Vol. 51, 2017
PHILIP H. ALSTON, JR. DISTINGUISHED LAW FELLOWS
UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITIES
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
FROM THE LAW SCHOOL’S LEADERS BOARD OF VISITORS
LAW SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
YOUNG ALUMNI/ALUMNAE COMMITTEE
“Georgia Law continues to set the bar high in the areas of classroom engagement and thought leadership. With faculty who are among the most talented in the country, students are receiving the tools to be successful in today’s legal marketplace while learning directly from those who are actively shaping legal policy in our state and nation.”
“Do you want to make a real and tangible impact on the next generation of legal leaders knowing your investment will have a meaningful and lasting influence? Giving your annual gift to the Law School Fund is making a direct impact on the future of the legal industry in our state and abroad.”
“My time at Georgia Law was marked by the formation of incredible relationships. These relationships with peers, professors, staff and alumni have given me the competitive edge to launch into my career. Because of the personal investment others made in me while I was a student, as well as the continued support I have received since graduating, I count it an honor to give back and support my alma mater.”
—Kathelen V. Amos (J.D.’82), Board of Visitors Chair
—J. Anderson “Andy” Davis (J.D.’84), Law School Association President
—Catherine H. Curlet (J.D.’11),Young Alumni/Alumnae Committee President
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD. It’s who we are and what we do. At the School of Law, we pride ourselves on providing: - First-rate legal training
- Authentic relationships and support
- Thought leadership and world-class scholarship
- A great return on investment in legal education
- An unwavering commitment to service
FROM THE DEAN
Prepare. Connect. Lead. These words serve as a constant reminder of what our students hope
New initiatives such
to achieve and the important role that we as educators, alumni,
as our Distinguished Law
alumnae and friends of the University of Georgia School of Law play in
Fellows program, the
their success.
inaugural recipients of
These words – prepare, connect, lead – define our mission.
which are featured on the
We prepare our students for success after law school by ensuring
cover of this magazine,
they receive a first-rate legal education. We connect our students
are also providing
to judicial clerkships, jobs, world-class scholars and invaluable
meaningful opportunities
experiences that will shape their future. We encourage our students to
for students to connect
think about how they can be not only lawyers but also leaders in their
with distinguished jurists
professions and communities.
and legal advocates
These words represent the commitment we make to each and every entering student, and we are living up to that promise. The School of Law continues to receive national recognition for
willing to assist with their professional development. You can learn more about
the quality of education our students receive and how that translates
this expanding program on
into success after graduation. The annual U.S. News & World Report
page 12. Alumni/ae leaders
rankings placed our law school among the top 25 in the nation with
play an important role in this
regard to the percentage of graduates employed in high-quality jobs
mission.
10 months after graduation. Earlier this year, The New York Times
Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge Dean and Herman E. Talmadge Chair of Law
The 2017 Distinguished Service Scroll Awards were presented
highlighted a report listing the School of Law among the top five with
during Alumni/Alumnae Weekend to Ertharin Cousin (J.D.’82), the
regard to the best salary-to-debt ratios after graduation.
then-executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme;
This level of success would simply not be possible without our
William J. “Bill” Stembler (J.D.’71), the chairman and CEO of the Georgia
team of dedicated and nationally recognized faculty who are in our
Theatre Company-II; and Audrey Boone Tillman (J.D.’89), the executive
classrooms, guiding our clinics and serving as thought leaders. I
vice president and general counsel of Aflac (see pages 33–34). This year,
invite you to learn more about what some of our faculty have recently
alumnae Monica Allison-Ceruti (J.D.’82), chief counsel at NASA Stennis
accomplished on pages 24-28.
Space Center; state Rep. Stacey Godfrey Evans (J.D.’03) and Georgia
Through our successful mentorship program launched in
Court of Appeals Judge Carla Wong McMillian (J.D.’98) were among
August 2016, we connect every entering student with a faculty
a number of female legal leaders who came to campus as part of our
member, a career development adviser, an upper-level law student
Georgia Women in Law Lead initiative. You can learn more on page 19.
and a graduate or legal professional. As a result, we are fostering
Our future ability to provide opportunities like these will depend
relationships that extend far beyond the classroom and can translate
on your continued engagement and support. Specifically, we ask that
into employment or experiential learning opportunities. This program
you consider investing financially in the university’s capital campaign
and its positive effects on the student body are shared on page 7.
– Commit to Georgia. Our share of this campaign, which entered the
Our students are interacting daily with legal leaders including
public phase last fall, will allow us to continue to prepare our students
our Sanders Political Leadership Scholar – former U.S. Sen. Saxby
for the workplace, recruit (and retain) thought leaders to our faculty,
Chambliss, our Sibley Professor in Corporate and Business Law –
expand experiential learning programs that connect students to real-
former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson, and our
world clients and attorneys, and graduate a new generation of leaders.
Edenfield Jurists in Residence – Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90), judge for
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of the Advocate and that what
the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, and David
you read makes you even more proud to be an alumnus, alumna or
B. Sentelle, senior judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
friend of the University of Georgia School of Law.
Columbia.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
1
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Advocate Wood
Proctor
Sentelle
4
Thomas
6 9–10
12
Glasscock III
Jurists lead classes
7
Mentorship program
Record-breaking public interest fellowships: 36 students awarded grants totaling $68,000 This summer more than 35 law students worked in public interest positions around the globe addressing a variety of causes and concerns. They were supported by nearly $70,000 in fellowship grants.
Three national titles claimed in advocacy and negotiation School of Law students captured three national titles during the 2016–17 academic year. They won the 6th Annual South Texas Mock Trial Challenge (an invitation-only national advocacy tournament), the Transactional LawMeet and the Energy Law Negotiation Competition.
Scholarships provide for first-rate training and opportunities The School of Law strives to prepare its students for the practice of law and to connect them with people and opportunities so they can excel and be leaders in their chosen career fields and communities. Scholarships are key to making this happen, and the Distinguished Law Fellows program is leading the way.
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Class of 2017 Commencement A photo essay of this special day featuring Georgia Supreme Court Justice Carol Hunstein as keynote speaker. 2017 Commencement
CONNECT WITH US
www.law.uga.edu
@UGASchoolofLaw
facebook.com/UGALawSchool
youtube.com/c/UGALawSchool
Vol. 51, 2017 • ISSN 1557-1025 Editor’s Note: The Advocate is published annually by the University of Georgia School of Law for alumni/alumnae, friends and members of the law school community. Please contact the Office of Communications and Public Relations at (706) 542-5172 or lawcomm@uga.edu if you have any comments or suggestions. Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Lori A. Ringhand Associate Dean for Clinical Programs and Experiential Learning Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr Associate Dean for Faculty Development Usha Rodrigues Associate Dean for International Programs & Strategic Initiatives Diane Marie Amann Executive Director of Admissions & Diversity Programs Gregory L. “Greg” Roseboro (J.D.’87) Director of Admissions Ramsey Henderson Bridges (J.D.’05)
36 Butler family honored 18
Director of Business & Finance Kathleen A. Day Senior Director of Career Development Kenny R. Tatum Director of Communications & Public Relations Heidi M. Murphy
Conference addresses child endangerment and sexual abuse
Director of Information Technology Jim Henneberger
The Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic, the first of its kind in the nation, held its inaugural conference shortly after just one year in existence. Ross Cheit, a Brown University professor and author of Witch-Hunt Narrative, was the keynote speaker.
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Director of Law Library Carol A. Watson (J.D.’87) Senior Director of Law School Advancement Anne S. Moser
Inaugural Edenfield Jurist in Residence: Class, lecture focus on sentencing
Director of Major Gifts and Prospect Management Jeremy Headrick
The inaugural Edenfield Jurist in Residence, Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90) of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, taught a one-week course on sentencing this past fall and delivered a university Signature Lecture.
Director of Stewardship & Special Assistant to the Dean Lara O. Pulliam
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Introducing the law school’s new professors
33
DSS Awards: Cousin, Stembler and Tillman honored
Senior Events Coordinator Lisa C. Mathis Cousin
Christopher Bruner and Sandy Mayson will join the law school’s faculty in the fall of 2017. Bruner specializes in corporate, securities and financial law, and Mayson teaches in the areas of criminal law, evidence and criminal justice reform. Stembler
Tillman
The inaugural Alston Distinguished Law Fellows are (l. to r.) second-year student Taryn Winston, third-year student Kate Howard and first-year student Lindsey Bunting. Photo by Terry Allen.
bit.ly/UGASchoolofLaw-LinkedIn
Instagram.com/ugalawschool
Email departmental inquiries to: Admissions – ugajd@uga.edu Alumni/Alumnae Relations – lawalum@uga.edu Communications – lawcomm@uga.edu Development – lawgifts@uga.edu Dean Rusk International Law Center – ruskintlaw@uga.edu Law Library – cwatson@uga.edu Career Development – cdo@uga.edu Registrar – lawreg@uga.edu Heidi Murphy, editor and writer; Lona Panter, principal writer; Emily Johnson, intern; mPrint Design Studio, design; Creasey Printing Services, printing.
Ertharin Cousin (J.D.’82), Bill Stembler (J.D.’71) and Audrey Boone Tillman (J.D.’89) received the 2017 Distinguished Service Scroll Awards. This accolade is the highest honor given by the Law School Association and recognizes outstanding dedication and service to the legal profession and the law school.
ON THE COVER:
Law School Staff Representative Group Chair Shawn T. Lanphere
#GeorgiaLaw
© 2017 University of Georgia School of Law. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia. In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service in its administration of educational policies, programs or activities; its admission policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. In addition, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation consistent with the University non-discrimination policy. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the director of the Equal Opportunity Office, 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822. The University of Georgia Foundation is registered to solicit in every state and provides state specific registration information at www.ugafoundation. org/charity.
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Distinguished jurists teach FIVE JURISTS, INCLUDING A U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, LEAD LAW COURSES
The School of Law actively seeks opportunities to provide unparalleled learning experiences for its students. During the 2016–17 academic year, law students were able to learn from five distinguished jurists in the classroom. The jurists included: Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas, Senior Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia David B. Sentelle, Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90), Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama R. David Proctor and Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery Sam Glasscock III. Justice Thomas taught a course on stare decisis with Visiting Assistant Professor Brian C. Lea (J.D.’09), who is a former judicial clerk of the justice. Judge Sentelle led a class titled Persuading the Judge and Jury with Appellate Litigation Clinic Director Thomas V. Burch. Judge Wood instructed in the area of sentencing. Judge Proctor taught Multidistrict Litigation: Law, Practice and Strategy with Kirbo Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, and Chancellor Glasscock shared his expertise in the area of corporate litigation. Having the opportunity to take a class with a sitting jurist is a unique experience, but studying under a sitting U.S. Supreme Court justice is a truly rare occurrence. Second-year student Pfeiffer M. Middleton said, “Learning how to discern so
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (right) talks with third-year student Danielle Burnette (next to Thomas) and second-year students Ryan Swindall and Shreya Desai after the stare decisis class he taught on campus in the fall. Photo by Ian McFarlane.
much from the words in a judicial opinion from an individual who has devoted his time on the court to focusing so much on written words [was] invaluable.” Middleton added that she was inspired by Justice Thomas’ confidence in the future of our country. “He truly made me believe that I, as a lawyer, will have the opportunity to make a difference
able to hear what a judge thinks after every step during the process and ask questions.” As a student in Chancellor Glasscock’s Corporate Litigation
on a large scale. Getting caught up in the day-to-day of school often
course, Matthew E. “Matt” Miehl was surprised by the chancellor’s
leads us to lose sight of that, and I’m grateful to have been reminded
sense of humor and enjoyed being able to talk with the jurist
by him that we can make a difference.”
about his note – dealing with appraisal rights in Delaware – and
Second-year student B. Elizabeth Tarver said Judge Sentelle’s class was one of her favorite law school experiences. “Judge Sentelle
Chancellor Glasscock’s invitation for Miehl to send him the paper. Of special note, two judges – Wood and Sentelle – taught as part
was one of those judges you would like to practice and try cases
of the school’s new Edenfield Jurists in Residence program, which
before in your legal career. … Every piece of advice he offered was
was launched during the 2016-17 academic year and enables one
something that I can take and will take to use in practice in my legal
or more Article III judges to spend a period in residence at Georgia
career after graduation.”
Law each year. At present, Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Tarver added that she would recommend similar classes to students in the future. “It is one thing to watch a trial and
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everything that goes into it but it’s completely different when you’re
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Sixth Circuit Bernice B. Donald is scheduled to teach about oral and written advocacy in the spring of 2018.
COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE The School of Law continues to receive
$
national recognition for the quality of education its students receive and how that translates into success after graduation. EMPLOYMENT
Top 13 CLERKSHIPS OVERALL
22nd Best law schools for securing federal clerkships – Business Insider 2016
The July 2016 state bar exam passage rate for first-time test takers from Georgia Law, giving the school the highest passage rate for the third straight year.
30th U.S. News & World Report 2017/18
ADVOCACY
12th Best Schools for Moot Court – The National Jurist 2017
21st
Strength in trial advocacy – U.S. News & World Report 2017/18
19th Federal clerkships for the Class of 2015 – The National Law Journal 2016
PUBLIC INTEREST
16th Best Schools for Public Interest – PreLaw Winter 2016
INTERNATIONAL LAW
18th Strength in international law – U.S. News & World Report 2017/18
Using Class of 2016 employed-at-10month statistics supplied to the ABA for the law schools ranked among the top 30 by U.S. News & World Report earlier this year. (Calculated using employment positions that are fulltime, long-term jobs that require bar passage or are J.D.-advantage jobs.)
