Emory Lawyer | Fall 2010

lawyer 

fall 2010 / winter 2011

For the Greater Good Emory Law alumni serve their communities

Reunion 2010

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ore than 200 alumni, family and friends joined Emory Law faculty, students and staff for reunion parties in September. Photos from the class parties are available at www.law.emory.edu/alumni, by clicking on Reunion, or visiting our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/emorylaw.

Mark your calendars for the 2011 Emory Law Reunion Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. We will celebrate classes ending in 1 or 6.

Associate Dean for External Affairs Susan Fitzgerald Carter, JD Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Timothy L. Hussey, APR Editor Wendy R. Cromwell Associate Director of Publications Contributors Liz Chilla, Assistant Manager of Communications Holly Cline Lori Johnston Tom Kosman 76L Polly J. Price 86C 86G, Professor of Law Ginger Pyron Art Direction/Design Winnie Hulme Photography Caitlin Berberich 06L Neal S. Cohen 03L Sarah I. Coole Wendy R. Cromwell John Halvey 86L 86B Daniel Hougendobler 12L Caroline Joe Tom Kosman 76L Aaron Mason 96L Gary Meek Courtney O’Donnell 10L Cover illustration Brian Stauffer About Emory Lawyer Emory Lawyer is published three times a year by Emory University School of Law and is distributed free to alumni and friends.

Produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

Contact Us Send letters to the editor, news, story ideas and class notes to Wendy R. Cromwell, Emory University School of Law, 1301 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322; wendy.cromwell@emory.edu or 404.712.5384.

Accolades Emory Law won three Certificates of Excellence in the annual Georgia PRSA Phoenix Awards for Emory Lawyer, the admission brochure More Than Practice and Reputation Brand Management Programs.

Emory Law also won an Award of Excellence for the 2010 magazines in the Print Excellence Competition of the Printing and Imaging Association of Georgia.

Correction In the spring 2010 issue of Emory Lawyer, we mistakenly announced the death of S. Gaye Reese Moody 80L. We are pleased to report that Moody is alive and appreciate her understanding. Š 2010 Emory University School of Law. All rights reserved. Articles may be reprinted in full or in part if source is acknowledged.

Change of address: Send address changes by mail to Office of Development and Alumni Records, Emory University, 1762 Clifton Road, Plaza 1000, Atlanta, GA 30322.

Email: Communications@law.emory.edu Website: www.law.emory.edu

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fall 2010 / winter 2011

FEATURES

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Meet the Class of 2013

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For the Greater Good

BY HOLLY CLINE

Emory Law alumni take responsibility of serving their communities seriously

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PERSPECTIVE

17 Presidential Management Fellows

BY LORI JOHNSTON

Emory Law gets three prestigious fellowships for first time

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The History of the Harvest Moon Ball

BY TOM

KOSMAN 76L

Annual dance wasn’t sanctioned by administration in beginning

19 Alexander Urges Mortgage Reform

BY WENDY R. CROMWELL

New Sam Nunn Chair for Ethics and Professionalism invested

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Elliott 63c 66l Receives Georgia Bar Foundation Award

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BY ELIZABETH CHILLA

BY GINGER PYRON

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Goodwin 99l Serves as U.S. Senator for 117 Days Alumnus represents West Virginia until after November election

22 Long Days for nyse General Counsel

BY WENDY R. CROMWELL

DEPARTMENTS

John K. Halvey 86l 86b admits job has certain ‘cool factor’

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Dean’s View

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Associate Dean Carter Takes on New Role

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In Brief

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Class Notes

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In Memoriam

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Faculty Voices

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Giving Back

BY WENDY R. CROMWELL

School welcomes new alumni director and interim chief development officer

Dean’s View

A Time to Give

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s 2010 draws to a close, our students reminded me about the importance of giving back to others. Given our numerous daily tasks and stresses, it is often easy to forget that law is, by its very nature, a profession of service.

The Emory Law Student Bar Association recently partnered with its counterpart at Goizueta Business School to provide gifts and cold weather clothes, as well as a party (complete with a visit from Santa), for Ms. Paxton’s second grade class at Venetian Hills Elementary School in Atlanta. The drive was so successful that there were additional toys and clothing to donate to a local shelter. The ­students hope to make this an annual partnership between Emory Law and Goizueta.

This is just one small example of the generosity and willingness to serve others that is alive and well in our s­ tudents.

Whether they are raising money to provide toys for children, helping a public service organization through an epic grant or fighting to defend their clients in juvenile court, our students embrace the service-­oriented nature of the legal profession.

At this time of year, it seems appropriate to celebrate Emory Law’s rich history and tradition of doing good in the world. From the school’s founding in 1916 to leading the fight to desegregate public schools and universities in Georgia, our alumni, students and faculty members have made a commitment to improve the communities in which they live.

This semester, we celebrated the achievements of my colleague Professor Frank S. Alexander with his investiture as the Sam Nunn Chair for Ethics and Professionalism.

For years, Frank has set an example with his inspiring work focused on affordable housing, homelessness, urban redevelopment and state and local government law. You can read more about Frank’s investiture on page 19.

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In recent years, Emory Law committed additional resources toward public interest by revivifying the Loan Repayment Assistance Program begun in the early 2000s. The program helps graduates from the class of 2004 and onward who choose to pursue public interest jobs by offsetting their educational debt through financial assistance. Emory Law’s lrap was established through the combined efforts of students, alumni, faculty and staff.

The program is supported through your generous donations. To learn more or to find out how you can support the lrap, visit www.law.emory.edu/lrap.

The Emory Public Interest Committee, one of our most active student organizations, has made a tremendous impact by providing our students with public interest work opportunities through its summer grant program. epic has not only allowed more students to ­pursue this important work, but also has helped to increase general interest in public service among the entire student community.

Finally, on page 10 in this issue of Emory Lawyer, we focus on alumni and students who are embracing law as a service profession. We honor their commitment and their sacrifice.

They remind each of us to give something back to our local, state and national communities, whether it be toys for a local school, the gift of outstanding pro bono legal assistance or expertise in housing policy.

David F. Partlett Dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law

In Brief

Turner Clinic Arguing in Nuclear Licensing Proceeding

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uring the fall semester, Emory’s Turner Environmental Law Clinic has been involved in a major licensing matter before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Turner Clinic — on behalf of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, National Parks Conservation Association and two individuals — is seeking formal intervention in the licensing proceeding for two nuclear

The Turner Environmental Law Clinic team working on the Turkey Point case includes: first row from left, Mindy Goldstein, Maggie Wendler 11L and DeKeely Atkins 03MPH 11L; second row from left, Lary Sanders, Tamara Schiff 12L, Sarah Morse 07C 11L, Carter Thurman 13L, Michael Dunn 12L and Matt Shectman 11L.

Nourse Nominated by President Obama to U.S. Court of Appeals Former L.Q.C. Lamar Professor of Law Victoria Nourse has been nominated by President Obama to serve on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Nourse is the Burrus-Bascom Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School, specializing in criminal law, legislation, constitutional history and the separation of powers. She is known for her role in assisting then-Sen. Joseph Biden in drafting the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, part of the Biden-Hatch Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

In 2008, she became the L.Q.C. Lamar Professor of Law at Emory Law, a position she held concurrently with her Wisconsin chair until earlier this year.

reactors at Turkey Point on Biscayne Bay in Florida. The proposed site is adjacent to Everglades and Biscayne Bay National Parks. Its construction would destroy hundreds of acres of wetlands within the Everglades.

Under the supervision of Acting Director Larry Sanders and Staff Attorney Mindy Goldstein, the Turner Clinic filed a 106-page reply in the first round of briefing on Oct. 1. The clinic’s student-attorneys recorded approximately 275 hours of work over three weeks, in addition to attending classes.

“All seven students this semester played a vital, substantive role in producing the reply brief,” Sanders says.

“Their work and dedication has been remarkable.”

In November, the board will hear oral arguments on the petitions to intervene in the licensing proceeding during a hearing in Homestead, Fla. Four Turner Clinic student-attorneys — DeKeeely Atkins 03mph 11l, Matt Shechtman 11l, Carter Thurman 13l and Maggie Wendler 11l — have been granted permission by the aslb to argue parts of the case.

Shanor Appointed to Panel Examining Atlanta’s Public Employee Pension System

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n June, Professor Charles Shanor was appointed to a panel established by the mayor to look at Atlanta’s public employee pension system. The panel is analyzing the pension system components to then provide options to the mayor and city council concerning the city’s funding shortfall (estimated at more than $1.5 billion). Certain options would require action by the Georgia General Assembly as well as by city officials.

Shanor’s background in the labor field and in federal constitutional law led to Shanor this appointment.

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In Brief

Partlett and Buzbee Represent Emory Law in China

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mory Law Dean David F. Partlett and Professor William Buzbee traveled to China representing Emory Law in June.

Partlett joined Emory University administrators and faculty for a trip sponsored by the Office of International Affairs and the Halle Institute. The group visited universities in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai, meeting with faculty members and administrators, presenting papers from their respective fields and holding receptions for Emory alumni, students, parents and friends. The visit aimed at strengthening Emory’s ties with China and helping to promote Emory as an international destination.

Partlett meets with officials at Peking University Law School.

Buzbee’s visit, organized in part by Emory’s Halle Institute, was an opportunity to engage in two-way conversation about environmental law and policy with several of China’s top legal minds.

He met separately with environmental law professors from China’s top law schools, government prosecutors and Western lawyers working in the China offices of Clifford Chance and Wilmer Hale, as well as lawyers Buzbee speaks with students at the from the Natural University of International Business and Resources Economics Law School in Beijing.

Defense Council.

Buzbee lectured on environmental law enforcement and litigation at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. He discussed proposed U.S. climate change legislation and ways in which citizens and state governments have addressed gaps and weaknesses in federal environmental law. He also answered questions on the U.S. response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sears Elected to Emory’s Board of Trustees

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ormer Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears 80l has been elected to Emory University’s Board of Trustees.

Nominated by the Emory Alumni Board, she was elected as an alumni trustee in June.

“Throughout her career, Justice Sears has exemplified the values essential to Emory as we advance our mission of courageous inquiry,” says Rosemary Magee 82PhD, vice president and Sears 4

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University secretary. “Given her background, commitments and expertise, she will make outstanding contributions to the Emory University Board of Trustees.”

Sears became the first woman and the youngest person ever to sit on the Supreme Court of Georgia in February 1992. She retained her seat on the state’s Supreme Court by winning a statewide election in fall 1992, making her the first woman to win a contested statewide election in Georgia. She was sworn in as chief justice on June 28, 2005.

In 2009, Sears joined Schiff Hardin llp as a partner in the litigation group after retiring from the court. She is

a visiting professor on contemporary issues in family law at the University of Georgia School of Law and serves as the William Thomas Sears Distinguished Fellow in Family Law at the Institute for American Values.

In 2001, she received the Emory Medal, Emory University’s highest honor.

The 41-member Board of Trustees oversees the governance and long-range fiduciary health of the University. Alumni trustees serve six years. Nominees are selected by the Emory Alumni Board and submitted to the Board of Trustees for consideration and approval.

In Brief

New Barton Center Director Appointed

EPIC Tackles Poverty in Atlanta

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he Emory Public Interest Committee held its seventh annual conference, “Next Door, but Worlds Apart: Conversations about Poverty in Metro Atlanta,” on Oct. 2. The conference highlighted six historically impoverished Atlanta neighborhoods, identifying specific problems the communities face and solutions that have effected positive change.

Discussions focused on how access to quality health care, education and housing is limited for impoverished persons and ways to improve access. Panelists also addressed discrimination in environmental equality and criminal justice, as well as the unique challenges faced by impoverished women.

McClure Honored by Equal Justice Works

Melissa Dorris Carter is the new director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center.

She began Dec. 1.

Carter has been associated with the Barton Center for years, having interned through the Summer Child Advocacy Program and having served as the Barton Post-Graduate Fellow in Law for two years.

She has held leadership positions in the federCarter ally funded Court Improvement Projects of both Georgia and Illinois and in private practice as an adoption attorney. She was deputy director of Georgia’s Office of the Child Advocate for three years before being appointed director in February. Carter is a published scholar on child welfare policy and a federal child welfare reviewer and an active member and former chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Juvenile Law Committee. She earned her JD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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eri Plummer McClure 88l, senior vice president for United Parcel Service, was recognized for her leadership in public interest law at the Equal Justice Works Awards Dinner on Oct. 21. She received the organization’s Scales of Justice Award for her work in promoting equality, justice, diversity, public service and pro bono service.

