Georgia State Law, Fall 2023

Georgia State Law FALL 2023

LEGAL ANALYTICS AND INNOVATION INITIATIVE

Preparing the next generation of tech-ready lawyers

First look | U.S. Court of Appeals Oral Arguments

MK Kennedy (J.D. ’24) participates in a Q&A session after the United States Court of Appeals Oral Arguments for the Federal Circuit at the College of Law.

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Georgia State Law

fall 2023

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Photo: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com

GEORGIA STATE LAW NEWS

FACULTY PROFILE

6 Cortney Lollar joins Center for Access to Justice

26 L ongest-serving faculty member lands new appointment

8 Preparing the next generation of tech-ready lawyers 14 Leveling the playing field CURRENT EVENTS

16 Mind these lessons from the South

by Anthony Michael Kreis

18 Law professors make waves worldwide STUDENT STORIES

20 LGBTQ+ Bar Association honors student leader Kyle Hildebrand (J.D. ’24)

22 A student’s journey to study abroad excellence Niki Nourollahi (J.D. ’23)

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Corneill Stephens IN THEIR WORDS

28 E xperiential learning equals success J. Antonio DelCampo (J.D. ’94) and Brittanie Browning (B.A. ’10, J.D. ’14) ALUMNI PROFILE

30 B asic lawyering skills still apply Janine Anthony Bowen (J.D. ’98) IN EVERY ISSUE 4 From the Dean

29 Class actions

5 Briefs

32 Last look

24 Faculty news

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Dean

LaVonda N. Reed Editor

Board of Visitors

Simon H. Bloom Bloom, Parham llp

Aasia Mustakeem (J.D. ’87) Atlanta Beltline Inc. Hon. David E. Nahmias Supreme Court of Georgia

Jaya Franklin Director of Communications

Janine A. Bowen (J.D. ’98) BakerHostetler llp

Art director/designer

Carrie L. Christie (J.D. ’89) Rutherford & Christie llp

Steven B. Najjar (J.D. ’92) Hanover Life Reassurance Company of America

Contributors

Tye Darland Georgia-Pacific llc

Ernesto R. Perez (J.D. ’92) Alvarez & Marsal Taxand llc

Richard H. Deane Jr. Jones Day

Timothy B. Phillips American Cancer Society Inc.

Scott Frank (J.D./MBA ’94) AT&T Intellectual Property

Lisa A. Schreter (J.D. ’91) Littler Mendelso, p.c.

Ronald J. Freeman Sr. (J.D. ’85) Johnson & Freeman llc

Craig A. Spencer (J.D. ’87) Arden Group Inc.

William E. Grob (J.D. ’00) Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart pc

Frank B. Strickland Taylor English Duma llp

Winnie Hulme

Lauren Allred Maya Carpenter Holly Cline Joy Ki-Peum Hong (J.D. ’24) Anthony Kreis Photographers

Alex Acosta Atlanta Business Chronicle Jenni Girtman Niki Murphy Shay Richards On the cover

Photo of Kierra Ross (J.D. ’25) and DeChino Duke (J.D. ’23) by Steve Thackston. iStockphoto by blackdovfox.

Edward J. Hardin Rogers & Hardin llp Randall L. Hughes Bryan Cave llp (retired)

Georgia State Law Magazine is published by Georgia State University College of Law for alumni, students, faculty, staff and supporters.

Send address changes and alumni news to:

Georgia State University College of Law, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 4037, Atlanta, GA 30302-4037 Email: lawdevelopment@gsu.edu

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Dawn M. Jones (J.D. ’00) The Firm of Dawn M. Jones llc Joyce Gist Lewis (J.D. ’99) Krevolin & Horst llc

Georgia State University College of Law

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From the Dean THIS FALL 2023 EDITION of the Georgia State University College of Law magazine highlights

some of our programmatic offerings designed to equip our students with the knowledge, tools, and resources to understand and embrace technology as they prepare for the practice of law.

College of Law faculty are teaching timely concepts and have positioned the College of Law as a leader in legal education. The Legal Analytics & Innovation Initiative was named a 2022 finalist of the Bloomberg Law Innovation program, “which recognizes law schools and their faculty and staff who have implemented and led innovative programs into their curricula that advance new methodologies and approaches to student instruction, legal technology implementation and usage, experiential learning and other facets of legal education.”

PreLaw magazine listed the College of Law among the 20 most innovative law schools for 2023, recognizing our success in making experiential learning a focal point of legal education.

Kris Niedringhaus, Michelle Dewey, Patrick Parsons, and Daniel Quiggin are working to advance the Legal Analytics and Innovation Initiative program to prepare students to engage in a modern, tech forward practice of law.

Our innovation does not stop there. For several years now, Professor Mo Ivory has led a flagship course titled the “Legal Life Of…” where students can study the career, contracts, and legal transactions of celebrities. The wildly popular course has garnered widespread positive media coverage and most importantly it has provided students with the opportunity to engage creatively with business, law, and the arts.

Our faculty have been recognized for excellence and remain actively engaged in commentary related to current world and domestic events. Professors Clark Cunningham, Caren Morrison, Anthony Kreis, Timothy Lytton, Eric Segall, Tanya Washington, Erin Fuse Brown, and Chris Timmons have been interviewed by wide ranging news media outlets relating to grand juries, reproductive rights, gun laws, and children’s constitutional rights, just to name a few.

Professor Corneill Stephens, the College of Law’s longest-serving faculty member has been appointed the L. Lynn Hogue Professor of Law. Regents’ Professor 4 G E O R G IA STAT E L AW

Paul Lombardo is the 2023 recipient of the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement. Richard Deane Jr., adjunct professor and of counsel for Jones Day received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

In keeping with the traditions of the college, Georgia State Law students and staff continue to make their mark.

Kyle Hildebrand (J.D. ’24) received the 2023 student leadership award from the LGBTQ+ Bar Association, and Niki Nourollahi (J.D. ’23) has been named the Georgia State University Study Abroad Student of the Year. Yves McKenzie was presented with a resolution by Georgia House Representative Debra Bazemore (D-69) from the State of Georgia for the “Outstanding Citizenship Award.”

In November 2023, we lost two members of our alumni community. Salvatore “Sal” Lucido (J.D. ’03) was an adjunct professor at Clayton State University and the associate director for policy, external relations, and communications for the Center for Disease Control & Prevention.

Odis Williams II (J.D. ’05) was an attorney for the Law Office of Odis W. Williams in Marietta, Georgia. We mourn the loss of Sal and Odis.

LaVonda N. Reed

Dean and Professor of Law

Briefs Donor supports children’s constitutional rights with $2.1 million gift A $2.1 million gift from an anonymous donor will support a new project to advance children’s constitutional rights. The Advancement of Children’s Constitutional Rights (ACCR) Consortium includes three nationally recognized children’s rights legal scholars: Tanya Washington of Georgia State

University College of Law, Catherine Smith of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and Robin Walker Sterling of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. “This generous gift will allow for focused study of a critically important aspect of law relating to the rights of children, and it makes a significant investment in Professor Washington’s research, scholarship and teaching,” said LaVonda Reed, dean of Georgia State University College of Law. “As professor of children’s constitutional rights, Professor Washington will work across the College of Law and the university and with her colleagues at our partner institutions to achieve the goals of the consortium.

This gift supports the type of impactful academic research that is integral to the strategic vision of our institution.”

“I am excited about working with my academic partners to develop a unified theory of children’s constitutional rights, with the goal of improving their lived experiences in homes, schools, in foster

and institutional care facilities, and in the juvenile legal system,” said Washington, who will work on the project with Professors Smith and Walker Sterling.

The consortium is inspired by the reality that lawyers, judges and children’s advocates who engage with significant national issues affecting children including gun violence, educational inequalities, climate change and mass incarceration, often de-emphasize children’s constitutional rights or take legal doctrines developed in adult contexts and reflexively apply them to young people.

Professor Washington has been busy connecting with local and national youth-led organizations and organizations focused on advancing and advocating for children’s rights across a variety of contexts. She is also exploring opportunities for collaboration and for ways ACCR can support important work that is already in motion by scholars, practitioners, and organizations.

