a lum n i pr o fil e
K atie Powers ’09 Found Mercer Great Training Ground for Real World L aw From ‘Best Advocate’ to Assistant DA Post
David Indech photo
When Mercer Law School triumphed over Harvard and the University of Houston in the 2009 National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition, 2009 graduate Katie Powers was singled out, winning the Best Advocate and the Best Cross Examiner awards. In retrospect, these victories simply look like a good start to an already impressive career. “I always had an interest in the law,” Powers says, “but the first time I realized that I wanted to do trial work was during my participation in the high school mock trial program.” There is nothing simulated in her courtroom work now. An Assistant District Attorney with the Clayton County DA’s office, Powers argued before the Georgia Supreme Court last June in Foster v. State. The defendant was appealing his conviction for the assault of his former girlfriend’s sleeping children; one child was killed. It was originally a death penalty case. “One issue in particular was the challenge to Clayton County’s jury array, alleging that the composition of the pool was unconstitutional,” Powers says. “The court affirmed the defendant’s conviction on Nov. 1, 2010, and adopted our arguments.” Her work with the District Attorney’s office includes a substantial amount of work, requiring her to manage more than 200 cases at a time. “Our office is a vertical prosecution office in that I am assigned the case prior to indictment, present it to grand jury, handle any motions that are scheduled for the case and eventually try the case,” she says. “If there is a conviction, I then respond to any appeals.” Her cases run from forgery to murder. A political science major from Georgia State University, Powers found Mercer Law School to be a great training ground for the real legal world. “One of the most important things that Mercer does to prepare you to practice law is that it makes you a well rounded lawyer,” she says. “Most law schools … focus on one area, whether that is preparing you for the bar, preparing you for corporate law, etc. Mercer’s education, no matter what class you are enrolled in,
instills the fundamental values of a successful lawyer.” Powers had a wide choice of law schools to choose from. She was accepted at Alabama, Georgia, Emory, Georgia State and others, but a Mercer alumnus tipped her decision. “I was told by Judge John Carbo [Class of 1979] to come to Mercer,” she recalls. “He said Mercer is the best education you can get to be a practicing lawyer. You can’t quantify it, but you will realize it when you get out and begin practicing.” “No school better prepares you for the practice of law. I’ve never once looked back.”
Mercer Lawyer | Spring 2011
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