Top 25 Based on Class of 2015 employed-at10-month statistics – U.S. News & World Report 2017/18
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
The School of Law was featured in The New York Times regarding the salary-todebt ratio of its graduates.
4th 10 Law Schools Where You Can Pay Off Your Debt – U.S. News & World Report 2017
10th Best Value Law Schools – PreLaw Fall 2016
PRACTICAL TRAINING
A-
Best Schools for Practical Training – The National Jurist 2017
From leading the state in bar exam passage rates to being named among the top five law schools with the best salary-to-debt ratios after graduation in a The New York Times article, Georgia Law is committed to ensuring students receive the best possible return on investment for their legal education.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Record-breaking public interest fellowships 36 STUDENTS AWARDED GRANTS TOTALING $68,000 In addition to providing first-rate legal training for its students, the School of Law is
2017 PUBLIC INTEREST SUMMER FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS (Anticipated year of graduation in parentheses)
instilling in them the need to serve. The service comes in a variety of forms, and the benefits and communities served are just as diverse.
JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEVENS FELLOWSHIPS
students spent a summer of service in
Recognizes students for their commitment to public service and potential for excellence.
Georgia; Washington, D.C.; New York City and
•
This year, a record-breaking 36 law
locations around the world. Work placements included nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations; local, state and federal
•
government agencies; state and federal prosecutor’s offices; and criminal defense practices, both trial and appellate. Five positions had an international focus. Resources supporting law school students in their public interest endeavors this year also reached a high point – $68,000, an increase of $15,000 from 2016. The funding came from a partnership with the Justice John Paul Stevens Fellowship Foundation and the school’s
•
Austin Cohen (2019), Georgia Capital Defender, Atlanta, GA
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Rachel N. Goldberg (2018), Atlanta Legal Aid Society & U.S. Court of Appeals for 11th Circuit Judge Jill A. Pryor, Atlanta, GA
•
well as the Dean Rusk International Law Center •
Vesselina Kotzeva (2019), DeKalb Juvenile Public Defender, Atlanta, GA
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Deborah Nogueira-Yates (2018), Northern Circuit District Attorney, Danielsville, GA
•
Lyddy O’Brien (2019), No Peace Without Justice, Brussels, Belgium
Equal Justice Foundation resources. “This record number of student placements and financial support for public interest fellowships exemplifies our law school’s and our students’ strong commitment to public service,” School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said. “Our students are eager for opportunities to serve, and I am very pleased the school was able to count on alumni and alumnae and external funding sources to make our students’ dreams of contributing to state and society possible this summer.”
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Ted Huggins (2019), Fulton County District Attorney, Atlanta, GA
EDWARD D. AND CAROL J. SPURGEON PUBLIC SERVICE FELLOWSHIP Supports a rising second- or third-year law student who has demonstrated a commitment to public service. •
Sarah A. Mirza (2019), Project South, Atlanta, GA
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
•
Conor Kruger (2019), Cook County State’s Attorney, Chicago, IL
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Jamie McDowell (2018), Fulton County Solicitor’s Office, Atlanta, GA
•
•
Rebecca “Becca” Wackym (2019), Legal Unit of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, Israel
Shawn E. McKenzie (2018), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Atlanta, GA
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Molly A. Munson (2018), U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee Program, Atlanta, GA
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Amanda Payne (2019), New York Attorney General, New York City, NY
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Claire H. Provano (2018), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Atlanta, GA
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Robert “Cap” Russell IV (2019), Brunswick Circuit District Attorney, Brunswick, GA
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Taylor Samuels (2019), State’s Attorney of West Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, FL
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Jamila A. Toussaint (2018), Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C.
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Alina L. Venick (2018), Georgia Legal Services Program, Gainesville, GA
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Nicholas “Nick” Vretakis (2018), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C.
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William H. “Liam” Ware (2018), St. Louis County Prosecutor, St. Louis, MO
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John “Jack” Van Why (2019), U.S. Attorney’s Office, Atlanta, GA
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Yun Jung Yang (2018), Office of Public Advocacy, Anchorage, AK
Provides stipends to support summer public interest law placements (funded by an annual auction conducted by the UGA law student organization).
Jarrell Bogan (2018), Western Circuit Public Defender, Athens, GA
Randall Hurston (2019), Georgia Capital Defender, Atlanta, GA
Lauren Brown (2019), War Child, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Provides funds for practical legal education and training in civil and criminal law. •
•
•
EQUAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS
Endowment and the Edward D. and Carol J.
Global Externship Overseas and student-run
Gilbert O. Oladeinbo (2019), New Jersey Institute of Social Justice, Newark, NJ
Provides students with funds to travel to international placements for global practice preparation.
MELBURNE D. AND JACQUELINE K. MCLENDON FELLOWSHIPS
Melburne D. and Jacqueline K. McLendon Spurgeon Public Service Fellowship Fund as
Dana M. Leader (2018), American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Washington, D.C.
DEAN RUSK INTERNATIONAL LAW CENTER GLOBAL EXTERNSHIP OVERSEAS
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Michael L. Baker (2018), Atlanta City Attorney, Atlanta, GA
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Kody Brown (2018), Hall County Public Defender, Gainesville, GA
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Chanel O. Chauvet (2018), CARE USA, Atlanta, GA
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Jennifer Cotton (2019), Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack & Human Rights Watch, New York City, NY
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Robert Daily (2019), U.S. Department of Treasury, Washington, D.C.
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Brooke Dumont (2019), Western Circuit Public Defender, Athens, GA
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Vesela Eminovska (2019), Georgia Department of Community Health, Atlanta, GA
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Chase C. Graham (2018), Cobb County District Attorney, Marietta, GA
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Madison Hahn (2019), Blue Ridge District Attorney, Canton, GA
Building relationships MENTOR PROGRAM OFFERS CONNECTION
The School of Law’s mentoring program launched in August 2016, and it is already yielding great results. In addition to pairing first-year students with a Georgia Law graduate or legal professional, the law school has also linked them with an upper-level student, a faculty member and a career development officer so each student has a strong foundation of people upon which he or she can rely. “Our innovative mentorship program was created to capitalize on one of the law school’s key strengths – its people,” Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said. “We are very
Lauren Wallace (center) poses with her mentor team, which is comprised of Hosch Professor Elizabeth Weeks (J.D.’99) (far left), Career Development Associate Director Laura Woodson (J.D.’90), 2013 alumnus Rory Weeks and second-year student Harris Mason (far right).
proud of the authentic connections that exist between the various communities within the law school’s greater family. This program really jump starts the building of relationships for our first-year students.” Associate Director of Student Affairs Alex D. Sklut (J.D.’11),
Having gone through and graduated from law school, most
who oversees the initiative, said the mentorship program provides
mentors know the stressful times of year and can support their
students with multiple sources of support throughout their time in
students when needed. This fall, one mentor sent his mentee
law school. “Whether it be questions about academics, careers or
coffee gift cards before memos were due. Another mentor and
personal situations, mentees have a mentor to turn to for advice.”
mentee held a weekly Sunday check-in to discuss their lives and
The mentor matching process uses surveys filled out by the mentees and mentors; and in the future, the program will be expanded to all students – regardless of their year in law school
law school. Yet another mentor offered home-cooked meals and a place to stay when a student suffered a personal loss. The relationships grown from the mentorship program are
– so that every law student has at minimum a mentor network of
making a difference in the lives and law school experiences of
four individuals.
students.
Most of the matching for mentors and mentees is based
“I don’t know if my first semester experience would have
on interests and hobbies or other common areas such as
been the same without the help from my team,” Wallace said. “In
undergraduate school/degree, hometowns or location of practice.
general, I feel very supported and know that I’m not in this alone.”
Thus, the program gives students a chance to connect and network
The goal of the mentor program is to encourage a genuine
with those who can also be a general resource about both life and
connection between students and their mentors that will last and
law school concerns.
be fruitful for the three years a student is in law school – and
“After being out of school for a few years, I really had no idea what to expect going into my 1L year. Georgia Law created a
beyond. There are no time requirements or meeting commitments
welcoming atmosphere for me to not only ask a range of questions,
for mentors or mentees, and the communication method is what
but also feel at home before classes even started,” first-year
works for each pair. However, a few mentor/mentee events are
student Lauren B. Wallace said about her experience with the
held throughout the year to provide an additional connection time
mentor program. “Since starting in August [2016], I was able to
for those who are interested.
establish relationships with my mentors who had experiences and backgrounds that looked similar to my own.”
If you would like to serve as a mentor to one of the law school’s students, please contact Sklut at asklut@uga.edu.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Appellate Litigation Clinic wins case, serves clients The School of Law continues to offer its students world-class practice preparation opportunities through clinical programs such as its Appellate Litigation Clinic. During the 2016–17 academic year, the clinic presented oral argument before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Eleventh and D.C. Circuits. In the Fourth Circuit, third-year student Jacob S. “Jake” Edwards argued on whether a prisoner’s habeas petition is second or successive if it challenges the unchanged portions of a “new judgment.” The court adopted the clinic’s position in a February opinion, finding that such a petition is not second or successive. Thirdyear students Mary Grace Griffin and David R. Waldrep assisted in writing briefs and in helping Edwards prepare by acting as opposing counsel during practice arguments. Third-year student Matt B. Rosenthal argued before the D.C. Circuit Court. The question presented was whether the client had exhausted his administrative remedies after being suspended from, and then terminated by, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Third-year students Mandi R. Moroz and Lesley A. O’Neill helped Rosenthal prepare by acting as opposing counsel during practice arguments, and they attended the argument in D.C. Additionally, 2016 graduates Aaron D. Parks and Rachel A. Zisek helped write the opening brief in the case, and 2016 alumna Lauren A. Scott, third-year student Jordan T. Bell and Edwards assisted with writing the reply brief. In the Eleventh Circuit, third-year student Rachel M. Bishop argued a case where the client alleged that his trucking-company employer terminated him because he filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, while the employer alleged that the client was terminated because he failed to re-train after having an accident on a loading dock. Third-year students A. Trevor Buhr
Chambliss continues as Sanders Scholar Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss will remain the law school’s Sanders Political Leadership Scholar this fall. He will teach Political Leadership and the Law, with Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Camila Knowles. In the class, students receive firsthand insights into public service and explore the topics of ethics, campaign finance and negotiation. Chambliss often hosts prominent visitors to expose students to a wide range of public service positions.
and Christopher D. “Chris” Stokes assisted in writing briefs and in helping Bishop
During the 2016–17 academic year, students
prepare by acting as opposing counsel during practice arguments. The court
met: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham; Georgia
ultimately affirmed the District Court’s decision, dismissing the client’s claim.
Speaker of the House of Representatives David
In between and after these arguments, clinic students remained busy by: filing a Section 2241 habeas petition in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina on behalf of a longtime clinic client; petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of a habeas client who lost his appeal before the Eleventh Circuit Court; and briefing the Board of Immigration Appeals on behalf of a client seeking asylum in the United States because he fears persecution if he returns to Cameroon.
E. Ralston (J.D.’80); Georgia Attorney General Christopher M. “Chris” Carr (J.D.’99); Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Julie E. Carnes (J.D.’75); former National Counterterrorism Center Director, former National Security Agency General Counsel and former Special Counsel to the Federal Bureau of
In the South Carolina case, alumnus T. Chase Samples (J.D.’08) acted as local
Investigation Matt Olsen; former Senate Chiefs
counsel and helped brief the court on the United States’ motion to dismiss and
of Staff W. Heath Garrett (J.D.’95), Charlie
motion for summary judgment. In the Supreme Court case, third-year students
Harman and Rob Leebern; and Committee for
Moroz, O’Neill and Rosenthal drafted the petition for certiorari and the reply brief.
a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya
In the Board of Immigration Appeals case, Buhr, Edwards, Griffin, Stokes and
MacGuineas.
Waldrep wrote the brief while receiving research help from Moroz, O’Neill and Rosenthal. At the time of this writing, the Supreme Court cert petition and the Board of Immigration Appeals decision were still pending.
Established in 2002, the Sanders Political Leadership Scholar position is named for the late Carl E. Sanders, Georgia’s 74th governor and 1948 Georgia Law alumnus.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
20 16 —17 SEASON
Advocacy highlights SCHOOL WINS NATIONAL TITLE AT SOUTH TEXAS MOCK TRIAL CHALLENGE
National Title: South Texas Mock Trial Challenge
Earlier this year, the law school won the 6th Annual South Texas Mock Trial Challenge, an invitation-only national advocacy tournament. Third-year students Jake Edwards (second from left) and Chris Stokes (left) argued the case, and second-year students Oliver Ladd (right) and Lauren Lutton served as witnesses. Third-year student Andrew Smith served as student coach. In addition to being undefeated throughout the competition, the group was presented with the Outstanding Trial Brief Award, and Stokes was named the Most Professional Advocate.
Prince Memorial Evidence Competition
Second-year students Lauren Crim (right), Ryan Giles (second from right) and Taryn Winston represented the law school in the Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition. They advanced to the final four in this national moot court tournament, overcoming teams from Louisiana State University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Akron and Howard University. The team’s student coach was third-year student Matt Rosenthal (second from left).
