R e p u b l i c o f G e o rg i a E sta b l i s h e d :
1991 26,911 4,483,800 227 Ar e a ( s q u a r e m i l e s ) :
P o p u lat i o n ( 2 0 1 2 ) :
Judges (2010):
“It was the first peaceful, democratic change of power in the history of the Republic of Georgia,” says Tkeshelashvili, who, beginning in 1995, served in various roles in the Georgian government before his party was voted out in October 2012. The Republic of Georgia, a nation of about 4.5 million nestled in the Caucasus Mountains between Western Asia and Eastern Europe and a sovereign nation only since 1991, became independent when the Soviet Union collapsed. The republic’s first 22 years of existence have not been without difficulty, but in the past decade, Georgia has seen corruption decreasing, business growing, and its ties to democratic Western Europe and the United States strengthening. As in the United States, the Republic of Georgia took time to transition between the election and the new government ascending to power. By the time that happened in April 2013, Tkeshelashvili was set to begin the next phase of his life and career. He reconnected with some old friends at his alma mater, Emory Law, and added new titles to his résumé: adjunct professor and associate director of the Center for International and Comparative Law. He also took up a new challenge—creating and captaining an institute that helps developing nations pursue culturally applicable democracy-building experiences similar to those he helped lead in Georgia.
Long history of collaboration Emory’s relationship with the Republic of Georgia dates back more than two decades, and it has touched the
highest levels of Georgian government. Former Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze 93B, for instance, is a graduate of Goizueta Business School. The late Harold Berman, Emory’s first Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law, opened the door to Georgia, often visiting there (as well as other regions of the former Soviet Union) during his more than 20 years on the Emory Law faculty. Kenneth Walker 56OX 58C 63M 65MR 70MR, professor of medicine and neurology at the School of Medicine, established the AtlantaTbilisi Healthcare Partnership in 1992 (Atlanta and the Georgian capital are sister cities), and it is still going strong today. In fact, it was Walker who first connected Tkeshelashvili to Emory. In 2004, Tkeshelashvili had served in the Georgian parliament for nearly 10 years, and he was looking to do something different. He decided to spend a year in the US pursuing a master of laws (LLM) degree. That’s when a mutual friend in Tbilisi introduced him to Walker. The medical school professor took an immediate liking to the young politician and, upon learning of Tkeshelashvili’s plans to attend law school at another institution, made plans to steal him away. Walker contacted Emory Law and encouraged the school to pursue Tkeshelashvili. Tkeshelashvili entered Emory Law in fall 2005. He met Professor of Law Nat Gozansky, then director of the LLM program, and the two became fast friends. Tkeshelashvili earned his LLM in 2006, then went home to a new job in the Georgian Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection.
E m o r y L aw y e r Fa l l 2 0 1 3
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