A 15-year employee of ups, McClure oversees the company’s legal, compliance and public affairs activities worldwide. She is known for her service on various bar associations and boards including, the ups Foundation, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. McClure was honored with Emory Law’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008.

Emory Law Students Participate in “Project Engage” A group of first-year Emory Law students volunteered at the Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta in August as part of “Project Engage,” a pilot project organized by Katherine Brokaw, assistant dean of students, and students Rachel Fox 11L, Merriam Mikhail 12L and Ben Katz 12L. Project Engage incorporates public interest law into a community service project for incoming Emory Law students.

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In Brief Congratulations to Alumni Who Passed the July 2010 Georgia Bar Exam Class of 2010 Jeffrey Daniel Abrams Olabukola Sherifat Akande Gideon Isaac Alper Rachel Abena Amporful Jaimie Roberta Anderson Eric Michael Astrin Christie Lynn Ayotte Carson Hughes Bacon Adam Patrick Balthrop Katie Lamb Balthrop Michael Jay Bargar Christopher Michael Barr Sylvia Maria Bass Tricia Ann Beckmann Jenna Maria Bowen Sharonda Helen Boyce Tyler Harris Bridgers Todd Franklin Chatham Wei-lin Chen Jessica Sarah Cohen Dustin Lee Crawford Lauren Elizabeth Crisman Taylor Layne Davis Marguerite Lee De Voll Elizabeth Lauren Devor Richard Alexander Driftmeier Erin Nicole East Jason Fernando Esteves Tripoli Aley Freeman William Warren Gill Welles Drew Gilliland Brandon Cory Goldberg Courtney Ann Henderson Joseph Robert Hicks Michael Alan Holcomb Henry Ili Hsu Gloria Dermei Huang Simone Nichole Jenkins Melissa Denise Johnson Willa Beth Kalaidjian Andrew James Kalt Benjamin Bartholomew Kandy Miyong Mary Kang Michael Gregory Karamat Thomas Jefferson Kerr James Winston Kim Margaret Murphy Leary Christopher Ryan Lee Chelsey Tulis Lester Myles Daniel Levelle Daniel Stephen Levitas Adam Michael Linkner Thomas Manuel Lopez Rhani Morris Lott Dominique Annida Martinez Adam Mills Masarek Vladimir Maslyanchuk Marcela Claudia Mateo

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Christopher Benjamin Matheison John Lawrence Mays Douglas Edward McKay Martha Elizabeth McLain Payum Sean Milani-nia Valerie Marie Munafo Paula Muthu Nagarajan Craig Nathaniel Nydick Courtney Ann O’Donnell Angela Kay Oliver William Johnston Oppenheimer Parul Harshad Parikh Eun A Park Peter Douglas Pasciucco Nikhil Patel Nicole Susan Phillis Brittni Alecia Pitts Paul William Puckett Meghan McIntee Rachford Kim Carina Ramelow Matthew Ironside Remm Wyatt Andrew Robinson Nancy Diane Rosenberg John Joseph Runfola Danielle Beatrice Russell Sean Charles Ryan Junaid Savani Drew Kendall Shumate Mario Signori Lindsay Jaclyn Sklar Adam Philip Smith Jessica Lynn Smith Rustin Lee Smith Sean Christian Sobottka Thomas Cullen Stafford Crystal Dawn Stevens Brandon Alexander Thomas Kimberly Marie Tracey Erica Levine Tritt Justin Kyle Victor Valerie Rose Warner Danin Amanda Elizabeth Wilson Amanda Noelle Wilson Shaun Ryan Yancey Melissa Ellen Ysaguirre Class of 2003 Mary Elizabeth Chappell Class of 2005 Chad Frederick Slieper Class of 2007 Kevin Ruben Sanchez Class of 2008 Noel Jason Bartels Class of 2009 Rebecca McLean Hemmings Coby Reid Leslie

Georgia AG Candidates Debate

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eorgia attorney general candidates Democrat Ken Hodges 88c, former district attorney in Dougherty County and a partner at Baudino Law Group in Atlanta; Republican Sam Olens 83l, the former Cobb Commission chair; and Libertarian Don Smart 75l, a lawyer with Smart & Harris in Savannah, answered questions on Georgia’s role in the tri-state water litigation, increasing funding for indigent defense and enforcing immigration laws, during a debate on Sept. 20 in Tull Auditorium.

The debate was sponsored by Emory Law and the Fulton County Daily Report.

Olens won the November election. He will succeed ­fellow alumnus Thurbert Baker 79l.

Fleming New EPA Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming 93L was named the new Southeast regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency by President Barack Obama. She announced her resignation as DeKalb County district attorney on Sept. 1 and began her new job on Sept. 7. As administrator, Fleming oversees eight states, including Georgia, and six tribal nations.

Fleming was the first African-American and first woman district attorney in DeKalb County. She was honored with Emory Law’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007.

Meet the Class of 2013

Large Class Continues Tradition of Excellence

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hough one of our largest classes ever, our new first-year students continue the strong Emory Law tradition of academic excellence and community leadership. Last year, we received a record 4,583 ­applications, making the competition for admission tougher than ever.

With a median lsat of 166 and undergraduate gpa of 3.54, the 293 students who comprise the class of 2013 exceeded our admission expectations. As you get to know these future Emory lawyers, I am confident you will agree that the future of our community is in good hands.

Already, two first-year students formed our first Military Law Society. The society teamed up with outlaw, our lgbt student group, to address the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy this fall as Congress debated the issue. A group of first-year students volunteered at the Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta d ­ uring Orientation. Other students volunteered with Atlanta projects such as the Oakhurst Community Garden and Jerusalem House.

The economic situation facing prospective ­students led to a larger than expected matriculation rate. However, we remain committed to maintaining the close community and individualized attention for each of our classes that underscores the Emory Law student experience.

Thank you for your help in referring the best and ­brightest. — Ethan Rosenzweig 02l, Assistant Dean for Admission and Financial Aid

Class of 2013 Profile

LSAT Score Comparison number of first-year students

Applicants . . . . 4,583 Enrolled . . . . . . 293 Male . . . . . . . . . 57% Female . . . . . . . 43%

150 120

Ethnicity

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n White/Caucasian . . . . . . . . . . . . 61% Underrepresented groups . . . . . . . . 33% n Asian American . . . . . . . . . . . 13% n Multiethnic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% n Hispanic American . . . . . . . . . . 7% n African American . . . . . . . . . . . 5% n Did not report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6%

60 30

2006

0

<165 165 166 167 168 >168

100

Geographic areas represented

80

n n n n n n

60

40 20

2010

Class percentiles LSAT GPA Median . . . . . . . . . 166. . . . 3.54 25th . . . . . . . . . . . 166. . . . 3.34 75th . . . . . . . . . . . 167. . . . 3.69

0

South (non-Georgia). . . . . . . . . 44% Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18% Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18% Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9% West/Southwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% Foreign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3%

<165 165 166 167 168 >168

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Meet the Class of 2013

Profiles from the First-Year Class

“To this day, June 18 is a sort of second birthday in my mind.”

Erica Eding 13L From: Fort Myers, Fla. Undergraduate institution: Flagler College Degree: Communication with a ­concentration in journalism, Spanish and Latin American studies Why Emory Law: Emory has a reputation in Florida for being an excellent law school.

I am also interested in the TI:GER program.

Fun fact: I have two dachshunds, Lulu and Heidi.

Application excerpt: The roles of lawyers and journalists in society are similar. They seek to inform, check overreaching power and protect basic human rights. However, there is a categorical difference. Lawyers can be advocates in ways that the objectivity of journalism will not allow.

That cold and exhausting morning in Chinchero, Peru, I discovered more than just my story’s angle. I realized that the next time someone admits that his or her rights are being violated, I want to do more than simply tell their story. I want to defend them.

Read the full essay at www.law.emory.edu/ fall10/Eding. Watch a video of Eding at www.youtube.com/EmorySchoolofLaw/ Eding.

“Lawyers can be advocates in ways that the objectivity of journalism will not allow.”

Ben Han 13L From: South Korea Undergraduate institution: New York University Degree: Economics Why Emory Law: The TI:GER program Fun fact: On Thanksgiving night 2007, I befriended a homeless man at a park in Manhattan and we hung out at my dorm.

Diversity statement excerpt: On June 18, 2001, my dad and I immigrated to the United States. Next year, my sister came on the Valentine’s Day, and my mother followed several months later. To this day, June 18 is a sort of second birthday in my mind.

Other immigration memoirs might include specific ways through which these ­obstacles were overcome. However, I do not recall such accounts. Or maybe I do not want to remember. I just did it.

I just tried to be happy each moment, conscious of the present condition and r­ ational about it. When I was living with my dad only, my uncle used to ask me if I miss my mother, and my answer was always no, and I meant it. Some asked me if I miss my brother (whom I did not get to see for eight years), and my response was the same. I looked forward to seeing him, but I wondered, “What’s the point of missing someone (does that somehow bring him to me?).” I did not seem to possess the sense of longing for someone that people ask about.

Read the full essay at www.law.emory.edu/fall10/Han. Watch a video of Han at www.youtube.com/EmorySchoolofLaw/Han.

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Ed Patterson 13L U.S. Army Captain

From: Washington, D.C. Undergraduate institution: University of Chicago Degree: History

“In Iraq, I confronted the most complicated situation yet.”

Elizabeth Redpath 13L Woodruff Scholar

From: High Point, N.C. Undergraduate institution: Davidson College, 2004

Why Emory Law? It was a combination of the quality of the ­faculty, the warmth of the community and location. Thankfully, the admission office also was very generous with its scholarship offer.

Fun fact: I just got married over the summer and spent several weeks in Southeast Asia on my honeymoon.

Application excerpt: Having to adapt quickly to uncomfortable or stressful situations had been required throughout my earlier life. In Iraq, I confronted the most complicated situation yet, but learned quickly and led endeavors that advanced our military interests by building and repairing, not destroying things. Being an officer in the Army taught me not only how to rise to the ­challenge in unfamiliar situations, as I had before, but how to be a leader in them.

Read the full essay at www.law.emory.edu/fall10/Patterson.

Watch a video of Patterson at www.youtube.com/ EmorySchoolofLaw/Patterson.

Degree: English Why Emory Law: I have called Atlanta home for six years now. I want to practice law in Atlanta and ultimately find a way to impact ongoing civil rights struggles throughout the Southeast. I am at Emory Law because of its national reputation, the open-door policy of renowned legal minds who genuinely care about teaching and the remarkable talent and diversity of my classmates.

I am incredibly proud to be a member of the Class of 2013.

I think everyone knows that we are a uniquely large class. From what I have seen so far, we also are uniquely ambitious, uniquely passionate, uniquely aware of how the legal profession is evolving, and uniquely committed to finding a niche that will not compromise our individual values and priorities.

Fun fact: I spend no less than 30 minutes per day in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. Whether running, walking, playing Ultimate Frisbee, cooking out or attending a festival, you never know what or who you will encounter in Piedmont Park — the best urban park in America (seriously!).

Application excerpt: As the younger sister of a severely disabled woman, I have felt the tangential impact of laws that fall short of protecting and valuing some of our most vulnerable citizens.

And as a gay woman, I have felt the direct impact of intolerance, ignorance and the consequences of a manifestly conjoined church and state. I have brimmed with rage, lost my voice at political rallies, regained my voice as a fledgling activist and on more than one occasion, struggled to maintain equanimity. Whether I am fighting for my sister or fighting for myself, I find myself fighting flawed laws, and I am well aware that ammunition is the product of education.

Read the full essay at www.law.emory.edu/fall10/Redpath. Watch a video at www.youtube.com/EmorySchoolofLaw/Redpath.

“I have felt the tangential impact of laws that fall short of protecting and valuing some of our most vulnerable citizens.”

“I just want to employ the skills I love to maybe one day fight for the little guy.”

Alexander Kass 13L From: Cleveland, Ohio Undergraduate institution: Wittenberg University Majors: Political Science and History Why Emory Law? In addition to the beautiful campus and reputation of Emory Law, when I came to the admitted student days and met everyone already here, and the people who would become my peers, the sense of community won me over.

