to r.) (front row) Brigman Moore, Kenneth Kendrick, Latonya Shand, Andrea Bell, (back row) Beau DeSantis, William Mattox, Rob Wedge and Adam Bartnicki. Currently, the law school guarantees financial assistance to 100% of veterans who matriculate through the Butler Commitment, which was established by alumnus Jim Butler (J.D.’77).

Of note, Scherr was elected in 2023 to a three-year term on the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, which advocates for veterans in judicial, legislative and administrative forums.

UGA has repeatedly been recognized as one of the top-ranked military-friendly tier 1 research institutions in the nation by Viqtory Media, listing UGA at No. 2 in 2024. UGA was recognized as the top-ranked military friendly school in 2023, 2021 and 2017, and it has made the national top-three for seven consecutive years.

The law school guarantees financial assistance to 100% of veterans who matriculate through the Butler Commitment.

Appellate Litigation Clinic argues in the 4th, 9th and D.C. circuits

During the 2023–24 academic year, the Appellate Litigation Clinic argued four times before three appellate courts. Led by Director Thomas V. Burch, current students and recent graduates worked on the following cases:

• Third-year student Allison J. Fine argued the case N’Jai v. Department of Education before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Third-year students E. Hope Garrison and Robert G. “Rob” Wedge helped brief the case and prepare Fine for the argument.

• In the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, third-year students Andrew C. Haygood and Joshua H. Patton argued Esteban-Lopez v. Garland. Third-year student Kendra Hansey Õiglane helped the pair to prepare for the court appearance.

• Additionally, clinic members presented two cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Third-year students Madeleine B. “Maddie” Hoss and Benjamin K. “Ben” Price argued Stout v. Preston County Sheriff’s Department. Both Hoss and Price assisted with the briefs. Third-year student Leila Y. Harrison helped the pair get ready for the argument. In the second case, Hernandez-Diaz v. Garland, third-year student Jake R. Shatzer argued while second-year student Vladyslav “Vlad” Rudzinsky and 2023 alumnus Justin W. Tilghman assisted with the briefs. Third-year student Max J. Abramson aided Shatzer with his preparations. Of note, the court ruled in favor of Hoss and Price.

Third-year student Allison Fine (left) argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in March. Her classmates Hope Garrison and Rob Wedge assisted with the case.

Clinics offer legal advice in Troup County

Thanks to funding from the Callaway Foundation, the School of Law was able to expand its reach beyond Athens and to parts of Georgia where there is not adequate legal representation when it participated in a pop-up clinic offering free civil legal advice and referrals to Troup County residents.

The October 2023 event included three clinic directors – Public Interest Practicum Director Elizabeth M. Grant (J.D.’94), Wilson Family Justice Clinic Director Christine M. Scartz (J.D.’94) and Veterans Legal Clinic Director Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr – who provided consultation in numerous areas of the law.

Additionally, second-year law students John A. Omotunde and Thomas P Crabb participated in the event and gained hands-on experience by speaking with attendees and shadowing attorneys.

More than 20 people received free civil legal advice from lawyer volunteers during the clinic on a variety of subjects including legitimation, custody, property rights, social security benefits and arrest record restriction.

In addition to law school faculty and students, volunteers included Troup County private lawyers and Georgia Legal Services Program attorneys. The event was co-hosted by the School of Law, Troup County courts and the GLSP’s Columbus regional office.

Law school faculty and students (l. to r.) Alex Scherr, Elizabeth Grant (J.D.’94), John Omotunde, Thomas Crabb and Christine Scartz (J.D.’94) traveled to a Troup County pop-up legal clinic last fall.

ADVOCACY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

UGA captures “Best of the best” trophy

Back-to-back: Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Champions

Third-year students (l. to r.) Hunter Payne, Kendra Hansey Õiglane and Joshua Patton won the 2024 Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship. This invitation-only tournament is reserved for the top 16 moot court programs from law schools across the country based on performances from the previous academic year. This is the second year in a row that UGA has won this competition.

Shark Beach Showdown Mock Trial Competition: National Finalists

Third-year students Shepherd Bridges (second from left), Delaney Davis (center), Jessica Davis (right) and Erika Love (left) and second-year student Wesley Tillman finished as national finalists in the inaugural Shark Beach Showdown Mock Trial Competition. Davis was recognized for delivering the “best opening statement” during the four preliminary rounds. School of Law graduates Jonathan (J.D.’16) and Whitney (J.D.’15) Stuart coached the team.

Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition: National Finalists

Second-year students Drake Jones (center), Joseph Will (right) and Emily Wood finished as finalists in the 36th Annual Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. Jones and Wood won individual best oralist awards during each of the three preliminary rounds. The students were coached by third-year student Andrew Haygood (second from right) and Assistant Professor Adam Orford (second from left).

LL.M. International Arbitration Competition: International Finalists

LL.M. students Agostina Calamari (right), Savelii Elizarov (second from right) and Cornelius Bulanov finished the 11th LL.M. International Arbitration Competition as finalists. Dean Bo Rutledge and second-year law student Gloria Correa (left) served as the team’s coaches. This event was created specifically for LL.M. students to foster the study of international arbitration for the resolution of international business and investment disputes.

Bool Simkins Fellow Joe Colley said he hopes his experience this past summer with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project will provide him with a strong foundation of skills that he can bring back to Georgia.

Fellowship grants grow to $1.4M+ over 5 years

Rising second- and third-year law students plan their summers around gaining hands-on legal experience and exploring different areas of practice. For those seeking work in nonprofits, federal and state government, judicial clerkships, legal services and policy/impact organizations, summer fellowships – funded by alumni/alumnae and friends – provide essential financial support.

Rising third-year student Joseph M. Colley said his award allowed him to find the best opportunity for his “growth and development as an advocate without worrying about geographical and costof-living limitations.” Thanks to the Bool Simkins Fellowship – the school’s largest annual public interest grant – he spent the summer in Seattle, Washington, working with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in its Violence Against Women Act Unit.

This year, the School of Law awarded $275,500 in summer grants, bringing the school’s five-year fellowship total to more than $1.4 million (an increase of more than $100,000 over last year’s fiveyear tally).

Of the 70 students receiving funds this year, 25 worked in federal, state and county judicial chambers around the state and in U.S. District Courts in New York and Mississippi. Forty-five worked in district attorney, public defender and solicitor offices around the country and gained legal experience at organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Athens Land Trust, Project Safe, the Atlanta Sun Conference, Harvard Legal Aid and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Law students host three conferences

School of Law student groups continued their tradition of hosting timely discussions and events for members of the legal community during the 2023–24 academic year, some of which included:

• The 2024 Georgia Law Review symposium titled “Evolving Landscapes: American Land Use & Resiliency” explored issues related to land use, climate change and how the increasing threat of climate change is and should be addressed by laws and regulations. The keynote address was presented by David B. Fountain, the executive vice president and general counsel of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

• Pressing legal and ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence outputs and the U.S. Supreme Court case Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy were the topics of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law’s annual conference. Rogers Chair of Intellectual Property and Unfair Competition Law Joseph S. Miller presented the keynote address titled “Generative-AI Outputs and Copyright Infringement: Thoughts at the Threshold.”

• “Exploring Environmental Justice” was the focus of the 38th Red Clay Conference organized by the Environmental Law Association. Panel discussions focused on tools and innovations used to address the disproportionate environmental and health effects on marginalized communities. The Peter Appel Honorary Keynote Lecture was presented by Daniel Blackman, the former Region IV director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Additionally, the Equal Justice Foundation auction raised more than $12,000 at its annual event. Funds from the auction are used to support students who have chosen to work in unpaid public interest positions during the summer.

David Fountain, the executive vice president and general counsel of the Tennessee Valley Authority, presented the keynote lecture at this year’s Georgia Law Review symposium.

Law School Life

Pena and Ortega attend national Hispanic conference

Third-year student Brian Riera Pena (right) and second-year student Yaritzi Ortega were selected to attend the 2024 Hispanic National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Conference in Seattle, Washington, to serve as law student volunteers. There, they were able to interact with corporate counsel practitioners from many of the nation’s leading law firms as well as attend workshops and panel discussions covering a wide range of legal topics.

Three students receive state bar awards

Third-year students (l. to r.) Briana Hayes, Mia McKnight and Alexandra Smolyar and Dean Bo Rutledge smile after all three were individually presented the Law School Student Excellence in Access to Justice Award from the State Bar of Georgia. This prestigious honor recognizes law students who have “excelled in participation in support of a civil pro bono or legal aid program” or who have “been instrumental in the development of a civil pro bono program.” Photo courtesy of the State Bar of Georgia.\

First-year student raises awareness for homelessness

Prior to the start of law school, firstyear student Gordon Wayne continued work he began as an undergraduate student at Boston College when he walked 570 miles from Virginia to Athens to raise money for homeless individuals. After his high school graduation, Wayne spent 14 months living in his car and, upon earning a scholarship to his undergraduate alma mater, he walked 550 miles to Boston while raising funds for homelessness prevention organizations. His dedication to increasing homelessness awareness has resulted in the attention of numerous media outlets, and Wayne has thus far raised more than $200,000 to aid those in need.

Negotiations teams bring home honors

The School of Law’s negotiation team had a successful season under the direction of faculty coach Daniel Serviansky. Third-year students Julianna Hightower (left) and Katie Wooten took home the second-place trophy at the Cardozo 2023 Invitational Negotiation on Entertainment, Media & Art Competition.

Additionally, third-year student Caroline Bailey and second-year student Anderson Scott won the inaugural 2024 Red & Black Intramural Negotiation Competition, and Hightower was named the tournament’s best individual negotiator.

A team comprised of third-year student Zoe Taylor and second-year student Charlsey Kelly finished as semifinalists at the Tulane International Fútbol Negotiation Competition.

REDEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A GREAT NATIONAL PUBLIC LAW SCHOOL

Partnerships create eight scholarships

The School of Law’s vision to redefine what it means to be a great national public law school made significant strides this past year. Through partnerships with graduates, the University of Georgia Foundation and friends, eight new scholarship funds were established and support for other student initiatives was secured.

In recognition of his more than 35 years of service, Dan T. Coenen, the holder of a University Professorship, a Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship and the Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law, was honored by Julia A. Houston (J.D.’95) with a named scholarship supporting students who intend to practice corporate/business law in Georgia, who have confronted significant challenges and/or who will advance the diversity of the practice of law.

Three alumni – J. Vincent “Jay” Cook Jr. (J.D.’64), Alfred N. “Al” Corriere (J.D.’76) and Kevin E. Epps (J.D.’08) – led the way to honor former Dean David E. Shipley, who currently holds the Georgia Athletics Association Professorship, for his nearly 26 years of dedication to the law school. A scholarship bearing his name will benefit students involved in campus life as undergraduates, and Division III varsity student-athletes will be given preference.

The Frederick E. Cooper Endowment was initiated by Johnson J. “Jay” and Hillary J. Cooper to honor the fund’s namesake who was a 1967 graduate of the law school and who is Jay’s father. The scholarship will be awarded to outstanding students, especially those who are veterans or have plans to serve in the armed forces or work in the school’s Veterans Legal Clinic or similar initiatives at the law school.

Alumnus J. Anderson “Andy” Davis (J.D.’84) created a scholarship for those who have participated in Scouts BSA or Girl Scouts of the USA, particularly those who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout or earned the Gold Award. The Andy and Janice Davis Family Scholarship Fund will also give preference to those who are, or have been, residents of Northwest Georgia.

Graduates James L. “Jim” Henderson III and Eleanor “Elsie” Dunlap Henderson, both members of the Class of 1976, made a pledge to support scholarships named in memory of Edith House, one of the law school’s first female graduates. Individuals reflecting the values of House and/ or those who seek to further the advancement of women in the legal profession will be candidates.

Longtime faculty members Dan Coenen (left) and David Shipley were honored earlier this year with the establishment of scholarships bearing their names.

The late Francis Henry “Frank” Ramsey IV (J.D.’81) was memorialized with a scholarship bearing his name thanks to a gift from Louise Terrell Adams. It will benefit UGA graduates, Georgia residents, former student-athletes and/ or those who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to college athletics.

The Robert E. “Robbie” Robinson Endowment was created in memory of the civil rights attorney and 1974 alumnus. Future Robinson Scholars will come from rural or legally underserved communities in Georgia, have a desire to serve those communities and/or plan to pursue public interest work in service to our state.

Ryan (J.D.’13) and Kiel Scates established a scholarship that will benefit those intending to become Double Dawgs (i.e., those who have earned at least one degree from UGA before entering UGA Law). It will also support those who are married and/or have children or dependents and those with an exceptional commitment to and passion for UGA.

Additionally, Michael L. Goldberg (J.D.’97) expanded his support of law students by making an additional contribution to the Michael Louis Goldberg Scholarship Fund, which aids law students who participated in high school or collegiate athletics.

Other key areas receiving significant support include: Alumnus Benjamin W. “Ben” Thorpe (J.D.’14) and his mother Dr. Barbara Williams pledged a gift to enable the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic to build on its tradition of interdisciplinary advocacy at the intersection of immigration status and health. The funding will assist with clinic operations and allow for the hiring of post-graduate/summer fellows.

The Milner S. Ball Fellowship Fund was boosted by contributions from married graduates Ryan A. Schneider (J.D.’95) and Jennifer B. Tourial (J.D.’94). The fund, named in memory of the late holder of the Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law and 1971 alumnus, provides financial assistance to law students seeking public interest/pro bono service experiences during their first and second summers of law school.

The Stonewall Law Student Support Fund was established to benefit the OUTLaw/Stonewall Law Student Association, which promotes education and discussion of legal and societal issues in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Founding contributors to the fund include Dean A. Adelman (J.D.’90) and Gary P. Jackson

The UGA Foundation, led by Chair Allison C. Ausband, generously provided matching funds for the Coenen, Shipley, Davis Family, Ramsey and Scates Family scholarships as well as the Ball Fellowship Fund.

STUDENT

Sydney McRae

WORKING HARD AND BEING RESILIENT

Second-year student Sydney M. McRae learned to “take it all in stride” during her first year of law school. She utilized her drive and aspirations while discovering her sense of belonging at the School of Law.

McRae worked at domestic violence shelters during high school and while an undergraduate student at UGA. These experiences made her realize she wanted to pursue a career that serves children affected by family violence.

“Our childhood plays such a big role in making us who we are,” she said. “I believe working with and serving children has the greatest potential to be a ripple effect.”

McRae considered many different career paths including social work and counseling, but it was her internship with then-Superior Court Judge Benjamin A. “Ben” Land (J.D.’92) in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit that showed her how she could utilize a law degree to advocate for children in her community.

Recalling an attorney fumbling over the details during a domestic dispute proceeding, McRae said, “It just made it so much harder to follow the case – the trajectory of the event. I realized the urgent need for forthright lawyers, and that was something that I knew I could do.”

Although her first year of law school was challenging, she enjoyed being in an environment composed of bright students bouncing ideas off of each other in a way that she had never experienced before.

“It was hard, but I enjoyed every second of it,” McRae said. “I think 1L was the first time I’ve really loved school because I was

able to see so clearly that there was purpose behind everything that we were doing.”

McRae felt that UGA was her best choice for law school. Her decision to enroll was bolstered by her receipt of the Wilson Distinguished Law Fellowship and the school’s mentorship program. She described the School of Law’s peer and professional mentor network as incredible.

Her parents also support her in law school and her other life goals. Of note, her mother, Laurie Cochran McRae, is a 1998 UGA Law alumna who currently works as a family office advisor for Blue Trust and serves on the Muscogee County Board of Education.

“My parents are a big part of the reason I have never doubted that I can do anything I set my mind to,” McRae said. “They provide constant support and encourage me to work hard and be resilient in everything I pursue, and I am eternally grateful for them.”

This past summer, McRae served as a judicial clerk for Judge Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia and Judge Leigh Martin May (J.D.’98) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

McRae hopes to work in both the Wilson Family Justice Clinic and the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic before graduation. She also plans to participate in the school’s Washington, D.C. Semester in Practice.

McRae is exploring many opportunities to determine the best career path for her. While she has considered having a family law practice, becoming a Juvenile Court judge and teaching, she intends to keep an open mind as she completes her legal education.

“Right now, I am trying to take it all in stride and work hard to keep as many doors open as possible for when I graduate,” she said.

Joshua Patton

CRAFTING A PATH OF ADVOCACY

Recent graduate Joshua H. Patton believes “when you really plan ahead and keep the big picture in mind, things will work out.” This philosophy guided him through the experiences he had earning his Juris Doctor.

Patton entered the School of Law planning to use the skills he obtained from earning his J.D. to begin a career in higher education administration. He enjoyed working with students, an interest that stemmed from his experience as a UGA orientation leader and president of the Georgia Daze minority recruitment program. However, he later discovered that he wanted to become a litigator.

“[Litigation] is a good avenue for me to use what I think I’m good at, which is writing and oral advocacy,” Patton said. “It’s all about advocacy and really representing your client.”

Patton developed these skills in moot court competitions during his law school career. He was a member of the UGA team that won the 2024 Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship and the team that finished as finalists and won the Best Brief Award in the 2023 Intrastate Moot Court Competition.

Wesley Tillman

PROGRESSING WITH PURPOSE

Third-year student Wesley E. Tillman feels honored to be a part of the School of Law community. He says he is inspired every day by “not only [his] classmates and professors but also [his] future colleagues and fellow advocates.”

While working in commercial real estate after earning his business degree from UGA, Tillman decided he wanted to pursue a career that had more purpose and fulfillment.

“My decision to come to law school was just wanting to work toward getting a postgraduate degree that was going to spark my interest and fulfill my ultimate goal to be not only passion driven but also purpose driven,” he said.

Tillman entered law school with a strong interest in corporate law. However, he developed an interest in healthcare law after undergoing a surgery during his first semester of law school. (Of note, his injury occurred during an intramural flag football game with his classmates.)

“That [injury] really exposed me to the healthcare industry on a personal level, and that really sparked my interest in how the healthcare system works,” he said.

After his recovery, Tillman worked in the Grady Health System legal counsel office during the summer of 2023 as part of the school’s Corporate Counsel Externship program. He said this externship was his favorite experience in law school so far as it gave him an opportunity to explore some long-term career goals.

His experience at Grady led him to pursue an internship with Huff Powell Bailey, a law firm that focuses on defense work for hospitals and physicians.

“It was my first law firm experience, and the attorneys there are great people,” Tillman said. “There are a couple of younger associates who graduated from UGA Law who I had a chance to speak with before

working there, so I was excited from the start.”

Tillman has also connected with other UGA Law graduates for guidance and support and has been impressed with the attention and care that the Law Dawgs have demonstrated when talking with him.

“The level of respect that they have not only for the profession in and of itself but also the UGA Law community – it is unspeakable,” Tillman said. “I think that’s what really drew me [to the School of Law when researching schools]. This was the only law school I applied to, and it was really solidified and confirmed through speaking with the alums.”

Tillman also engaged with the law school community through the school’s mentorship program as a mentee during his first year and as a mentor during his second year. He guided three mentees during the 2023-24 academic year. “[Participating in] the mentor program at UGA Law has definitely been one of my biggest accomplishments,” he said. “[Mentors] are there as a resource and as a tool to help navigate an unfamiliar space. I hope I imparted some sort of wisdom.”

Tillman’s ultimate career goal is to be a general counsel like his mother, Audrey Boone Tillman, a 1989 UGA Law alumna who currently serves as executive vice president and general counsel for Aflac.