Andrews Kurth Kenyon Championship Scribes Brief-Writing Award The American Society of Legal Writers presented two Georgia Law 2016 graduates – D. Tyler “Ty” Adams and Kathleen B. “Kate” Hicks – with its national Scribes Brief-Writing Award for 2017. This honor seeks to “encourage good legal writing by recognizing the finest examples.” Both Adams and Hicks represented the law school in the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition during their final year in law school. The pair won the regional round of the tournament advancing to the national round where they finished as quarterfinalists. At the national tier of the contest, they captured the Best Brief Award. This brief was the one submitted and ultimately judged the best of the best by the American Society of Legal Writers.
National Trial Competition This year, the School of Law had two teams competing in the National Trial Competition. They were third-year students Brittany M. Partridge and Hannah S. Sells, and third-year student Eric A. Sterling and second-year students Danielle N. Glover and Christopher D. “Chris” Johnson. Both teams fared well and finished as regional semifinalists. More than 20 teams participated in the regional rounds that included top law schools from across the nation.
Third-year students Callen Carroll (center), Andrew Smith (right) and Chris Stokes participated in the Andrews Kurth Kenyon Moot Court National Championship during January. This invitation-only tournament is for the top 16 moot court programs in the country based on performances from the previous academic year, and the trio finished as semifinalists. Other law school teams qualifying for this prestigious competition were from: Baylor University; Georgetown University; Michigan State University; Southern Methodist University; Stetson University; Texas Tech University; the University of California, Hastings; The Ohio State University and the University of Oklahoma in addition to Chicago-Kent, Florida Coastal and the South Texas College of Law.
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Negotiation teams take top trophies
The Energy Law Negotiation Competition teams included (l. to r.) Chase Parker, Ryan Mumper, Joe Potente and Blake McLemore. Potente and McLemore won the national title.
Commit to the School of Law, Commit to Georgia Philanthropy in this country amounts to billions of dollars annually being committed to educational institutions, community organizations, religious groups and social causes. And behind each gift is a story. Virtually every morning this past year I said hello to a law student whose study spot was halfway between my office and the coffee shop. Shy and soft spoken,
Law students Ben Hill (left), Steve Zavodnick, Molly Cash and Hannah Coleman (right) competed in the Transactional LawMeet, which Hill and Zavodnick won.
he was slow to warm to me. But, over time, we established a rapport, centered mostly around the importance of coffee. One day, I invited a group of law school donors to meet with the student recipient of the endowed scholarship they created. Imagine my surprise when in walks Spencer, the shy, soft spoken young man I had come to know only through our morning
School of Law negotiation teams won top honors in two national competitions during the 2016–17 academic year. In the Energy Law Negotiation Competition, two law school teams captured both first and second place. Third-year law students Blake A. McLemore and L. Joe Potente won the national title, and second-year students Ryan J. Mumper and S. Chase Parker were second place winners. The teams competed at the South Texas College of Law against the Southern Methodist University and Tulane University law schools in their final rounds respectively. They were assisted in preparation by law school graduate Reginald R. “Reggie” Smith (J.D.’87), who practices energy law in Houston, and Associate Professor Lisa Milot and Adjunct Professor Daniel J. “Dan” King, who served as guest judges while the teams practiced before the competition.
greeting. Pursuing a highly competitive position in Washington, D.C., and driven by an environmental law interest, Spencer conveyed a keen sense of purpose and focus to our visitors. As the donors described their inspiration for creating the endowed scholarship – a lifelong mentor who advocated passionately for the environment – Spencer responded with gratitude. He shared his plans for the future and reflected on his law school life. These donors used their commitment to tell the story of their mentor and friend. And my shy, soft spoken
Notably, this was the first time UGA has participated in this tournament.
student, who graduated this May, is now forging his
Additionally, third-year student Benjamin M. “Ben” Hill and second-year student Steven D. “Steve” Zavodnick Jr. were named national champions at the Transactional LawMeet in New York. A second law school team comprised of third-year students Molly H. Cash and Hannah R. Coleman also competed at the event.
own path. This gift has connected these people
The two teams earned their spots at the national tier of the competition after winning regional LawMeet rounds in Dallas and Denver, respectively. Law school graduates Robert C. Davis (J.D.’99), Amanda R. Norcross (J.D.’05) and Rhys T. Wilson (J.D.’79) helped the teams prepare. Business Law and Ethics Program Director and Clinical Professor Carol Morgan (J.D.’79) serves as the adviser to the law school’s negotiation teams. 10
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through what is now a shared story. We welcome the opportunity to help you explore your philanthropic commitment to the School of Law and to watch with you as your story unfolds. —Senior Director of Law School Advancement Anne S. Moser
Conference focuses on 21st century policing The law school’s student-edited legal journal, the Georgia Law Review, presented a conference titled “Protect and Serve: Perspectives on 21st Century Policing.” Scholars from across the country discussed the current and future state of policing and its convergence with criminal law during three panel discussions titled “Policing: Problems, Perspectives and Remedies,” “Policing and Prosecutorial Ethics” and “Emerging Issues and Controversies.” Erwin Chemerinsky, then-dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law, gave the symposium keynote address.
Symposium explores national health crisis The law school, along with healthcare firm Boling & Company, hosted the Rural Healthcare Symposium as part of an annual effort to bring attention to the national rural healthcare crisis. Key topics explored at this year’s daylong conference included: the opioid epidemic and addiction treatments, an overview of current rural healthcare legislation and public policy, the impact of technology on rural healthcare delivery, the economic realities facing rural providers and an inside look at the operations of rural healthcare facilities. Georgia Sen. Dean Burke, a physician and rural health advocate from Bainbridge, gave a lunchtime presentation. Dr. Bruce B. Struminger, the associate director of Project Echo, an internationally renowned telehealth initiative, and James B. Langford, the executive director of the Georgia Prevention Project, provided plenary session addresses.
Johnson keynotes WIPI The School of Law held the 12th Annual Working in the Public Interest Law Conference, which explored issues surrounding vulnerable persons in custody, expanding access to justice through community lawyering, and healthcare access and disability rights.
Francys Johnson (J.D.’04), president of the Georgia chapter of the NAACP.
Francys Johnson (J.D.’04), who currently serves as the president of the Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, delivered the keynote address. Conference panelists included representatives from groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, Atlanta Legal Aid, the Georgia Advocacy Office and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Late last year, the State Bar of Georgia awarded the WIPI conference its 2016 Law School Excellence in Access to Justice Award. Presented by the State Bar of Georgia’s Access to Justice Committee, the Young Lawyers Division and the Pro Bono Resource Center, the award recognized the WIPI group for its “commitment to, and support for, the delivery of pro bono civil legal services to the poor and underserved communities in Georgia.”
29th Annual Red Clay Conference “Emerging Issues in Environmental Law” was the title of the 29th Annual Red Clay Conference, which included three panel discussions focusing on the management of coal ash in the wake of changes to Environmental Protection Agency and Environmental Protection Division rules pertaining to solid waste management, transboundary water issues stemming from the Florida v. Georgia litigation, and the future of the Clean Power Plan and other air regulatory matters. Judson H. “Jud” Turner, the former director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, delivered the keynote presentation, while Community Newspapers, Inc., President Dink NeSmith provided a special address. The annual Red Clay Conference is entirely student-organized by members of the law school’s Environmental Law Association. Jud Turner, former director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the law school’s 2016–17 practitioner in residence.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
11
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Scholarships provide for first-rate training and opportunities Concerns over the rising costs of tuition in
provide full-tuition-plus scholarships and
higher education, including law schools,
represent a new phase in legal education
is a frequent topic in the news. “At the
where quality classroom instruction,
School of Law, we understand these
professional development and enhanced
concerns and remain focused on helping
student experiences are afforded to
our students mitigate these costs with
promising students. The first fellows under this program
scholarships and providing world-class training and opportunities so students
– the Alston Distinguished Law Fellows –
know they are getting an excellent return
are: first-year student Lindsey R. Bunting,
on their investment,” Dean Peter B. “Bo”
second-year student Taryn P. Winston and
Rutledge said.
third-year student Katherine G. “Kate”
Over the past 30 months, nearly 20
Alumnus and scholarship donor Jim Borders (J.D.’88) (left) met with his scholars third-year student Hannah Sells and second-year student Joel Bradley during a trip to campus.
Howard. Each is excelling academically
new law school scholarships have been
at the law school and has received special
established, and there are many more in
opportunities to meet distinguished law
scholarship has been established by the
the pipeline. These funds were established
school guests – the trio was given a
Richard B. Russell Foundation Board.
by generous alumni and alumnae as well
private audience with U.S. Supreme Court
This scholarship will support a student
as friends seeking to help create the next
Justice Clarence Thomas last fall. They
from rural Georgia who plans to pursue
generation of lawyers and leaders who will
were invited to travel with Rutledge to
a career in public service, similar to the
benefit our state and society.
Washington, D.C., this summer. The fellows
scholarship’s namesake. The student will
also chose to expand on their classroom
be provided a full-tuition-plus scholarship
its Distinguished Law Fellows program
experiences using their experiential
for three years that includes enhanced
with a founding $2 million gift from The
stipend. For example, one accepted a
learning experiences as well as professional
John N. Goddard Foundation. Modeled
position in a legal clinic and one chose to
development opportunities. The first
after UGA’s successful Foundation Fellows
pursue an intensive research project with a
Russell Distinguished Law Fellow will be
undergraduate program, these fellowships
faculty member.
named this fall.
Last year, the law school established
A second Distinguished Law Fellows
SELECT LAW SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS TO BE AWARDED THIS FALL: James R. “Jim” Borders (J.D.’88) has endowed a scholarship bearing his name, which proudly supports a Georgia Tech undergraduate who has chosen to attend UGA for law school, like the scholarship’s benefactor. The Leap of Faith Fund by the Chastain family was created by 1984 alumna B. Lynn Chastain to provide scholarships to students who have touching, powerful and inspirational stories and to support those who are facing challenging circumstances or unexpected hardships.
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Alumnus Billy Payne (J.D.’73) contributed additional resources to the C. Read Morton, Jr. and William “Billy” P. Payne Scholarship Fund for deserving law students as part of the Commit to Georgia campaign. UGA Foundation Board of Trustees member Susan C. Waltman, who serves as executive vice president for legal, regulatory and professional affairs and general counsel at the Greater New York Hospital Association, established a needs-based scholarship. The Michael Lewis Goldberg Scholarship Fund has been formed by the 1997 alumnus to support students who played sports in high school or college.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
The Gary B. Blasingame Scholarship Fund was created by the law firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard, & Ashley, P.C., in tribute to one of its founding partners who recently retired. Blasingame is a 1961 Georgia Law graduate. Alumna Phaedra Parks (J.D.’98) has created a scholarship fund that will support a deserving firstgeneration law student. Robert J. “Bobby” Soper (J.D.’97), together with his wife Jackie, established the Bobby and Jackie Soper Law School Scholarship Fund. Bobby is a proud “Double Dawg.”
Corsair Law Society expands The Corsair Law Society, formed in 2016, seeks to foster and improve opportunities for law students who desire to practice in the areas of transactional law or corporate litigation in major financial markets across the country. First-year students new to the group include: (l. to r.) Robert Harrison, Daniel Lockaby, Lauren Giambalvo, Robert Daily and Joseph Natt.
Law School Life
Students enjoy trip to Delta Members of the Business Law Society visited Delta Air Lines courtesy of alumna Jan Davidson (J.D.’86), who is associate general counsel and assistant secretary for the airline. Students enjoyed lunch with Delta attorneys and toured the company’s flight museum and a newly opened 747 exhibit. Pictured by the aircraft are: (l. to r.) third-year student David Waldrep, thirdyear student Charles McGee, first-student student Trey Flynn, second-year student Kaylee Sheppard, second-year student Ryan Swirsky, third-year student Nick Going, second-year student Megan Alpert and LL.M. student Javier Gonzalez.
Graduates return to campus Law students always enjoy the opportunity to interact with alumni and alumnae when they return to campus. Earlier this spring Jennifer Auer Jordan (J.D.’01) spoke with members of the student chapter of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, while Sam Matchett (J.D.’84) spent time with students in a small group setting. Last fall, Sloane Perras (J.D.’02) spoke to law students about business ethics.
Sam Matchett (J.D.’84)
Sloane Perras (J.D.’02)
First-year student Michael Thompson (left) talks with Jennifer Auer Jordan (J.D.’01).
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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STUDENT PROFILES
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Taryn Arbeiter FOLLOWING HER PASSIONS Rising third-year student Taryn L. Arbeiter works hard at
After Arbeiter’s
what she’s passionate about, whether it’s playing the violin or
first year at the
working on international trade law.
School of Law,
Having learned to play the violin at age three, Arbeiter has
she was named a
loved classical music her whole life and always considered it
recipient of a Justice
“an honor” to perform. “My passions led me to pursue my role
John Paul Stevens
as assistant concert master for the orchestra at St. Olaf College
Fellowship that allowed her to work at The Door, an organization
in Northfield, Minnesota,” she said.
in New York City that serves at-risk youth.
Arbeiter, a South Dakota native, did not travel far from
“I was on the immigration team and helped unaccompanied
home to earn her undergraduate degree at St. Olaf. However,
youth apply for special programs,” she said. “Working in
after she graduated college in 2012, she moved to Atlanta
immigration law is one of my passions, and working for youth is
to work for Lutheran Services of Georgia, where she ran an
such a rewarding area. I saw the young people grow and change so
employment program for newly arrived refugees and helped
much.” During her second year of law school, Arbeiter participated in
them find their first job in the United States. “This [job] made me interested in law,” she said.
the school’s Washington, D.C. Semester in Practice program and
“Lawyers are some of the most appreciated staff members
interned in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She then
there, and one of the most meaningful services people access
secured a summer internship at the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters
is getting their green card and then going to an attorney to
working in the Office of Maritime and International Law.
apply for their immediate family members to join them [in the
“I have found success just following what I am really
United States]. Seeing this firsthand motivated me to go to law
passionate about, and doing so in D.C. led me to my internship …
school.”
and I am so grateful for that,” she said.