This summer ACCR funded research grants for Professors Orly Rachmilovitz, Eduardo Ferrer (Georgetown Law Center), Madalyn K. Wasilcuzk (University of South Carolina School of

“This generous gift will allow for focused study of a critically important aspect of law relating to the rights of children, and it makes a significant investment in Professor Washington’s research, scholarship and teaching.”

—LaVonda Reed, dean of Georgia State University College of Law

The scholars in the consortium are developing a law school casebook titled “Children and the Constitution,” one of the first of its kind. They are also creating a children’s rights course and a series of invitation-only workshops that will convene other children’s rights scholars, advocates, organizers, policymakers and stakeholders to develop strategies for uplifting children in the four critical areas.

The first workshop will be held at Georgia State College of Law in Atlanta in spring 2024.

Law), Christopher Mathis (University of Maryland School of Law), and Edward Scott (University of Houston). Though the competitive grant process for each $2,500 award was open to faculty at all levels, the consortium encouraged applications by entry-level and junior faculty, whose work in the children’s rights space contributes to the development of a coherent theory of children’s constitutional rights, across a continuum of contexts.

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Briefs

Cortney Lollar joins Center for Access to Justice as new faculty director Professor of Law Cortney Lollar has joined Georgia State University College of Law as the new faculty director of the Center for Access to Justice (A2J). The center educates and trains students interested in pursuing public interest or pro bono work while also conducting and facilitating research to help identify and better understand the difficulties low-income individuals face in navigating the legal system.

“We are thrilled to welcome Professor Lollar,” said Darcy McLean, deputy director of A2J and director of public interest programs. “Her background and experience position her well to further the center’s research and community engagement, and we are so fortunate to have her joining our faculty.”

“If we want the law to be an instrument of change, we must engage in an ongoing dialogue with the communities most impacted by particular laws.”

— Courtney Lollar, director of A2J

Lollar teaches and researches in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence, with a focus on the intersections of criminal law, remedies, race, gender, sexuality, and social science. Her work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as other federal and state courts. Prior to joining Georgia State Law, Lollar was the inaugural Norman and Carole Harned Law and Public Policy professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, where she received the university-wide Great Teachers Award in 2022. She previously represented adult and juvenile defendants at the trial and appellate level at the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Georgia and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.

Lollar has served as a legal consultant in India for I-MAK, and a research assistant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

“I have always desired to use my legal knowledge and my position as a professor in a manner that is influenced by, and has

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an impact on, what’s happening on the ground in communities and courtrooms,” Lollar said. “For the law to be an effective tool, it must be responsive to the needs of people in our communities, particularly those who have historically struggled to access the legal system. If we want the law to be an instrument of change, we must engage in an ongoing dialogue with the communities most impacted by particular laws.”

The Center for Access to Justice has made an impact in addressing issues affecting communities in and around the southeast, Lollar said, and she is excited to help continue to move that work forward as its faculty director.

“I would love to see the center continue to be at the forefront of legal issues highlighting deficiencies in access to justice and working on ways to improve that access,” Lollar said. “I intend to maintain those commitments. I also anticipate the center will remain a space where community leaders and academics come together in conversation to help envision and create a fairer, more just community. Finally, and most importantly, I’m excited for the center to remain a central hub for public interest students and pro bono opportunities within GSU and in the communities we serve.”

In addition to running A2J, this fall Lollar will teach “Alternative Visions of Criminal Justice.” The seminar was inspired by events of the past few years and the public dialogue that has emerged, much of which has focused on racial injustices in our criminal legal system, she said.

A2J was founded in 2016 by former Georgia State Law Professor Lauren Sudeall, who served as its director until May 2023; Sudeall now teaches at Vanderbilt Law School.

Through the center, faculty and students conduct research and host community education programs to explore and address obstacles to access justice in both civil and criminal courts.

The center also houses an award-winning pro bono program, Alternative Spring Break trips, and a Public Interest Law and Policy certificate (PILP).

Through the center, students have provided more than 6,500 hours of pro bono service to about a dozen organizations.

More than 140 students have participated in spring break trips, including working with Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF).

The Legal Life Of... Rick Ross

This fall, law students are studying the legal life of Grammy® award-nominated, multiplatinum recording artist and serial entrepreneur Rick Ross.

Ross, also known as the “biggest boss,” is the focus of the fourth installment of the “Legal Life Of…” course at Georgia State University College of Law. The class provides law students with the unique opportunity to gain handson legal experience in the practice area of entertainment law by studying the career, contracts, and legal transactions of Rick Ross. The students will have the opportunity to apply those legal principles to a real-world business. The course was created and implemented by Mo Ivory, professor of practice and director of the Entertainment, Sports & Media Law Initiative at the College of Law. “As a lover of rap music, hip-hop culture, and in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, I could not think of a better time to study the career of a visionary like Rick Ross,” said Ivory.

“When I began my research on Ross, I realized early on that my students would learn about a businessman who turned his love of music into an empire that includes massive real estate holdings, food and beverage franchises, investments in the car and bike industry, literary works and corporate equity ownership,” she added. In class, students will dive deep into the contracts that helped to shape the celebrity’s career, section by section, with input from the lawyers who negotiated them. They will learn legal concepts like drafting, interpreting and negotiating deals with a focus on varying types of client representation, along with risk and crisis management inherent in today’s entertainment industry.

“The biggest meets the classroom.

I’ve always been a student of the game and I look forward to being able to teach the next generation how to keep hustlin’,” said Ross.

He has a massive career that spans music and countless business ventures.

Ross is a real estate investor, the CEO of Maybach Music Group, a franchise owner of more than 25 Wingstop locations, the owner of several Checkers and Rally’s restaurants, partner in Sovereign Brands, the CEO of Rick Ross Car & Bike Show and the Boss Up Conference.

He also holds partnerships in the cannabis industry and more.

News about the fourth installment of the Legal Life Of… featuring Rick Ross spread quickly across several media platforms nationwide in August 2023. More than 50 news outlets including Billboard, Essence Magazine, The Source, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Miami Herald published stories about the latest College of Law course.

On November 7, Ross visited Georgia State University’s Rialto Theater to participate in a conversation with Professor Ivory and a Q& A with students.

About the course The “Legal Life Of…” course was launched at Georgia State Law in 2019 by Professor of Practice Mo Ivory. Since then, student participants have studied the legal life of Ludacris, Kandi Burruss and Steve Harvey.

The course is a part of the curriculum for the Entertainment, Sports & Media Law Initiative. The initiative focuses on entertainment, sports, media and intellectual property law.

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LEGAL ANALYTICS AND INNOVATION INITIATIVE

Preparing the next generation of tech-ready lawyers

by Holly Cline

echnology is constantly evolving. Its applications impact nearly all industries, including how attorneys practice law.

From Artificial Intelligence (AI) and document automation to project management and application interfacing, understanding how technology impacts the practice of law is becoming increasingly essential for legal professionals.

Georgia State University College of Law faculty understand this need and designed the Legal Analytics & Innovation Initiative (LAII) to equip students with the competitive skills desired by law firms and other companies that align with the emerging technological environment.

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s faculty, we realized we need to be forward thinking about incorporating technology into our curriculum.

Students must understand new areas of law that arise from or are significantly altered by technological advances, like cyber security, privacy and AI. They also must understand how these advances change the practice of law,” said Kris Niedringhaus, associate dean for Law Library, Information Services, Legal Technology & Innovation.

“Knowing what types of technologies exist and what solutions are possible can be a massive asset. If we can give our students this experience and knowledge, when they get jobs, they may be who the firm looks to when adopting new technology.”

Niedringhaus also serves as faculty director of the LAII, which began in partnership with the Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Faculty members Anne Tucker, Charlotte Alexander and Ben Chapman laid the groundwork for the initiative, and Niedringhaus has helped transition it beyond legal analytics exposure to legal tech education that allows students to not just observe how law and technology interact, but also participate in the process.

Students develop new research methods and applications, evaluate legal technology and processes and think critically about their role in the future of legal technology, data and analytics.

