With the dream of a career as an “appellate litigator working in the public interest sphere,” rising third-year law student Divya Kishore felt her summer fellowship was a key step in her journey toward achieving that goal. The recipient of the School of Law’s largest summer public interest grant, the Bool Simkins Summer Fellowship, Kishore said the funding provided the perfect opportunity to pursue her passion without worrying about how she would support herself.
Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center Sarah Quinn has been selected for the Council on Foreign Relations Higher Education Ambassador Program. As part of the program, she will engage with other educators across the country “who are dedicated to helping students make sense of the world around them.”
Assistant Professor John B. Meixner Jr. presented “Empirical Trends in Sentencing Mitigation” at the 2026 Judges Seminar for the United States Sentencing Commission in San Diego, California. Notably, Meixner was the only scholar selected to present before approximately 100 federal judges in attendance.
Associate Dean for Faculty Development & Cleveland Distinguished Chair Nathan S. Chapman presented “Constituting Free Exercise” as part of the government funding and religion panel at the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law’s State of Religious Freedom Conference in Malibu, California.
Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law Christopher M. Bruner published “Delaware AI Company Proposal Needs Details Before Road Testing” (with S.A. Gramitto Ricci and M. Petrin) in Bloomberg Law on 8/3/26.
Chaffin Chair in Fiduciary Law Victoria J. Haneman presented as part of the (Re)Making Tax: Addressing Tax Policy Challenges from Multiple Angles; Screens in the Law School Classroom: Perspectives on Technology, Learning, and Pedagogy; and Bridging the Generations: How Mid- and Senior-Level Faculty Can Support Newer Colleagues panels at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July. She also presented as part of the aspiring law teachers/prospective law teachers workshops titled The Art of Self-Promotion and Navigating the Hiring Process.
Assistant Professor John B. Meixner Jr. presented “Defense Prosecutors” as part of the Policing, Prosecutorial Discretion and Sentencing New Scholars Workshop at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July. He also presented as part of the Your Next Article New Scholars Workshop.
Assistant Professor Meighan Parker presented as part of the Current Events in Health Law and Bioethics and Legal Mentoring panels at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July.
Assistant Professor Eileen R. Prescott presented as part of the Working Papers on Criminal Procedure and Criminal Justice Policy Workshop at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July.
Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lori A. Ringhand presented on her book We the Voters: The Constitutional Choices That Shape America’s Elections (Stanford University Press, 2026) as part of the Reviewing We the Voters: The Constitutional Choices that Shape America’s Elections Constitutional Law Workshop at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July.
Dean Usha R. Rodrigues presented as part of the Embracing Efficiency, Ethics, and Equity in Law School Leadership Using AI Deans Workshop at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July.
UGA Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & Kirbo Chair Elizabeth Weeks presented as part of the Health Policy, Law and Medical Standards New Scholars Workshop at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting during July.
Clinical Associate Professor & Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic Director Emma M. Hetherington presented “University-Based Law Clinics: A Mechanism to Promote Therapeutic Jurisprudence from the Classroom to the Courtroom” at the XXXIX International Congress on Law and Mental Health hosted by the Université du Québec à Montréal in Montréal during July.
Associate Dean for Faculty Development & Cleveland Distinguished Chair Nathan S. Chapman presented “Christianity and Early American Constitutionalism” as part of the America at 250 Conference at the University of Padua in Padua, Italy.
Congratulations to five School of Law faculty members who have recently received new titles. Desirée LeClercq was promoted to associate professor with tenure, while Washington, D.C., Semester in Practice Director Jessica L. Heywood was named a full clinical professor. Rob McNiff was promoted to clinical associate professor, and Sherrie L. Hines and Caitlin May have been named lecturers.
Two members of the School of Law faculty have been appointed to named professorships as of Aug. 1. Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lori A. Ringhand was appointed to the Harmon W. Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law and William Ortman was awarded a J. Alton Hosch Professorship.
Congratulations to seven School of Law professors who recently received new titles and promotions. Desirée LeClercq was promoted to associate professor with tenure, while Washington, D.C., Semester in Practice Director Jessica L. Heywood was named a full clinical professor. Rob McNiff was appointed clinical associate professor, and Sherrie L. Hines and Caitlin May were named lecturers. Director of the Law Library Thomas “TJ” Striepe was elevated to the classification of senior academic professional, while Research Services Librarian Brandy Ellis earned the rank of librarian II.
The School of Law greatly appreciates the dedication and service of all alumni who serve on its three alumni boards - the Board of Visitors, the Law School Alumni Council and the Young Alumni Committee. The current leaders of these groups are: 1986 graduate Marlan B. Wilbanks, 2004 graduate Francys Johnson and 2020 graduate Gretchen Edelman, respectively.
Assistant Professor Desirée LeClercq published “Workers’ Empowerment as U.S. Trade Policy” in 64 Columbia Journal of Transnational Law 326 (2026).
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West presented “The History and Tradition of Press Freedom” as part of the Comparative Media Law Workshop hosted by University College London during July.