Fun fact: I grew my hair out and donated it to Locks of Love, as did my two sisters, my brother and my mother.

Application excerpt: It has taken some time and different experiences for me to get to this point, but I am confident that the skills I have developed thus far have come together in a way that will make me successful in law. I could tell you that I want to save the world or fight for truth, justice and the American way, but really I just want to employ the skills I love to maybe one day fight for the little guy who has no one else to fight for him, like an informed second grader who just wants to vote.

Read the full essay at www.law.emory.edu/fall10/Kass. Watch a video of Kass at www.youtube.com/EmorySchoolofLaw/Kass.

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For the Greater Good

by Holly Cline

“I believe that the legal profession is a service profession.

All attorneys take an oath when they are admitted to the bar to make sure they understand that being a member is an incredible privilege that comes with great responsibility.”

— Professor Frank S. Alexander, Sam Nunn Chair for Ethics and Professionalism

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rofessor Frank S. Alexander is a strong advocate of public service. Throughout his career, he has worked with many nonprofit organizations, offering legal services to help find ways to eliminate or revitalize vacant properties.

“The legal profession is unique in its obligations to the common good,” says Alexander, general counsel for the Center for Community Progress. “As lawyers, we have a responsibility to use our time and talents to provide access to justice to those that may not have it or to seek a formulation of the law that serves the greater good.”

Through the Center for Community Progress, Alexander is addressing the country’s growing need for assistance with vacant properties, which the foreclosure crisis has compounded. As a professor, he has motivated many students to actively participate in the public interest sector.

With support from Alexander, other faculty, staff and alumni, Emory Law has increased programs and course offerings that focus on public interest law to expose more students. The student-run Emory Public Interest Committee provides opportunities to participate in public interest activities and has helped elevate interest. “epic is the backbone upon which we’ve built the structures and moving parts of public service at Emory,” Alexander says. “It fosters a true sense of community where we support and learn from one another.”

Several Emory Law alumni say Alexander inspired

“My time with the general counsel got me excited about government practice.

I worked on really challenging legal issues with a professional staff that took its work seriously.” — Stephen Chen 00l them to pursue a career in public service, including Ruth McMullin 00l.

“Frank Alexander is so passionate about the work he did on housing issues. His eyes would light up when talking about it,” McMullin says. “He encouraged those of us interested in public service to take the leap and follow our passion.”

That passion, along with support from the mentoring program, epic and the student body, led McMullin to the DeKalb County Public Defender’s office. She began as a third-year student and celebrated her 10th anniversary this fall.

“People who can’t afford lawyers should still have someone who is competent to serve them,” she says. “It’s not their fault that they are poor. They should not have to pay the consequences of not being represented.”

McMullin represents juveniles charged as adults and facing life in prison. She also assists in major felony cases with complicated dna or forensic evidence.

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“When some people see my work, they are shocked to find out I’m a public defender. Unfortunately, the public perception is that we’re lazy, but we work hard and are good attorneys,” she says. “I find it rewarding to effectively litigate for someone and hopefully change some of those perceptions and stereotypes.”

Ruth McMullin 00L McMullin’s classmate, Stephen Chen 00l, is familiar with such stereotypes. The summer he spent with the Department of Education’s general counsel gave him a new perspective.

“My time with the general counsel got me excited about government practice. I worked on really challenging legal issues with a professional staff that took its work seriously,” Chen says.

Now senior counsel for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, he advocates for equal access to education by ensuring that educational entities receiving federal funding comply with federal civil rights laws.

“I believe deeply that one can dramatically affect social change at the intersection of law and education,” Chen says. “We often investigate cases that involve people who may not have the resources to pursue any other form of legal recourse.

“On a larger scale, many social justice movements started in schools and universities,” Chen says. “There is such a rich legacy of civil rights in education… I love that the goal of our work is to make society and this country better, more just and more equitable.”

Answering a calling Through the American Bar Association, Bucky Askew 67l also takes a systematic approach to improving legal services for all. As the aba consultant on legal education, Askew ensures that accredited law schools are in compliance with aba standards.

“Our efforts are aimed at quality assurance and consumer protection and help lead to improvements to legal education over time,” he says. “Lawyers and judges founded the aba because they were worried about training and educating lawyers of the future. Today, aba-accredited law schools are viewed as the best in the world.”

Askew’s entire career has been in public interest thanks in part to the third-year requirement to work at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.

“For many of us it was our first exposure to the lack of legal services available for the poor and the problems they faced because of that,” he says. “It opened many of our eyes to the inequities and what a lawyer could do to help. …

Legal representation is very powerful in helping individuals solve everyday problems.

“There has been tremendous growth in clinical education and skills training in legal education. In fact, the aba now

Helping to Remedy Island Nation’s Water Systems After the Earthquake

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fter spending the summer in Haiti working on water systems, Daniel Hougendobler 12L 12PH looks at cholera outbreaks in simple terms — a water issue.

Hougendobler was part of a four­person Emory team working for Deep Spring International, a nonprofit organization founded by Michael Ritter 08PH devoted to implementing sustainable point-of-use safe water systems in Haiti.

“We were planning to go this summer before the January earthquake,” Hougendobler says. “We checked to see if it was still feasible and discovered it was more important after the quake because the water issues were dire. This was before the cholera outbreak.”

As of Dec. 16, the cholera outbreak had killed more than 2,400 people and sickened more than 54,500.

Hougendobler and Jason Myers 12T traveled to six locations in Haiti training water technicians on a new system and interviewing them about an older, more problematic filtration system.

Two other MPH students conducted quantitative research on incidences of water contamination and diarrhea to ­establish a link between the two.

“My legal training came into play with the interviews,” Hougendobler says. “The old water system had no replacement

­supplies, and the techs weren’t being paid. However, the old system was fancier than our system so we had a hard time getting them to transition to our simpler ­system, which was more sustainable.

The summer in Haiti counts as his MPH practicum while raising broader ethical questions for Hougendobler: Who should be responsible when good ­intentions do more harm than good? What ­happens when relief agencies throw piecemeal interventions at problems in an effort to help?

“We have a moral imperative to ­provide sustainable interventions,” he says.

“Otherwise, what happens when we leave an area with problems that didn’t exist before we intervened?”

In addition to his MPH practicum, Hougendobler is writing a report on the more general human rights situations that unsustainable interventions can create.

“We need to do a better job of educating people with good intentions about

Daniel Hougendobler 12L 12MPH (center), Eric Harshfield 12MPH (left) and Jason Myers 12T (right) visit with local children. the realities and get them to pool their resources and work with experts so the interventions are sustainable.

“I’m interested in policy-making, and the trip showed me the importance of policy at all levels,” he said. “It makes a big difference when decisions aren’t made in a vacuum.”

— Wendy R. Cromwell

has a standard requiring schools to offer substantial opporShe advocates for Emory Law students to explore tunities for pro bono participation,” he says. opportunities in public service. A member for the epic Askew also is noticing that many advisory board, Segal credits the program as being a major peers who don’t practice public service force in creating awareness and interest in this sector of law. full time volunteer their services pro “It’s important to expose students to public interest when bono, particularly those at larger they are deciding what career path to follow,” Segal says. private firms. Debbie Segal 79l “Through that exposure, they may decide to practice public runs Kilpatrick Stockton’s pro bono interest law full time or to incorporate pro bono work as ­practice. Over the last 10 years, she part of their practice. To learn, as a student, how it feels to has observed a shift. help someone in need is powerful.”

“Pro bono work has become a more Sharon Hill 85l, who also serves formal part of a law firm culture,” on the epic advisory board, agrees.

Debbie Segal 79L she says. “Firms all have their own After working for two large firms, cultures and expectations of how their lawyers will work in Atlanta Legal Aid and as a juvenile the community. Kilpatrick Stockton created my position to court judge, she serves as executive help make pro bono opportunities more accessible. Giving ­director for the Georgia Appleseed back through pro bono is now infused in our culture.”

Center for Law and Justice, which Pro bono work has helped raise morale among attorneys connects top private practice lawyers, and has been great for professional development, Segal says. corporate counsel, law schools, civic Sharon Hill 85L “Young lawyers get to run a case and be a decision-maker leaders and other professionals to earlier than they would with other firm cases. It also fulfills address social problems at their root causes. their desire to give back.”

“To me, public service work allows society to ensure that

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everyone gets service. If competent legal service is only rendered to those that can pay, we’d leave out a lot of people,” she says. “It’s helpful to have a sector of attorneys dedicated to those who can’t pay; otherwise we’re not providing the same level of service.”

Hill finds the nonprofit environment more nimble at pushing through change than the government sector.

“I enjoyed my work with the government, but to the extent that I wanted to change the way things are done, it was hard,” she says. Her efforts through Georgia Appleseed have produced results.

“We go deep and look at the root cause of issues, working with lawyers and other professionals to help be part of the answer,” Hill says. “By addressing certain injustices, even those not directly impacted can still benefit.”

As a prosecutor in New York City, Neal S. Cohen 03l learned of the impact he could make on an individual basis.

Another Alexander mentee, Cohen served as epic president and helped to re-launch Emory’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program.

“I have always enjoyed helping people,” he says. “I joined a firm after graduation and learned a great deal, but it wasn’t my true calling, so I went to the da’s office. In the courtroom, I learned how to present facts and litigate and gained a great deal of confidence.”

Now with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Cohen applies his courtroom skills to helping protect the public from unsafe products under the agency’s jurisdiction and is making an impact on a national level.

Neal S. Cohen 03L

Working in the Center of International Law

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ourtney O’Donnell 10L has a bird’s eye view of the International Criminal Court while living in the center of international law—The Hague.

An intern with the court’s Office of the President, O’Donnell works on external relations and judicial and legal functions.

The president is an appeals judge on the

Courtney O’Donnell 10L court who serves a three-year term as president.

“My job is a combination of both international relations and international criminal law,” says O’Donnell, who also holds a master’s in international relations from Georgia Institute of Technology. “For the 14

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external relations end, I help prepare the president for meetings with ambassadors, ministers, heads of state, etc.—whoever he may be meeting with either at the ICC itself or abroad.

“On the judicial/legal end, I help in providing background to legal questions that the president might be presented with and in summarizing current legal issues that the Court is facing so that the president is up-tospeed,” she says.

Though there was a slight learning curve when she arrived in September, O’Donnell was familiar with the court.

“I had done a lot of research on the court during my 1L summer when I worked for the Global Justice Center,” O’Donnell says. “I helped write a brief advocating that a country should be referred to the ICC. “I participated on an ICC Moot Court in my second and third years and took multiple courses on international law and international criminal law,” she says. “I have actually used my outlines from International Law and International Criminal Law. Cases O’Donnell is following include the Darfur case in which the president of Sudan has been under indictment and will not voluntarily appear before the court.

“The African Union instructed its

member nations to not comply with the arrest warrant,” O’Donnell says. “The Sudanese president recently visited Kenya and Chad, which are state parties of the ICC. However, the ICC can’t force the states to comply with the court’s orders.

The political and legal issues this situation presents are an interesting example of the overlap in international relations and international criminal law.”

Through her role in external relations, O’Donnell has attended meetings with foreign dignitaries, including a Kenyan delegation and a ceremony welcoming Bangladesh, a new state party, to the ICC. “There really isn’t one specific thing,” O’Donnell says when asked about her favorite part of the internship. “It’s just exciting to be here in person and be on the inside of the court.”

— Wendy R. Cromwell

The International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The court was established by a treaty, governed by the Rome Statute and is a court of last resort. It will not act if a case is being handled by a national judicial system, unless those proceedings are not genuine.

The court also only tries those accused of the gravest crimes.

— Source: International Criminal Court

EPIC Grant Leads to Balancing Church and State Issues at State Department

It’s the right thing to do Like Cohen, Aaron Mason 96l acquired great courtroom experience. He began as a state court prosecutor, before joining the Attorney General’s office.

Now, he serves as the new Clayton Court state judge.

“After practicing law in the public sector for 14 years, becoming a judge was a natural progression,” he says.

“I never thought people would be so interested in what I do, but I’m grateful to know that I’m having an impact beyond the courtroom,” he Aaron Mason 96L says. “It is proof that public service helps the legal profession by reminding the community that we share common interests. Also, it’s the right thing to do.”