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Patrick Parsons, LAII executive director, shares Niedringhaus’ vision of advancing the LAII program so when students graduate, the skills, requirements and electives work together to provide a broad exposure to the universe of legal tech and in turn, prepare students to engage in a modern, techforward practice of law.

“You can’t divorce technology from the practice of law any more. It’s an important topic that must be addressed at the law school level to help foster that understanding,” Parsons said. “Our number one goal with the LAII is to impart our students with an innovative mindset. Part of that goal is exposure to real-world tools and developing practical, real-world skills. We work very hard to build these skills into our courses, and we’re one of the front runners with our certificate programs.”

Niedringhaus, Parsons and other LAII faculty restructured the Certificate in Legal Analytics & Innovation in 2022 to incorporate more legal technology experience and expertise, in a more generalized way. The certificate now offers two paths: Legal Analytics and Technology and Innovation. Both offer a highly structured curriculum to ensure a definable set of skills after graduation.

Before selecting a path, students take Introduction to Legal Technology and Innovation to establish a foundational understanding of different legal technology topics. The course also emphasizes practical skill development. For example, an entire class is devoted to technology evaluation. Twice in the

students. He created the course based on feedback from the legal community that students should be more proficient in basic Microsoft Office and Adobe tasks. Clients were getting frustrated by the exorbitant amount of time billed to create various materials with these tools. The course helps students better understand

Niedringhaus among most influential women in legal tech The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) named Kris Niedringhaus among its 2023 Influential Women in Legal Technology. Each March since 2020 — during International Women’s History Month — ILTA recognizes 20 outstanding women leaders in the global legal technology community based on their history of mentorship and level of impact on Legal Technology. Niedringhaus is the first academic to receive the honor.

semester, students are assigned product reviews where they develop a rubric and evaluate a technology solution for the needs of a hypothetical law firm.

Both certificate tracks have skill-based requirements that the LAII faculty developed to help ensure graduating students possess the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities of someone starting in the field. To fulfill credit requirements, students can elect from cutting-edge technology classes already provided at the College of Law — like Blockchain and Smart Contracts, E-Discovery, Privacy Law, Cyber Security and Technology and Ethics.

In the Legal Analytics path, students learn to identify patterns using big data analytics. This includes text mining, machine learning, image analysis and other research methodologies. Each student participates in the Georgia State University Library’s Research Data Services (RDS) micro-credentialing workshops.

The skills they learn are reinforced in the other courses.

Students in the Technology and Innovation pathway develop a sophisticated knowledge of how technologies, systems and innovation affect and progress the practice of law; as well as how to use, implement and evaluate these technologies.

“LAII courses expose students to other parts of legal practice that law students usually don’t see. By thinking outside the box, students become much better problem solvers, which benefits them and their future employers and clients,” Parsons said.

“When confronted with a problem that historically required a brute-force solution, we want our students to remember that technology may offer an innovative, tech-driven way forward.”

Parsons also teaches a two-credit online course Legal Tech Competency and Operations, which is open to all law

how to create legal documents, data visualizations and reports to generate firm profitability using Word, Excel and PDFs. Overall, student reviews of the LAII program and its courses have been exceptionally positive. Feedback across the board indicates that students appreciate not only what they are learning, but how different the classes are from their traditional doctrinal courses.

At first, Zach Mickelson (J.D. ’24) was skeptical of his ability to get through the LAII program, since the work is vastly different from other law school curriculum. He doesn’t have a coding background but believes in the potential of technology to benefit both the practice and accessibility of law. He recently received the Legal Analytics certification. He credits faculty with making his experience worthwhile.

“Once I was through those first growing pains, I found that the atmosphere in the College of Law’s analytics community is very collegial. Everyone helps everyone — and everyone struggles.

The professors are all passionate about the material and have cultivated a wonderful environment that makes the material enjoyable to learn,” he said.

Engaging legal and tech communities Both LAII certificates include a required capstone experience.

Through the Institute for Insight Legal Analytics Lab, an initiative of the Robinson College of Business, where law students engage in the design, coding and application of a real legal analytics project. Known as the “data guy,” academic professional Daniel Quiggin teaches the course.

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“Before coming to the law school, I had spent quite a bit of time designing and teaching classes on data analysis,” Quiggin said. “My focus is less on memorizing arcane mathematical formulas and more on statistical concepts and practical use…

How you might encounter the idea of statistical significance in the courtroom, and what you should keep an eye out for if someone tries to invoke it.”

It’s one of the nation’s first legal process engineering courses, focusing on how legal organizations can develop technologies and processes to help create competitive advantages and reduce overhead in their operations. By partnering with the law firm, students also learn how to prepare idea pitches, run project teams, work collaboratively and produce polished business deliverables. Dewey said students also learn skills to fill roles beyond a practicing attorney — such as legal technologist, process engineer or data analyst.

Baker Hostetler will partner with the College of Law again for the spring 2024 LPE course, and students will also work with the Georgia Legal Services Program as a client.

LAII faculty “Integrating the tech learning with public service seems like a natural fit for the College research highlights of Law,” Dewey said. “This opportunity allows us to explore ways students can gather legal NSF-SCALES Settlement Project tech skills to implement in the access to justice Collaboration on a $5 million project with space. Students gain a hands-on learning scholars from eight other universities to opportunity to solve real problems, while simultaneously offering support to some of the improve public access to court records and most in-need legal services organizations — and analytics, including settlement analytics. in turn, Georgians who may not have access to the judicial system.”

Magistrate Judge Project Dewey also is faculty adviser of the Investigation into the role magistrate judges Legal Analytics & Innovation (LAI) student organization. LAI encompasses all facets of play in federal civil litigation using data on legal tech and provides an opportunity for case outcomes; and developing a typology students who are interested in this space, but of the district-level local rules and standing not in the certificate program, to have access to orders. the conversations happening around legal tech.

Evolution of Merger Terms Examination of how merging parties respond to changing regulatory environments and economic conditions over a 25-year period.

A competitive edge

Technology is the lens the LAII explores modern legal practice through, and College of Law graduates are putting that into practice. Graduates are filling roles such as Evolution of Dissent in the U.S. Knowledge Manager, Data Scientist and Head Supreme Court of Innovation within large firm settings, as well as developer and project management Analyzation of data that proves measures of roles at legal innovation startups. Practicing quality can predict subsequent adoption. attorneys are bringing an innovative mindset to traditional settings where they are better poised to work with technology used and desired by their clients to improve their own operational efficiency.

Dewey is now focused on finding ways the Michelle Dewey, legal technologies librarian, created the LAII can help connect students with tech internships and build Legal Process Engineering (LPE) capstone course through a a stronger network of the LAII alumni — many of whom have partnership with Am Law 100 firm Baker & Hostetler. After shared that the LAII certificate and courses are the top things seeing an ad for applicants for Baker & Hostetler’s legal process employers want to talk about during interviews. engineer position, Dewey approached the firm about creating a Chantal Wynter-Jackson (J.D. ’25) recognizes the course to help prepare law students for technology-related jobs. importance of being able to incorporate technology in a variety

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of practice areas. She is pursuing the Technology and Innovation pathway of the certificate and appreciates the hands-on learning, along with the opportunity to brainstorm innovative ways to solve various problems other legal professionals have experienced.

“Technology is here to stay and will transform the legal industry,” she said. “The concepts we learn are relevant to the current legal market and align with legal trends. The professors are clearly passionate about the subject area and are driven to

Even students with a more traditional attorney career path have noted the value of the problem-solving, business writing and design-thinking skills they developed in these classes. These solutions offer huge time and cost savings in the business of law.

According to Niedringhaus, the plan is to grow the LAII program and reach as many students as possible along with practicing attorneys and others interested in technology.

“We want to meet people where they are — either through the certificate, a course or workshop. Offering a variety of

“The LAII courses are a breath of fresh air and a confidence booster. We are constantly learning new skills.” — Chantal Wynter-Jackson (J.D. ’25)

produce technology-ready lawyers that embrace and integrate technology into the legal field.”

Regardless of how many courses a student takes, the goal of the LAII is to better prepare them for their future as attorneys.

educational opportunities will reach more professionals with information on how technology can make their work more efficient, effective and even improve work-life balance.”