“My mom is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and she’s also one of the humblest people I’ve ever met,” Tillman said. “She’s definitely made lasting impressions on me, and I think having [the general counsel position] as an end goal – if I set my sights on that –I think I will have done pretty well.”

“Getting that experience was very helpful, because it just showed me something that I was better at than I thought,” Patton said. “I knew I could speak in front of groups, but I had never done it in the legal sense –making substantive arguments – which I really enjoyed.”

The Appellate Litigation Clinic enabled Patton to practice litigation in a real-world setting. Alongside Clinic Director Thomas V. Burch and other law students, Patton worked on appellate cases in several circuits. In February, he argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“I think that’s a really big accomplishment, because it is an experience I hadn’t really had – working with real clients and being able to know that you’re really having an impact on their lives,” he said.

Patton will clerk for Judge Leigh Martin May (J.D.’98) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for two years starting September 2024. Then, he will work at Troutman Pepper following his clerkship.

He also aspires to return to UGA as a law school professor one day.

He served as a teacher’s assistant in Associate Professor Christian Turner’s undergraduate course, Foundations of American Law. Patton said this experience was “very rewarding,” and it showed him that he had an interest in teaching later in his career.

“Being able to come back and work at the place you went to undergrad and law school would be a dream, for sure,” Patton said. “I would be open to anything, but UGA would be probably my number one choice.”

Patton added that he was thankful for the professors and colleagues he built a community with during law school as well as the opportunities that the School of Law provided to him.

“I was locked into the UGA Law experience as soon as I got here,” he said. “I’m so happy that this is the decision I made, because all of the opportunities I had here were all I needed to be successful and start my legal career.”

—All Profiles by Mason A. Brock

2024 COMMENCEMENT CLASS OF

Megan Cherry shows off her diploma.

Student Bar Association

President Doraly Blanton (left) enjoys meeting Law School Association President Phaedra Parks (J.D.’98) at the pregraduation reception.

Joshua Patton (left), Matthew Gaudiosi (center) and Jonathan Fagundes check to see how things are going before the ceremony begins.

Commencement is a day for family. Julian Campbell proudly shares his day with his two daughters and (l. to r.) Andrew Fuller, Millie Campbell and Linda Fuller.

Court of Appeals judge provides graduates four Cs for success

As the School of Law’s 2024 Commencement speaker, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judge Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves (J.D.’06) offered words of wisdom for the new graduates.

“My advice to you is to strive for Cs, four Cs,” she said. “I suspect that’s something you were not told to do in law school, but I propose that you do it in your career. The four Cs that I want to talk to you about are connect, challenge, copy and create.”

Connect: Noting that she met her husband and best friend in law school, MontgomeryReeves said that “being in the legal profession is a blessing but it is not all smooth sailing.”

She said, “No matter what you choose to do in your legal career there are going to be some rough days. There are going to be wonderful wins and there will be tough losses. It’s important to have a network of people who can help you achieve your wins and who can help you learn from and overcome your losses. It’s equally important for you to do that for other people.”

Challenge: Montgomery-Reeves encouraged the new graduates to be open to challenges during their legal careers.

“Sometimes you get an opportunity that you didn’t expect or that you didn’t even ask for,” she said. “And in those instances, even if you’re nervous – maybe especially if you’re nervous – I urge you to challenge yourself, to step out on faith and take a bet on yourself. In the moment, you probably won’t be able to see all of the places and all of the opportunities that will flow from the challenge you’re facing. But in my experience, those are the times when life is better than anything you planned or imagined.”

Copy: She then explained that she always urges people to “emulate those who are in the positions that you strive to occupy.”

Montgomery-Reeves said, “What I mean is that you should emulate the decision-making rubric of those you admire. Don’t just dress for the job you want, but act and speak and post and Tweet as though you’re already interviewing for the position. Everything you’ve done and said and written is being examined. If you want to be a judge, with your decisions at your crossroads, ask yourself what would a judge do … and govern yourself accordingly.”

Create: Lastly, Montgomery-Reeves asked the Class of 2024 to go out and make the world a better place.

“Have the courage and the conviction to create a better community,” she said. “It’s a privilege and not a right to be an attorney. Attorneys have an immense amount of responsibility – responsibility to the bar, to their clients, to their community and to the world.”

She concluded: “Attorneys remain the protectors of the foundation of America. Justice, after all, is the guardian of liberty. … If you’re dissatisfied with something, don’t sit back and wait for someone else to solve your problems – be the hero in your own story.”

Waiting for the ceremony to begin are: (l. to r.) Shepherd Bridges, Jackson Capes, Caroline Capps, Andrew Dietz and Joshua Dillard.

All smiles on the big day are: (l. to r.) Mary Kate McLean, James McKenney, Sian Mason, Nombeko Marshall and Elena Maestas.

Class of 2024 President Jansen Killian (right) and Vice President William Gooding pose for a photo.

McKeown and McMillian serve as jurists in residence

During the 2023–24 academic year, two members of the judiciary held positions as visiting instructors through the law school’s jurists in residence programs.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown served as the Edenfield Jurist in Residence. McKeown taught a weeklong class focused on judges and politics. She also presented a lecture titled “Citizen Justice: The Environmental Legacy of William O. Douglas – Public Advocate and Conservation Champion.”

The B. Avant Edenfield Jurist in Residence program – made possible by a contribution from Allen W. Yee (J.D.’03), a former clerk of the late Edenfield –enables one or more Article III judges to spend some time at the School of Law each year. Edenfield was a longtime federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia who earned both his bachelor’s and law degrees from UGA.

Additionally, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Carla Wong McMillian (J.D.’98) served as the 2024 Hines Jurist in Residence. She taught a mini course titled Persuading the Judge and Jury and presented the lecture “From China to Augusta to the Supreme Court.”

The law school established The Be Kind Fund, in memory of the late Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice P. Harris Hines, in 2019. The fund’s title is based on a frequent mantra of the late justice – “Be Kind” – and annually sponsors the Hines Jurist in Residence as well as funds scholarships and provides semester/summer fellowship grants for law students.

—Mason A. Brock

Title IX expert gives Edith House Lecture

Janet Judge, co-founder of the Education & Sports Law Group, presented the 41st Edith House Lecture titled “The Art of Providing Legal Counsel When the Subject Matters to You Personally.”

Judge has more than 30 years of experience working with higher education clients. She regularly represents and advises NCAA Division I, II and III schools and presents at conferences on Title IX athletic equity compliance, sexual misconduct prevention and response, and athlete well-being.

During her lecture, Judge focused on the legal landscape of college sports. A former Division I athlete and collegiate-level coach, she shared that while serving as a judicial clerk for Judge Norman Stahl of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that the court heard Brown v. Cohen, which she described as “the seminal Title IX case around athletic equity.”

Thus began her legal career focused on higher education and athletics. In the years after her clerkship, Judge’s interest in the legal side of sports continued to grow and she began publishing law review articles and speaking at different events about the topic.

“And as a result of all that I built this law practice where there was no real sports law, especially a sports law practice for a female practitioner, who’s focused on Title IX, on hazing, on civil rights issues, as well as traditional NCAA compliance and those sorts of things that are out there,” she said. Judge added that she was in part motivated to do so because sports had such an impact on her own life.

The Edith House Lecture is sponsored by the UGA Chapter of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers in honor of one of the first female graduates of the School of Law. House, a native of Winder, Georgia, was co-valedictorian of the law class of 1925, the first to graduate women.

Georgia Supreme Court Justice Carla Wong McMillian (J.D.’98)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judge Margaret McKeown

Chicago Law School professor presents Sibley Lecture

The University of Chicago Law School’s Aziz Z. Huq delivered the 122nd Sibley Lecture, which focused on the topic “The Necessary and Proper Stewardship of Judicial Data.”

During the lecture, Huq highlighted the growing importance of data to improving the judicial system, including how the information is created and regulated.

“We stand in the wake of the revolutionary developments in large language models – tools like ChatGPT – that can extract immensely insightful inferences from very large pools of data,” he said. “Using large language models, with respect to judicial data, it is possible to map out a range of issues about how the federal courts work in ways that advance legality and increase the quality of access to justice.”

Huq argued that judicial data should be seen not as a source of “economic rent” but as a public asset. He suggested there is “ample room for public action, specifically through Congress,” to regulate judicial data and make it more often collected by courts and accessible for public research.

Huq, the holder of the Greenberg Professorship, is a scholar of U.S. and comparative constitutional law. Before entering academia, he served as counsel and then director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Project, where he litigated cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals as well as the Supreme Court. He also researched and wrote on constitutional design and implementation as a senior consultant analyst for the International Crisis Group. After graduating from Columbia Law School, Huq served as a judicial clerk for Judge Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The Sibley Lecture Series, established in 1964 by the Charles Loridans Foundation of Atlanta in tribute to the late John A. Sibley, is designed to attract outstanding legal scholars of national prominence to the School of Law. Sibley was a 1911 graduate of the law school.

—Mason

Legal leaders share professional experiences with students

Several experienced legal professionals visited campus throughout the 2023–24 year to engage with students in a variety of settings.

Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss spoke to law students at an event hosted by the Federalist Society. Chambliss, who is currently a partner with DLA Piper and also serves as the School of Law’s Sanders Scholar in Political Leadership, discussed his career in law and how it impacted his subsequent service in the public sector.

John Parker, who retired after 30 years as an attorney with the Coca-Cola Company, visited Clinical Assistant Professor Scott Lowry’s (J.D.’07) Corporate Counsel Externship class during the spring semester to share his thoughts regarding the keys to a successful legal career, including the critical role trust plays in allowing an attorney to serve the client not only as a lawyer but, ultimately, as a counselor and business partner.