A former clerk for then federal Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Alison Barkoff 99l, shares Mason’s sentiments.

After clerking, Barkoff joined the U.S. Department of Justice and gained hands-on litigation experience with disability law. She applied those skills at the nonprofit Bazelon Center for Mental Health.

“The nonprofit world is filled with really passionate people who are committed to helping people and making a difference on a local or even global level,” Barkoff says.

“Government work provides you with the opportunity to help others and have a huge national impact with federal support.”

This difference is why Barkoff returned to the Justice Department. She is continuing the work she started with Bazelon, but with federal resources. She maintains a deep belief in the justice system and the mission of enforcing civil rights laws.

J

enny Hernandez 12L 12T spent this summer balancing church and state.

Hernandez joined U.S. Department of State employees who attended events featuring Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Gen. David Petraeus through her internship with the Office of International Religious Freedom, which seeks to promote freedom of religion worldwide as a human right and a source of stability for countries.

“It also was really interesting to see the contrast between the public speeches of Clinton that I saw, which I knew everything she said would be taken as guidance for State, as opposed to the very informal speaking event where I saw Petraeus simply try to address and engage with State employees on the importance and issues of their day-to-day work,” she says.

Hernandez received one of 36 Emory Public Interest Committee summer grants, funding students working in public interest who otherwise would have gone unpaid.

The internship had Hernandez compiling information for the office’s annual 1,000-plus-page report on the state of religious freedom in all 195 countries.

Hernandez was part of a team that gleaned information from reports, working with embassies and doing database research to find examples of religious freedom and persecution in the Middle East and North Africa, specifically. The 195-­country report is mandated by and presented to Congress.

A major issue she learned about was the Moroccan government’s deportation of more 100 Christians, many American, within the past year, including some who had lived there more than a decade.

The charges were for proselytism to Muslims, or trying to convert Muslims to another religion, which is illegal in Morocco. Deportees were not allowed to appeal and have had to remain outside the country, despite owning property and businesses in Morocco. The situation included many complex issues, related to religious freedom — simple due process concerns and freedom of speech issues, Hernandez says.

Law and government need Jenny Hernandez 12L 12T to address religious freedom issues because if not, “you’re completely isolating a huge part of what makes society,” Hernandez says.

A person’s religious beliefs and how those beliefs translate to how one wishes to live have the potential to cause strife in society unless the state is aware and respectful of these beliefs and practices, she says.

“Religion is always viewed as the problem in many societal issues, but why isn’t religion part of the solution?” ­— Lori Johnston

“The nonprofit world is filled with really passionate people who are committed to helping people and making a difference on a local or even global level.”— Alison Barkoff 99l “Without engaging in public service, certain protections and laws are not effective. Whether it’s individual or systemic, public service humanizes the justice system and emphasizes its importance,” she says. “I work with a marginalized group of people who deserve access to the same opportunities to live as others do. My work helps make other’s lives full and meaningful, which is why I do it.”

A similar desire to help others led Cheri Tipton 97l to Atlanta Legal Aid. She started as a staff attorney with the Senior Citizens Law Project and had what she classifies as her most profound moment as a lawyer.

She was helping her client fight a guardianship petition.

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Berberich Helps Migrant Workers Thanks to Support from LRAP

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aitlin Berberich 06L planned to practice public service law when she arrived at Emory Law. She knew she would make substantially less money than if she joined a large private firm, but that didn’t sway her decision.

“I wanted to work with marginalized populations,” Berberich says. “I interned at Georgia Legal Services and helped with the farm worker program. I loved the work and employment law, so it became pretty clear to me which career path to follow.

“I knew that I wasn’t going to make much money, so I applied for LRAP. It definitely helped take some of the financial stress off and continues to help me and my family.”

Emory Law’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program helps graduates pursue public interest or public sector positions by offsetting their educational debt through financial assistance.

The combined efforts of students, alumni, faculty and staff helped to relaunch LRAP in the early 2000s. The program is available to the Class of 2004 and later.

“In an ideal world, students should be able to pursue whatever type of law they are most interested in practicing,” says Carolyn Bregman 82L, LRAP committee chair. “LRAP helps those students achieve their dreams. They may not have to embark on another path if we can reduce their financial burden.”

Berberich works with Southern Migrant Legal Services, a project affiliated with the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, in Nashville, Tenn. She represents migrant workers, litigating work-related claims on their behalf.

Many clients live in rural areas without access to legal services. The Caitlin Berberich 06L employment problems they face can have a devastating effect on their overall lives — Berberich is their advocate, helping to protect them from being exploited.

“I love the work I do and helping my clients. They really appreciate what we do for them,” Berberich says. “It’s rewarding to get justice and vindication for those that are seeking it.” ­— Holly Cline

Supporting LRAP To support LRAP, visit www.law.emory.edu/give then select “Law School Loan Repayment Assistance Program” from the pulldown menu.

During a home visit to investigate the merit of her client’s case, it became apparent that the woman did need a guardian.

“She kept insisting is that she had performed opera in some famous venues. I was skeptical. As I was leaving, she asked if I wanted to hear her sing. I was a young attorney, but for whatever reason, I had the good sense to listen,” she shares.

Her client then beautifully belted out an aria from Madame Butterfly.

“The confusion that once clouded her eyes was replaced with clarity. I gave her legal advice, but she provided me with the gift of being present while she connected to the part of herself that was still competent.”

Cheri Tipton 97L Tipton says her experience that day is the reason she is still with Atlanta Legal Aid. “The system can only survive if there exists a possibility that the playing field is capable of approaching level.”

Julie Mayfield 96l became a lawyer to create a more level playing field. After working with Amnesty International and the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Mayfield decided she could be a better nonprofit and human rights advocate with a jd.

After helping lead the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, she served as vice president and general counsel for the Georgia Conservancy, working on water, air, quality growth and coastal policy issues. Now executive director of Western North Carolina Alliance, Mayfield uses her legal expertise to influence ordinances and policies. She also helps the alliance chapters interpret environmental law.

“In the nonprofit world, there are two different levels: direct service or policy and advocacy,” Mayfield explains.

“One focuses on helping one person at a time and the other promotes systemic change that improves lives overall. Both provide an opportunity to make big changes in people’s lives and the world, which is why I work with nonprofits.”

Nonprofits do the best job advocating for people and the environment, Mayfield says, adding she always knew she’d end up working for one. Alexander knew it, too.

“When I graduated, I took a job with a firm,” Mayfield says. “Frank told me I had three years. I lasted two and a half at the firm and was working with a nonprofit soon after.”

Mayfield and other alumni follow Alexander’s advice.

Whether they focus entirely on public interest law or offer their services pro bono, they take on the responsibility that comes with the privilege of practicing law.

Holly Cline is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.

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Perspective

Presidential Management Fellows

by Lori Johnston

F

or the first time, three Emory Law graduates were named Presidential Management Fellows, participating in a 33-year-old program that identifies and trains future government leaders.

Gloria Huang 10l, Stacy Tolos Kane 10l and Angela Oliver 10l say their Emory education with their field placement and Emory Public Interest Committee experiences prepared them to compete among more than 8,000 applicants from U.S., Canadian and British universities. About 800 were chosen.

“Emory has always been known for its public interest work,” Oliver says. “Emory students really stood out in the way we showed our commitment to federal government work and to helping others.”

The intensive application process for the fellowship program includes nominations, a four-hour exam and interviews. Fellowship recipients are eligible to work for a federal agency, but must secure their positions on their own.

After completing two agency rotations in two years and 80 hours of training a year, they can be hired permanently.

Fellows are chosen from an array of academic disciplines and diverse social and cultural backgrounds, but all show an interest in and commitment to leading and managing public policies and programs.

Gloria Huang 10L “I didn’t go to law school thinking I would do public policy,” Huang says. “But through the years, just thinking about what I really wanted to do and what change I wanted to affect, policy seemed like a great way to do that.”

The Economic Development Administration’s role in awarding grants to economically depressed areas appealed to Huang.

“I thought that was valuable work, especially in the recession,” says Huang, who works in the eda’s Atlanta office.

Emory helped her develop analytical and critical thinking skills and provided the legal knowledge to understand federal regulations in the grantmaking process, Huang says.

“The field placement program was invaluable to my experience at Emory Law,” says Huang, who worked with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia as a student. “It really took me out of the classroom and into seeing the law at work and in the government.”

Stacy Tolos Kane 10L Kane, past EPIC president, sought to see how government worked from the inside.

Four days after the bar exam, she started with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Mission Support Bureau in Washington, D.C. In November, she became a special assistant to Alice Hill, senior counselor to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

One of her duties is working on a U.S. ­campaign to prevent human trafficking.

Law school trained her to analyze problems, a skill she is using as a fellow.

“I feel like I have a good ability to see where the holes are going to be and to try to figure out how to fix that problem,” she says.

“It’s a great way to be able to start your career in federal government and to be able to do policy work.” — ANGELA OLIVER 10L Angela Oliver 10L Oliver grew interested in public health through a field placement assignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So, she did not hesitate when the fellowship provided the opportunity to work in the cdc’s Arthritis Division.

“It’s a great way to be able to start your career in federal government and to be able to do policy work, which is something I’ve always been interested in,” she says.

Oliver is helping create arthritis policy initiatives and awareness, such as working on barriers to physical activity for individuals with arthritis.

“Law school really taught me the importance of using my law degree to serve others,” she says.

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Perspective

The History of the Harvest Moon Ball

By Tom Kosman 76L Editor’s note: A letter to the editor detailing the history of the Harvest Moon Ball arrived in August. Here is an excerpt: It seems like the students and administration aren’t as clear on the origins of the Harvest Moon Ball as they might be, so I took a few minutes to write the official history. I say “official” because if anyone can claim to have founded the Harvest Moon Ball, it would probably be me.

I helped found the Young Frankelmoin Legal Society (motto: Cum Grano Salis), a loose group in the Class of 1977 sometimes referred to as “The Crazies,” though usually with affection. We ran (with limited success) for Student Bar Association offices (staging Baby Kissing Day and mounting a kazoo band to play Hail to the Chief). We had a great softball team. We created memorable Law Day skits. And, as I explain in the enclosed article, we founded the Harvest Moon Ball.

T

he first Harvest Moon Ball was in October 1975 at the Big Dipper Lounge on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Its origin was the previous spring when the Young Frankelmoin Legal Society’s softball team held an awards banquet at the topless bar in the basement of Hotel Clermont. It was billed as a faux semi-formal — an opportunity for women to recycle tacky bridesmaid dresses and for Mason Barge 77l to break out his snakeskin jumpsuit.

The team and its fan base mingled with the regulars and staff at Hotel Clermont, gave out awards that memorialized any and all misadventures we could recollect and listened to a keynote address ramblingly delivered by our Contracts professor. The evening wrapped up with everyone — ­professors, softball players, patrons and strippers — dancing together on stage.

It was a hell of a good time. When we fondly recalled it the following fall, we realized there was no need to wait for softball season for a reprise, that any reason for a party would do. I am pretty sure it was Joe Leghorn 77l who came up with the name, Harvest Moon Ball.

Joe forwarded me the Emory Annual Fund’s Harvest Moon Ball page last fall with the observation that things seemed to have been somewhat sanitized from its beginnings as a “counter-cultural happening.” That’s not a bad description of what it was.

The Big Dipper and Ray Lee’s Country Lounge were real redneck trucker bars with country bands and jukeboxes that featured Patsy Cline. And, 150 or 200 Emory Law students would descend unannounced on the place on the appointed evening, commandeer the stage, set up a kitschy photo booth (with a Harvest Moon backdrop by 18

emory lawyer

Tom Kosman 76L (left) and Craig Gillen 76L (right) stand with Professor William “Bill” Agnor at the end of the semester when they turned in their locker keys. Gillen served as co-emcee for the first Harvest Moon Ball.

Charlie Nafman 77l) mingle with regulars, give out awards for dubious achievements, listen to game faculty members give brief speeches (anything beyond a minute or two was hooted mercilessly) and drink like there was no tomorrow.

Sometimes, in a good year, it would end with us riding around in the semi cabs of our new friends.

We always named a queen. The first year, Ruth Weil 77l, my wife of 30 years, was crowned with a distinguished tiara sporting a stuffed bird on top of a towering cardboard cone. I can’t remember who won the following year — we were never much on archival preservation.