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Leveling the

playing field

by Lauren Allred

am the first person in my family to attend college, let alone law school, and I knew my career would be very dependent on my network,” said Carson Kuck (J.D. ’24), a rising third-year student and the incoming president of the Georgia State University College of Law Student Bar Association.

Kuck began developing his networking skills at the Center for Professional Development & Career Strategies’ (CPD) annual fall Speed Networking event, where College of Law alumni and friends are invited to make connections with current students. Much like speed dating, students rotate through five-minute conversations with attorneys to learn more about different types of law practice, what it’s like at various law firms and the different career paths available.

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Kuck met with CPD multiple times during his first semester of law school and credits his first job to their services.

“Toward the end of my first year, I was actually interviewed by an attorney I met at the speed-networking event,” Kuck recalled. “I ended up receiving an offer and accepting that job. I owe a lot of my success to Career Services.”

The center is a one-stop shop for professional development, career counseling, resume and cover letter reviews, networking opportunities and more for College of Law students.

Much of their work is designed to proactively give first-year law students a strong foundation for career success to build on over time, beginning with a professional development course over their first two semesters. CPD has added components of personal discovery, incorporating insights from the Clifton Strengths assessment to help students capitalize on their abilities.

The result of this foundation is a student who is better prepared to succeed both in law school and beyond. “We aren’t only here to work with the top students,” said Amy McCarthy (J.D. ’02), the director of CPD. “Our services are here to help everyone level the playing field.”

The influence of their support in students’ academic careers is evident by the number of graduates who land jobs in their respective fields.

“One of our biggest wins of last year was seeing the Class of 2022 achieve a 95 percent employment rate within 10 months of their graduation,” McCarthy said. “The highest rate in many years.”

This is no small feat for the Class of 2022, who entered law school in the fall of 2019 and transitioned to fully remote learning during the COVID pandemic in their second semester.

Current and former students praise the efforts of the CPD team, recounting personal successes both large and small.

McCarthy also wants students to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in “Think Outside the Firm,” info sessions where students can learn about career paths in government, public interest or fellowships. “Not everything is

‘Big Law,’” she says, referring to the large law firms with long hours and multiple offices across the country.

Rising second-year student Ian Reyes (J.D. ’25) found a connection with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, an organization offering free civil legal aid for low-income people across metro Atlanta, while working with CPD Associate Director Sarah Mahmood.

“Sarah helped by introducing me to their Health Law Unit summer internship,” he said. “I gained so much experience this summer and connected with many clients, law students and mentors.”

Alumni turn college experiences into careers Countless College of Law alumni can trace the skills they developed and the support they received from the Center to the careers they’ve built after graduation.

As a second-year law student, Julia Martin (J.D. ’22) struggled to develop a job-hunting plan for a post-graduation career outside of Atlanta. “When I approached the professional development team, they knew just how to direct my search and connected me with attorney mentors in other markets,” she said. Now an associate with Greenberg Traurig, llp in Miami, she credits those relationships for her success. “Their guidance and

encouragement made all the difference for me.”

College of Law students attend the annual Speed Networking event to make connections with alumni attorneys and friends of the college. Paul Joseph Spina IV (J.D. ’22) pointed to the annual spring mock interview event as a critical component of his professional development. During the event, which also draws on experienced alumni and friends of the college, CPD pairs one practicing attorney with up to four students. Students participate in a 20-minute mock interview and receive detailed feedback on how to best present themselves and their accomplishments.

The event helps to demonstrate the interview process and gives students practice and insight in a low stakes learning environment.

“The mock interview program was, without question, the most beneficial experience in terms of my career development,” Spina said. He attributed his opportunities to evaluate different career paths to the valuable input he received from CPD Associate Director Rachel Miller. “Ms. Miller had a tremendous impact on my law school career. It was wonderful to have a constant during the course of my legal education, especially during many times of uncertainty.”

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Current events | All eyes on Georgia

ANTHONY MICHAEL KREIS

With the latest Trump indictment, mind these lessons from the South With her sweeping indictment of former President Donald Trump and over a dozen co-conspirators, the Fulton County, Ga., district attorney, Fani Willis, is now set to prosecute her case in a court of law. Just as important, it is essential that she and others continue to explain to the American public why the decision serves a critical purpose beyond the courts and for the health of our constitutional order.

The indictment should be situated in the broader arc of American political development, particularly in the South.

That history justifies using the criminal justice system to protect the democratic process in Georgia—a critical swing state—for elections now and in the future.

We have the benefit of hindsight to heed the great lesson of the Reconstruction era and the period of redemption that followed: When authoritarians attack democracy and lawbreakers are allowed to walk away from those attacks with impunity, they will try again, believing there are no repercussions.

We should not make those mistakes again.

The period after the American Civil War entrenched many of America’s

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political ills. Ex-Confederates were welcomed back into the body politic without meaningful penance. There were vanishingly few arrests, trials and lengthy punishments. Suffering minimal political disabilities, they could muster enough power to “redeem” Southern governments from biracial coalitions that had considerable sway to remake the South.

Examples of democratic decay were regrettably abundant. An early sign occurred in Louisiana. With a multiracial electorate, Reconstruction Louisiana held great promise. During contentious state elections in 1872, Louisiana Democrats intimidated Black voters from casting ballots and corruptly claimed victory.

The disputed election spurred political violence to assert white supremacy, including the Colfax Massacre in 1873, in which as many as 150 Black citizens were killed in Grant Parish when a white mob sought to take control of the local government.

Federal prosecutors brought charges against a number of the perpetrators. But in 1876, the Supreme Court held in United States v. Cruikshank that the federal government could not prosecute private violence under the 14th Amendment because it could only protect citizens against constitutional rights violations by state actors. By its decision, the court gave license to mobs to disrupt the

peaceful transition of power with grave consequences.

South Carolina could have been a Reconstruction success story. Its state Constitution and government reflected the values and priorities of its Black majority. The planter elite attacked the Reconstruction government as a socialist rabble and baselessly mocked elected officials as incompetent. In the lead-up to elections in 1876, political violence brewed across the state, and Democrats secured a narrow victory. But democratic decay was precipitous. Over time, South Carolina imposed new limits on voting, moving precincts into white neighborhoods and creating a confusing system. Legislators passed the Eight Box Law, which required voters to submit a separate ballot for each elected office in a different box and invalidated any votes submitted in the wrong box. This created a barrier to voting for people who could not read.

The lack of repercussions for political violence and voter suppression did little to curb the impulse to crush biracial democracy by mob rule. The backsliding spread like cancer to Mississippi, Virginia and North Carolina.

In Georgia, just before the state was initially readmitted to the Union, Georgians elected a Republican to the governorship and a Republican majority to the State Senate. Yet the promise

of a strong Republican showing was a mirage. Conservative Republicans and Democrats joined forces to expel more than two dozen Black legislators from the Georgia General Assembly in September 1868. From there, tensions only grew.

Political violence erupted throughout the state as elections drew closer that fall, most tragically in Camilla, where white supremacists killed about a dozen Black Georgians at a Republican political rally.

The democratic failures of that era shared three common attributes. The political process was neither free nor fair,

his oath of office. Mr. Trump’s coercive tactics persisted even though he should have known that Joe Biden fairly won the state’s Electoral College votes. But facts never seemed to matter. Mr. Trump’s false allegation of a rigged contest—a claim he and others made well before voting began —was grounded in a belief that opposition to his re-election was never legitimate.

Mr. Trump and his allies could not accept that an emerging multiracial coalition of voters across the state rejected him. Election deniers focused on Atlanta, a city whose Black residents total about

The case by Ms. Willis can be seen as an effort to avoid darker moments in the future, especially for a critical swing state like Georgia. as citizens were prevented from voting and lawful votes were discounted. The Southern Redeemers refused to recognize their opponents as legitimate electoral players. And conservatives abandoned the rule of law, engaging in intimidation and political violence to extinguish the power of multiracial political coalitions.

At bottom, the theory behind the Fulton County indictment accuses Mr. Trump and his allies of some of these same offenses.