Sibley Professor in Corporate and Business Law

Larry D. Thompson taught a UGA Law class titled Corporate Social Responsibility. A former U.S. deputy attorney general, Thompson invited several guests to his class, including Leo S. Mackay, Jr., senior vice president of Ethics and Enterprise Assurance at Lockheed Martin, who discussed a number of topics, including establishing a culture of integrity in an organization, contemporary issues in corporate governance and career advice for law students.

A. Brock

Former longtime Coca-Cola Company attorney John Parker speaks with Clinical Assistant Professor Scott Lowry’s (J.D.’07) Corporate Counsel Externship class.

Rusk Center drives top-20 international ranking

Earlier this year, the School of Law was counted among the top 20 international law programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report

The school’s influence in international law can be traced to the center’s 2023–24 leadership team of Diane Marie Amann (Regents’ Professor of International Law, holder of the Woodruff Chair & faculty co-director), Christopher M. Bruner (Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law & faculty co-director) and Sarah Quinn (director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center).

Chief among the Rusk Center’s activities this past academic year was the “ESG and Corporate Sustainability: Global Perspectives on Regulatory Reform” conference held during October. Organized by Bruner, with the assistance of the Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law, this full-day symposium brought together subject matter experts to discuss capital market developments, corporate governance reform initiatives and efforts to constrain multinational businesses.

The school furthered its partnerships with the American Society of International Law and the American Branch of the International Law Association. The 2023 ABILA International Law Weekend was attended by eight law students, and two law students attended the 118th ASIL Annual Meeting.

Eighteen foreign-trained lawyers came to Athens for the 2023–24 academic year to earn a Master of Laws. These legal professionals hailed from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The class included experienced lawyers in a variety of practice areas, including a Fulbright awardee, a former Mandela Washington Fellow and a Ph.D. candidate.

The center’s events included visits from Rachel Galloway, the British consul general in Atlanta, and Georgetown Law Professor Cliff Sloan as well as a new events series highlighting International Education Week.

A legal Spanish curriculum was formalized for the first time this year. In the fall, 17 students enrolled in the one-credit Spanish I course designed by Professor Kristen Shepherd, Community Health Law Partnership Clinic staff attorney & adjunct instructor.

UGA Law students remain excited about international experiences. In the spring of 2024, second-year student Madison Graham worked in the Supreme Allied Command Transformation Office of the Legal Advisor, a unit of NATO, located in Virginia. This past summer, 15 students secured Global Externships in public and private law placements in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bermuda, Estonia, Germany, India, New Zealand, Romania and Tunisia. An additional two students completed semester-long externships in the fall 2023 at law firms in Germany. Thirteen law students and four Graduate Certificate in International Law students traveled to Belgium and the Netherlands to participate in the Global Governance Summer School, which is conducted in partnership with KU Leuven’s Centre for Global Governance Studies.

Through a new exchange program with O.P. Jindal Global University’s law school, the top-ranked school in India and South Asia, UGA received its first two Jindal students in the fall of 2023. UGA is working with two students who will study in Sonipat during the spring 2025 semester.

—Sarah Quinn

U.S. associate attorney general delivers Johnson Lecture

The 2024 Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy was presented by Vanita Gupta, who was the 19th U.S. associate attorney general at the time of the event.

During a conversation moderated by Assistant Professor John B. Meixner and Clinical Associate Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins, Gupta shared her thoughts on her career as a civil rights lawyer as well as the challenges and opportunities she experienced moving into her position with the U.S. government.

As the third-ranking official at the Department of Justice, Gupta supervised multiple litigating units within the DOJ, including the Civil, Civil Rights, Antitrust, Tax, and Environmental and Natural Resources divisions. From 2014 to 2017, Gupta held the position of acting assistant attorney general and head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

She is currently the president and chief executive officer of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation’s oldest and largest coalition of non-partisan civil rights organizations in the United States.

With support from UGA’s Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community, the School of Law and the School of Public and International Affairs established the Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy in memory of the late jurist, who was a trailblazer for the Black community in Georgia and a 1982 School of Law alumnus.

Twenty-five jurists visit law school campus

During the 2023–24 academic year, 25 members of the judiciary visited Athens for a variety of events, connecting with School of Law students for valuable learning experiences.

The School of Law hosted the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in October, during which time the court heard oral arguments in four cases. Making the trip to Athens were Judges Todd M. Hughes, Jimmie V. Reyna and Leonard P. Stark.

During the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s visit to campus, the judges posed for a photo with students: (l. to r.) Natalya Moody, Chan Creswell, Judge Jimmie Reyna, Judge Todd Hughes, Judge Leonard Stark, Casey Wofford, Ian Moore and Joshua Horn.

Additionally, Harold D. Melton (J.D.’91), who was previously the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, continued to serve as a Sanders Scholar in Political Leadership and taught the course Representing the State. Chief Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. (J.D.’84) led the class Intro to the American Legal System, while Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery Sam Glasscock III instructed in the area of corporate litigation.

Several other judges visited the UGA campus to participate in events, judge moot court or mock trial competitions or serve as guest speakers for classes or student groups. Among them were:

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit: Judge Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves (J.D.’06)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit: Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: Judge Ryan D. Nelson and Judge M. Margaret McKeown

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit: Judge Elizabeth L. “Lisa” Branch, Judge Britt C. Grant and Judge Robert J. Luck

U.S. Court of Federal Claims: Judge Edward H. Meyers

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia: Judge Victoria M. Calvert, Judge Steve C. Jones (J.D.’87), Judge William M. “Billy” Ray II (J.D.’90) and Judge Tilman E. “Trip” Self III (J.D.’97)

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia: Judge Benjamin W. Cheesbro (J.D.’10) and Judge Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90)

Georgia Supreme Court: Justice Carla Wong McMillian (J.D.’98)

State Court Judges: Chief Judge Eric A. Brewton (J.D.’83) (Cobb County), retired Chief Judge Ethelyn N. Simpson (J.D.’90) (Athens-Clarke County), Judge Josh W. Thacker (Spalding County) and Judge Jason B. Thompson (Fayette County)

In Memoriam

Sibley Professor Emeritus Julian B. McDonnell passed away on March 27, 2024. He retired from the law school in June 2003 after more than 30 years of service. Specializing in contracts, commercial paper and secured transactions, his scholarship included five books and numerous articles. In addition, McDonnell was the principal drafter of the Georgia Financial Institutions Code, which was enacted in 1974 as the code for Georgia state banks, and the Georgia Article Nine Revision, enacted in 1978. Wellrespected by his students, McDonnell was selected by members of the graduating class to receive the Faculty Book Award for Teaching Excellence on five occasions and was the recipient of the Professional Responsibility Award. McDonnell received the law school’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award in 2003. He is survived by his sons, Patrick McDonnell and Christopher McDonnell, and his siblings, Maury McDonnell, Elizabeth Shivers and Tom McDonnell.

Walter Ray Phillips passed away on November 8, 2023, at the age of 91. He retired from the law school in 2000 after 27 years as a member of the faculty. During his tenure, he served as acting dean in 1976 and associate dean from 1975 to 1983, and he held the Talmadge and Lumpkin professorships. Author of 12 law books, his teaching portfolio included: tax, civil procedure, bankruptcy, banking, corporate reorganization and legal ethics. Students honored him with the legal ethics teaching award on one dozen occasions. Additionally, he oversaw the law school’s transition from quarters to semesters and directed the university’s self-study in 1980. Phillips received the law school’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award in 2000. He is survived by his two daughters, Bonnie Koryn and Lee Evans, and two grandchildren, Rachel Good and Luke Evans.

NEW PROFESSORS

FOUR SCHOLARS JOIN FACULTY

Pamela Foohey joined the UGA Law faculty as a full professor teaching Bankruptcy, Secured Transactions and a Bankruptcy Practice Seminar.

She comes to Athens from the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. She has also held law faculty positions at Indiana University and the University of Illinois. While at Indiana for seven years, she served as advisory board chair for the Center for Law, Society & Culture.

Foohey’s scholarship primarily involves empirical studies of bankruptcy and related parts of the legal system, combining quantitative and qualitative interview-based research. She presently serves as a coinvestigator on the Consumer Bankruptcy Law Project, a long-term project studying persons who file bankruptcy. Her work in business bankruptcy focuses on nonprofit entities, with a particular emphasis on how religious organizations use bankruptcy. She currently has two books in progress –one on consumer bankruptcies and the other on business bankruptcies.

A co-author of Secured Transactions: A Systems Approach and Commercial Transactions: A Systems Approach, her scholarship has been published in the Virginia Law Review, the Southern California Law Review, the Boston College Law Review, the Notre Dame Law Review and Law & Contemporary Problems

Prior to entering academia, Foohey served as a judicial clerk for Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge Peter J. Walsh of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Foohey earned her B.S. summa cum laude from New York University’s undergraduate Stern School of Business and her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Specializing in international and labor law, Desirée LeClercq is an assistant professor. She will also serve as a Dean Rusk International Law Center faculty co-director.

She comes to UGA from Cornell University, where she was an assistant professor in the School of Industrial Labor Relations and an associate faculty member in the Law School for four years. She won the

2020 MacIntyre Award for Exemplary Teaching & Advising and the 2022 Women’s Leadership Initiative Leading Ladies Award.

LeClercq’s scholarship has been published in the Fordham Law Review, the Virginia Journal of International Law, the Journal of International Economic Law, the Administrative Law Review, the American University Law Review and the Berkeley Journal of International Law. Notably, her Columbia Journal of Transnational Law article titled “A Worker-Centered Trade Policy” won the ComplianceNet Outstanding Junior Publication Award.

Previously she served as a director of labor affairs in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 2016 to 2020. LeClercq also worked for nearly a decade as a legal officer at the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and served as staff counsel for the chairman of the National Labor Relations Board.

She earned her B.A. with high honors from Indiana University and her J.D. with high honors from the University of Texas, where she was the articles and notes editor for the Texas International Law Journal

Assistant Professor Assaf Harpaz is leading classes in federal income tax and business taxation.