By the second year, we had dance cards and a theme (Tropical Fruit), and Ray Lee’s proprietors were so thrilled with their unexpected business they brought out hundreds of sandwiches around midnight.

It was all a fine, boisterous and counter-cultural happening as Joe described it. From what little I can glean from the Internet, it seems the current Harvest Moon Ball is not only encouraged but sanctioned by the administration.

It’s nice to think that we started a tradition that endures, but it seems like it has mutated in the process and not ­necessarily for the good. We wouldn’t have sought and would have declined if proffered, the administration’s ­backing for our soiree.

Then again, maybe the official embrace is an admission that the Young Frankelmoin Legal Society was onto something with the idea that law school can use a little humanizing. So go ahead and drink up in whatever form and at whatever forum the Harvest Moon Ball takes place these days. But in the process, raise one of those drinks to the founders and their old buddies, the denizens of Ponce de Leon.

Perspective

Alexander Urges Mortgage Reform New Sam Nunn Chair in Ethics and Professionalism invested

“A

s members of the legal profession, it is our obligation to serve the client, but it is also our obligation to reform the systems that are broken,” Professor Frank S. Alexander said.

Alexander, the new Sam Nunn Chair in Ethics and Professionalism, addressed the mortgage crisis and efforts to reform the failed lending system during his Oct. 21 investiture lecture, “From Treatment to Prevention: Our Professional Obligation to Reform Broken Systems.”

“What is needed is a ­fundamental reorientation of our understanding of land and our relationship to that land.”

— FRANK S. ALEXANDER

single family homes that are in fact owner occupied at the time of default,” Alexander said.

The data is important because it helps professionals see patterns and start to identify what caused the crisis and “hopefully to repair the systems that led to the harms,” Alexander said.

Alexander doubts a one-size-fits-all solution will work because there are too many “caustic variables that played very different roles in different communities.”

He praised some recent simple solutions, such as the Maryland Supreme Court ruling that lenders must prove they had a right to foreclose rather than the borrowers proving the lender wrong, or a locality deciding that the initial foreclosure notice must contain the name and ­telephone number of the party with full authority to modify all terms of the mortgage.

On the faculty since 1982, Alexander is the founding director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion and general counsel for the Center for Community Progress, a new nonprofit organization focused on helping governments develop strategies to return vacant and abandoned lands to use. He testified before Congress about the mortgage foreclosure crisis in 2008 and 2009.

“The Sam Nunn Chair was created in 1999 to recognize a distinguished professor who, through his or her teaching and scholarship, would convey the highest principles of professionalism and ethics,” said Dean David F. Partlett.

“For Frank, to be a lawyer is an opportunity to serve.”

— Wendy R. Cromwell

“What is needed is a fundamental reorientation of our understanding of land and our relationship to that land,” Alexander said. “Our culture, unfortunately, has come to regard land, real estate, homes and buildings simply as items for consumption.

“When it is no longer useful to us, we simply throw it away or walk away from it,” Alexander said. “Vacant and abandoned properties are the litter of a consumption ­society. It is time to rethink our views of littering.”

Alexander, former interim dean, called upon his c­ olleagues to seek as much clarity and understanding as possible to create the “most efficient and effective responses” to the foreclosure crisis and the growing i­nventories of vacant and abandoned properties.

“Our obligation as professionals, especially in the ­context of the legal profession, is to be alert to the trends, the structures, the systems that led us to this point,” he said. “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. We have an obligation to temper our creativity and ingenuity with the wisdom of experience and to plan for a future in which the crises can be avoided.”

Alexander said one major problem with the mortgage crisis is the lack of data and statistics.

“We do not even know, for example, how many ‘foreclosures’ actually result in foreclosure sales.

We do not even know how many ­residential Professor Frank S. Alexander (left) talks with his siblings: Susan Yates, Fran homes are encumbered by second mortgages.

Cade and Syd Alexander after his investiture. Alexander paid homage to his “Even the best players in this field can’t tell family, including wife Joan, during his investiture lecture, saying all were able to tell him when he was wrong. us how many residential mortgages are on

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Perspective

Elliott 63C 66L Receives Georgia Bar Foundation Award

by Elizabeth Chilla

E

mory Law Professor A. James Elliott 63c 66l received the James M. Collier Award for his extraordinary contributions to the Georgia Bar Foundation and its mission. The award was presented to Elliott by Judge Patsy Porter at the Board of Governors’ Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia’s Annual Meeting on June 19.

The Georgia Bar Foundation, a division of the State Bar of Georgia, is responsible for distributing Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts, or iolta, funds to support

“It’s nice to be able to look back and see that you were a part of something that has provided a lot of help to a lot of people.”

— A. JAMES ELLIOTT 63C 66L

legal services for the poor. As president of the State Bar of Georgia, Elliott played a pivotal role in Georgia’s adoption of the iolta program.

“Jim Elliott was around from the very beginning as an advocate of the program,” says Len Horton, executive

director of the Georgia Bar Foundation. “He was a major force in convincing the [Supreme Court of Georgia] of the importance of doing this.

“It’s astounding when you look at everything the Georgia Bar Foundation has supported and the difference that it has made in the community, and it wouldn’t have been a fraction of that without Jim,” Horton says.

Using iolta funds, the Georgia Bar Foundation has distributed more than $100 million to organizations like Atlanta Legal Aid and Georgia Legal Services.

“Without that money, these legal services organizations could not have provided anything like the amount of service they have provided,” Elliott says. “It’s nice to be able to look back and see that you were a part of something that has provided a lot of help to a lot of people.”

The award is named for former Georgia Bar Foundation Chairman James M. Collier for his significant financial contributions to the organization.

Elliott Leads Legal-Medical Ethics Conference Elliott served as the program chair and presided over Emory Law’s interdisciplinary symposium on end-of-life decision making, “The Overlap of Legal and Medical Ethics: Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making,” on Oct. 15.

The symposium, attended by more than 250 people, featured three panel discussions, including a contemporary perspective on the Terri Schiavo case. Panelists included Jon Eisenberg, the appellate lawyer for Michael Schiavo; John Hugh Gilmore, attorney and political blogger; Judge George W. Greer, trial judge in the Terri Schiavo case; and Jay Wolfson, guardian ad litem for Terri Schiavo. Elliott served as the panel’s moderator.

The symposium was presented by Emory Law in partnership with the Emory Center for Ethics, Emory University School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Candler School of Theology, Rollins School of Public Health, Goizueta Business School and Health Care Ethics Consortium of Georgia.

Professor A. James Elliott 63C 66L accepts the James M. Collier Award at the Board of Governor’s Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia’s Annual Meeting on June 19. Elliott was honored for his work to get Georgia to adopt the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts to support legal services for the poor.

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Perspective

Goodwin 99L Serves as U.S. Senator for 117 Days

by Ginger Pyron

“... I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of this office on which I’m about to enter. So help me God.” July 20, 2010. A YouTube video preserves the moment: Carte Goodwin 99l, right hand raised, takes the oath of office administered by Vice President Joe Biden as president of the Senate. Goodwin’s gaze is direct and open, and a hint of a smile suggests that he’s genuinely enjoying the ceremony. Today, and for 117 days to come, Carte Goodwin is not just an attorney; he’s a senator.

Goodwin didn’t need a temp job, of course. He’s a partner in the family law firm of Goodwin & Goodwin and served in 2005– 09 as chief counsel to West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin. But with the death of Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the Senate needed a West Virginian to occupy the vacant seat until the state’s voters could choose via a November special election someone to complete Byrd’s term. Manchin appointed Goodwin.

“The best advice I received after my appointment,” Goodwin recalls, “was to understand there is no such thing as a temporary senator. During my short term, I had an obligation to the people of West Virginia, to work hard every day on their behalf. I strived to do that.”

Goodwin took up his task full time, under circumstances many politicians might envy. The newest and, at 36, the youngest senator made his political debut on the basis of merit and trust rather than hard-won votes. Spared the stress of fundraising and campaigning, Goodwin — a ­proponent of enhancing transparency via campaign disclosure laws — stepped smoothly into what could be called an ideal and highly responsible internship.

“The best advice I received after my appointment was to understand there is no such thing as a temporary senator.”

—CARTE GOODWIN 99L

“Voting on issues that will make a difference in people’s lives has been the most meaningful thing I could ever do as a public servant,” Goodwin says. The difference-making began just minutes after the swearing-in: In his first senatorial act, Goodwin cast the tipping vote on the long-stalled extension of expiring unemployment benefits.

“That legislation helped 20,000 West Virginians and millions more Americans through rough economic times,” Goodwin says. “It was the right thing to do.” He describes as “profoundly rewarding” a conversation with a grateful student who, unable to find work and struggling with outstanding student debt, said that Goodwin’s vote gave him the temporary financial relief he needed to get back on his feet.

Pleased that another of his votes confirmed the appointment of Elena Kagan as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Goodwin would have liked the opportunity to help further mine safety legislation.

With the Nov. 2 election of Manchin to Byrd’s seat and his swearing in on Nov. 15, Goodwin has returned to private practice. But his not-so-temporary practice as a senator — along with the role’s honorific title — will stay with him: “For me, the practice of law will always include service, whether Carte Goodwin 99L pro bono work, taking appointed cases for indigent clients, or volunteering time. When you are holding public office, however, that commitment to serving the public must become your singular focus.”

Will Goodwin seek political office in the future? He hasn’t said. Asked, however, which of the words widely applied to his senatorial role — placeholder, caretaker, torchbearer, rising star, hero — best matches his view of that experience, he says, “The position was, above all, a privilege.” With a hint of a smile, he adds, “But ‘rising star’ does have a nicer ring than ‘placeholder.’”

Ginger Pyron is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.

fall 2010 / winter 2011

21

Perspective

Long Days for NYSE General Counsel Halvey 86l 86b acknowledges job has a certain ‘cool’ factor

A

typical day for John K. Halvey 86l 86b starts with a 6:30 a.m. phone call with his European colleagues.

Twelve-hour days are normal since he became ­general counsel and group executive vice president for nyse Euronext in March 2008.

“Think about it: every day, twice a day, the world stops to see what is happening at the New York Stock Exchange.”

— JOHN K. HALVEY 86L 86B

hosted that event. I met Aretha Franklin when she rang the bell. Every day you encounter something you would not get in a regular job.

“Think about it: every day, twice a day, the world stops to see what is happening at the New York Stock Exchange” Halvey says.

“Every spring, we have a dinner at the nyse honoring all the living Medal of Honor winners. Their stories are just remarkable and it is one of the most rewarding events I attend every year.

“This venue — the nyse — has an extraordinary history,” Halvey says. “I’m standing in my office looking out a window at Federal Hall, where George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States.”

Prior to joining the nyse, Halvey was a corporate partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy llp. His role at the exchange is a more wide-ranging role and more international in scope.

Halvey says one of the most challenging aspects of his job is dealing with arcane subject matter. “You have to be

nyse Euronext, a for-profit public corporation, runs multiple securities and derivatives exchanges in the United States and Europe.

Two weeks after Halvey started, Bear Sterns collapsed. Six months later, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy — the largest bankruptcy in the United States at that time. In Halvey’s first 24 months with the exchange, he made 32 trips to Europe.

“The financial crisis and recent regulatory changes have made it even more imperative that we have properly functioning and orderly markets,” Halvey says. “We are a public company and are responsible to our shareholders to have appropriate responses in crises.

“There are approximately 4,000 companies listed on the nyse,” he says. “We have an obligation to provide leadership both to those companies and the public markets, so our objective is to lead from a positive John K. Halvey 86L 86B (fifth from left, first row) and his legal team with NYSE Euronext perspective. help ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

“We are cautiously optimistic and are seeing evidence of a recovery,” Halvey says. “The passage of regulatory reforms is a posistrategic in determining how much you need to know at the tive step. The markets favor clarity and will adjust to that.” exact time.

Although challenging, Halvey says there is a certain “Both my Emory degrees have greatly aided me in my “cool factor” that comes with his job. career,” he says. “They gave me the basic understanding of “I have met Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ben legal and business principles that have made a make a difBernanke,” he says. “I’m a big hockey fan — the New York ference in the roles I have assumed in my career.