The phone call between Mr. Trump and Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, (“Fellas, I need 11,000 votes,” Mr. Trump demanded) is crucial evidence backing for a charge relating to soliciting a public officer to violate

half the population, as the place where Georgia’s election was purportedly stolen.

The dangerous mix of racial grievance and authoritarian impulses left Trump loyalists feeling justified to concoct the fake electors scheme and imploring the General Assembly to go into a special session to arbitrarily undo the will of Georgians.

Political violence and intimidation are some of the most obvious symptoms of democratic decay. The charges in Fulton County are an attempt to use the criminal justice system to repudiate political violence.

The sprawling case is stronger because the conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s presidential election results was replete with acts of intimidation by numerous

people. Mr. Trump and Rudy Giuliani engaged in a full-scale harassment campaign against Fulton County election workers when they baselessly alleged that two individuals added fake votes to Mr. Biden’s tally. Mr. Trump threatened Mr. Raffensperger and a state employee with “a criminal offense” if they declined to join his corruption, warning them they were taking “a big risk.” A healthy democracy cannot tolerate this behavior.

Democracy is not guaranteed, and democratic backsliding is never inevitable.

The country avoided the worst, but the past few years have still been profoundly destabilizing for the constitutional order in ways akin to some of the nation’s darker moments.

Indeed, the case by Ms. Willis can be seen as an effort to avoid darker moments in the future, especially for a critical swing state like Georgia. We should remember the words in 1871 of Georgia’s first Black congressman, Jefferson Franklin Long, who spoke out when Congress debated relaxing the requirements for restoring certain rights to ex-Confederates without meaningful contrition: “If this House removes the disabilities of disloyal men ...

I venture to prophesy you will again have trouble from the very same men who gave you trouble before.”

His prediction proved all too accurate.

It now may be up to the people of Fulton County to stop election denialism’s widening gyre.

Anthony Michael Kreis is an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, where he teaches and studies constitutional law and the history of American politics.

This article was originally published in The New York Times.

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Current events | Legal experts weigh in on Trump indictment

Law professors make waves worldwide SOME OF OUR PROFESSORS at the College of Law often serve as legal experts on current events consuming the news cycle. They educate news reporters and the public on the legal aspects of high-profile cases, provide commentary for what to expect in the future, analyze and break down the complexities of the legal process from both sides including the prosecution and the defense.

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For the Georgia Trump indictment, Professors Anthony Michael Kreis, Chris Timmons, Clark Cunningham, Eric Segall and Caren Morrison dominated media coverage by participating in more than 100 interviews combined from Aug. 14 – Aug. 18, 2023, with local, national and international media outlets.

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Student stories | Leading by example

KYLE HILDEBRAND (J.D. ’24)

LGBTQ+ Bar Association honors student leader

by Lauren Allred Dan Wingate (J.D. ’23) with his daughter, Harriet.

yle Hildebrand (J.D. ’24) is the recipient of the LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s 2023 Student Leadership Award.

This is the association’s highest award, which recognizes two law students annually for demonstrating leadership at their school and in the community, especially in the area of LGBTQ+ equality.

“Receiving this award has reaffirmed my commitment to working for the LGBTQ+ community however I can,” said Hildebrand. “It means that I am on the right track, and I am energized to continue the work even as a law student.”

Hildebrand, a rising third-year law student from Brunswick, Ga., is a legislation editor for Georgia State University Law Review. He is also a graduate research assistant for the Health Law Partnership Clinic and the current president of OUTLaw. OUTLaw is a student organization that supports LGBTQ+ law students and allies at Georgia State University College of Law by encouraging personal, social, professional and academic development.

“It is extremely important for me to create spaces where LGBTQ+ students and allies can interact in a supportive way,” said Hildebrand, who grew up without an accessible LGBTQ+ community. “We are constantly considering ways to strengthen support systems and our school community.”

Hildebrand gives credit to Georgia State Law Librarian Meg Butler and her steadfast advocacy of OUTLaw. Butler praised Hildebrand’s forward-thinking vision and leadership in the group, remembering how he proposed

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scheduling leadership transitions at the end of the fall semester, rather than at the end of an academic year. “Now there are more possibilities for first-year students to take on leadership roles,” she explained.

Outside of school, Hildebrand enjoys working with Lambda Legal, an organization with a mission to protect and advance LGBTQ+ rights, in their southern regional office.

He is also a member of the Lambda Legal Atlanta Leadership Council. “My work with them has primarily been in garnering support throughout the community and making sure Lambda Legal is on its way to being a household name.”

Leveraging his involvement with the organization, Hildebrand built a connection to the College of Law community by inviting Tara Borelli, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, for a lunch-and-learn with law students. “Over 30 students came and learned more about paths to public interest work and securing LGBTQ+ civil rights, said Butler. “Kyle’s relationship with Lambda Legal made that program possible.”

Hildebrand believes community building is important at every level.

When he gets a moment away from law school, Hildebrand performs with the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and plays kickball with Stonewall Sports.

Looking to the future, Hildebrand has worked in labor and employment law and plans to explore those avenues further in the coming year. “No matter what, I will always be looking for ways to engage in LGBTQ+ civil rights law whether it is as a career, as pro bono work, or as a supporter.”

“It is extremely important for me to create spaces where LGBTQ+ students and allies can interact in a supportive way.

We are constantly considering ways to strengthen support systems and our school community.”

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Student stories | Expanding your reach

NIKI NOUROLLAHI (J.D. ’23)

A student’s journey to study abroad excellence

by Maya Carpenter

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O

ne Georgia State University College of Law student has always been an advocate for expanding her horizons.

Now, as the Georgia State University 2023 “Study Abroad Student of the Year,” Niki Nourollahi (J.D. ’23) traces her global journey back to her childhood growing up in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nourollahi’s fascination with different countries blossomed during layovers on family trips to Iran.

“I always hoped I could step outside the airports of France, Italy and Germany some day on my own travels,” Nourollahi recalled.

It was in 2017, during her undergraduate years at the Georgia State University Robinson College of Business, that Nourollahi’s dream materialized when she embarked on a study abroad adventure in Toulouse, France.

“I took French classes for about seven years growing up as well, so choosing France as my first study abroad destination was an easy choice,” she said.

Nourollahi’s passion for international experiences continued when she pursued a law degree at Georgia State University College of Law. During the spring semester of her second year, she studied at Aarhus University in Denmark, through an exchange program with the College of Law. Since then, Nourollahi has emerged as a shining star in the realm of international education.

“I made an effort to befriend and assist international exchange students who came to Georgia State Law after returning from Denmark and encouraged other law students to go abroad, so receiving recognition for something I am so passionate about is an amazing feeling,” she said.

This accolade celebrates Nourollahi’s extraordinary accomplishments and her profound impact on the world of global education.

Her international experience in Denmark further highlights her accomplishments, where she achieved outstanding grades in both International Contract Drafting and International Law while studying at Aarhus University.

“I had the chance to learn from professors all over the world, in unique classroom settings, under different grading scales and with varied testing styles,” she said.

Nourollahi was also selected for the Atlanta Bar Association’s 2021 Minority and Diversity Clerkship Program. She served as a summer associate at Burr & Forman where she participated in an externship.

Nourollahi’s study abroad experiences transported her to distant corners of the globe. From immersing herself in

the splendor of Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Czech Republic to navigating the November floods in Venice, Italy, each destination became a chapter in her journey. Through these experiences, she developed a deep understanding of different cultures and forged lasting connections.

“On the personal side, I gained so many life-long friends across the world, and I’ve had the opportunity to visit and host these friends in the years following my experiences. Academically, I believe studying abroad shaped me into a more open-minded, holistic and curious student.”

Nourollahi’s professors, peers and mentors were deeply impressed by her academic excellence, cultural sensitivity and commitment to making the world a better place. Georgia State Law’s Visiting Assistant Professor Rose Rameau has been instrumental in Nourollahi’s international experiences.

“She took my International Business Transactions course in fall 2022 and was an excellent contributor. I had incorporated my travels and other activities into the curriculum,” Rameau said.