Arbeiter worked there for three years, established residency in Georgia and applied to Georgia Law. “My job brought me to Atlanta, and I fell in love with the city,” she said. “I know a degree from Georgia Law will help
Arbeiter plans to continue pursuing her passion for international law, which will ideally result in a fulfilling career in civil service. “Becoming an associate attorney in a government agency is the dream,” she said. “But wherever I end up, I hope to gain more
me to work in my new home.”
experience in international trade and administrative law.”
Phillips Workman SEEKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Rising second-year law student Phillips Stone Workman grew up in the close-knit community of Monticello, Georgia, and it was there he saw the impact that legal professionals could have in a small town. “Growing up where there may have been five lawyers in the whole county really spoke to me,” Workman said. “I saw the difference a lawyer can make in his or her free time, and it was powerful to witness how much someone with a legal education can do for their own community.” Despite his love for Monticello, Workman attended Clemson University for his undergraduate degree. After his freshman year, he interned in Washington, D.C., for U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston. “That was a great experience – it was very fast-paced, and I met a lot of really neat people,” he said. During his senior year, the history and political science major landed a semester-long internship at the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas. Workman spent most of his time in the presidential library and gained high-level research skills.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Danielle Greenidge A HEART DRAWN TO LAW Recent graduate
was able to offer help and legal services to women who are subject to
Danielle M. Greenidge
domestic abuse.
knew at five years old
“The clinic softened me in a way. It allowed me to display feelings
that she wanted to
for clients and reminded me that it’s OK to connect with them,”
become a lawyer.
Greenidge said. “It allowed me to reintroduce myself to who I was
“My heart has always been drawn
before law school.” While a student, Greenidge was also a member of Street Law,
to law, and I knew I
the Public Interest Law Council, the Davenport-Benham Black Law
would find myself in
Student Association and the Family Law Society, which she presided
law school,” she said.
over during her second year. She also participated in the Atlanta
Greenidge, the first person in her family to attend college, immigrated from Barbados
Semester in Practice program and the Criminal Defense Practicum. “The Atlanta Semester in Practice program was a great experience
to the United States at 16 years old. She was already a high school
for me because I had the opportunity to go to court every day. I was
graduate in her native country, so she applied to and was accepted into
respected not only as a law student but also as an actual lawyer,”
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. She spent two years there and
Greenidge said. “It was a nice dose of ‘adulting’ – trying to balance
earned an associate degree before transferring to UGA.
my personal life with my business life.”
In Athens, she double majored in political science and international affairs; and at 19 years old, she graduated with honors from UGA with two undergraduate degrees. Post-graduation, she worked for an attorney in Tifton and decided to apply to the School of Law. “I didn’t get to experience UGA the way I would have wanted to [the first time around], and I aspired to be a Double Dawg [with one of those degrees being a Juris Doctor],” Greenidge said. “There is so much pride associated with anything that is UGA.” In Athens for a second time, Greenidge found the resources and
Greenidge knows that with patience and perseverance, she will eventually achieve all of her goals and dreams. “My motto is simply ‘keep going,’” she said. “In five years, I just hope that I am happy. As long as I am doing what I love and I am happy, I will be OK.” Her goal is to pursue a career in a public defender’s office in South Georgia. “I want to represent clients who cannot afford to represent themselves,” Greenidge said. “I have always been someone to fight for the underdog.”
programs she needed to follow her interest in criminal defense law. Through her participation in the school’s Family Violence Clinic, she
“President Bush always called me ‘Clemson guy,’” Workman said.
—All profiles by Emily Johnson
“There’s no shortcut to succeeding in law school, and I think that
“I enjoyed the objective of what they are doing there because it is so
may have been the hardest part,” he said. “You really have to embrace
unique – they conduct lots of research, focus on women’s issues in the
the grind.”
developing world, take stances on education, study veterans’ issues and more. People are still really interested in President Bush.” After graduating in 2015, Workman applied to law schools around the country. “I chose UGA for law school after I met Dean [Peter B. “Bo”] Rutledge and [Associate Director of Law Admissions] Shannon S.
One aspect of his law school career of which he is proud is being named the recipient of the Gerald S. Tanenbaum Distinguished Law Scholarship. “During winter break in 2016, Mr. Tanenbaum and his wife [Gretchen] invited me over to their house in Charleston for dinner,” he said. “I cannot express my gratitude for their generosity.”
Hinson (J.D.’06),” he said. “They portrayed UGA as a place where
Professionally, Workman aspires to influence the world around
everyone could be happy in law school, and that’s what drove me
him, much like Tanenbaum (J.D.’70) and the lawyers he knew back
here.”
home.
When he’s not studying, Workman enjoys swing and shag dancing,
He also hopes to become the general counsel of a large university
playing piano at UGA’s Hodgson School of Music and playing basketball
in the long term. “The benefits to this career are endless,” he said. “I
with his law school friends every Friday after classes are over.
would get to live in a college town, teach a little bit and solve a new
While his first semester of law school was a time of adjustment,
problem every day, and that excites me.”
Workman said he still enjoyed the study of law.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
COMMENCEMENT CLASS OF Bo Hatchett shares a moment with his daughter, Hallie Jean. His wife, Ashley Darby Hatchett, graduated from the law school last year.
Trevon Smith (left) hugs Associate Dean Usha Rodrigues after the ceremony. Hanging out prior to the festivities are (l. to r.) Lindsay Reinhart, Hannah Sells, Nick Nunn and Alex Engler. Photo by Dennis McDaniel.
Tom Church (left) and Fabian Goffe celebrate as Commencement exercises come to a close.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Hunstein encourages students to look for opportunities everywhere Carol W. Hunstein, a justice serving on the Supreme Court of Georgia, presented the keynote address at the School of Law’s 2017 Commencement ceremony. The jurist, who earned her law degree from the Stetson University College of Law in 1975, encouraged graduates to look for opportunities in both success and failure and shared some of her personal experiences.
The Class of 2017 donated close to $50,000 to the law school as their legacy gift. Class President and Legacy Gift Co-chair Carson Masters (left) and Student Bar Association President Robert Poole (right) presented the “check” to Law School Association President Wade Herring II (J.D.’83) (left center) and Dean Bo Rutledge. Photo by GradImages.
When she began law school, “there were six women in the class and that was the most that had ever been admitted to the school at one time,” Hunstein said, adding that she loved the diversity of the Class of 2017. Photo by Dennis McDaniel. After graduating and passing the Georgia bar, Hunstein moved to Atlanta. She found it difficult to obtain a legal job as a woman in a male-dominated field and began taking misdemeanor cases at the Fulton County jail. From there she built a practice.
“It wasn’t easy, but it can be done,” she said. “There will be times when you may not succeed in what you’re trying to do … but with every problem comes a possible solution. It’s an opportunity.” Hunstein said there were not many women who performed trial work when she was practicing and recalled one judge who was “just awful” to her.
Faculty Advisor for the Master in the Study of Law Program Allison Hale (J.D.’89) (center) poses with the second class of M.S.L. students to graduate – (l. to r.) Gus Elliot, Shantée El, Steven Strickland and Brannen Wilson. Not present is Thomas Bell. Photo by Dennis McDaniel.
View more 2017 Commencement photos at law.uga.edu/photo-gallery. Watch the ceremony at youtube.com/c/UGALawSchool.
“Now, my solution to that problem was to run for [judge on] the Superior Court of DeKalb County,” she said. “Look for these opportunities. … Don’t let people dissuade you from doing what you think is right; what you think you’re capable of. Put yourself out there and try.” Telling the Class of 2017 “as long as you have done the very best job you can do, you should be proud of yourself,” Hunstein also encouraged the new graduates to use their degrees to be diligent in defense of the American legal system. “When problems come along, it’s how you address them that’s important,” she said. “… You have special knowledge and skills which enable to you to serve mankind. Use those skills wisely if you are to uphold the dignity, integrity and honor of our profession and the foundation of our democracy.” ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Conference addresses child endangerment and sexual abuse The Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic, the first of its kind in the nation, held its inaugural conference during January, shortly after just one year in existence. The daylong conference brought together legal experts, psychologists and child advocacy leaders from across the country to discuss important issues related to child sexual abuse and those professionals who assist them. The discussions centered on the intersection of civil, criminal and juvenile courts in child sexual abuse cases; trauma/ compassion fatigue for those representing child sexual abuse survivors; and understanding the psychology of child sexual abuse and using experts effectively. Ross Cheit, a Brown University professor
experiential learning opportunity dedicated solely
and author of Witch-Hunt Narrative:
to the assistance of survivors of child sexual abuse;
Politics, Psychology, and the Sexual Abuse of
Dr. Julie Medlin, founder of the Medlin Treatment
Children (Oxford University Press) delivered
Center and an expert in child sexual abuse; Peter
the keynote address.
Janci, a partner with the law firm Crew Janci, who
Additionally, the documentary film
spoke on investigating and uncovering institutional
“Off the Record: Justice Denied to Child Sex
abuse drawing upon his experience of representing
Abuse Survivors” had its debut showing as
more than 100 survivors of sexual abuse; and
part of the conference, which also included a
Paul Mones, a nationally recognized advocate for
question and answer session with filmmakers
survivors of child abuse who over the course of his
Valerie Gibson and Neil Jaffee.
30-plus year career has obtained tens of millions
According to Gibson, “Off the Record” removes the veil on the covert injustices
of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients from entities such as the Boy Scouts of America.
Present at the conference were Marlan Wilbanks (J.D.’86), who provided initial funding for the clinic, and his wife Diane, who are both pictured with the Wilbanks CEASE Clinic team. Appearing in the photo are: (l. to r.) Clinic Director Emma Hetherington (J.D.’11), third-year student Trevor Buhr, Diane Wilbanks, undergraduate intern Ashmal Ali, Marlan Wilbanks, Administrative Associate Sarah Ehlers, secondyear student Hallie Willis, secondyear student Shannon Wormald, Postgraduate Fellow Meredith Gardial (J.D.’16) and third-year student Robert Poole.
suffered by adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse who seek legal redress against their perpetrators. “Many of the unfair aspects of survivor cases occur ‘off the record,’” she said. “These are matters that take place outside the courtroom, the case docket sheet and the public eye.” The film features two criminal prosecutions where lesser charges were plead, and one civil case where the case was dismissed “without any adjudication of the perpetrators’ liability.” Other speakers included: Marlan B. Wilbanks, a 1986 Georgia Law alumnus who provided initial funding for the nation’s first
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Rutledge honored for establishment of clinic At the Wilbanks CEASE Clinic Conference, law school Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge was presented with the VOICE OF GRATITUDE Award on behalf of survivors of child sexual abuse by VOICE Today. Rutledge was praised for the law school’s effort to start a legal clinic dedicated to representing survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation by the nonprofit, which advocates for the prevention of child sexual abuse and offers recovery programs and services to victims across the state and nation.
Women’s leadership initiative CELEBRATES PATHBREAKERS IN LAW, BUSINESS AND PUBLIC SERVICE
Approximately 100 years after the state of
Columbus Consolidated Government Mayor
Georgia authorized women to practice law,
Teresa Tomlinson. After the presentation,
the School of Law launched Georgia Women
attendees had opportunities to talk with
in Law Lead (Georgia WILL), an initiative that
panelists during a Q&A session and in small
celebrates the achievements of women in
groups.
law, business and public service.
The law school hosted a roundtable discussion for women who are or wish to become leaders in academia at the Annual Meeting of the AALS during January. Photo by Orange Photography.
In March, Amann welcomed nearly 100 policymakers, practitioners and academics,
legal officer and corporate secretary of The
law school’s associate deans – Diane Marie
from as far away as Kosovo and Hong Kong,
Krystal Company & On The Border Mexican
Amann, Lori A. Ringhand and Usha Rodrigues
for a two-day conference celebrating the
Grill & Cantina. A recipient of the Women’s
– include:
10th birthday of IntLawGrrls, a blog to which
In-House Counsel Leadership Institute
more than 500 women, and a few men, have
Award, she serves on the advisory council
Leadership in Legal Academia,” a roundtable
contributed. Speakers at this event, which
of the National Association of Minority &
discussion that took place at the Annual
was sponsored by the law school’s Dean Rusk
Women Owned Law Firms.
Meeting of the Association of American
International Law Center, included retired
Law Schools. Academics discussed the
federal Judge Patricia M. Wald, American
counsel at NASA Stennis Space Center, visited
roles and challenges related to service in
Society of International Law President
the law school in February, on invitation
administrative positions, as law school deans
Lucinda Low and several former White House
from the Davenport-Benham Black Law
or as directors of centers, clinics or libraries,
and State Department officials.