Rangers — so when members of the team rang the bell, I — Wendy R. Cromwell 22

emory lawyer

Perspective

Associate Dean Carter Takes on New Role School welcomes new alumni director and interim chief development officer

E

mory Law has restructured its administration to ­ rovide additional support for students entering the p job market as well as to welcome a new director of alumni relations and an interim chief development officer.

Susan Carter, former associate dean for development and alumni relations, agreed to become associate dean for external affairs. In this new role for Emory Law, Carter will reach out to hiring partners, judges and attorneys in the public and private sectors to encourage them to consider Emory Law when hiring.

“Emory Law must reach out to forge stronger relationships with hiring partners and those in positions to help our students find employment,” says Emory Law Dean David F. Partlett.

“The entire Emory Law community stands with our students to help them find successful careers in Susan Carter the law. With her relationships among alumni and friends, Susan Carter is uniquely equipped to help better position Emory Law among prospective employers of our graduates.”

“This role is a new one for Emory Law and not a role many law schools use,” Carter says. “It is potentially trendsetting because of Dean Partlett’s innovative vision. I’m excited about the opportunity to make a positive difference for our students in this very difficult market.”

Carter already has been meeting with hiring partners in Atlanta; New York; Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles — cities in which “our current students say they want to be.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to make a positive difference for our students in this very difficult market.”

Rosenzweig’s 02l transition to assistant dean for admission and financial aid.

“I think what excites me most about the position is the opportunity to connect with lawyers and talk about ways the Emory Law community can enhance the value of their practice and contribute to their professional development,” says Woods, a 2004 graduate of the University of Curry Woods Alabama School of Law. “Ethan is certainly a hard act to follow, but also is a great resource for helping me connect and think through issues,” Woods says.

Woods served as counsel for Orange Business Services before joining Emory Law. “I think it takes time to see the ‘school cycle’ of how events work, but I’m definitely getting a good feel for the things our alumni want and need,” Curry says.

While a national search is underway for Carter’s replacement, Josh Newton, University vice president for development, will spend two days a week at Emory Law directly overseeing the law school’s fundraising efforts.

During Carter’s tenure as chief development officer, Emory Law has raised more than $13 million through alumni donors—nearly one third of the $42 million total the school has raised since its founding in 1916.

“My goal is to be a strong leader and position the law school’s development staff to go to a new level when we hire Susan’s replacement,” Newton says. “I am enjoying getting to know the people at the law school and its volunteer leaders.

“The advisory board meetings were the most thoughtful such meetings I’ve attended in my seven years here at Emory,” Newton says.

Josh Newton “These leaders were very invested in helping Emory Law be the best it can be. Their level of energy and commitment to helping the school remain one of the nation’s top schools is inspiring.”

— Wendy R. Cromwell

— SUSAN CARTER

“My questions have centered on learning how Emory Law can best help the firms achieve their hiring goals,” Carter says.

Joining Emory Law as director of alumni relations is Curry Woods. Woods fills the vacancy created by Ethan

fall 2010 / winter 2011

23

Class Notes A Letter from the Alumni President Dear Fellow Alumni: With the fall semester ending, I am proud to report our community is strong. As reported elsewhere in this issue, our class of 2013 exceeds all expectations in terms of academic quality, life experiences and enthusiasm for Emory Law. Their passion for making an impact here is remarkable, and I am pleased with the energy that they have shown during their short tenure.

Recently, two firstyears who served in the armed forces formed a Military Law Society.

Under their leadership and with another student group outlaw, a timely, engaging and balanced program on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policies received strong reviews from attendees and participants. What struck me most is that even though these young men are facing the same overwhelming first-year pressures all confront, they are committed to enriching our community by ensuring relevant issues are explored and debated here.

These two students are not an exception but rather the rule at Emory Law. As we continue to attract these top-notch students, now more than ever, we alumni must be committed to ensuring that every opportunity is afforded them during their three years in Gambrell Hall and beyond.

As part of our commitment to students, the Alumni Board kicked off Emory Law Connecting, a program to connect recent graduates with more seasoned alumni who share a legal interest and career goal. More than 50 alumni signed up, and it is this type of focused, tailored advising program that will have most impact for our students as they enter the workforce. If you would like to volunteer, contact Curry Woods, our new director of alumni relations, at curry.woods@emory.edu.

Thanks to you, increased financial support to our students is making it easier for the law school to attract the best. This year, almost three-quarters of our

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incoming students received merit-based scholarships.

Our gifts to Emory Law single-handedly impact our student body by decreasing their debt-load, which, in turn, offers them more options and flexibility upon graduation.

To encourage continued alumni involvement, C. Lash Harrison 62b 65l has issued a $250,000 challenge gift.

For every new Barrister ($1,000 or more) or Dean’s Circle ($2,500 or more) gift, Lash has agreed to match each donation dollar-fordollar. I am so honored

by Lash’s generosity and enthusiasm for our alma mater. Please take Lash up on his challenge and provide our students with more opportunities to excel.

We just wrapped up another successful reunion season, my 20th being one of them, and as the pictures attest, the class parties were memorable.

Another opportunity to reconnect is with our “.9 with Emory Law” cle events in Atlanta; New York; Washington, D.C.; and elsewhere throughout the year.

Keep in touch. Let me know how we can best serve you. I look forward to seeing you on campus and elsewhere as we continue our connection with this great institution.

Halli D. Cohn 90l hcohn@kslaw.com

Class Notes Editor’s Note: Class Notes are submitted by alumni and are not verified by the editor. While we welcome alumni news, Emory Lawyer is not responsible for information contained in Class Notes.

50s

Aaron L. Buchsbaum 54L was honored by the Georgia Legal Services for his many years of work with the organization.

Bachsbaum retired from practicing law in Savannah, Ga.

60s

Stanley E. Harris Jr. 61L has been recognized by the State Bar of Georgia for 50 years of membership.

He practices in Savannah, Ga., with the firm of Duffy & Feemster LLC and is working on a fictional account on the practice of law.

William Cleaton Lewis Jr. 60B 63L married Lea Lane Stern on May 1 in New York City. Lewis is a lawyer in private practice in Miami.

John M. Dowd 65L was honored at the Marine Corps’ Evening Parade on June 18. Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly, commander of Marine Forces North and Marine Forces Reserve, hosted the parade and reception in honor of Dowd, a former Marine judge advocate in Vietnam and the father of two Marines. The Evening Parade is held at the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C., the oldest post in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lucy McGough 66L was named Professor of the Year in April by the Louisiana Bar Foundation.

She is the Vinson & Elkins Professor of Law at Louisiana State University Law Center.

J. Ben Shapiro 64C 67L was elected to the American College of Construction Lawyers.

70s Charles H. Battle Jr. 70L, an attorney with Miller & Martin in Atlanta, has been named honorary consul for Monaco.

William H. Needle 70L, partner with Ballard Spahr in Atlanta, was named a Master of the Bench of the newly formed Atlanta Intellectual Property American Inn of Court.

Walter M. Deriso Jr. 68C 72L, chairman of Atlantic Capital Bank, appeared on the 40-Year-Old Business Virgin radio show in July.

C. Robert Henrikson 72L was ranked among the Fortune 50 top lawyer CEOs. Luther J. Battiste 74L, with Johnson, Toal & Battiste PA, was selected for the South Carolina Super Lawyers and the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He previously served as the president of the Richland County Bar Association and the South Carolina Association of Justice.

Ret. Col. Barry P. Allen 75L opened the Law Office of Barry P. Allen in Knoxville, Tenn., which is devoted to handling disability claims for veterans and their family members that are initially presented to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Allen retired after 30 years with the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. He spent his entire military career as a judge advocate.

Douglas Kniskern 68C 75L, with Arnstein & Lehr LLP, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2011 in the trust and estates category. He also has been listed as a Florida SuperLawyer every year since 2006.

Richard C. Kaufman 76L, with McKenna Long & Aldridge in Denver, was appointed to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to fill a vacancy left by a resignation. His term expires in July 2012.

Jim Towery 76L is the new chief trial counsel of the State Bar of California.

He is in charge of the attorney discipline system, supervising 240 employees and a budget of $40 million.

Judge Alan C. Harvey 77L was appointed a full-time judge in DeKalb County Magistrate Court. He is in charge of the criminal division after serving as a part-time judge for 25 years.

Kenneth L. Shigley 77L is president-elect of the State Bar of Georgia. He recently published Georgia Law of Torts: Trial Preparation & Practice (Thomson West 2010).

Judge R. Michael Key 78L of Troup County, Ga., is the new president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

David L. Ladov 78L presented a program, “Valuation and Income Issues of Alternative Investments,” at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section Summer Meeting in Florida.

80s

Sheila D’Ambrosio 80L practices law with Kennedy & Han, a plaintiff’s civil rights and general litigation practice. In 2008, she retired as a staff attorney with the California Supreme Court after 18 years.

Gary S. Freed 81L has joined RobbinsFreed in Atlanta.

Harvey D. Aaron 82L joined the firm of Coles & Bodoin LLP as a senior tax manager specializing in individual tax planning.

Joel S. Arogeti 82L was elected chair of the board of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, an Atlantabased not-for-profit serving the homeless, unemployed and working poor.

Lawrence K. Nodine 75C 78L, partner with Ballard Spahr in Atlanta, was named a Master of the Bench of the newly formed Atlanta Intellectual Property American Inn of Court.

Alan Perkins 78L with Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in Dallas was selected as a Texas SuperLawyer for mergers and acquisitions.

Bruce A. Wolpert 78L with Wolpert & Associates Inc. in Providence, R.I., was named a SuperLawyer in the business/corporate category for Rhode Island.

He and his wife are the proud parents of Michael Wolpert 08C and Jonathan Wolpert 11C.

Robert F. Cahn 83L 83B was promoted to senior director of leadership development, diversity and training for Cox Enterprises Atlanta.

Jim Durham 83L was inducted into the Legal Marketing Association Hall of Fame in March. The hall honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the legal marketing industry.

Mark Dehler 84L was installed as the president of Lake Chatuge Rotary Club, serving Clay County, N.C., and Hiawassee, Ga., where he has moved the primary office of his law practice. He also continues to work with clients in this civil litigation practice out of his longtime office in Decatur, Ga. Julian A. Fortuna 84L was selected for the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for tax law.

Glenda Hatchett 77L published a new book, Dare to Take Charge: How to Live Your Life on Purpose (CenterStreet) on Sept. 20.

fall 2010 / winter 2011

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Class Notes J.B. Harris 84L was selected by the Florida Bar Journal editorial board as the 2009 recipient of the Excellence in Writing Award for his article, “Riding the Red Rocket: Amendment 7 and the End to Discovery Immunity of Adverse Medical Incidents in the State of Florida,” which appeared in the March 2009 issue.

Barry S. Marks 74C 84L had his first book of poetry, Possible Crocodiles, published by Brick Road Poetry Press.

Julie I. Fershtman 83C 86L was selected as one of the “2010 Women to Watch”

by Crain’s Detroit Business.

She was honored for becoming president-elect of the 40,500-member State Bar of Michigan.

Cliff Gould 86L has been promoted to chief executive officer of Enertech Environmental Inc., a clean tech renewable energy company based in Atlanta. He previously served as executive vice president and general counsel. He and wife, Colleen O’Neill 89L, and their two sons live in Atlanta.

David Slater 86L is a business and media lawyer with a practice in New York City. He also produces independent films and assists companies with developing their media departments. He lives on the Upper West Side with wife, Patty.

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emory lawyer

Homer Lee Walker 86L joined Morris, Manning & Martin LLP as a partner in the firm’s real estate development and finance and real estate markets practices.

Grady L. Beard 87L of Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte was chosen for the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for workers’ compensation law.

Jeffrey Brickman 89L opened Jeffrey H. Brickman LLC, where he specializes in state and federal criminal defense. Prior to opening his practice, he was a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP in Atlanta. Brickman continues to serve as an adjunct professor for criminal litigation at Emory Law.

Martin P. Duffey 89L, a Cozen O’Connor member in Philadelphia, was honored by the Legal Intelligencer as an “Unsung Hero” for his pro bono work, in particular his work on a significant asylum case for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia that came before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Allison H. Hauser 89L has been named by Florida SuperLawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in Florida for 2010.

S. Phillip Lenski 89L of Columbia, S.C., was elected a judge of the South Carolina Administrative Law Court by the South Carolina General Assembly on Feb. 3. He lives in Columbia with wife, Laura, and their three sons.