Rameau mentioned that Niki was among those who fully embraced one particular opportunity — an invitation for the entire class to participate in the Global Arbitration Review Live AtlAS conference in fall 2022. During the conference, Niki was a dedicated attendee, present throughout each day and diligently recording extensive notes from various panels.

Since then, Rameau has become a mentor and someone Nourollahi respects and admires. Although Rameau’s course was not easy, Nourollahi managed to still receive an A in her class where she presented international case studies.

“Professor Rameau’s stories of her past arbitrations and cases abroad were so fascinating to me, and I was in awe of her drive, perseverance and success,” Nourollahi said.

Rameau applauds Nourollahi for making her international experiences a priority as it attributes to her overall outlook as an attorney.

“I think this was probably one of the best initiatives she could have taken in the preparation for a career in international law. Niki will go very far because she has a go-getter attitude,” Rameau shared.

Nourollahi recently began a new role as an associate attorney in the Corporate & Tax practice group at Burr & Forman, with a concentration in securities transactions.

“Particularly after my exchange in Denmark, I’ve found that it is more natural for me to share my experiences with other legal professionals, and it often opens doors for continued conversations. I can see things from a different perspective than before, and this helps me deliver a better work product.”

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Faculty news SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION Pam Brannon, coordinator of faculty services was elected member-at-large for the American Association of Law Libraries’ Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section.

Erin Fuse Brown, Catherine C. Henson Professor of Law and director of the Center for Law, Health & Society, completed a scholar-inresidence program at the Brocher Foundation in Hermance, Switzerland.

Russell Covey, professor of law, participated in the inaugural symposium of the Plea Bargaining Institute, an initiative of Fair Trials housed at Belmont College of Law in Nashville, Tenn., and was invited to serve on the Institute’s plea bargaining academic working group.

Anthony Kreis, assistant professor of law, was invited to present work on the relationship between violence and American constitutional development at the University of Oxford, Pembroke College.

Kris Niedringhaus, associate dean for Law Library, Information Services, Legal Technology & Innovation was invited to participate in the Harvard Law AI Summit.

Rose Rameau, visiting professor of law was selected to serve as an American Bar Association representative at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai (CoP28).

Ryan Rowberry, Janice C. Griffith Chair in Law and co-director for the Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth, was invited to act as a consultant to multiple Central Asian countries in cataloging and reforming their cultural heritage laws.

Christina Scott (J.D. ’18), assistant clinical professor, created, launched and facilitated the first three of four brief writing workshops for new Health Law Partnership (HeLP) attorneys at Atlanta Legal Aid. Anne Tucker, professor of law, was invited to be a Business Associations Subject Matter Expert for the Next Generation Bar Exam.

Jeffrey Vagle, assistant professor of law, was invited to take part in a small group discussion with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on the implications surveillance has on civil liberties.

PRESENTATIONS Ted Afield, Mark and Evelyn Trammell Clinical Professor and director of the Philip C. Cook LowIncome Taxpayer Clinic, co-hosted and presented “A View of Taxpayer Rights Through Catholic Social Teaching” at the 2023 Southeastern Tax Conference.

Julian Hill, assistant professor of law, presented “Black Workers, Black Worker Coops” on a panel at the annual meeting on Law and Society in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Susan Smelcer, assistant professor of law, presented “Aggregated Risks: Mutual Fund Disclosures and Market Risks with Anne Tucker at a faculty workshop at Wake Forest University School of Law.

Allison Whelan, assistant professor of law, presented her paper, “Poked, Prodded, and Privacy: Parents, Children, and Pediatric Genetic Testing,” at the American Society for Law, Medicine, and Ethics 46th Annual Health Law Professors Conference, at University of Maryland Carey School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland.

Leslie Wolf, Distinguished University Professor and professor of law, presented “Implementing Justice” at the Law and Biosciences Workshop at Stanford Law School.

PUBLICATIONS/ PROJECTS Megan Boyd, senior lecturer of law, published an article titled “A New Phenomenon in Legal Writing: Storytelling Complaint Introductions – Part I & II,” in the Georgia Bar Journal.

Michelle Dewey, legal technologies librarian created a Legal Process Engineering Course for the College of Law Legal Analytics & Innovation Initiative, a capstone for the tech and innovation path.

Afield doubles funding for taxpayer clinic Ted Afield, associate dean for experiential education and director of the Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, has secured additional grant funding, doubling the size of its federal grant dollars for 2023.

Traditionally, the tax clinic’s funding is capped at $100,000 per year. But, in 2023, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), an independent organization within the IRS, was able to make a total of $200,000 available to tax clinics that demonstrated an ability to match funding and held a track record of client success.

Afield’s work with the clinic, along

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with Assistant Clinical Professor Emily Yaun, Clinical Supervising Attorney Conner Watts and the students in the clinic, successfully demonstrated to the TAS that the clinic should be supported with the full $200,000 grant.

“I am so pleased that the IRS recognized the historically strong performance of our clinic and awarded us the full amount,” said Afield. “That recognition is a testament first and foremost to the incredible work of our students. This increased funding allows our clinic to continue its trajectory as one of the oldest and largest academic tax clinics in the country, providing effective service to clients and education to our students.”

The economic impact of this funding has saved taxpayers over $260,000 in liabilities and secured over $30,000 in

additional refunds for close to 200 cases in 2023.

The clinic recently represented a single parent with a high school education who left the workforce to care for a child with significant health challenges. This client owed the IRS over $80,000 in unpaid tax liability. Complicating the matter, the client is a homeowner and the IRS often places a lien on personal property until the tax liability is paid. The client also could not satisfy the liability because they couldn’t borrow against their home equity or generate income due to being a fulltime caregiver.

As a result, the clinic persuaded the IRS to accept a nominal payment, settling the full tax liability and allowing this client to obtain a fresh start.

Varadarajan receives wide acclaim for debut novel Deepa Varadarajan, associate professor of law, published her debut novel Late Bloomers, (Random House), which has been chosen as a Target Book Club Pick and landed on summer reading lists in magazines such as Southern Living, Good Housekeeping and Real Simple.

“There is a lot of competition for the attention of reviewers and readers — not only for novels, but for all kinds of creative work. So, when you are able to get any kind of positive media attention for your work, you feel really, really lucky,” Varadarajan shared.

Varadarajan’s academic scholarship focuses on intellectual property law and innovation, and she was formerly an associate professor of legal studies at Georgia State University’s Robinson

Conner Watts, clinical supervising attorney, published “Unanswered Trust Income Tax Questions After Stanojevich” in Tax Notes Federal.

Jonathan Todres, Distinguished University Professor and professor of law, published “Confronting Categorical Exclusions Based on Age: The Rights of Children and Youth,” in Harvard Human Rights Journal.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES Paul Lombardo, Regents’ Professor and Bobby Lee Cook Professor of Law, received the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement.

APPOINTMENTS/ PROMOTIONS Moraima “Mo” Ivory, professor of practice and director of the Center for Entertainment, Sports & Intellectual Property Law, was appointed director of the Popular Culture Collective at Georgia State University.

College of Business. While she has been published in many legal publications, such as the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, UCLA Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal, Late Bloomers, is her first work of fiction.

She shares that the experience of writing a novel was quite different than academic writing, shifting her role from that of an informer and an educator to an entertainer.

“When I write fiction, I’m hoping to entertain readers from a variety of backgrounds and to create an emotional connection between readers and my characters,” she explains.

For Varadarajan, the similarity between the two forms is in the process of letting go of perfectionism and personal unrealistic expectations. “With both kinds of writing, I’ve learned to take the project as far as I can, to send it out into the world and hope for the best, and to try not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Kendall Kerew, associate clinical professor and director of the externship program was appointed as a Life Fellow for the American Bar Foundation.

Timothy Lytton, associate dean for research & faculty development, was appointed Regents’ Professor.

Emily Yaun (J.D./MBA ’17), assistant clinical professor and supervising attorney, was appointed treasurer of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Teaching Method Section.

MEDIA COMMENTARY Yaniv Heled, professor of law, spoke to Bloomberg Law about Medicare price negotiations under the Biden administration and the anticipated lawsuits pharmaceutical companies may bring.