His scholarly focus lies in international taxation, with an emphasis on the intersection of taxation and digitalization. Harpaz’s most recent article is “International Tax Reform: Who Gets a Seat at the Table?” published in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law. His work has also appeared in Law & Contemporary Problems, the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, the Yale Journal of International Law and Tax Notes International

Before joining UGA, Harpaz served as a visiting assistant professor at the Drexel University Kline School of Law teaching courses in federal income tax and enterprise tax.

Harpaz earned his S.J.D. from the Duke University School of Law. While at Duke, he was a Perilman Fellow at the Duke Center for Jewish Studies. He earned his LL.M. in International Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and his LL.B. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law.

Prior to entering legal academia, Harpaz clerked and practiced commercial and corporate law in Israel.

Meighan Parker joined the law school faculty as an assistant professor teaching Torts and The Law of American Health Care.

Previously, she was a Bigelow Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School, where she taught Legal Research & Writing.

Before entering the teaching academy, Parker served as a managing associate at Sidley Austin and an associate at Ropes & Gray. Her practice primarily focused on a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues encountered by pharmaceutical and medical device companies regulated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and related laws.

Parker’s research focuses on health law and policy, with an emphasis on the legal implications of novel telehealth and digital health technologies designed to democratize healthcare. Her scholarship includes an article in the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review titled “Come As You Are?: Democratizing Healthcare Through Black Church-Telehealth Initiatives.”

Parker earned her B.S. cum laude from Spelman College, her Master of Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School and her J.D. cum laude from the University of Alabama.

ELLIS AND SLINGER JOIN LAW LIBRARY

Sarah C. Slinger serves as the Alexander Campbell King Law Library’s associate director for research services. In this role, she is the primary liaison between the law library and the law school’s faculty, supervises the library’s Research Assistant Program and leads classes in legal research, administrative law research and environmental law research.

She came to Athens from Florida International University, where she served as the head of instructional services law librarian & adjunct professor for three years. She has also worked at the law libraries at the University of Miami, the University of Michigan and The University of Arizona.

Slinger is active in the American Association of Law Libraries and the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries. In addition to serving on the editorial board of Legal Reference Services Quarterly, she has published articles in the Law Library Journal, the University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review and the Journal of Legal Policy & Pandemics.

Slinger earned her B.A. magna cum laude from Saint Joseph’s University, her J.D. from Widener University Delaware Law School and her M.L.I.S. from The University of Arizona.

Having joined the law library’s team during the 2023–24 academic year, Brandy Ellis is the research services librarian supporting law school faculty. She also teaches first-year, advanced and specialized legal research courses; provides legal reference services and serves on the library leadership team.

Before coming to UGA, Ellis worked as the research librarian and head of access services at the University of Notre Dame Kresge Law Library, where she taught introductory and advanced legal research courses, managed library circulation staff, participated in the faculty liaison program and assisted library patrons with a variety of instructional and research queries.

After earning her law degree, she was an associate in the emerging companies group in Cooley’s New York City office and Fenwick & West’s Seattle office.

Ellis earned her bachelor’s degree from Antioch College, her Juris Doctor cum laude from Fordham University and her Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in law librarianship from the University of Washington.

Students recognize faculty and staff

Nathan S. Chapman – Cleveland Chair – Brown Professionalism Award

Dan T. Coenen – University Professor, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor & Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law – Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching and Graduation Faculty Marshal

Patrick D. Conner (J.D.’98) – Senior Lecturer – Watson Award for Outstanding Legal Research or Writing Instructor

Elizabeth M. Grant (J.D.’94) – Clinical Associate Professor & Director of the Civil Externship and Public Interest Practicum – Lanier Award for Excellence in Clinical Education

Scott Lowry (J.D.’07) – Clinical Assistant Professor – O’Byrne Memorial Award for Significant Contributions Furthering Student-Faculty Relations

Laura Phillips-Sawyer – Wilson Associate Professor in Business Law –UGA Law Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award

Usha Rodrigues – University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law – Graduation Faculty Marshal

Anthony E. “Tony” Waller (J.D.’93) – Assistant Dean for Career Development – Student Bar Association Award for Outstanding Staff Member

NATIONAL RECOGNITIONS,

Dennis appointed associate dean for academic affairs

On July 1, Andrea L. Dennis became the associate dean for academic affairs overseeing academic and student life at the School of Law.

The holder of the Martin Chair of Law, she previously served as the associate dean for faculty development and worked closely with the law school’s professors to promote their world-class scholarship and support the pursuit of extramural funding in addition to overseeing promotion and tenure matters.

Dennis, who joined the School of Law in 2010, teaches Criminal Law, Family Law and Evidence. For almost 20 years, her groundbreaking research on rap music as criminal evidence has been cited by practitioners and courts nationwide. In 2019, she coauthored Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America (with E. Nielson), which has received national and international recognition. Most recently, her research has spurred lawmakers in several states and Congress to offer proposals limiting the use of rap music evidence in criminal cases. Additionally, she has authored works at the intersections of family law and criminal law, and law and mental health.

Earlier this year, UGA presented the Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander Inclusive Community Award to Dennis. The honor recognizes faculty members who have “contributed considerably to promoting inclusive excellence within and beyond the classroom.” Dennis has been vital in implementing the law school’s Strategic Plan and its Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Plan.

Over the years, she has served as faculty adviser to several student-led organizations, including currently the Georgia Law Review and DavenportBenham Black Law Students Association. In 2021, she received the law school’s O’Byrne Memorial Award for Significant Contributions Furthering Student-Faculty Relations and was selected as a graduation faculty marshal.

This past year, she facilitated the creation of the law school’s Emerging Scholars program, an initiative aimed at creating new pipelines into the legal academy by identifying talented and experienced legal practitioners, providing them with teaching and research opportunities, and mentoring them as they pursue a career move into academia.

Outside of the law school and university, Dennis has served on the Board of Directors of the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, the Athens Neighborhood Health Center and Project Safe. She has also volunteered with Athens-based youth development programs.

Rodrigues named associate dean for faculty development

Usha R. Rodrigues, who served as associate dean for faculty development from 2015 to 2018, has once again assumed this important leadership position that seeks to grow the School of Law’s scholarly influence.

Rodrigues also holds the law school’s Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law. A respected member of the greater UGA community, in 2019, she was chosen as a University Professor, an honor awarded to one UGA professor per year. From February 2022 to April 2023, she was UGA’s interim vice provost for academic affairs, and she has served as the University Council’s parliamentarian since 2014. Additionally, Rodrigues holds a courtesy appointment in the Terry College of Business, and she was recently elected to the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors.

Specializing in corporate and business law, Rodrigues was invited to present on accredited investors before the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission Investor Advisory Committee last fall. Over the last 12 months, her analysis and commentary have appeared in articles in The New York Times, USA Today, Politico, The Washington Post, Bloomberg and Yahoo Finance.

Her scholarship has been published in the Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Fordham, Emory, Florida, and Washington and Lee law reviews, among others. It has also appeared in online fora of the Vanderbilt, UCLA, Texas and Harvard Business law reviews and in the peer-reviewed Journal of Corporate Finance. Her recent articles include “The SPAC Market” in the Washington University Law Review and “Redeeming SPACs” in the Florida State University Law Review.

During the past year, Rodrigues presented at the Conference on Emerging Trends in Asset Management hosted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a Law and Entrepreneurship Association annual meeting and The Future of ESG symposium, hosted by the Institute for Law and Economic Policy.

She is active in the legal profession. She has served as the chair of the Executive Committee of the Association of American Law Schools Business Associations Section, as a member of the Securities Regulation Executive Committee and as the president of the Law and Entrepreneurship Association. In 2016, she was elected to the American Law Institute and she joined the board of the Institute for Law and Economic Policy in 2024.

Rodrigues became a member of the law school’s faculty in 2005 and has led courses in contracts, business ethics, business associations and securities regulation. She received the Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022, and the Class of 2024 selected her to serve as a graduation faculty marshal.

NEW TITLES & HONORS

Chapman appointed to Cleveland Chair

Nathan S. Chapman has been named the new holder of the law school’s A. Gus Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Law.

With scholarship focusing on the historical and theoretical underpinnings of constitutional law, he recently published the Oxford University Press book Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience (with M.W. McConnell).

Milot receives Stanton Distinguished Professorship

Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills Director Lisa Milot has been named the inaugural Annie and Zack Stanton Distinguished Professor in Canine Welfare Law.

The professorship was created by The Stanton Foundation, which has recently supported Milot and her PAWS work with a $1.4 million grant to help reduce the neglect and abuse of dogs.

He was also selected for a McDonald Distinguished Senior Fellowship from the Emory University Center for the Study of Law and Religion. As one of 19 scholars selected from leading universities across the United States and Europe, he will help develop an “integrated series of books and articles rooted in the intersection of law and religion.”

His other recent scholarship includes: “‘The Arc of the Moral Universe’: Christian Eschatology and U.S. Constitutionalism” in the Notre Dame Law Review, “American Religious Liberty Without (Much) Theory” in the Journal of Law and Religion and “Fair Notice, The Rule of Law, and Reforming Qualified Immunity” in the Florida Law Review

Chapman, who joined the School of Law faculty in 2013, has been recognized by law students on several occasions. He has received both the Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Brown Professionalism Award and has served as a graduation faculty marshal.

Milot’s teaching and research focuses on legal issues concerning animal welfare. She is the author of “Backyard Breeding: Regulatory Nuisance, Crime Precursor,” the first academic article on the small-scale commercial breeding of dogs, analyzing both the legal regimes that allow for the proliferation of this activity and the effects on local communities and larger criminal enterprises.

She often shares her expertise with members of the media. She has recently been quoted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Forsyth Herald and the Athens Banner-Herald

Milot, who joined the School of Law in 2007, was named the 2009 UGA Professor of the Year by the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.