90s Eric S. Bord 84C 90L, a partner with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington, D.C., was recognized by Chambers USA and the Legal 500 as one of the leading corporate immigration law practitioners in the United States. He also presented at the SHRM 2010 Annual Conference in San Diego in June.

Wayne N. Bradley 90L and the corporate department at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP were named a “Tier-One” firm for middle-market mergers and acquisitions and tax work for the third year in a row.

Jane Harris Downey 90L was selected as a 2010 SuperLawyer in the field of bankruptcy and creditor/ debtor rights. She also was selected by her peers as one of Great Columbia Business Monthly’s 2010 Legal Elite.

Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Morgan 90L moved the offices of the Morgan Law Firm PC to 260 Peachtree St. NW, Suite 1601, Atlanta.

The firm also launched a website and concentrates on business torts, including employment and intellectual property law.

Greg Slamowitz 90L was honored with the National Association of Professional Employer Organization’s Government Affairs Leadership Award. He also has been giving a seminar on health care reform.

Alexandra Marmion Roosa 90L was named director of research and sponsored programs for Pepperdine University on July 1.

John P. Cole 91L and Paul S. Lee 92L 93L presented at the Florida Bar CLE seminar, Life and Death in 4-D—Division, Devise, Descent and Dissension with Emory Law Professor Jeffrey Pennell.

William J. Keogh III 91L has been appointed chair of the committee on Judiciary and vice chair to the Statewide Judicial Evaluation Committee for 2010 – 2011.

Dana K. Maine 91L and Kamyar Molavi 91L, partners at Freeman Mathis & Gary in Atlanta, were named Georgia SuperLawyers for 2010.

Maine specializes in construction and business litigation. Molavi specializes in government, cities, municipalities and land use/ zoning.

Alan Friend Rothschild 91L was elected chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law during its annual meeting in San Francisco.

Patricia B. Eastwood 92L, in-house counsel at Caterpillar Financial Services Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., was named to the Nashville Business Journal’s Best of the Bar 2010 for in the in-house counsel category.

Kellye Walker 92L has been named American Waters Co.’s new chief administrative officer and general counsel. She previously served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary.

Donald J. Chenevert 93L will relocate to Peoria, Ill., to lead the legal tem supporting Caterpillar Roman. He has been in India with Caterpillar since 2008.

Class Notes Gwen Keyes Fleming 93L, former DeKalb County district attorney, received the Leah Ward Sears Award of Distinction by the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys.

The award is named in honor of Sears 80L, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Jonathan J. Spitz 93L, a partner in the Atlanta office of Jackson Lewis LLP, has been listed in the Chambers USA Guide.

S. Micah Salb 94L was elected to active membership of the Washington, D.C., Estate Planners Council by the board of directors.

Martin A. Conn 95L was elevated in his firm, Moran Brown PC, which changed its name to Moran Reeves & Conn PC. The litigation firm specializes in products liability, toxic tort defense and general commercial and construction litigation.

Mara Mooney 95L was featured on the Crazy Classroom: Unlocking Your “Rubber Room” blog for her teaching style. Mooney is an assistant professor of legal studies with Clayton State University.

Kristina Scott 95L, executive director of the Alabama Poverty Project in Birmingham, Ala., has been elected vice chair of the Alabama State Commission to Reduce Poverty.

Adam S. Meyerowitz 97L, senior vice president and general counsel at Beecher Carlson Holdings, was named one of the top 10 lawyers under 40 to watch by the Fulton County Daily Report.

Amie Peele Carter 96L has been appointed chair of the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s trademark committee. Her one-year term began in October.

Aaron Bradford Mason 96L was appointed as the fifth Clayton County State Court judge by Gov. Sonny Perdue in July.

Jason Barnes 97L joined Strasburger & Price LLP in Dallas as a partner in its corporate and securities unit. He previously was a partner with Haynes & Boone LLP. Jennifer L. Gilbert Barnes 97L received a master of liberal studies from Southern Methodist University in May. She has been accepted to SMU’s Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study Program.

Carlos Kelly 97L has been appointed to his fourth term serving the Florida Bar Eminent Domain Committee.

Steven D. Grimberg 98L has joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Ricky B. Novak 00L with Strategic 1031 Exchange Advisors, received a Distinguished Service Award from the Atlanta Bar Association. Novak, chair of the real estate section, also accepted the Large Section Award for the real estate section’s commitment to the Atlanta Bar Association.

Sandra Torres Keating 98L was named executive director of Atlanta’s Children’s Shelter in June.

Sabjit “Sab” Singh 98L 98B become a full-time professor in the School of Business at Farmingdale State College in New York.

Cheryl F. Turner 94C 99L, counsel with Coca-Cola North America, was named one of the top 10 lawyers under 40 to watch by the Fulton County Daily Report.

00s

S. Derek Bauer 00L was ranked as one of Georgia’s leading lawyers for health care by Chambers USA and named a Georgia SuperLawyer 2010 Rising Star in First Amendment law.

Sarah P. Singleton Smith 00L made partner at Venable LLP in January 2010.

Arathi Murthi Almli 01L and Dr. Eric Almli 03R announce the birth of Lakshmi Elin Almli on Feb. 10. It is the couple’s second child.

Danny R. Kraft 01L is an associate with the asbestos litigation unit of Weitz & Luxenberg PC in New York City.

Kathleen Geary Mones 01L and Stuart M. Mones 01L announce the birth of daughter Kendal Elizabeth Mones on March 31.

Rodger W. Moore 01L joined the Drew Law Firm in Cincinnati. He specializes in business litigation, personal injury, landlord-tenant law and employment discrimination.

Angela Slate Rawls 01L is the new executive director of the Madison County Volunteer Lawyers Program in Huntsville, Ala.

Peter L. Kogan 97L joined Reed Smith LLP in Pittsburgh as an associate.

He left Pepper Hamilton’s real estate practice.

Joseph G. Minias 02L joined Wilkie Farr & Gallagher in New York as a partner in the business reorganization and restructuring department.

He previously was a partner with Guinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP.

Jaclyn C. Pampel 02L and husband, Erik P. Pampel, announce the birth of daughter Sierra Lily on Aug. 2. She has a big sister, Alana.

Matthew Skolnik 02L, a litigation associate with Bazelon Less & Feldman in Philadelphia, has been named by SuperLawyers magazine as a 2010 Pennsylvania Rising Star.

Brandon Williams 02L, partner at Alston & Bird LLP, wrote an article, “Investment Deceit,” for the Atlanta Professional Magazine in July.

Christopher T. Nace 03L 03B of Paulson & Nace PLLC in Washington, D.C., received the American Association for Justice Distinguished Service Award with his father, Barry J. Nace, for their dedication to the association.

Christopher Nace also was elected treasurer of the AAJ New Lawyers Division and elected to the board of the Public Justice Foundation.

Jonathan David Jacobs 02C 05L married Tracy Nemiroff 03C on July 24.

Jacobs is an attorney at the New York City firm of Shulte, Roth and Zabel.

Mark D. Brandenburg 05L joined the estate planning and business planning team at Cohen & Caproni LLC.

fall 2010 / winter 2011

27

Class Notes David Tkeshelashvili 06L is the minister of Infrastructural and Regional Development in the Republic of Georgia.

Kelley E. Culpin 05L has joined the Atlanta office of Burr & Forman LLP as an associate in the creditor’s rights and bankruptcy practice group.

Elizabeth L. Fite 05L of Schreeder, Wheeler & Flint LLP in Atlanta was elected co-editor of The YLD Review, the newsletter of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.

Amol S. Naik 05L, an associate in political law and government affairs at McKenna Long and Aldridge in Atlanta, was named one of the top 10 lawyers under 40 to watch by the Fulton County Daily Report.

Stephen A. Sael 05L of the Middleton Firm in Savannah, Ga., is part of a legal team that was named a finalist for the 2010 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. The team was nominated for its victory in a case against a pork producer in Missouri.

Sherilyn Streicker 05L was selected for the National Computer Forensics Institute in Hoover, Ala. She was one of 23 attorneys selected for the training.

Kurt G. Kastorf 06L moved to Washington, D.C., to brief and argue appeals for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sara Barker Robbin 06L and Jonathan Robbin 06L announce the birth of their son, Dylan Carter, on July 9.

A. Todd Sprinkle 06L, an associate with Parker Poe, and wife, Nina Goradia Sprinkle, announce the births of Carmen Ila and Priya Elizabeth, on July 24.

They have an older brother, Charles Allen, who was born on Sept. 29, 2008.

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Jonathan Charles Lippert 08L and Denise Erin Schnapp 08L were married May 8 in Sandestin, Fla.

Drew Greene 09L has joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Atlanta as an associate in the business litigation practice.

Thea van der Zalm 09L married Lt. Wayne Allen Pitzen with the U.S. Navy on June 5 in Greenville, S.C. The couple resides in Jacksonville, Fla.

From the Director of Alumni Relations

S

ince Sept. 20 when I became director of alumni relations, it has become abundantly clear that our students, faculty, administration and alumni share a common goal of excellence — in academics and in the profession. I’m energized to have a role in building the community and infrastructure among these constituents in support of this goal. With your continued help and support, we can do more to maximize the student experience, prepare our students for success beyond graduation and support our alumni in continued advancement and professional development.

In this challenging environment, we need one another and a network of meaningful relationships and connections. For our students and many alumni, opportunities for experience and broadening professional skills remain untapped. For many more alumni, defining continued success and expanding opportunities for greater achievement cannot be forsaken even in times of economic challenge.

While our challenges are many, our opportunities are greater.

Our community is strong, but opportunities to strengthen it abound.

The task is more than I alone can accomplish. I hope you will join me in connecting and re-connecting both with the law school and with your greater alumni community. I’m here to support your leadership in building this community. Your ideas and perspectives are welcome. Reach out to me — don’t be shy. My mission is to continue to build and grow our Emory Law community. I need your help to do this. If you have ideas for events, programming or other networking tools, let’s talk about them. More important, let’s work together to keep our community thriving.

I look forward to meeting you all — either at Emory Law or at an event in your area. And if geography is an obstacle, I would like to touch base by phone or email first. I’m looking forward to working with you for Emory Law. All my best,

Curry Woods, JD Director of Alumni Relations

In Memoriam Emory Law mourns the passing of the following alumni, whose deaths were reported to the school since the date of our last publication.

and Elizabeth Reynolds Moye 72C 78G 83G; one granddaughter; a greatgrandson; and two nieces.

40s John W. Smith 41L of Macon, Ga., on Sept. 24

Charles A Moye Jr. 43L of Atlanta died on July 26.

The oldest sitting judge on the Northern District bench in Georgia, he was 92.

Appointed to the federal bench by President Nixon in 1970, Moye presided over more than 4,000 cases in nearly 40 years on the federal bench. He remained active on the bench, hearing and ruling cases until he was hospitalized shortly before his death.

Prior to his appointment, Moye worked as an attorney in New York and Atlanta with Gambrell & White, now Smith, Gambrell & Russell.

Active in politics, he ran unsuccessfully for the Georgia Senate in 1952 and the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954.

Among his first cases as a federal judge, was the 1971 complaint in which he granted an injunction to an in-town neighborhood association fighting to stop construction of a proposed interstate highway through Morningside, VirginiaHighland, Poncey-Highland and Lenox Park.

In 1985, Moye halted the federal deportation of Cuban refugees who had entered the United States as part of the 1980 Mariel boatlift. His ruling was later overturned on appeal.

“Judge Moye was a mentor to his law clerks,” Richard P. Kessler Jr. 71L says. “He was a man of honor, who loved his family. He was true to the oath that he took when he became a lawyer, and he was truce to the oath that he took when he became a judge.”

Survivors include wife, Sarah Ellen Johnson Moye; daughter, Lucy Ellen Moye; a son and daughter-inlaw, H. Allen Moye 70C

Warner S. Currie 49L, founding partner of Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, died Sept. 28.

Born in Meridian, Miss., in 1920, Currie attended Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Mississippi.

His education was interrupted by service during World War II with the U.S. Army. He served with the 99th Infantry Division as a field artillery forward observer and received the Bronze Star.

Following active duty, Currie returned to Atlanta to pursue an LLB at Emory University. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1949.