Caren Morrison, associate professor of law, was quoted by The New Yorker about “the benefits and drawbacks to charging Trump like a mobster.”

Late Bloomers is a story about an Indian American family in Texas whose world turns upside down when the parents divorce thirty-six years into their arranged marriage. While some authors have a specific message in mind to convey to their readers through their stories, Varadarajan leaves her work in her readers’ hands.

“The story is about family secrets, forgiveness, reinvention and second chances. But the thing I’ve discovered about readers is that they decide for themselves what they want to take away from the story. As an author, you create something out of your own imagination and share it with the world. Then, readers bring their own unique perspectives and experiences to reading it, and it becomes something new in their minds that the writer might not have expected.”

Varadarajan is working on another novel focusing on Indian American characters in the southern United States.

Patrick Parson, associate director for Legal Technology & Innovation, and Michelle Dewey, legal technologies librarian, were quoted in a Law360 article about AI and how it may change the legal practice landscape.

Jack F. Williams, professor of law, discussed the Supreme Court’s opinion in Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v.

Coughlin with Bill Rochelle, the editorat-large of the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Eric Segall, Ashe Family Chair Professor of Law, wrote an editorial for Jurist called “The Supreme Court is not a Real Court: This Year or Any Year.” The editorial was also cited in The New York Times.

RESEARCH

Chris Timmons, adjunct professor, was quoted in The New York Times and Rolling Stone about the similarities and differences present in the Fulton County RICO cases against Young Thug and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kelly Timmons, associate professor of law, shared her thoughts with NBC News about an Atlanta Braves and Jorge Soler lawsuit.

Karen Johnston, associate director of the Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth, is a part of a multidisciplinary team who won a Partnership for Inclusive Innovation’s (PIN) 2023 Community Research Grant.

Sue Provenzano, assistant professor of law, received a $10,000 seed grant from the Jane Robertson Layman Fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation for the project, “The Worst of the Worst: Civil Rights Cases and the Influence of Supermax Rhetoric on Judicial Decision-Making.”

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Faculty profile | A legendary educator CORNEILL STEPHENS

Longest-serving faculty member lands new appointment

by Jaya Franklin

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“I am honored and humbled to have received a professorship named after Professor Hogue. He is not only one of the founding fathers of the College of Law, but he also has been my professional and personal mentor ever since I joined the faculty.”

C

orneill Stephens, professor of law, director of lawyering advocacy at Georgia State University College of Law, and the longest-serving faculty member of the College, was recently appointed the L. Lynn Hogue Professor of Law. “I am honored and humbled to have received a professorship named after Professor Hogue. He is not only one of the founding fathers of the College of Law, but he also has been my professional and personal mentor ever since I joined the faculty,” said Stephens.

Professor L. Lynn Hogue is one of the “great eight” original faculty members who started the College of Law in 1982. He expressed his excitement about Stephens’ new appointment. “…[Professor Stephens] is an excellent choice. He is a gifted and popular teacher, respected and appreciated by his former students. In fact, as alumni they return for short versions of his contracts class as part of COL reunion activities to re-immerse themselves in his distinctive pedagogical style.”

Before Professor Stephens joined the COL faculty in 1985, he practiced in the litigation department at Troutman Sanders (now Troutman Pepper) and he also was an adjunct professor at the COL, teaching litigation. From 1985 to 2018, Professor Stephens served as a part-time judge in the magistrate court of DeKalb County and a pro hac vice judge in the state and superior court of DeKalb County.

Professor Hogue said Stephens is an excellent role model for COL students with his deep ties to the legal profession.

Professor Stephens has taught courses at Emory Law School, UGA Law School and Mercer Law School. He has shared his expertise with students overseas in Poland and Austria, and in the past, Professor Stephens held the title of Arbitrator for the State Bar of Georgia, the American Arbitration Association and the Fulton County Superior Court.

From 1993 to 1997, Professor Stephens served as an associate dean at the COL. Now, as the director of the advocacy program, he organizes, coordinates, schedules and supervises the COL advocacy program and the Lawyering: Advocacy courses.

Lawyering: Advocacy is a required course in the spring semester for all second-year students. There are 19 sections, consisting of 12 students taught by adjunct professors who are experienced litigators in the greater Atlanta legal community. To ensure uniformity in quality and coverage among the 19 sections, Professor Stephens prepares all the materials to be used in the sections, including the master curriculum, syllabus, lesson plans, faculty materials, student materials, experiential exercises and 57 end-of-semester mock jury trials.

“He has also advanced the COL’s role in the professional formation of lawyers by injecting new energy into the COL’s advocacy program, [and] with his guidance has added a Certificate of Advocacy program and established a chapter of the Order of Barristers,” explained Hogue.

Professor Stephens is also the advisor to the COL chapter of the Order of Barristers, a national honorary organization recognizing excellence in oral advocacy and brief-writing skills.

Consistent with the goal of Georgia State University to lead as a model for inclusive excellence, in the last five years Professor Stephens has hired ten adjunct faculty members for the advocacy program — six were women and five were people of color.

The 2023 U.S. News & World Report ranks the COL advocacy program as No. 24 in the nation, and the program earned a grade of A- in the Winter 2022 edition of National Jurist Pre-Law Magazine.

Professor Stephens’ accomplishments have been recognized by his colleagues and former students.

Last year, to honor his long-standing and exemplary service to the COL, Professor Stephens received the “Steven J. Kaminshine Award for Excellence in Service.” In addition, he is a recipient of the COL Teaching Innovation Grant and has been selected as “Professor of the Year” 10 times. Professor Stephens is also a perennial member of the COL Commencement Hooding Team, which is selected by the graduating class.

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In their words | E xperiential learning equals success “I encourage young lawyers to get involved early in their careers; it pays dividends down the road.”

“Show up and be involved early on, whether or not you’re seeking leadership.”

J. ANTONIO DELCAMPO (J.D. ’94)

BRITTANIE BROWNING (B.A. ’10, J.D. ’14)

What activities were you involved in during your time at Georgia State Law?

I was very involved in the Student Trial Lawyers Association (STLA) advocacy program. During one argument competition, I realized, “This is what I want to do. I want to be in the courtroom.” And that’s what I did. That’s one of the best things professionally that I have done. I was trying cases as a student, and I felt very comfortable doing that when I graduated and started practicing.

Was there a particular person who made a big impact on you as a student?

I was very close to Tom Jones, who was the STLA faculty advisor at the time. My experience with him was one of the best things I could have done to set myself up for a successful career.

By taking what I learned from him, I felt very comfortable in the courtroom during my first year out of law school.

Do you have any words of advice for students still in law school?

I would tell law students and young attorneys entering the profession to get involved. Not only is it great for your professional development, but it’s also just a good thing to do.

The Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar in particular does a lot of service projects, and it’s important to do good in the community. I encourage young lawyers to get involved and get involved early in their professional careers because it pays dividends down the road.

J. Antonio DelCampo is the current president of the State Bar of Georgia, a former State Court Judge in DeKalb County and an attorney at DelCampo Grayson Lopez, LLC.

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The Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia hosts the annual Georgia Intrastate Moot Court Competition for law students across the state.

How do competitions like this help develop future practitioners?

Moot Court and STLA do a fantastic job of preparing students to become practitioners, because you get to learn about the basics of trial; about advocacy and appellate advocacy. Those are different skills, but I think seeing the issue and the problem presented to you, going through all the case law to analyze it, and then doing a written brief as well as an oral argument, is helpful because those are things that practitioners do on a daily basis. I think taking advantage of those opportunities when they arise is very important.

Was there a person or experience at the College of Law that helped shape your career?

Professor Lisa Bliss had a big impact on me. When I see her, I always tell her so, because in the Health Law Partnership Clinic, it was invaluable to have overall guidance from her. She taught me how to run a case from client interview and intake process through developing arguments and laying the groundwork to advocate for the client.

What words of advice do you have for students who want to follow in your footsteps?

Show up and be involved early on with any organization or group, whether or not you’re seeking leadership or whether or not it may have crossed your mind. Once you’re actually involved, you’ll understand better how that organization works and the overall impact of the organization.