Student Association. In addition to her work
Principal events organized by three of the
All three associate deans led “Women’s
and as university provosts or presidents. The
Rodrigues is organizing a Georgia WILL
Monica Allison-Ceruti (J.D.’82), chief
at NASA, Allison-Ceruti is a retired U.S. Air
event was co-sponsored by the AALS Section
event for this fall in connection with the visit
Force Reserve colonel. During her visit, she
on Women in Legal Education.
of Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of
met with small groups of students before
Ringhand, an election law expert, also
Chancery Tamika R. Montgomery-Reeves
giving a keynote lecture on her career and
spearheaded “Georgia Women Run” at which
(J.D.’06). Montgomery-Reeves, who is the
what Black History Month means to her.
a diverse group of state and local officials
first African-American and the second
discussed their experiences running for
woman to serve on that court, will teach a
international arbitrator and professor at the
and holding elected office. This February
class on advanced topics in Delaware law and
Geneva University Law School in Switzerland,
event began with remarks by state Rep.
also participate in an event with Georgia Law
delivered the Second Annual Hendrix Lecture
Stacey Godfrey Evans (J.D.’03) and a panel
students and graduates.
of the Atlanta International Arbitration
discussion among DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, state Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick (J.D.’07), Georgia Court of Appeals
Select Georgia WILL events during the 2016–17 academic year also included: Sloane G. Perras (J.D.’02) spoke to law
Judge Carla Wong McMillian (J.D.’98),
students at a discussion titled “Business
Superior Court Judge Kathy Palmer (J.D.’79),
Ethics: Red Light, Green Light, Wrong or
state Rep. Regina Quick (J.D.’87) and
Right?” Perras is the vice president, chief
Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, a renowned
Society at Georgia Law’s Atlanta facility. Special thanks to the school’s Women Law Students Association for co-sponsoring all Georgia WILL events.
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Inaugural Edenfield Jurist in Residence
Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.’90) served as the law school’s inaugural Edenfield Jurist in Residence during the 2016–17 academic year and served as a Signature Lecturer for the university. Photo by UGA’s Dorothy Kozlowski.
CLASS, LECTURE FOCUS ON SENTENCING
The law school’s inaugural Edenfield Jurist in
human trafficking, and the punishments
among sentences while still allowing judges
Residence, Lisa Godbey Wood, who was the
have been just as varied. When considering a
to take into account personal things about
chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the
sentence, she said she turns to gifts from two
the defendant or details about the crime.
Southern District of Georgia, not only taught
mentors – an ancient Roman coin depicting
a one-week course on sentencing this past
Clementia, the Roman goddess of mercy, and
fall but also served as a Signature Lecturer
a plaque bearing the Adam Smith
for the university.
quote, “Mercy to the guilty is
The Edenfield Jurist in Residence position
cruelty to the innocent.” She said that even “if we all
was created to honor the late U.S. District Court Judge B. Avant Edenfield (J.D.’58). Made
agree on why we’re sentencing and
possible by a contribution from 2003 Georgia
what the factors should be, it’s
Law alumnus Allen W. Yee, a former judicial
hard to agree on what measure. It’s
clerk of the jurist, the program gives law
a like a recipe that only tells you
students an opportunity to learn from federal
the ingredients.” According to Wood, sentences
judges through a series of mini-courses. Delivering the Signature Lecture in the
can have several purposes. They
Wood, a 1990 summa
“More than any other area of law, sentencing holds up a mirror to society and shows us who we are.”
law school’s Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom,
can suffice as retribution. They
Wood explained that sentencing is the
can serve as a deterrent. They can be used to
most fascinating thing that happens in a
rehabilitate defendants. Wood said she does see promising reform
courtroom. “More than any other area of law,
“One thing I’m urging my students to do is to consider that as a specialty,” she said.
for the sentencing process on the horizon.
cum laude graduate of the law school, was confirmed as a federal judge in January 2007 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. She served as chief judge from 2010 to 2017. Previously, Wood served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Notably, she was the first woman to hold the chief judge position, and she was the first woman to serve as a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
sentencing holds up a mirror to society and
She mentioned that several states, including
shows us who we are,” she said. “What we
Georgia, are experimenting with ideas and
series, this event was also affiliated with
see in that sentencing mirror says a lot about
taking a lead in those reforms.
the law school’s Georgia Women in Law
“The public call is no longer to be ‘tough
us — who we punish, how we punish them and how long we punish them.” In her almost 10 years as a federal judge,
on crime.’ The public call is now to be ‘smart on crime,’” she said. Wood believes the person who will
Wood estimated that she has sentenced nearly 1,000 defendants for everything
decide the sentencing matters as sentencing
from stealing endangered turtle eggs to
guidelines have helped ease some disparity
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Part of UGA’s Fall 2016 Signature Lecture
Lead initiative and was co-sponsored by the Women Law Students Association. Portions of this article were taken, with permission, from coverage of the event written by Krista Richmond for Columns, UGA’s faculty/ staff newspaper.
Center entrenches law school’s global presence The Dean Rusk International Law Center, which will celebrate its
the keynote. In the spring, nearly 100 scholars, including several
40th anniversary this October, continues to entrench the University
Georgia Law students and alumnae, presented at the “IntLawGrrls
of Georgia School of Law in the global legal community. Exemplifying
10th Birthday Conference.”
this, U.S. News & World Report earlier this year ranked Georgia Law among the top 18 law schools in the country for international law. Leading the center from 2015 to 2017 was Diane Marie Amann,
The center’s decades-old Global Externship summer initiative was again a success in 2017, thanks in no small part to assistance from Georgia Law graduates, including many who serve on the Dean
holder of the Woodruff Chair in International Law. She stepped down
Rusk International Law Center Council. Twenty Georgia Law students
as associate dean for international programs and strategic initiatives
earned practice experience through placements at law firms, in-
in June. Interim director is Kathleen A. Doty, formerly the center’s
house legal departments, government agencies and nongovernmental
director of global practice preparation. She is supported by Amann
organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle
and Harlan G. Cohen, the holder of the Wilner/UGA Foundation
East. Of these, one dozen students worked in business-related areas
Professorship in International Law, who are serving as the center’s
like intellectual property, finance and trade, while the rest held
faculty co-directors. Supported by this leadership, staff and more
public interest law placements, working in areas like international
than one dozen Rusk student ambassadors, the center will continue
criminal law, international child law and international human rights.
to serve as the international law and policy nucleus for education,
Many students complemented their Global Externships with
scholarship and other collaborations among faculty and students, the
participation in the Global Governance Summer School that the
greater law school community, and diverse local and global partners.
Dean Rusk International Law Center presented in partnership with
Center initiatives include global practice preparation and other
the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at Belgium’s
support both for J.D. students and for foreign-trained lawyers
University of Leuven, one of Europe’s premier research institutions.
who come to the law school to earn an LL.M. degree. Curricular
Featured were professional development trips to The Hague and
offerings during the 2016-17 year included the International Law
Brussels, plus classroom seminars and an experts’ conference in
Colloquium, in which scholars – including Visiting Scholar Javier
Leuven, where the law school’s faculty presented alongside European
Dondé Matute (LL.M.’98), a professor at Mexico’s National Institute
colleagues.
of Criminal Sciences – presented works in progress, as well as a
Rounding out the academic year were presentations, on issues
not-for-credit Legal Spanish Study Group led by the center’s Fellow,
ranging from Brexit to the Vietnam War, by a range of globally
Pedro Dorado (LL.M.’15, J.D.’17).
prominent speakers. They included: Ertharin Cousin (J.D.’82),
The center sponsored a J.D.-LL.M. team that placed first in
then the U.N. World Food Programme executive director; Professor
the fall 2016 Southeast Model African Union regional competition.
Gabrielle Kauffman-Kohler, an international arbitrator and professor
International law advocacy continued throughout the academic
at the Geneva University Law School in Switzerland; Pulitzer Prize-
year with Georgia Law students competing in the Willem C. Vis
winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen; former U.N. High Commissioner
International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, and in
for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay; Derek Shearer, former U.S.
the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
Ambassador to Finland; and Shane Stephens, Atlanta-based counsel
Students also took part in two center-hosted conferences. In fall 2016, “Humanity’s Common Heritage: The First Geneva Convention”
general of Ireland. Next year’s offerings promise to be equally rich, beginning with
was cosponsored by the Georgia Journal of International and
a Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law conference on
Comparative Law and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
international trade law, planned for this fall.
Jean-Marie Henckaerts (LL.M.’90), an ICRC legal adviser, provided
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
EDITH HOUSE LECTURE
Federal judge shares her story as a mother and jurist U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson presented “Reflections on My Journey as a Mother and a Judge” as the School of Law’s 35th Edith House Lecturer. “This speech is about how I’ve managed to keep it all together as a judge in the federal trials system who moonlights as the mother of two daughters,” Jackson said. She noted that while women have advanced in the field of law, it is still extremely challenging to simultaneously be a mother, wife and a judge. “The hours are long, the workflow is unpredictable, and there is little control over your time and schedule,” she said. She highlighted the importance of a healthy work/life balance as a female lawyer, and she offered female law students and lawyers in the audience some of the same advice she gives her own daughters: 1. Work hard at everything you are called on to do. 2. Prioritize work over play. 3. Do what you need to do before doing what you want to do.
5. Look for mentors and role models in each situation you encounter. “It has been a lot of hard work trying to balance work and motherhood,” Jackson said. “I am very busy, but I am also very satisfied with my work and my life.” The Edith House Lecture is sponsored by the Women Law Students Association in honor of one of the first female graduates of Georgia Law. House, a native of Winder, Georgia, was co-valedictorian of the Class of 1925, the first class to graduate women. This year’s event was a part of the law school’s Georgia WILL (Georgia Women in Law Lead) initiative, which celebrates the achievements of women in law, business and public service. —Emily Johnson
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
After 33 years of service on the Georgia Law faculty, James C. “Jim” Smith, the holder of the Martin Chair of Law, retired at the end of the spring semester. Specializing in property, real estate transactions and commercial law, he has taught Property, Real Estate Transactions, Secured Transactions, Housing Law, Water Law and Real Estate Development. Smith said it would be impossible to pick a “greatest memory” from his more than three decades at UGA. “One highlight for me has been the opportunity to teach in many of our global programs over the years,” he said. “I’ve taught in Belgium, Mexico, Germany, China and England. Georgia Law has become a leader in global outreach, including offering our students opportunities to enrich their legal education in different settings.” He added that he will miss interacting with the school’s “talented and dedicated students” on a daily basis but that he will continue to engage in scholarship and professional activities and service. “I hope to teach courses periodically on a part-time basis,” he said, while using his free time to be with his family, travel, hike and backpack.
4. Require and exhibit respect for other people, no matter who they are or what they do.
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Thanks to Jim Smith
Smith’s scholarship includes several books: Property: Cases and Materials; Real Estate Transactions: Problems, Cases and Materials; Federal Taxation of Real Estate and Neighboring Property Owners. He assumed authorship of the best-selling treatise on real estate law, Friedman on Contracts and Conveyances of Real Property, in 2005. He has also published numerous articles and book chapters and has served as a Fellow of CALI (the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction) to develop electronic teaching materials for property law. Smith said he has truly enjoyed working with and interacting with his colleagues and friends at UGA and in the broader teaching academy in various areas – including scholarship, teaching, student support, governance and social events. “I would like to be remembered as a team player and contributor in these settings,” he said.
NEW FACULTY Introducing the law school’s new professors Christopher M. Bruner will join the School of Law faculty as a full professor in the fall of 2017. He will teach a range of corporate and transactional subjects, including Corporations, Corporate Finance, Deals and Comparative Corporate Law. His scholarship focuses on corporate, securities and financial law, including international and comparative dimensions of these fields. His book Corporate Governance in the Common-Law World: The Political Foundations of Shareholder Power has been referred to as “a revelation” and “a work of monumental significance and scholarly craft” and has been translated into Chinese. His comparative study of U.S. and U.K. corporate governance titled “Power and Purpose in the ‘Anglo-American’ Corporation” received the 2010 Association of American Law Schools Scholarly Papers Prize. His articles have appeared in a number of highly regarded law and policy journals, and he currently serves as co-editor of the Hart Publishing book series Contemporary Studies in Corporate Law. Bruner comes to UGA from Washington and Lee University, where he was the Bain Family Professor of Corporate Law and served as director of the Frances Lewis Law Center – W&L Law’s faculty research and support arm – and twice received the Ethan Allen Faculty Fellowship for scholarly excellence. He also taught at the law schools of Texas Tech and Boston universities. He earned his A.B., M.Phil. and J.D. from the University of Michigan, the University of Oxford and Harvard Law School, respectively.
Joining the law school’s faculty in the fall of 2017 is Sandra G. “Sandy” Mayson. Her teaching portfolio will include the areas of criminal law, evidence and criminal justice reform. Mayson comes to UGA from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as a Research Fellow for the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice. She previously served as a Furman Academic Fellow at the New York University School of Law.
Circuit where she did both trial and appellate work. She also held both chief assistant and assistant solicitor-general positions in Athens-Clarke County. Grant has worked at Georgia Law in various capacities over the years. Most recently, she was the interim director of the Family Violence Clinic in 2015, and she taught the summer Civil Externship course. She also served as an adjunct mock trial coach.
Specializing in the intersections between criminal law, constitutional law and legal theory, with a focus on the role of risk assessment and preventive restraint in the criminal justice system, her scholarship has appeared, or is forthcoming, in the Yale Law Journal, the Stanford Law Review and the Notre Dame Law Review, among other places.
Before entering academia, McNiff operated his own law firm for 12 years where he was a general practitioner handling a variety of transaction and litigation matters. He also owned and operated Resolve Mediation Solutions, which assisted individuals and groups seeking to avoid litigation. He has successfully mediated hundreds of cases. Previously, he was a public defender in the Western Judicial and Northern Judicial circuits of Georgia.