In 1965, Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers was formed. Currie consistently set a pattern of integrity and professionalism for others in the firm. He practiced in the areas of general liability, products liability litigation and labor relations law.

Currie was a member of the Atlanta and American Bar Associations, the State Bar of Georgia, Defense Attorneys of Georgia, the Defense Research Institute, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Insurance Section of the American Bar Association and the Insurance and Labor Sections of the Atlanta Bar Association. He was a frequent lecturer at tort and labor seminars across the country and, in 1991, he was named acting director of the LLM in litigation at Emory Law. He was an arbiter in the U.S. District Court of Georgia, Middle District and had been an arbiter in Fulton County Superior Court.

Currie was active in community affairs. He was a longtime member of the Atlanta Chamber

of Commerce, the Atlanta Music Festival Association, Brookfield West Golf Club, Phi Delta Theta social fraternity and the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.

Survivors include wife, Nanelle Currie; daughter Nan Currie; son and daughter-in-law, Bob and Laura Currie; sister, Rachel Martin; four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

50s Henry C. Allen Jr. 50L of Winston-Salem, N.C., on June 12

Harold Nelson Hill Jr. 57L of Atlanta died on July 5. A former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, Hill was 80.

Prior to attending Emory Law, Hill served two years in the Army. He graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University and was the first honor graduate of Emory Law in 1957.

He was in private practice for several years before joining the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, where he rose to become the chief executive assistant attorney general.

He was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court in 1975. He served as chief justice of the court from 1982 until his retirement in 1986.

He returned to private practice, also serving as a mediator and arbitrator until he retired. Following his retirement, he wrote the book, A History of the Supreme Court of Georgia 1946 –1996.

He is preceded in death by a son, Ward Nelson Hill.

Survivors include his wife, Jane Fell Hill; son Douglas A. Hill; daughter, Nancy P. Mills; brother and sister-in-law, Robert G. and Becky Hill; two grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

George William Wiese 58C 58L of Ellenwood, Ga., on July 4 Frank William Scroggins 59L of Atlanta on Aug. 12

John L. Williams Jr. 59L of Sandy Springs on Sept. 10

60s

Mary Dozier Pallotta 61L of Atlanta on May 15

Marshall H. Barkin 59B 62L of Daytona Beach, Fla., on Aug. 12 Denzil Y. Causey Jr. 58B 63L of Starkville, Miss., on Aug. 3 Catherine Ellis Miles 63L of Tampa, Fla., on May 21 W. Fred Orr II 63C 65L of Decatur, Ga., on May 4

Center, Atlanta Botanical Garden and Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as many other civic organizations.

Survivors include daughter, Katherine Alice Deimling; son and daughter-in-law, John Jay Deimling and Lani Deimling; a brother and sister-in-law, Henry Hall Ware III 62L and Mary Ware; three grandsons; and four nieces.

70s

Oliver D. Peters 71L of Decatur, Ga., on June 26, 2009

Frank H. Loomis 67L of Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 18, 2009

Carl Alexander Puls Jr. 71L of Atlanta on Aug. 17, 2009

Michael Lesesne Sellers 67L of Atlanta on April 24

Max H. Lauten 76L of Baltimore on May 28

Margaret Ware Deimling 68L of Atlanta, died on May 18. She was 78.

After graduating from Emory Law, Deimling worked in the Trust Department of the Trust Co. of Georgia. She later became a law assistant for the Supreme Court of Georgia and then staff attorney for the Georgia Court of Appeals from 1975 to 1995.

During her time with the Court of Appeals, she devised and set up a system to screen and expedite dismissal of cases that were filed incorrectly and were unqualified for judicial review on the merits of appeal.

Her system proved so successful that, after she retired, the court hired seven attorneys to staff the system, which also was adopted by the Georgia Supreme Court.

Deimling served as president of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers from 1974 to 1975. She was an elder and trustee for Covenant Presbyterian Church and sang in the choir. She also was a member of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Fernbank Museum, Atlanta History

Eloise Williamson Newhard 77L of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Aug. 20

80s

Steven A. Westby 80L of Atlanta on June 3 Robert W. Kiefer 81L of Charleston, W.Va., on July 8

Clinton Raymond Fitts 86L of Amarillo, Texas, on April 10

00s

Dan Lee Bragg 04L of Grand Rapids, Mich., on July 29 CORRECTION In the spring 2010 issue of Emory Lawyer, we mistakenly announced the death of S. Gaye Reese Moody 80L. We are pleased to report that Moody is alive and appreciate her understanding.

fall 2010 / winter 2011

29

Faculty Voices

Birthright Citizenship in the United States

by Polly J. Price 86C 86G

I

n ongoing debates over immigration reform, some politicians have expressed the desire to change the grant of U.S. citizenship to anyone born within its borders. This practice, known as “birthright citizenship,” emanates from the first sentence of the 14th Amendment: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The Dred Scott decision in 1857 held that descendants of slaves could not become U.S. citizens.

After the Civil War, a provision guaranteeing citizenship at birth to all persons born within the United States was deemed necessary to extend citizenship and civil rights to former slaves.

It was the party of Lincoln — the Republican Party — that oversaw ratification of the 14th Amendment.

The United States is not unique. Canada and most Latin American countries also accord territorial birthright citizenship.

Most of Europe, by contrast, awards citizenship based on the status of one or both parents.

In recent decades, Great Britain, Ireland and Australia have moved away from territorial birthright citizenship.

Proposals to change birthright citizenship in this country aim to exclude children of undocumented aliens from automatically acquiring U.S. citizenship. Proponents usually cite the “anchor baby” draw — women who supposedly enter the country illegally to give birth and thus remain with their citizen child.

But the “anchor baby” concept is a myth.

The United States routinely deports parents of 30

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citizen children when they are in violation of immigration laws. Often the citizen child, if a minor, goes with them. The citizen child at age 21 has the right to return to the United States,

The debate over birthright citizenship has two camps: those who believe Congress has the authority to limit birthright citizenship by statute, and those who insist a constitutional amendment is required. and at that time can petition the attorney general for U.S. residency for his or her parents.

But if the parent had previously been deported for immigration violations, the petition is likely to be denied. Recently, the United States has deported as many as 22,000 parents of citizen children per year.

Further, while the Pew Hispanic Center reported that 8 percent of births in the United States in 2008 were to illegal immigrant parents, very few of those parents were recent arrivals. Of the estimated 11 million undocumented aliens in the United States, many have lived here for a considerable period.

The debate over birthright citizenship has two camps: those who believe Congress has the authority to limit birthright citizenship by statute, and those who insist a constitutional amendment is required. The attraction of congressional authority is obvious.

It is extremely difficult to amend the U.S. Constitution, requiring two-thirds approval of both congressional houses, as well as ratification by three-fourths of the states. In the past, the Republican Party called for a constitutional amendment in its platform. The view that Congress could accomplish the same thing by legislation is of recent origin.

Faculty Voices

Most legal scholars conclude Congress has no such authority because the language of the 14th Amendment is clear. Any person — regardless of their parents — acquires citizenship at birth so long as he or she is ­“subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. Proponents of congressional authority reason that, because the parents are in the country illegally, they are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. But undocumented aliens surely are subject to all manner of U.S. law when they are here, rather than the law of their country of origin. It is a tortured reading of the plain language to conclude the 14th Amendment does not mean what it says.

If an undocumented alien breaks a law, would the proponents insist we could not put that person in jail?

The second argument in favor of congressional authority is closer to an “original intent” argument, one that rejects the clear language of the 14th Amendment in favor of what is said to be the understanding of at least some congressmen who voted for it in 1868. But it is clear enough from that time that the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” was intended to exclude Native Americans born on tribal land and children of diplomats, consistent with international practices.

True, there was no category of “illegal immigrants” in 1868, but there soon would be. One such law, known as the “Chinese Exclusion Act,” was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1898 as a basis to deny citizenship to a child born to Chinese subjects while residing in California.

If the Constitution were to be amended to exclude children of undocumented aliens from citizenship, what are the practical implications? First, proving one’s citizenship becomes more complicated than producing a birth certificate, because the citizenship status of one’s parents also would need to be proved.

Great Britain addressed this problem through national identity cards for all citizens.

Second, denying citizenship status to ­children of undocumented aliens potentially creates statelessness, if the parent’s nation will not claim them. Third, if a large segment of the population has an undocumented status, this nation would create a permanent underclass

of persons who are born here and live here all their lives, but who do not have the opportunity to become citizens.

The physical location of one’s birth may be an accident, but the citizenship status that results has been a deeply held principle of justice in this country since the end of slavery.

Polly J. Price 86C 86G, professor of law and associated faculty with the Department of History, teaches torts, legislation and regulation American legal history, and Latin American legal systems. Her publications include Judge Richard S. Arnold: A Legacy of Justice on the Federal Bench (Prometheus Books 2009) and “Natural Law and Birthright Citizenship in Calvin’s Case (1608),” 9 Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities 73 – 145 (1997).

If a large segment of the population has an undocumented status, this nation would create a permanent underclass of persons who are born here and live here all their lives, but who do not have the opportunity to become citizens.

fall 2010 / winter 2011

31

Giving Back

EPIC Grant Leads to Mentorship

by Lori Johnston

P

leas from the Emory Public Interest Committee for grant donations tugged on the desire to give back for Woodruff Scholar Laura S. Huffman 08l. epic grants provide money for unpaid public interest summer jobs. In Huffman’s case, it also created the opportunity to mentor an Emory Law student with common interests.

Her $5,000 gift enabled Ashley Pecora 11l to continue working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Technology

“She was someone who shared my perspective and who I felt like I could really talk to and keep learning from.”

— Ashley Pecora 11L, pictured above left with her mentor, Laura S. Huffman 08L

32

emory lawyer

Transfer Office, where she worked for academic credit, in spring 2010 through the Field Placement Program.

Pecora was an excellent choice for Huffman because the third-year student shared the same intellectual property focus Huffman did as a student. Huffman is an associate with King & Spalding in Atlanta in the intellectual property group.

Like Huffman, Pecora is involved in Emory’s Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results, or ti:ger, Program and the Emory International Law Review. As a student, Huffman served on a ti:ger team commercializing an application of nanotechnology in disease diagnosis that won awards in international commercialization plan and business plan competitions. She also was editor in chief of the Emory International Law Review.

“She was someone who shared my perspective and who I felt like I could really talk to and keep learning from,” Pecora says.

Pecora’s Emory International Law Review work demonstrated to Huffman that the thirdyear student is aware intellectual property is a global practice. Pecora’s involvement in ti:ger shows that she understands what it takes to make a technology into a business.

“Ashley was really taking advantage of all of the opportunities that were available at Emory,” Huffman says.

Huffman’s gift was part of the $142,000 in epic grants, combined with endowment revenue, that allowed 36 students to work for government agencies, nonprofit organizations and legal aid groups in Atlanta, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, California, Florida, Illinois and Israel over the summer.

“I couldn’t have done this internship if I didn’t have the financial support,” Pecora says. “An unpaid internship would have been a financial hardship, and I really wanted to stay at the cdc.”

Pecora’s work with the cdc showed her the importance of her international focus. Her duties included drafting licenses that allowed biotech companies and nonprofit research institutions in China, India, South Africa, Denmark and other countries to work with and build on patented cdc technologies to improve public health worldwide.

Huffman and Pecora met over the summer and have kept in touch through emails and Emory gatherings. The relationship has been “invaluable,” Pecora says, in helping her learn about the intellectual property area. Huffman also has introduced Pecora to others in the field, such as Huffman’s alumni mentor who provided the perspective of working in a corporate environment.

“I try to be always available whenever she needs me,” Huffman says.

Huffman credits her accomplishments and position with King & Spalding to her Emory education, and sees the epic grant as just one way to give back.

“It’s incumbent on those of us who have done well because of what we learned at Emory to help it continue to help the next ­generation of students,” Huffman says.

Lori Johnston is a freelance writer in Athens, Ga.

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Sam Nunn Chair for Ethics and Professionalism Investiture Frank S. Alexander, the new Sam Nunn Chair for Ethics and Professionalism, talks with Chris Norman, president and CEO of the City of Atlanta-Fulton County Land Bank Authority, after his investiture on Oct. 21. Alexander helped found the land bank 20 years ago. Learn more about Alexanderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investiture on page 19.