Brittanie Browning is the current president of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, and a litigation associate at Akerman, LLP.

Class actions 1998

Rear Admiral W. Kent Davis, USN (retired) was re-appointed by the Alabama State Board of Veterans Affairs for a second term as Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.

Rebecca Davis joined Arnall Golden Gregory as a partner in Atlanta as part of the firm’s Environmental and Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice groups.

2013

2017

IN MEMORIAM

Charlie Deal McCook was recently promoted to partner at Taulbee, Rushing, Snipes, Marsh, & Hodgin, llc.

Odis W. Williams II (J.D. ’05) passed away

2019

1999

Joyce Gist Lewis was honored with the prestigious Chief Justice Thomas Marshall Professionalism Award by the State Bar of Georgia.

Daniel French was named to partnership at Jones Day and focuses his practice in complex commercial real estate transactions.

Jarvarus Gresham was selected as a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2024 to represent the next generation of Metro Atlanta’s leaders.

2016

2004

Lynita Mitchell-Blackwell was conferred a Doctorate of Spiritual Studies degree from the Emerson Institute of Theology.

Courtney Gilkinson was promoted to partner, resulting in the rename of the family law firm to Browning, Browning & Gilkinson, llc.

Alisa Micu was selected as one of 25 participants for the ELEVATE Kentucky Class of 2023, a leadership development program for young professionals.

Share your news: law.gsu.edu/ class-actions.

on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

Williams worked for the Law Office of Odis W. Williams in Marietta specializing in civil litigation, criminal law, business law, real estate, family law and personal injury.

Salvatore “Sal” Lucido (J.D. ’03) passed away on

Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Lucido served as an associate director for policy, external relations and communications for the Center for Disease Control & Prevention. He was also an adjunct professor at Clayton State University.

At the family’s request, contributions can be made in lieu of flowers to the Lucido Fund at Georgia State University. Please make checks payable to the Georgia State University Foundation.

Georgia State University Foundation, Attn: Lucido Fund P.O. Box 2668 Atlanta, GA 30301-2668 To give online: tinyurl.com/3d5jze6m

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Alumni profile | Fundamentals reign supreme

JANINE ANTHONY BOWEN (J.D. ’98)

In the age of AI, basic lawyering skills still apply

by Joy Ki-Peum Hong (J.D. ’24)

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“What you do need is this willingness to learn a lot of things you don’t know, to always be in continuous learning mode, to always be deep thinkers. People who think deeply, write well, and are continuous learners will prosper in any environment.”

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s technology and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to advance and transform occupations and industries, many attorneys and law students fear the risk of AI taking over legal work and threatening jobs in the profession. However, veteran technology law expert Janine Anthony Bowen (J.D. ’98) takes a different approach.

As a leading partner of the Privacy Governance and Technology Transactions team as well as the Digital Transformation and Data Economy team at Baker & Hostetler llp, her experience tells her there will be ways that attorneys can use AI to supplement but not subsume their jobs.

At the start of her legal career, technology law focused almost entirely on intellectual property, and the field grew steadily as the need for privacy law became more prevalent in technology industries. Over time, technology law, intellectual property law and privacy law have become three separate and distinct practices.

“It just so happens that I’m kind of all three,” Bowen said.

Bowen’s path to becoming a successful attorney and leader hasn’t been a straight shot. At the age of eight, Bowen knew she wanted to be an attorney, but in high school, her aptitude in mathematics led her to pursue a career as an engineer. She was also heavily inspired by a family member who worked as a nuclear engineer on projects for building both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Ultimately, with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in industrial engineering from Clemson University, Bowen moved to New York to begin her career as a technology consultant with Accenture. A few years later, she followed her original passion and came back home to Atlanta.

“Before I wanted to be an engineer, I wanted to be a lawyer, so it really was a move back to where I started from,” she explained.

When it came to choosing a law school, Bowen had a few options in the area, but one stood out as her perfect fit. “There was only one school that met my criteria. It was Georgia State University College of Law. It was fully accredited, evening program, part-time. It was going to be Georgia State or not at all.”

Bowen says Georgia State Law prepared her well for a career in what is arguably one of the most innovative practices in the legal field, and in 1998, she graduated law school into the rising

tide of the technology-driven dot-com boom.

The bubble burst shortly after she graduated and numerous technology companies faced accelerated declines; good preparation in basic lawyering skills helped Bowen remain successful in the field.

“At Georgia State, the preparation was very pragmatic, so I never entered into an environment where I felt unprepared.

I never felt that my background and my preparation were inadequate. What I learned then definitely serves me well now.”

Though her technical background has been a helpful touchstone in her career, Bowen doesn’t see an intrinsic need for an engineering education in the practice of technology law.

Although helpful, she considers that background peripheral to the fundamentals of good lawyering.

“What you do need is this willingness to learn a lot of things you don’t know, to always be in continuous learning mode, to always be deep thinkers. People who think deeply, write well, and are continuous learners are going to prosper in any environment.

I think the same in this environment.”

Bowen’s career and zeal for foundational lawyering skills are evidence of what it takes to outlast the AI and technological innovations to come. In her mind, emerging concerns about the use of technology in the legal field can be countered by cultivating an irreplaceable skill set.

“It’s a double-sided coin,” she says. “As other technologies have done, [AI] will consume some of the less intellectual aspects of our practice. But the deeper thinker you are, the less likely you are to be subsumed by technology. Legal writing and writing well is incredibly important, and being willing to change and move with the environment. These soft skills will continue to be important.”

Bowen predicts future legislative activity to further define the role technology plays in our personal lives and professional industries as we become more knowledgeable of its benefits, drawbacks, impact and ethical issues. Despite those uncertainties, she remains unfazed by the changes to come because of her belief that good lawyers with good fundamentals will, in her words, “get the job done.”

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Last look | 2 023 Orientation Volunteer Day

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Bragging rights AWARDS/ACCOLADES

RANKINGS

Richard “Rick” H. Deane Jr., adjunct professor and of counsel for Jones Day, is the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award winner for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awards.

Assistant Professor Anjali Deshmukh was selected as an American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME) 2023 Health Law Scholar.

No. 2 Law School

2023 ALM Daily Report

No. 2

Overall Master of Laws (LL.M.) program 2023 ALM Daily Report

Top 25

Best schools for Black or African American students

Yves McKenzie, an administrative specialist for the College of Law, received a resolution from the State of Georgia for the “Outstanding Citizenship Award” presented

by Georgia House Representative Debra Bazemore (D-69).

2023 PreLaw Magazine

A+

Health Law 2023 PreLaw Magazine

Professor Jack Williams has been named one of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors (AIRA) 2023 Distinguished Fellows.

BY THE NUMBERS

Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, by July 2023:

191 $546,928 $78,954 individual cases worked

STUDENTS

Cody Choi (J.D. ‘24) and Grace Chung (J.D. ‘24) are 2023 awardees of the Hemanth Digumarthi Public Interest Scholarship presented by the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation.

Two Georgia State Law students, Maya Longacre (J.D. ’24) and Jack Grist (J.D. ’24) were interviewed by Georgia Public Broadcasting for their expertise on the Fulton County indictment of former president Donald Trump.

AS SEEN ON TV

saved for low-income taxpayers

secured in tax refunds

Timothy Lytton, associate dean for research and faculty development and Regents’ Professor, is featured in a new Netflix documentary called Poisoned:The Dirty Truth About Your Food.

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P.O. Box 4037 Atlanta, GA 30302-4037

GIVING MATTERS

“Support from alumni and friends of the college enables Georgia State Law to provide a world-class education that trains students to become effective attorneys and community leaders. Strong support for student success ensures that my peers and I can form strong bonds within the legal community — our future colleagues. We need financial support and mentorship from others who have already navigated the challenges of legal practice.

Financial contributions from alumni and friends of the college help fund scholarships, experiential programs, bar prep initiatives and extracurricular activities that are critical to our overall learning experience.”

— Aditya Krishnaswamy (J.D. ’25) MAKE A GIFT

law.gsu.edu/donate For questions, contact Law Development at lawdevelopment@gsu.edu