Promoting the welfare of dogs and strengthening the human/dog bond are among the core objectives of The Stanton Foundation, which was created by the late Frank Stanton.

Scherr awarded rank of full clinical professor

Veterans Legal Clinic Director Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr has been awarded the rank of full clinical professor Under his direction since 2018, the clinic has helped approximately 800 veterans and their families claim more than $6.5 million in benefits from the U S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies.

Last year, he was elected to a three-year term on the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, which advocates for veterans in judicial, legislative and administrative forums.

A national leader in clinical education, Scherr is the author of Learning From Practice: A Text for Experiential Legal Education and Green’s Georgia Law of Evidence. He has served as president of the Clinical Legal Education Association and chair of the Association of American Law Schools Clinical Advisory Committee. He currently serves as a drafter of the Multistate Performance Test for the National Conference of Bar Examiners and a member of the Board of Editors for the Clinical Law Review

In 2019, Scherr received the AALS William Pincus Award and the UGA Engaged Scholar Award.

Scherr joined the law school faculty in 1996 as its first director of civil clinics. From 2016 to 2018, he served as the school’s associate dean for clinical programs and experiential learning.

Norins promoted to clinical associate professor

First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins has been promoted to clinical associate professor. Started under her leadership in 2020, the clinic represents clients in federal and state courts on a range of First Amendment and media law issues. The clinic also regularly provides trainings to high school and college students, journalists, local government leaders, members of law enforcement, community groups and judges on First Amendment and open government topics.

During the 2023–24 academic year, Norins co-chaired the 33rd Georgia Bar, Media & Judiciary Conference and facilitated the panel “What’s the Intel on Artificial Intelligence?” She presented on digital free speech issues being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court at the Georgia Bar Association’s conference on 42 U.S.C. § 1983 litigation. She also planned and moderated the plenary panel “Black box platforms: Challenges of social media regulation” at the Yale Law School’s 2023 Access & Accountability Conference.

In 2022, Norins secured a three-year grant from The Legal Clinic Fund for Local News to expand the clinic’s support for local journalism in Georgia. The year before, she was a co-recipient of the national Clinical Legal Education Association’s Award for Excellence in a Public Interest Case.

Over the past year, she has provided expert media commentary to Georgia Public Broadcasting, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Georgia Recorder and Courthouse News

She is a board member of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and an executive committee member of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Communication, Media & Information.

Nolan earns promotion

Instruction and Faculty Services Librarian Savanna Nolan (J.D.’13) has been elevated to Law Librarian III. She promotes and coordinates research services for the faculty and also teaches Legal Research; Advanced Legal Research; and Spies, Lies and Lawyers: Social Media, Misinformation and the Law.

Her recent scholarship includes “Hugh Ambrose ‘Hughie’ Jennings (1945)” in 11 Men In: Lawyers in the Baseball Hall of Fame (McFarland & Company, forthcoming) and a book review of Teaching About Fake News: Lesson Plans for Different Disciplines and Audiences in the Journal of New Librarianship (2022).

An active member of the American Association of Law Libraries and its Southeastern Chapter, Nolan has regularly presented as part of both organizations’ programming over the past three years. She also routinely presents at the annual Teaching the Teachers conference, which focuses on evidence-based instructional strategies and instructional design, taught by law librarians for law librarians. She presently serves as the treasurer of the Southeastern Chapter of the AALL and as the chair of the AALL Economic Status of Law Librarians Committee.

Quinn named director of Rusk Center

In January, Sarah Quinn became the permanent director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center after leading the unit for seven months on an interim basis.

Partnering with the center’s faculty co-directors – Regents’ Professor of International Law & Woodruff Chair in International Law Diane Marie Amann and Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law Christopher M. Bruner – she is working to situate UGA Law as a leading institution in international law.

Quinn, who joined the School of Law in 2019, previously served as the associate director for global practice preparation. She was instrumental in developing the school’s partnership with India’s Jindal Global University, establishing the Graduate Certificate in International Law and transitioning the Global Governance Summer School into a credit-bearing program. Prior to joining the law school, Quinn worked with the UGA Office of Global Engagement and the U.S. Peace Corps in addition to serving as a director for the American School Language Institute in Morocco.

She joined the Alexander Campbell King Law Library’s team in 2020.

She earned her B.A., B.F.A. and M.I.P. from UGA and her ED.M. from Harvard University.

Ringhand authors book on SCOTUS confirmation hearings

Hosch Professor & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lori A. Ringhand published her Stanford University Press book Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings (with C.L. Boyd and P.M. Collins) during the 2023-24 academic year. The title, deemed “essential reading for students of the Court” by Choice, was the subject of a one-day conference held at the law school during February.

Her other recent scholarly works include: “The Court and the Constitution” in the Wisconsin Law Review, “Contextualizing Corruption: Foreign Financing Bans and Campaign Finance Law” in the Cardozo Law Review and “Constructing the Supreme Court: How Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Have Affected Presidential Selection and Senate Confirmation Hearings” in Polity

During 2023, she delivered the Vacketta-DLA Piper Lecture on the Role of Government and the Law at the University of Illinois College of Law and spoke at the State of the South: The Center for Access to Justice’s Annual Conference, the University of Texas School of Law’s National Federalist Society Student Symposium and at a judicial-decision making symposium hosted by the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.

A nationally recognized U.S. Supreme Court scholar, Ringhand teaches Constitutional Law and Election Law. She joined the law school faculty in 2008.

Phillips-Sawyer writes and speaks on antitrust law

Wilson Associate Professor in Business Law Laura Phillips-Sawyer has been busy as antitrust law remains a pressing legal and political issue. She has provided expert media commentary regarding Google Search antitrust litigation, appearing in print and on television with BBC News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Spectrum News.

Most recently, her scholarship has appeared in the University of Chicago Law Review (“Restructuring American Antitrust Law: Institutionalist Economics and the Antitrust Labor Immunity, 1890–1940s”) and in an edited volume of leading antitrust scholars titled Antimonopoly and American Democracy (Oxford University Press).

This past academic year, she presented her work at the New York University Law School, Oxford University and the Stanford Law School. She also gave related talks at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University and for the American Bar Association Antitrust Section, among others.

Phillips-Sawyer teaches Antitrust Law and a new course titled Antimonopoly and American Democracy, which is part of the school’s undergraduate minor. Previously, she has taught international political economy in the MBA curriculum and a course on financial crises and regulation. She holds courtesy appointments in UGA’s Economics Department and History Department. Before joining the UGA Law faculty in 2020, she was an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School.

Bruner publishes book on corporate law

Specializing in corporate law, corporate governance, comparative law and sustainability, Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law Christopher M. Bruner recently published A Research Agenda for Corporate Law He co-edited the book with the University College London’s M. Moore.

Bruner has presented on a range of corporate and financial issues over the past 18 months to academic audiences around the globe, including the University College London, the London School of Economics, the University College Dublin, Lund University (Sweden), Tilburg University (Netherlands), the University of Ghent (Belgium), the University of Macerata (Italy), the National University of Singapore and York University (Canada). He also presented to audiences across the United States during this period, including at Princeton University, the University of Minnesota and UC Berkeley.

Last year, Bruner was appointed a research member of the European Corporate Governance Institute, “an international non-profit membership organization that provides a platform for debate and dialogue among academics, policymakers, and business leaders.” Research members are appointed “based on the quality of their research publications and contribution to the field of corporate governance.”

Bruner, who joined the UGA Law faculty in 2017, presently serves as a faculty-co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center.

Weeks elected to ALI

UGA Associate Provost & Kirbo Chair

Elizabeth Weeks (J.D.’99) was recently elected a member of the American Law Institute. Members work to “influence the development of the law in both existing and emerging areas,” collaborate with other “eminent lawyers, judges and academics,” give back to the legal profession and “contribute to the public good.”

Weeks is the co-author of Healthism: Health Status Discrimination and the Law and The Law of American Health Care, now in its third edition. Presently, she serves as chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Torts and Compensation Systems.

Her scholarship has been published in the Boston University Law Review, the Utah Law Review, the Hofstra Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, the Washington University Law Review and the North Carolina Law Review, among others.

She recently presented on the panel “What Caused This Policy Disaster? Constitutional Design, Constitutional Culture, or the Human Condition?” as part of the Coronavirus and the Constitution virtual conference hosted by the Yale Law School.

A member of the UGA Law faculty since 2011, she served as the law school’s associate dean for faculty development from 2018 to 2020.

Wells named ALI associate reporter

Carter Chair in Tort and Insurance Law

Michael L. Wells has been named associate reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law, Constitutional Torts project. He will help “examine the law of 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which provides an individual the right to sue state government employees and others acting ‘under color of state law’ in federal court for violations of federal law.”

An authority in torts, federal courts and constitutional litigation, Wells has published numerous articles in such leading journals as the Cornell Law Review, the Duke Law Journal, the Virginia Law Review, the William & Mary Law Review, Constitutional Commentary and the Yale Journal of International Law

His recent work includes: “Absolute Official Immunity in Constitutional Litigation” and “Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, Nominal Damages, and the Roberts Stratagem” in the Georgia Law Review as well as “European Union Law in the Member State Courts: A Comparative Review” in the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law

Wells joined the School of Law faculty in 1978 and has taught Torts, Federal Courts, Constitutional Law, Insurance, Constitutional Litigation and European Union Law.

White receives President’s Medal

Earlier this year, UGA bestowed one of its highest honors on Dean & Hosch Professor of Law Emerita Rebecca Hanner White.

The President’s Medal recognizes individuals, not currently employed at the university, who have made extraordinary contributions to the UGA community by supporting students and academic programs, advancing research or engaging in public service to enhance the quality of life of citizens in Georgia.

She is regarded as “one of the most effective deans and professors in the history” of the School of Law. She served as dean from 2003 to 2015 and has continued to support the law school and its goals since her retirement in 2016.