Grant earned her J.D. from UGA, where she was a member of the moot court team and the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. Rob McNiff (J.D.’02) became an instructor at Georgia Law earlier this year, and he assists with the school’s advocacy program and Mediation Clinic as well as teaches in the area of negotiation.
Before entering academia, Mayson represented indigent clients in criminal proceedings and trained public defenders on the immigration consequences of criminal conviction. Following law school, she was a trial attorney and an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Orleans Public Defenders in New Orleans, a legal fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, and a judicial clerk for U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judge Dolores K. Sloviter and U.S. District Court Judge L. Felipe Restrepo in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mayson earned her B.A. from Yale University and her law degree from New York University, where she was an articles editor of the New York University Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. Elizabeth M. Grant (J.D.’94) became the law school’s Public Interest Practicum director during the 2016–17 academic year, and she also teaches Legal Writing. Before joining the law school’s faculty, she had a solo law practice specializing in criminal defense and juvenile law in the Athens area. Previously, she was a public defender in the Western Judicial
He earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from UGA, where he was named to the Order of the Barristers and was selected the Best Oralist at the international finals of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Endia Sowers Paige joined the staff of the Alexander Campbell King Law Library as an outreach and research services librarian. In this role, she develops and coordinates the library’s outreach and marketing services. Additionally, she instructs first-year law students on legal research. Prior to UGA, Paige provided legal reference services at the law libraries of George Mason University, Howard University and North Carolina Central University. She also previously served as a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Paige is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries and serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries. Paige earned her Master of Library Science and Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
FACULTY PROMOTIONS Two named full professor Andrea L. Dennis joined the law school’s faculty in 2010, and her teaching portfolio includes: Criminal Law, Evidence, Criminal Procedure II, Lawyering for Children, Children in the Legal System and Family Law. Her scholarship explores criminal defense lawyering, race and criminal justice, criminal informants and cooperators, youth advocacy, legal socialization of youth and the cradle-toprison pipeline. She has published works in the American Criminal Law Review, the Catholic University Law Review, the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, the Georgia State Law Review, the Howard Law Journal, Law and Contemporary Problems, the Nebraska Law Review, the Nevada Law Journal and the Journal of Legal Education. She is also the co-author of the book Rap on Trial (The New Press, forthcoming). State courts nationwide have cited her research on rap lyrics as criminal evidence, and she has been quoted in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone about pending cases concerning the issue. Hillel Y. Levin, who serves as the director of the school’s Georgia Law in Atlanta program, leads classes in legislation and statutory interpretation, administrative law, constitutional law, education law and policy, and civil procedure. His work has been published in the Stanford Law Review, the Illinois Law Review, the UC Davis Law Review, the Washington and Lee Law Review, the Administrative Law Review and several other leading journals. In addition, Levin serves on the advisory board of the peer-reviewed Education Law and Policy Review. He received the law school’s Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2013, and his innovative teaching methods have been nationally recognized and have earned him invitations to speak at conferences about teaching practical lawyering skills within the doctrinal classroom.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Cade awarded title of associate professor Jason A. Cade, who joined UGA in the fall of 2013, teaches Immigration Law and leads the school’s Community Health Law Partnership (HeLP) Clinic, in which law students partner with local medical providers to help low-income persons in Athens address health-harming legal needs, including immigration, public benefits and disability rights. Cade’s scholarship explores intersections between immigration enforcement and criminal law, the role of prosecutorial discretion in the modern immigration system and judicial review of deportation procedures. His articles have been published in the UC Davis Law Review, the Fordham Law Review, the New York University Law Review Online, the Tulane Law Review, the Columbia Law Review Sidebar and the Cardozo Law Review.
Librarians promoted Thomas “T.J.” Striepe and Jason Tubinis were promoted earlier this year from Law Librarian II to Law Librarian III. Striepe, who serves as the faculty services librarian, teaches the courses Legal Research, Advanced Legal Research and Business Law Research. As faculty services librarian, he serves as the primary liaison between the law library and the faculty and manages the Current Awareness Program, which helps faculty stay informed of new developments in their fields. In addition, he supervises the library’s Research Assistant Program, a resource faculty members utilize for short-term projects. Striepe joined the staff of the Alexander Campbell King Law Library in 2011. Tubinis has served as the information technology librarian for the law library team since 2010. He leads courses for law students in the areas of legal research as well as research and technology skills to make Georgia lawyers successful. In his IT role, he is responsible for researching and implementing new library and legal education technologies, troubleshooting software and hardware problems, and maintaining the library’s pages on the law school’s website. He also assists with the administration of GAVEL (the law library’s automated catalog system).
A commitment to intellectual engagement & thought leadership INTERNATIONAL IMPACT Diane Marie Amann, who is the holder of the Woodruff Chair in International Law, continues to expand her influence in international legal circles. In her capacity as special adviser on children in armed conflict to the International Criminal Court prosecutor, she helped draft the Policy on Children of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor and took part in the November launch of that policy at The Hague. She also has accepted an invitation to serve on the advisory panel of the
As you will read on the next several pages, the School of Law faculty is actively involved in cutting-edge scholarship in a host of settings. From banking law to law and religion, administrative law to international criminal law, and private equity to mass torts, our faculty’s research truly spans the globe and reaches every facet of modern life. These contributions to the intellectual life of our state, nation and international community are a manifestation of our core values: a commitment to intellectual engagement and thought leadership. I am proud of my role as champion and cheerleader for the amazing work of my Georgia Law colleagues, and I am pleased to celebrate their accomplishments with you.
International Inquiry on Protecting Children in Conflict, chaired by Gordon Brown, the former British prime minister and current United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education. In the spring 2018 semester, Amann will conduct research on the experiences of women who participated in post-World War II international criminal trials at Nuremberg. She will spend January in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research, which awarded her its inaugural Breslauer, Rutman and Anderson Research Fellowship. From March through June, she will be at Oxford University in England, serving as a Visiting Researcher at the law faculty’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and a Visiting Fellow at Mansfield College, which houses the institute. Harlan G. Cohen was named the inaugural holder of the Wilner/ UGA Foundation Professorship in International Law in December. Cohen, who specializes in international law, has had his work published in the George Washington, Tulane, Iowa and New York University law reviews and the Yale, Berkeley, NYU and Michigan journals of international law. Recently, he was elected to the board of editors of the American Journal of International Law. He has worked hard to expand the field of international law and draw new voices into its ranks through his role as managing editor of AJIL Unbound – the online extension of the American Journal of International Law, as co-chair of the American Society of International Law’s 106th Annual Meeting, as founding co-chair of ASIL-Southeast, and as a co-chair of the Junior International Law Scholars Association. Named in memory of former Associate Dean and holder of the Kirbo Chair of Law Gabriel M. Wilner, who was a member of the Georgia Law faculty for more than 35
—Associate Dean for Faculty Development Usha Rodrigues
years, Cohen’s professorship was created through a gift from Georgia Law alumnus Kenneth “Ken” Klein (J.D.’76) and matching funds from the UGA Foundation.
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein continues to be recognized as an authority on international cross-border tax issues, particularly in the area of consumption taxes. During the 2016–17 academic year, he served as a panelist at two plenary sessions of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Global Forum on VAT and participated in two meetings of the Technical Advisory Group to the OECD’s Working Party 9 on Consumption Taxes. Additionally, he presented “Dispute Resolution and Dispute Prevention under the EU VAT: A Global Perspective” at a conference titled “The Court of Justice of the European Union: Recent VAT Case Law” held at the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law. Hellerstein, who is highly regarded for his expertise on state and local taxation, also presented “Top Ten U.S. Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know” at the 67th Midyear Conference of the Tax Executives Institute in Washington, D.C., and served as a panelist for “Tax Administration in an Anti-Tax Environment” at a meeting of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association.
THOUGHT LEADERS IN THE NEWS Hosch Associate Professor Mehrsa Baradaran continues to be a leading advocate for those who are underbanked in America. Her acclaimed 2015 book, How the Other Half Banks, is being followed by The Color of Money: Black Banking and the Racial Wealth Gap this fall. Recently, she was selected to present a portion of her forthcoming book The Color of Money at the 2017 Stanford/Harvard/Yale Junior Faculty Forum. She has delivered presentations on her books to academic audiences at the Harvard University, Duke University, College of William and Mary, Fordham University and Vanderbilt University law schools.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
She also organized a conference on the policy and operational aspects of postal banking last fall that was sponsored by the law school and hosted at the headquarters of Americans for Financial Reform in Washington, D.C. Of special note, this event was supported by the UGA President’s Venture Fund. Baradaran is a frequent commentator in the media regarding postal banking and the unbanked. Over the last 12 months, she has been featured in The Washington Post, MarketWatch, NerdWallet, the Observer, Digiday and Mother Jones as well as on National Public Radio and PBS’ “Moyers & Company.” The current holder of the law school’s Shackelford Distinguished Professorship in Taxation Law, Gregg D. Polsky provided expert commentary this past academic year to several high profile media outlets. He was featured in The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and International Business Times regarding tax and private equity issues. The co-author of the casebook Federal Income Taxation: Cases and Materials, Polsky was ranked 25th for all-time Social Science Research Network downloads in a March ranking of U.S. tax law professors. His co-authored article “The Up-C Revolution” was accepted for publication in the Tax Law Review, the leading and peer-reviewed tax journal published by the New York University School of Law. Earlier this year, he was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a not-for-profit professional association of a maximum of 700 tax lawyers in private practice, in law school teaching positions and in government who are recognized for their excellence in tax practice and for their substantial contributions and commitment to the profession. He was also an invited speaker at the law schools of the University of Pennsylvania; the University of Virginia; Duke University; the University of California, Irvine; Washington and Lee University; the University of Florida and Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Additionally, he made CLE presentations at the Estate Planning Institute and the Florida Tax Institute.
The co-author of Supreme Court
Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, the
Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional
holder of the law school’s Kirbo Chair,
Change, Lori A. Ringhand has been a
was an invited speaker at several key
sought-after expert by members of the
venues during the 2016-17 academic
media over the past 12 months. Speaking on
year. She presented “The Future of
the confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch
Aggregate Litigation in the Federal
to the U.S. Supreme Court, she has been featured in The New
Courts: The Academic and the Judiciary’s
York Times, the Los Angeles Times, U.S. News & World Report,
Perspective” at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Newsweek and on Al Jazeera and various radio programs
Pennsylvania’s judicial retreat and “Publicly Funded Objectors”
throughout the country.
at the Fifty Years of Class Actions conference held at Tel
Additionally, she published “Why not limit Neil Gorsuch
Aviv University. She also shared portions of her forthcoming
– and all Supreme Court justices – to 18-year terms?” in The
book Mass Tort Deals: Backroom Bargaining in Multidistrict
Washington Post and “Gorsuch Is Allowed to Answer Questions.
Litigation at the University of California, Hastings College of
He Should Start.” in Slate magazine.
Law; the George Washington University Law School and the
During the 2016-17 academic year, Ringhand, who serves as the law school’s associate dean for academic affairs and
Elon University School of Law. This year, the U.S. House of Representatives solicited her
holds a Hosch Professorship, delivered the keynote address at
views on class action proceedings, and she has been featured
the Brigham Young University Law School’s Supreme Court
in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, Bloomberg, Law360
Review held in conjunction with Constitution Day. Her talk
and The National Law Journal in addition to appearing on NPR’s
focused on Merrick Garland’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme
“Morning Edition.” The wide range of topics she addressed
Court.
included issues such as the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act, the NFL concussion and Trump University settlements,
SCHOLARS SERVING STATE AND SOCIETY Associate Professor Kent Barnett co-authored what has been referred to as a “pathbreaking study” on the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which will be published in the Michigan Law Review. He and his co-author examined more than 1,500 agency interpretations that the circuit courts reviewed from 2003 to 2013 and determined, contrary to earlier limited findings, that judicial deference doctrines appear to matter. He presented their findings, highlighted in The National Law Journal, at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. During the 2016–17 academic year, he also presented his article “Against Administrative Judges,” appearing in the UC Davis Law Review, at the Annual Meeting of the Federal Administrative Law Judges Conference and the American Bar Association’s Administrative Law Conference. Recently, Barnett was granted tenure at UGA, and he was named to the executive committee of the AALS Administrative Law Section. Thus far this year, his work has been published in the Missouri Law Review, the George Washington Law Review Arguendo and the Vanderbilt Law Review En Banc.
Johnson & Johnson’s product liability and Volkswagen emissions cases, cognitive diversity and multidistrict litigation, and contract disputes during litigation funding. Her recent work appears in the Vanderbilt Law Review and the Cornell Law Review.
SCHOLARLY HONORS Assistant Professor Nathan S. Chapman was selected as the winner of the inaugural Harold Berman Prize for his article “The Establishment Clause, State Action, and Town of Greece” in 24 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 405 (2015). The Association of American Law Schools Section on Law and Religion created the honor to recognize untenured scholars on the tenure track for excellence in law and religion scholarship. Chapman writes on the history of due process, religious liberty, and Christian theology and law. He is currently working on a book exploring how due process has evolved through a process of ongoing political contestation over the past 200 years to encompass procedural rights, bureaucratic norms, fundamental privacy rights and jurisdictional limits. His article “Due Process Abroad,” forthcoming in the Northwestern Law Review, argues that due process was coextensive with federal law enforcement in the early years of the American republic. His other scholarly work includes “The Jury’s Constitutional Judgment” in 67 Alabama Law Review 189 (2015) and “Due Process As Separation of Powers” in 112 Yale Law Journal 1462 (2012) (with M.W. McConnell).
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS Hosch Professor Elizabeth Weeks (J.D.’99) was recently counted
Sonja R. West received the National Communication Association’s
among the most-cited health law scholars from 2010 to 2014,
2016 Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in
according to a law faculty citation analysis published on the Harvard
Freedom of Expression.
Law School Petrie-Flom Center’s Bill of Health blog. Her teaching and research interests
This honor is given annually to a NCA member who has authored outstanding
encompass torts, health law, health care
published research on freedom of
financing and regulation, and public
expression over the prior three years.
health law. Weeks’ scholarship includes
West was recognized for her article “Press
a recently published casebook The Law of
Exceptionalism” in 127 Harvard Law
American Health Care (with N. Huberfield
Review 2434 (2014).
and K. Outterson) and the forthcoming
Additionally, in December, West was
Cambridge University Press title Healthism:
named the inaugural holder of the Brumby
Health Status Discrimination and the Law (with
Distinguished Professorship in First Amendment Law, a post shared
J. Roberts). She has published numerous
by the law school and UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass
articles, including pieces in the Georgia Law Review, the Boston
Communication. This professorship was created by the late Otis A.
University Law Review, the Hofstra Law Review, the University of
Brumby Jr., a Georgia Law 1965 graduate who desired to help law
Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, the Washington University
and journalism students better understand the importance of First
Law Review and the North Carolina Law Review.
Amendment guarantees.
Over the past 12 months, Weeks has delivered presentations at
West has written and spoken extensively about legal protections
the Harvard Law School, the Emory University School of Law, the
for the press. Earlier this academic year, she was invited to address
Boston University School of Law, the University of Houston Law
more than 100 judges from 19 European countries on the issue of
Center, the Marquette Law School and the Indiana University School
press and court communication at the Annual European Conference on
of Law.
Courts and Communication in Hungary. She frequently commentates
In 2005, she was recognized as one of four emerging health law
for various news media outlets including The New York Times, The
scholars nationwide by the American Society of Law, Medicine &
Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The National Law Journal
Ethics with its Health Law Scholars Award.
and National Public Radio, among others.
School receives $50,000 grant Associate Dean for Faculty Development Usha Rodrigues, Law Library Director Carol A. Watson (J.D.’87) and Faculty Services Librarian Thomas “T.J.” Striepe worked with the Terry College of Business to secure an approximately $50,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This money will provide for the design of an open-source, open government digital transparency platform that will offer data access to and visualization of the U.S. legislative process. This interactive, informative tool will aid citizens in becoming more engaged, allowing them to form their opinions on legislation in a quick, fact-based and safe online environment. By combining text analysis, network analysis and visualization, the project will provide insights into how libraries can take on new roles supporting access to government and legislative information and data.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Five law faculty recognized Five faculty members were honored by the 2016–17 School of Law student body. They are: Hosch Associate Professor Mehrsa Baradaran (second from left) and Georgia Athletic Association Professor David Shipley (center) as graduation marshals, Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Legal Ethics and Professionalism Lonnie Brown (right) with the Student Bar Association Professionalism Award, University Professor and Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law Dan Coenen with the Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Associate Dean and Hosch Professor Lori Ringhand with the O’Byrne Memorial Award for Significant Contributions Furthering Student-Faculty Relations.
ALUMNUS PROFILE
Jim Borders THE PROBLEM-SOLVING ENTERPRISER School of Law alumnus James R. “Jim” Borders (J.D.’88) had an entrepreneurial mindset from a young age. Today, he is the president and CEO of Novare Group, a real estate development and investment company based in Atlanta. “In the back of my mind, I knew I always wanted to start my own business,” Borders said. “I grew up in Carrollton, Georgia, which is a very entrepreneurial place. Growing up there impacted my career objectives.” Borders, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, “was always interested in
Borders is fond of his chosen career field for many reasons. “The great thing about being in the real estate
business and law,” he said. “I enjoyed solving math and
business is that there are hard and fast rules and a
science problems at Georgia Tech, but business and law are
tangible product,” he said. “The fundamental equation of
essentially problem-solving disciplines too … just on different
capitalism is that ‘Y’ [value] always needs to be greater
fields of play.”
than ‘X’ [cost]. It’s critical that this formula works out.
Since he wanted to remain in Georgia, Borders applied to
… And at the end of the day, we get to see a high-rise
both UGA’s School of Law and its Terry College of Business.
building outside of our office window. That’s a very
“I liked the fact that students from all over the state attended
satisfying feeling.”
UGA,” he said. “I thought I could establish a great network
Since its founding, Novare Group has been recognized
of friends and of course earn outstanding law and business
with two Urban Land Institute Project of the Year Awards
degrees from UGA, all of which turned out to be true.”
and three Projects of Excellence. “We are good at being
Notably, Borders was one of the first people at UGA to earn a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration. “I made up my own dual degree program,” he said. “I had never taken an accounting class – and certainly not a torts class – before attending UGA. This education really changed who I was and had a great influence on me. I walked out of Georgia Tech as a problem solver, and I applied the art of
the first guys out of the box with a new product in a new real estate cycle,” Borders said. “We have done that three times – once after the ’92 recession, once after the ’99-’01 recession and once after the ’08 recession.” However, being in the real estate business has its challenges. “It’s a very cyclical business,” Borders explained.
problem-solving to my courses at UGA. I walked out of UGA
“Things are really good at some times and not so good at
ready for law, business and ultimately real estate.”
other times. I’ve certainly been through all parts of the cycle several times, but you just have to play through it and remember that you are not that smart and also not that
“I thought I could establish a great network of friends and of course earn outstanding law and business degrees from UGA, all of which turned out to be true.”
dumb. I enjoy coming to work every day.” Borders is a proud Georgia Law alumnus who continues to give back to the school through his establishment of the James R. Borders Scholarship. “One of my classmates, the late Georgia Law Hosch Professor Anne Proffitt Dupre (J.D.’88), was a good friend of mine and graduated first in our class,” Borders said. “She encouraged me to create a scholarship with the only requirement being that the recipient is an undergraduate from Georgia Tech. That fit perfectly, and I am grateful to have been fortunate enough to do that and support our great law school.” —Emily Johnson
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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ALUMNUS PROFILE
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Sam Matchett ALWAYS STRIVING FOR SUCCESS When law school alumnus Samuel M. “Sam” Matchett (J.D.’84) was in the seventh grade, his teacher told him, “You would make a good lawyer,” after he participated in a class debate. “My teacher planted the seed early in my life, and I thought to myself, ‘Yes, I do want to be a lawyer,’” the Valdosta native said. Matchett attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and English. Then he applied to Georgia Law. “I didn’t think I would be able to get a better legal education for the price,” he said. “I saw Georgia Law graduates everywhere in Atlanta. They were so omnipresent,” Matchett said. “I was very impressed with our state’s flagship school, so UGA was at the top of my list, and I was delighted when I was accepted.” While at Georgia Law, Matchett fostered relationships with students and professors who are still his “dear friends to this
“I work in a firm with incredible attorneys,” he said. “Folks here are not only bright and driven, but they’re also fundamentally good people. It is a point of pride to be a partner among such a group of talented lawyers.” Throughout the course of his career, Matchett has strived to positively influence students and junior attorneys in any way he could. “A compilation of folks who have said positive and
day.” He was an officer for the school’s Black Law Student
encouraging things to me have helped propel my career,”
Association and valued his relationships with the late Dean
Matchett said. “I hope to say something encouraging to
Emeritus J. Ralph Beaird and the late Associate Professor Larry
students and junior lawyers or provide some insight and
E. Blount.
perspective they wouldn’t otherwise have that will make their
Reflecting on his time as a law student, Matchett said his legal dream was relatively undefined. “I wanted to become the best lawyer I could be. I wanted to be respected by my peers, engaged in the legal community and make a good living.” After graduating from Georgia Law, Matchett returned to Atlanta and now has more than 30 years of experience in the legal field. Notably, he has been a partner for the past 17 years
career paths easier.” In addition to his work responsibilities, Matchett remains highly involved in the legal community. Matchett also serves as the chair of King & Spalding’s Diversity Committee; and in 2010, he received the State Bar of Georgia’s Commitment to Equality Award. Previously, he served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the UGA Foundation and claims it to have been an
with King & Spalding. “Employment law is perhaps one of the most interesting types of law you can practice,” he said. “It has everything to do
outstanding experience. “I am very grateful for having a Georgia Law degree. It has
with the human dynamic. Anything that can happen between
been invaluable to my career. I haven’t taken for granted that
an employer and an employee can come through my office. It’s
a great school continues to be a great school” because it has
very fascinating.”
graduates who care and give back, he added.
Matchett is very proud of being a partner at a major
—Emily Johnson
international firm.
“Employment law is perhaps one of the most interesting types of law you can practice. It has everything to do with the human dynamic.” 30
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
ALUMNA PROFILE
Lynn Chastain TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH School of Law alumna B. Lynn Chastain (J.D.’84) once aspired to practice in a large firm, but a single encounter changed her career’s trajectory. After graduating from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Chastain worked as a parole officer in Atlanta for several years before deciding to make a career change. The Tucker, Georgia, native enrolled at UGA and earned her Master of Education in Counseling in 1979. However, having gained invaluable personal insight during this time, she said
Chastain added that it has been a blessing and a privilege
she no longer thought she would make a great counselor in the
to serve as general counsel and she enjoys giving back to other
long term and decided to pursue her lifelong dream to go to
organizations through her involvement in the community and
law school.
abroad.
With her Juris Doctor in hand, Chastain joined a small firm
She has served on the executive committee for many years
in Atlanta and transferred as a lateral to Troutman Sanders
at Junior Achievement of Georgia, a nonprofit organization
in Atlanta, practicing in the area of lending and commercial
that inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global
real estate. While practicing at Troutman Sanders, she worked
economy. She has also served as chair of the board of directors for The Kenya Project, an organization that
on a new project that significantly altered her professional plans. “In the early 1990s, my mentor asked me if I knew of Chick-fil-A,” she said. “I told him I knew a little bit about them, and he asked me to lead the project to help them build some freestanding restaurants. That opportunity really changed a lot for me and my future.” Chastain worked on assembling legal documents for the first freestanding Chickfil-A in Atlanta; and in 1991, she joined the company’s real estate and legal department as an adjunct to help acquire properties for future restaurants. Today, she serves as senior vice president and general counsel for Chick-fil-A, a position
“… do your best, be a lifelong learner and look for the places where your experience meets opportunity.”
development and housing opportunities for children in Kenya. “So many opportunities have been afforded to me through Chick-fil-A,” Chastain said. “I believe education is critical for kids here and around the world so they can become who they were designed to be. I wanted my education so badly, and I worked really hard for it. Having the opportunity to give back in this arena and to make a difference – in addition to all of the opportunities that Georgia Law and a great legal career have afforded me over many years – has been immeasurably more than I could have ever hoped or imagined.” Chastain said she is grateful for her education, her career at Chick-fil-A, her time at Troutman
she has held since 2014. Notably, she is the only
Sanders and the lifelong friendships she has made.
female on the company’s executive committee. “This opportunity was a combination of excitement and
strives to provide health, education, spiritual
“I hope and pray I can be a positive influence on the people
terror,” she said. “I thought I knew a lot about our business,
I come in contact with,” she said. “That’s a part of the Chick-
but it was at a time of transition in leadership, and there was
fil-A corporate mission statement. I hope I have inspired
an awful lot to learn. It has been a wonderful journey with my
children in Kenya, students in Junior Achievement and young
peers on the executive committee of Chick-fil-A. We are in
women and friends along the journey to be courageous and
what we affectionately call ‘Chapter 2 of Chick-fil-A’ with Dan
follow their passions. I have some very simple advice for alums
Cathy as chairman and CEO, Tim Tassopoulos as president and
and students: do your best, be a lifelong learner and look for the
COO, and an appointed board of directors including directors
places where your experience meets opportunity. Then, take a
outside the Cathy family. We are a new executive team now,
leap of faith.”
and it has been quite an adventure in learning.”
—Emily Johnson
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
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PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
ALUMNI/ ALUMNAE WEEKEND
2017
The School of Law’s Third Annual Alumni/Alumnae Weekend brought together law school graduates, students, faculty and members of the judiciary for a variety of programs, including a keynote address by Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham (J.D.’70), award presentations, panels and a continuing legal education credit course, networking events and social activities.
At the keynote and awards lunch were (l. to r.) Temika Murry (J.D.’01), Yvette Daniels (J.D.’98) and Dorian Murry (J.D.’98).
Attending the festivities were: (l. to r.) Georgia Theatre Company-II Chairman and CEO Bill Stembler (J.D.’71), Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme Ertharin Cousin (J.D.’82), Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham (J.D.’70), Aflac Executive Vice President and General Counsel Audrey Boone Tillman (J.D.’89) and Dean Bo Rutledge. Benham presented the keynote address at the weekend’s award luncheon, and Stembler, Cousin and Tillman were awarded the Law School Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Scroll Award. Photo by Ian McFarlane.
Graduates Kyle Wallace (J.D.’02), Kimberly Burroughs Debrow (J.D.’07) and Miguel Trujello (J.D.’12) (right) share a laugh during an alumni/alumnae panel on law school life through the ages.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
Graduates from the Class of 2016 were inducted into the Order of the Coif. Present for the ceremony were: (l. to r.) David McGee, Amble Johnson, Chase Ogletree, Jennifer Walker, Jonathan Tonge, Sarah Crile, Elizabeth DeVos, Sunny Altman, Shaun Polston, Bobby Seifter, Charles Thimmesch and Associate Professor Lisa Milot (presenter). Not pictured: Michael DelGaudio, Crystal Huffman, Nicholas Kinsley, Lindsay Mayo, Stephen Morrison, Koty Newman, Aaron Parks, Jonathan Weeks and Meghan Wells. Photo by Ian McFarlane.