White, who specializes in labor law, employment discrimination, employment law and labor arbitration, joined the UGA Law faculty in 1989. She rose through the academic ranks at UGA, becoming full professor in 1998. She served as UGA’s associate provost and associate vice president for academic affairs from October 2003 to June 2004 before taking over the helm of the law school.

In addition to being the first female dean of the law school, she was the first female faculty member from the law school to be named a UGA Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor. She has also received the UGA Alumni Association’s Faculty Service Award and the law school’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award.

School welcomes emerging scholars

The School of Law recently launched its Emerging Scholars initiative to bring accomplished practitioners to campus to hone their teaching and academic-writing skills during a two-year residency.

Alumna S. Jill Benton (J.D.’99) returned to Athens earlier this year to teach Criminal Procedure after working in the Federal Defender Program in Atlanta for almost 25 years. Most recently, she was the chief of the Capital Habeas Unit, where she led a team of attorneys, investigators, mitigation specialists, paralegals and support staff representing deathsentenced clients in habeas corpus and clemency proceedings. Prior to assuming the role of habeas unit chief, Benton practiced with the Federal Defender for more than 16 years.

Her career highlights include arguing before the en banc Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of a client of 23 years and coauthoring the successful petition for writ of certiorari in Sears v. Upton and authoring the briefs in the ensuing federal habeas proceedings that resulted in her client’s death sentence being vacated.

Benton has served as an invited faculty member at the National Orientation Seminar for Assistant Federal Defenders from 2016 to 2023 and at the National Habeas Seminar on multiple occasions.

She earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Ohio University.

Shanée Brown became a member of the School of Law faculty earlier this year. She will teach the courses Evidence and Sex Crimes.

Before coming to the UGA campus, Brown served for six years as a staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders in New York where she managed a high-volume caseload representing indigent parents in abuse and neglect proceedings in the Bronx County Family Court. Previously, she worked as a fellow and staff attorney at the Safe Passage Project where she represented migrant children. She has also served as a pro bono trial attorney at The Children’s Law Center, representing juveniles in custody proceedings.

Brown’s academic teaching experience includes serving as a guest lecturer at the Columbia Law School and the Cardozo School of Law and as a teaching assistant at the Touro University Fuchsberg Law Center.

She writes in the areas of criminal law and procedure, family regulation law, abolition and constitutional law. Her scholarship has been published in the Public Interest Law Reporter and the Charlotte Law Review

Brown earned her bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College and her law degree from Touro University.

Mary Yiyue Zhao joined the law school in the fall of 2023. Her teaching portfolio includes International Intellectual Property Law and International Business Transactions.

Previously, Zhao was an associate for approximately five years at Covington & Burling’s Palo Alto office, where she represented clients in commercial and intellectual property litigation. She served as a visitor at the Max Planck Institute Department of Ethics, Law and Politics during September 2018. She also has experience as a legal intern at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and as a research assistant at the International Law and Policy Institute.

Her scholarship includes: “Morals in Place of Markets: Courts’ Approach to Post-Sale Confusion” forthcoming in the Rutgers Law Review, “Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform: Reconsidering the Multilateral Investment Court in the Context of Disputes Involving Intellectual Property” in the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts and “Transparency in International Commercial Arbitration: Adopting a Balanced Approach” in the Virginia Journal of International Law

She earned her bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Cornell University and both her law and master’s degrees from Stanford University.

Brown Zhao

Benton

School honors graduates for their service

The School of Law honored four graduates for their service during an Awards Dinner at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia earlier this year.

I.Kenneth “Ken” Dious, Thomas J. “Tom” Harrold Jr. and Lisa Godbey Wood received the Law School Association’s highest honor – the Distinguished Service Scroll Award – for their outstanding dedication and service to the legal profession and the law school. Additionally, Ellen R. Clarke was presented with the Young Alumni/Alumnae of Excellence Award.

Dious, a 1973 School of Law graduate, was one of the first African Americans to practice law in Northeast Georgia. A U.S. Army veteran, Dious opened an Athens law office in 1974 as a solo practitioner, and he has provided legal services to area citizens for approximately five decades. He is the author of Rules, Rights & Responsibilities in Georgia Schools

Dious has been recognized by a host of organizations for his contributions. Among them are Georgia Legal Services and the State Bar of Georgia Pro Bono Project, the NAACP and the A. Philip Randolph Institute. Dious is also the recipient of the John T.Hurley Distinguished Service Award. Frails and Wilson Senior Partner Randolph “Randy” Frails (J.D.’97) presented Dious his award.

A 1969 graduate of the law school, Harrold leads Miller & Martin’s International/World Law Group practice. He has for many years worked with European and Asian companies investing in the Southeastern United States and with American companies that have been expanding around the globe. He previously served as the deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Revenue, and he has been instrumental in navigating significant pro-economic legislation through the Georgia General Assembly.

He is a founder of the World Law Group, an international legal network with 60-plus member firms with offices in 92 countries.

In 2009, he was awarded the Cross of Merit of Germany by President Horst Köhler. He is presently a member of the law school’s Board of Visitors. Georgia Attorney General Christopher M. “Chris” Carr (J.D.’99) presented Harrold’s award.

Since 2007, Wood – a 1990 graduate – has served as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. From 2010 to 2017, she was chief judge. After graduating law school, she was a judicial clerk for Judge Anthony A. Alaimo of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia before joining – and becoming a partner at – the Brunswick law firm Gilbert, Harrell, Sumerford and Martin.

From 2004 to 2007, Wood was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Last year, she was appointed to serve on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review. Wood is currently a member of the School of Law’s Board of Visitors. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stanley “Stan” Baker (J.D.’04) presented Wood her award.

Notably, Wood also received another university award this year –the 2023 Blue Key Service Award, which was presented in November at the annual UGA Tucker Dorsey Blue Key Alumni Banquet.

Clarke, a 2014 alumna, serves as security counsel at Google, where she advises on global data security and law enforcement issues. She has deep subject matter expertise in U.S. and European data disclosure law, digital evidence and law enforcement relations. She is licensed as an attorney in Georgia and Washington, D.C., as a registered in-house counsel in California and as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Before joining Google, she was a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, which she joined through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Clarke previously served as a judicial clerk for Judge Richard W. “Rick” Story (J.D.’78) of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. She currently teaches as an adjunct professor at UGA Law. Baker Donelson Shareholder Hannah Jarrells Sage (J.D.’15) presented Clarke’s award.

This spring, the School of Law honored graduates (l. to r.) Ellen Clarke (J.D.’14), Tom Harrold (J.D.’69), Ken Dious (J.D.’73), and Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90) for their service to the legal profession and the law school. Photo by Justin Evans.

Jim Butler

WORKING HARD & SETTING RECORDS

Double Dawg James E. “Jim” Butler Jr. has worked hard to become a recognized force in the legal profession but acknowledges that his clients as well as the individuals he has had the opportunity to work alongside have had a hand in his many accomplishments.

Butler, who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism, knew from his childhood that he wanted to be a lawyer.

He said the first time the law piqued his interest was after seeing the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” as a child. He then added, “My Sunday School teacher when I was 13 was a lawyer in Cumming, Georgia. He later became a Superior Court Judge and was named Richard Neville (J.D.’62). He sort of steered me in that direction also.”

While Butler was offered full scholarships to both Harvard University and UGA Law, he decided to stay in Georgia for his legal education as he had several properties that he recently built for sale.

“It was nice to be in air conditioning all the time,” he said. “I’d been building houses for two-and-a-half years, and [law school] was intellectually stimulating … so I enjoyed it. It was great.”

After graduating from law school in 1977, he began his career in Columbus, and it has been, by all accounts, remarkable.

Butler has set the record for the largest verdict in Georgia history four separate times – in four different types of cases. He has been lead counsel in nine cases that exceeded $100 million. He also served as lead counsel in a business tort case, Six Flags v. Time Warner, which is believed to be the largest collected judgment in U.S. history – $454 million

Despite all of the impressive monetary wins, Butler said his two favorite cases are ones he worked on pro bono.

The first was when the citizens of Taylor County, Georgia, sued members of its Board of Commissioners, the board and county after they learned the county planned to locate a hazardous waste management facility in the area.

“They decided to put it in the north part of Taylor County, right on top of family farms,” he said. Butler was able to stop the build and, even now, almost 40 years later, there are no hazardous waste incinerators in Georgia.

The second case Butler cites as a favorite was that of Elmyr Tompkins, a widow who lived in Muscogee County, Georgia. Tompkins had significant land holdings and no heirs, and she planned to leave her estate to two charities. However, distant cousins became aware of the situation and “held her hostage in her own home,” Butler said, while forcing her to change her will.

Several lawyers, including Butler, took on the case and “we broke up that gambit, got her will changed back. The last time I checked in those two charities had collected $26 million.”

Throughout his legal career, Butler has supported UGA and the School of Law, specifically its student veterans.

He provided the lead donation to fund the school’s Veterans Legal Clinic. The unit, which opened its doors in 2018, assists Georgia veterans with claims before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and provides law students an opportunity to engage with real-world clients, cases and communities.

He also established the Butler Commitment, which guarantees financial assistance to 100% of veterans who matriculate at the School of Law.

With gifts made to the law school in memory of his father, Lt. Cmdr. James E. Butler Sr., who was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot, and his brother, Dennis Butler, who served in the U.S. Army, Butler said he considers it an honor to help the law school support those who have served our country.

Recognizing his deep level of commitment, the School of Law recently named the Dean Rusk Hall courtyard in his honor. It is located near the Butler Courtroom on the first floor of Rusk Hall.

Now the founding partner of Butler Prather – which has offices in Atlanta, Columbus and Savannah – Butler said he prefers the courtroom to the business side of leading a law firm, but acknowledges how lucky he is.