Gary Blasingame (J.D.’61) and his wife Dwayne attended the law school’s picnic, which was hosted by the law firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard, & Ashley, P.C.
DSS Awards COUSIN, STEMBLER AND TILLMAN HONORED Ertharin Cousin (J.D.’82), William J. “Bill” Stembler (J.D.’71) and Audrey Boone Tillman (J.D.’89) are the 2017 Distinguished Service Scroll Award recipients. This accolade is the highest honor given by the Law School Association and recognizes outstanding dedication and service to the legal profession and the law school. Cousin served as the 12th executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme from 2012 to 2017. The U.N. World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization that addresses hunger and promotes food security. The organization employs approximately 12,000 staff who serve more than 80 million people in 80 countries worldwide. An advocate for the improvement of the lives of hungry people, Cousin traveled extensively to elevate solutions for food insecurity and chronic malnutrition. Her distinguished career includes more than 25 years of national and international nonprofit, government and corporate leadership experience. Cousin has received numerous recognitions for her community service efforts. She was ranked 48th on Forbes magazine’s 2016 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, and she was acknowledged as one of TIME magazine’s 2014 Most Influential People. In 2013, Cousin was honored with the University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award. She earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Illinois before attending Georgia Law. Cousin’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award was presented by Georgia Law alumna Janice L. Mathis (J.D.’82). Mathis is the executive director of the National Council of Negro Women, a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families and communities. Stembler, a native of Atlanta, graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in business administration in 1968 before attending Georgia Law. Today, he is the chairman and chief executive officer of the Georgia Theatre Company-II. Founded in 1991, the company is headquartered in Coastal Georgia, employs approximately 1,000 people and operates 260 screens in four southeastern states. Previously, Stembler worked with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an enforcement attorney for two years. He then joined his family’s business, the original Georgia Theatre Company, and he became From top: Distinguished Service Scroll Award recipient Ertharin Cousin (J.D.’82) (left) shares a moment with fellow alumna Janice Mathis (J.D.’82), who presented her with her honor. Bill Stembler (J.D.’71) (left) received his award from former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Alumna Kathelen Amos (J.D.’82) (left) presented a DSS Award to Audrey Boone Tillman (J.D.’89). Photos by Ian McFarlane.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
33
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Bersinger receives Young Alumni/ Alumnae of Excellence Award the organization’s president 10 years later. In 1986, Stembler sold the company, but he later created the present-day Georgia Theatre Company-II. Stembler is a past recipient of the highest annual award given by the National Association of Theatre Owners. Notably, he co-chaired the association’s establishment in 2010 of CinemaCon, which is the world’s largest and most important gathering for the worldwide motion picture theater industry.
Young Alumni/ Alumnae of Excellence Award recipient Amanda Bersinger (J.D.’12) (right) received her honor from alumnus Matthew Wilson (J.D.’14). Photo by Ian McFarlane.
Stembler’s award was presented by former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Tillman earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently serves as executive vice president and general counsel at Aflac. There, she directs Aflac’s legal division and its office of the corporate secretary. She is primarily responsible for overseeing the functions of the general counsel and compliance offices of Aflac Japan, where the company earns more than 75 percent of its revenues. In her position, she also directs Aflac’s legal division and functions related to corporate communications, government relations, federal relations and global cybersecurity. Previously, Tillman worked as an associate law professor at North Carolina Central University. She also was a judicial clerk for Judge Richard C. Erwin of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. In 2015, Tillman was the first woman to receive the Chattahoochee Council’s Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award. She also received the Columbus, Georgia, Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award. In 2016, she was named to The National Law Journal’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel list and was presented with the Diamond Award, which is the highest honor given by the Corporate Counsel Women of Color Association. Tillman’s award was presented by Georgia Law alumna Kathelen V. Amos (J.D.’82), who is president of the Aflac Foundation. —Emily Johnson
The inaugural Young Alumni/Alumnae of Excellence Award was presented to Amanda S. Bersinger (J.D.’12). Created by the law school’s Young Alumni/Alumnae Committee, this award recognizes an outstanding young graduate of the law school who gives gifts of time or talent to the law school community or the community at large. Bersinger’s award was presented by law school alumnus W. Matthew Wilson (J.D.’14), a trial attorney at Akin & Tate in Atlanta. Bersinger was recognized for her pro bono work, having represented inmates in Florida and Georgia as well as military veterans. In early 2017, she engaged in rallying support for the transgender community and was recognized in The Georgia Voice for gathering more than 40 lawyers from some of Atlanta’s top firms to provide free legal services to meet the needs of this population. Bersinger is an associate at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, where she represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex trial and appellate litigation. Previously, she served as a judicial clerk to Judge Joel F. Dubina of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and Chief Judge W. Keith Watkins of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Bersinger is a member of the 2017 LEAD Atlanta class, which is an intensive eight-month leadership development and community education program that strives to create effective leaders committed to the common good. Her law school honors include: induction into the Order of the Coif, service as the executive articles editor of the Georgia Law Review, winning the law school’s Best Note Competition and recognition as an outstanding moot court advocate. Additionally, she was a pupil in the Joseph Henry Lumpkin American Inn of Court.
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ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
—Emily Johnson
Law School Life
Kurtz receives President’s Medal In January, the university bestowed one of its highest honors on Paul Kurtz, associate dean and professor emeritus. The President’s Medal recognizes extraordinary contributions of individuals who are not current employees of UGA and who have supported students and academic programs, advanced research and inspired community leaders to enhance the quality of life of citizens in Georgia. Kurtz (right) and UGA President Jere Morehead (J.D.’80) are pictured. Photo courtesy of UGA’s Andrew Davis Tucker.
Georgia Law black alumni mixer The law school’s black alumni and alumnae held a reception at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta. The event focused on strengthening the school’s black community and exploring opportunities to engage with the school. Dean Bo Rutledge delivered a keynote address, and alumni and alumnae made a gift to the law school. The Mabra Firm, The Fowler Firm and Bey & Associates sponsored the event. Having fun at the reception were Class of 2004 schoolmates: (l. to r.) Dante Hudson, Tamika Sykes, Roslyn Grant Holcomb, Dominique Holloman, Cory Davis, Edwina Watkins Charles, Louis Castenell, Ronnie Mabra and Francys Johnson. Photo courtesy of MITE Services.
University presents top honors to Amos and Alston family The UGA Alumni Association recognized Kathelen V. Amos (J.D.’82) with a 2017 Alumni Merit Award – the association’s oldest honor – and the Gayle and Jimmy Alston family with its 2017 Family of the Year Award in April. The Alston family’s John N. Goddard Foundation established the Distinguished Law Fellows program at the law school last year in memory of Philip H. Alston, Jr. Top photo: Kathelen Amos (J.D.’82). Bottom photo: Gayle and Jimmy Alston (center) with Alston Distinguished Law Fellows first-year student Lindsey Bunting (left) and second-year student Taryn Winston (right). Photos by Wingate Downs/Courtesy of UGA Development and Alumni Relations.
Troutman Sanders hosts donor reception In the spring, Georgia Law Challenge Fund donors were treated to a reception hosted by Troutman Sanders in Atlanta. The challenge matched, dollar for dollar, all new and increased gifts to the Law School Fund received between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016. Through the challenge, the school more than met its goal of doubling the Law School Fund during the 2016 fiscal year – exceeding the $2 million mark – and awarded more in scholarship aid than ever before. Donors who gave $500 and above were invited to the Atlanta event. Enjoying the evening were (l. to r.) Dean Bo Rutledge, Ken Smith (J.D.’83), Donna Barwick (J.D.’77), J.P. Boulee (J.D.’96) and Jeff Lewis (J.D.’82).
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
35
PREPARE. CONNECT. LEAD.
Courtroom named for Butler family Late last year, the School of Law dedicated the James E. Butler Courtroom in Dean Rusk Hall, honoring three generations of the Butler family – James E. Butler, 1977 alumnus James E. “Jim” Butler Jr. and 2008 alumnus James E. “Jeb” Butler III. Jim Butler has had, and continues to have, a large influence on the legal profession both inside and outside the courtroom. Four times during his distinguished career he was lead counsel in a case setting the record for the largest verdict in the state of Georgia. He has litigated cases in 31 states and served as lead counsel in five cases where the verdicts exceeded $100 million. He also has been a generous donor to the law school, establishing the James E. Butler Scholarship, assisting in the creation of the Sic Vos Non Vobis Scholarship and helping to launch the school’s Challenge Fund during the 2015–16 academic year. Notably, the Challenge Fund doubled the law school’s annual fund in 2016 and created new resources for student scholarships. “Jim Butler’s investment in the School of Law is an investment in the people whom it produces and the values they will reflect as they join him in a noble profession,” Georgia Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said. “Thanks to his generosity, present and future law students will hone their advocacy skills and learn from judges in the courtroom bearing his family’s name – and be reminded of a great courtroom lawyer and the values he represents.” In addition to Jim Butler’s family, in attendance were UGA President Jere W. Morehead (J.D.’80), former deans Rebecca Hanner White and David E. Shipley, Associate Dean and Professor Emeritus Paul M. Kurtz, numerous members of the state and federal judiciary and colleagues including Joel O. Wooten Jr. (J.D.’75), Jim Butler’s longtime law partner. The highlight of the dedication was the unveiling of Jim Butler’s portrait, by artist Beth Stephens, which now hangs outside the courtroom.
U.S. Court of Appeals judge portrait unveiled The portrait of Georgia Law alumna and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the Eleventh Circuit Beverly B. Martin was presented to the law school during the spring. The event, attended by Martin’s friends, family, legal colleagues and law clerks, was held in the School of Law’s Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom, and it included remarks by Georgia Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge as well as Martin’s former schoolmate Donald F. “Don” Samuel (J.D.’80), who serves as an adjunct professor at the law school. Martin’s portrait was revealed by Naomi Hashimoto, the daughter of former Georgia Law Associate Dean Erica J. Hashimoto, who directed the school’s Appellate Litigation Clinic, which argues cases before the judges of the Eleventh Circuit.
Above photo: At the Butler Courtroom dedication were Jim Butler (J.D.’77) (right) and fellow Georgia Law alumnus and longtime law partner Joel Wooten (J.D.’75). Left photo: Jim (left center), at the courtroom dedication and portrait unveiling with his children: Catherine Butler (left), Emily Patteson and Jeb Butler (J.D.’08) (right). Photos by Ian McFarlane.
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U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Beverly Martin (J.D.’81) poses with Naomi Hashimoto (right), who unveiled Martin’s portrait during a celebration honoring the jurist.
ADVOCATE 2017 University of Georgia School of Law
A 1981 Georgia Law graduate, Martin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2010 to her current seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals. Previously, she served for nearly a decade as a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Georgia. Martin worked as a U.S. attorney and assistant U.S. attorney in the Middle District of Georgia from 1994 to 2000 and represented the state of Georgia as an assistant attorney general from 1984 to 1994. She also practiced at the firm Martin & Snow in Macon after graduating from law school. Martin’s portrait currently is on display at the law school.
27th Annual School of Law
October 14, 2017 Herty Field 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. (subject to change due to kickoff time)
Ticket sales begin July 10 and end September 22.
www.law.uga.edu/upcoming-alumni-events
ALUMNI/ ALUMNAE WEEKEND March 23 & 24, 2018
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 165 Athens, GA
School of Law Athens, Georgia 30602-6012 www.law.uga.edu
Jere W. Morehead UGA President president@uga.edu Kelly Kerner UGA Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations kkerner@uga.edu Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge School of Law Dean borut@uga.edu
Become a Sustainer One of the law school’s highest fundraising priorities is the growth of the Law School Fund. The majority of the fund supports student scholarships, but it also supports student groups, faculty projects and alumni/alumnae activities.
THE LAW SCHOOL FUND IS OUR LARGEST SINGLE SOURCE OF SCHOLARSHIPS DOLLARS. Sustainers make convenient, ongoing contributions that are automatically drafted each month. It’s an easy and efficient way to support Georgia Law through secure payments from your credit card, debit card or bank account.
BECOME A SUSTAINER VIA: •
Credit or Debit Card: Set up your monthly contribution online right now at www.law.uga.edu/gifts-advocate
•
Automatic Bank Draft: Download the form to authorize the UGA Foundation to draft directly from your bank account. www.law.uga.edu/gifts-sustainer
For more information, Office of Law School Advancement please contact: (706) 542-7639 lawgifts@uga.edu All gifts to the UGA Foundation for the Law School Fund are tax-deductible as allowed by law and count toward the Commit to Georgia campaign.
YOU CAN SUPPORT + ENRICH YOUR SCHOOL Your gift to the LAW SCHOOL FUND can have an immediate impact:
$425 Funds a MONTHLY
QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP
$250 Hosts a NETWORKING EVENT MONTHLY for students and alumni/alumnae $100 Makes MOCK INTERVIEWS MONTHLY available for students $50 Pays for ONE STUDENT’S TRAVEL MONTHLY to a national advocacy competition $25 Funds the judicial clerkship program’s MONTHLY
NUTS & BOLTS WORKSHOP