“I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun with the people I’ve worked with,” he said, noting several of his colleagues have worked with him for 30-plus years. “We’ve got a lot of people who have been around a long time. I’ve always liked working with good lawyers, especially with our paralegals and investigators. They’re just top notch.”

Butler noted that he has a rule at his firm – no glass ceilings – that came about after he went to law firms as a young lawyer and saw some of those organizations’ working styles.

Ultimately, Butler said the key to his success boils down to a few things. “I would say it’s been great cases, great clients, great teamwork and really hard work – in that order.”

GRADUATE PROFILES

Melanie Wilson

ADVANCING EDUCATION WITH TENACITY

Melanie D. Wilson (J.D.’90) relishes her role as a law school leader and professor. She feels that she is able to pay forward the education, support and advocacy that she received as a UGA student.

Wilson had a rewarding career practicing law before entering academia including work at law firms and positions such as assistant U.S. attorney and assistant attorney general for the state of Georgia. However, legal education was her true calling.

“It was somewhat fortuitous, but I always loved law school,” she said. “I always loved learning the law and talking about the law, so it was an easy transition for me.”

Wilson originally pursued a law degree because she knew it would provide her with a good, broad professional education that would make many great opportunities available to her. She was particularly inspired by her parents, who did not attend college. They encouraged Wilson to pursue education and assured her that she could be and do anything she desired.

“They instilled in me not only a sense that education is power but also that I could achieve something,” she said. “It didn’t matter what my gender was, it didn’t matter what my background was, and it didn’t matter their background. It was basically just hard work that would get it done, and that was really influential.”

Being a successful student is one of her proudest accomplishments.

“That may sound mundane, but I think when you come from a family who didn’t have those opportunities, you have an appreciation for how valuable that education is,” she said.

Wilson attended UGA for both her undergraduate and law degrees. “I had such a great experience in Athens – at Georgia – both for my undergraduate experience and certainly at the law school,” Wilson said. “Every accomplishment that I’ve had professionally goes back to my time at UGA. I sit in a lot of gratitude for the great education and experience I had there.”

The first semester of law school was the toughest part of Wilson’s legal education. Beginning law school felt intimidating, and it took her time to get acclimated with the new environment.

Wilson said she was “just very dedicated, worked really hard and stayed focused” on what she was doing. “I worried about learning. I worried about taking advantage of all of the opportunities – all of the lecturers who came, the great professors we had,” she said.

Wilson’s favorite professor was University Professor, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor & Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law Dan T. Coenen. She first had Coenen for her Contracts course during her first year of law school, which happened to be the year Coenen began teaching at the School of Law. Coenen also taught Wilson Constitutional Law I and II.

When beginning her career in academia, Wilson would return to UGA to watch Coenen teach to be reminded of what great law professors look like, how they prepare for classes and how they engage their students. Wilson practices these techniques as a law professor, her favorite aspect of her job.

“Being in the classroom is unparalleled,” she said. “Really seeing people learn and grow and think about things in new ways and really develop as lawyers, that’s tough to beat.”

In addition to being Dean and the Steinheimer, Jr., Professor of Law at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, Wilson’s commitment to the betterment of legal education is furthered by her involvement in the Association of American Law Schools. The nationwide body works to uphold and advance excellence in legal education by serving as an institutional membership organization for law schools and as a learned society for individual law faculty members.

When assuming the one-year presidency of the group in January, she announced her theme for the organization: “Courage in Action.” The theme resonates with her and reflects her vision for the future of legal education.

“We’re trying to prepare students to be courageous advocates for their clients and to stand up when it’s difficult and when the easy thing to do would be to remain quiet,” she said. “With technology changing so much, it really is a time when we have to be courageous in adapting, changing and preparing our students for the practice in law that looks different than when I graduated.”

Through the changing times, Wilson remains optimistic for the future and the next generation of lawyers. She said interacting with law students and young people has shown her how smart, thoughtful and committed they are to creating a better tomorrow.

“I hope that they get confidence,” she said. “I hope they get a good education. I hope they get a sense that grades aren’t everything, that they can be healthy and happy and good lawyers and good people.”

Wilson offered advice to aspiring legal professionals, including taking risks and being honest with yourself about your strengths. She emphasized authenticity above all else.

“When you interact with the world, you’ve got to be your real self and not pretend to be what somebody wants you to be, because that’s just exhausting,” she said.

—Mason A. Brock

Trey Smith

ENCOURAGING HIS COMMUNITY

This August, Trevon R. “Trey” Smith (J.D.’17) celebrated his five-year anniversary working at Athletes First, a sports agency that represents all football-related talent including players, coaches, personnel and broadcasters.

As a full-time National Football League agent, Smith counsels over 25 clients, helping them with “everything under the sun on a day-to-day” basis, including contract negotiation, network building and management of their endorsement deals.

When Smith is not handling things with his current players, he is talking to prospective clientele, networking with potential contacts or traveling to see a prospective or current client. However, the most important aspect of Smith’s career is creating a sense of community and building authentic relationships.

“I’m not in this business for transactions,” Smith said. “It’s the brotherhood. It’s about building meaningful, lifelong relationships with my client and [the] family. They don’t look at me as their agent. They look at me as a part of their family, someone who they can lean on and trust.”

Smith finds his work as an agent gratifying. He enjoys seeing his clients grow both personally and professionally.

“To be able to see them realize their dreams, to be there for the ride, and to be a small part of that, I think that’s the most rewarding part of the job,” he said.

There are many stressful aspects to Smith’s work as an agent such as growing his portfolio, staying connected with his clients and managing their expectations and those of their family members. Smith said his time in law school prepared him for this position well, as it taught him how to think on the fly and work in a fast-paced environment while remaining efficient and solution-oriented.

Smith attended Marquette University for his first year of law school and realized that the school was not a good fit for him personally. When he was applying to transfer, UGA was on the top of his list. He noted the Georgia Bulldog football scene as a key point of interest for him.

“I wanted to go back home, and I wanted to get into sports,” Smith said. “So what other place to go to get into sports than UGA? [Head Football Coach Kirby Smart] was just getting there, and you could feel the energy shifting. It was just kind of like a perfect scenario.”

Law school challenged Smith more than any other education he received. High school was easy for him, and he had access to tutors, mentors and support staff during his undergraduate years at both Western Michigan University and Jacksonville State University, where he played football.

“So when you get to law school as a former athlete, that’s kind of your first time being hit with the rigors of actually having to commit to school [and studying],” Smith said.

He learned how to be a better student as he continued his legal

education and learned from his professors. His favorite professor was University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues, who taught his Corporations class. She was able to push Smith academically while also providing him with a sense of belonging as a transfer student.

“She challenged me to the furthest extent, as far as I have ever been challenged in class,” he said. “She revealed something in me that I didn’t know I had – the ability to be disciplined in schoolwork.”

As Smith progressed through law school, he found his greatest pillar of support in Lara Pulliam, the School of Law’s chief of staff. He would visit Pulliam’s office in between and after his classes whenever he wanted to talk about the challenges he was facing.

He recalled his first conversation with Pulliam over the phone. She called him about his receipt of the Stacey Godfrey Evans Scholarship, a scholarship that provides support for School of Law students who are Georgia residents and first-generation college graduates. Smith was grateful for obtaining the scholarship and recognized his accomplishments as a first-generation student.

“The meaning behind the scholarship is what makes it so rewarding – to be first-generation – and anybody that’s firstgeneration understands what that means,” Smith said. “You didn’t have anybody to look to or lean on, so you had to be the one to trailblaze that.”

Smith said the scholarship and getting through law school put him in a position where he could give hope and inspiration to both his family and his hometown of Perry.

“I have younger cousins, younger siblings looking at me like ‘Okay, if Trey can do it, I can do it.’ I think that’s the best thing about it,” he said.

Smith hopes to influence not only his family but also the next generation of sports agents. When Smith was starting out in the field, older agents provided him with dissuading advice, calling athlete management a tough business that they were unsure Smith would want to enter. However, these words did not deter him. Unlike the agents he spoke to, he plans to provide aspiring future colleagues with encouraging guidance.

Smith said he will say, “I’ll talk you into it. If that’s what you want to do, do it. But understand that it comes with a level of work and organized chaos that you have to be comfortable with.”

—Mason A. Brock

Daniels shares roadmap to success as Early Lecturer

Yvette Daniels (J.D.’89) served as the keynote speaker for the 24th Mary Frances Early Lecture, which honors Early, who helped integrate the university in 1961. Daniels, the director of university relations for the Georgia Department of Public Health, encouraged attendees to step out of their comfort zones, to push themselves and to not worry about what others think.

Law School Life

University honors law school alums and friends

UGA recognized its 2024 Alumni Awards honorees in April. Among them were the School of Law’s Wyck Knox Jr. (LL.B.’64) and David Dove (J.D.’14), who received Family of the Year and Young Alumni honors, respectively. The law school has also received strong support from the Callaway Foundation, which was presented with the Friend of UGA award, and Susan Waltman, who was given an Alumni Merit honor. At the event were: (l. to r.) David Dove, Shell and Wyck Knox and UGA President Jere Morehead (J.D.’80). Photo by UGA Marketing & Communications.

Portrait unveiled of longtime supporter

This spring, 1975 alumnus Joel Wooten was recognized with a portrait unveiling. A longtime supporter of the University System of Georgia, UGA and the law school, Wooten – pictured with his wife, Sybrina – has served as chair of the Board of Regents and as a member of both the law school’s Board of Visitors and Law School Association Council. In 2012, he received the law school’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award. The portrait now hangs in the law school conference room that bears his name.

Black

alumni reception gives students and grads time together

The annual UGA Law Black Alumni Reception – which gives current students and School of Law graduates an opportunity to network and spend time together – was held in February at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta. Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson (J.D.’04) served as the event’s keynote speaker. Photo by M. Mixon Photography.

Photo by UGA Marketing & Communications.