Interim UGA Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues was featured on Bloomberg Law regarding the future of special purpose acquisition companies. The article titled "SPAC King Palihapitiya Goes Silent With His Empire Shriveling" was written by Baily Lipschultz and published 8/16/22. The article was republished by other media outlets like Yahoo!
Today, the University of Georgia School of Law welcomes an incredible array of students from around the world, including the most academically credentialed J.D. class in history. The 169 students in the Juris Doctor Class of 2025 comprise the most academically credentialed class in the School of Law’s history – boasting a 168 median LSAT score and a 3.87 median undergraduate GPA, both record highs. There are 23 talented Master of Laws students – representing the largest LL.M. class in more than a decade – who hail from 15 countries on five continents. The Master in the Study of Law program welcomes 11 new students who seek to wed the study of law with their professional interests. They will study in Athens and Atlanta.
Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Gregg D. Polsky's Yale Journal on Regulation article "Taxing Buybacks" (with D.J. Hemel) was featured in Mother Jones. The article titled "Biden's IRA Targets a Corporate Tactic for Amassing Wealth and Avoiding Taxes. Will it Work?" was written by Hannah Levintova and published 8/12/22.
Clinical Assistant Professor & Prosecutorial Justice Program Director Melissa D. Redmon was featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding the work of a prosecutor. The article titled "Fulton DA's Trump probe enters more combative phase" was written by Tamar Hallerman and published 8/13/22. The article was reprinted in the Denver Gazette.
The Alexander Campbell King Law Library's Access Services Manager Marie Mize was recently featured in a USAA video regarding her role as the director of the Moina Michael Poppy Project at the University of Georgia. Michael, a former UGA professor who is referred to as The Poppy Lady, is known for her crusade to make the red poppy a symbol of remembrance for those who died in military conflict.
Congratulations to the nine School of Law faculty members who have earned recent promotions. Jason A. Cade and Lisa Milot were promoted to the rank of full professor; Laura Phillips Sawyer was granted tenure; Lindsey Simon was named associate professor; Elizabeth M. Grant, Emma M. Hetherington and Christine M. Scartz were elevated to clinical associate professors; Rob McNiff became a clinical assistant professor and Anna White Howard joined the legal writing faculty. These professors are helping the School of Law to deliver a world-class, hands-on and purpose-driven legal education.
Hosch Professor & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lori A. Ringhand presented "Contextualizing Corruption" as part of an Election Law Works in Progress panel at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference. She also participated in a "Reforming the U.S. Election System" discussion group and commented on the forthcoming book by Southampton Law School's Jacob Eisler titled The Law of Freedom.
Information Technology Librarian Jason Tubinis, Instruction and Faculty Services Librarian Savanna Nolan, and Clinical Services and Research Librarian Amy Taylor recently earned promotions. Tubinis has been elevated to the rank of Librarian IV, while Nolan and Taylor now hold Librarian II status.
Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding song lyrics being used as evidence in criminal proceedings. The article titled "U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson seeks to protect artists' lyrics from prosecutors" was written by Jozsef Papp and published 8/9/22.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West co-presented "Current Threats to Press Freedoms" as part of the Free Expression Legal Networks Next Conversation Series. The FELN is a network of law school clinics, academics, and practitioners across the country that seek to promote and protect free speech, free press, and the flow of information.
Marshall Chair of Constitutional Law Randy Beck was featured in California's Visalia Times Delta regarding new bounty hunting laws in Texas and California. The article titled "Bounty hunting: Foes of guns and abortion resurrect an old idea" was written by Nigel Duara and published 8/9/22.
Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus Ronald L. Carlson was featured in the Daily Beast regarding special grand juries. The article titled "Why the Fulton County Grand Jury Isn't Going to Indict Trump" was written by Jose Pagliery and published 8/9/22.
Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Gregg D. Polsky was featured in Investor's Business Daily regarding proposed stock buyback tax changes. The article titled "The New Stock Buyback Tax: What It Means For Apple, S&P 500" was written by Jed Graham and published 8/9/22.
The School of Law's inaugural Edenfield Jurist in Residence Lecture featuring then-U.S. District Court Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood (J.D.'90) was mentioned on Georgia Public Broadcasting regarding sentencing in the Ahmaud Arbery cases. Wood's lecture focused on the topic of sentencing. The segment titled "Ahmaud Arbery's murderers to be sentenced Monday for federal hate crimes" was reported by Benjamin Payne and aired 8/5/22.
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein’s treatise, State Taxation, was cited and quoted in the Oregon Tax Court’s opinion Department of Revenue v. Alaska Airlines, Inc., Nos. TC 5406, 5407 (July 21, 2022).
Associate Dean for International Programs & Post Professor Melissa J. "MJ" Durkee's article "Pledging World Order" (forthcoming in the Yale Journal of International Law) was presented as part of a panel titled “Transnational Orders of Finance, Trade and Investment” at the Global Meeting on Law & Society, hosted by ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon (Portugal) during July.
Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was featured in the Westchester Journal News regarding New York's plan to review social media accounts when one applies to purchase a gun. The article titled "Want a gun permit? NY plans to review your social media accounts. What to know" was written by Asher Stockler and published 8/3/22. The article was reprinted by various media outlets across the country.
Assistant Professor Adam D. Orford was featured in Grist regarding the proposed Inflation Reduction Act that includes energy security and fighting climate change provisions. The article titled "Here's what's in the Senate's $369 billion climate and energy bill" was written by Julia Kane, Emily Pontecorvo and Zoya Tierstein and was published 7/29/22.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020 for posting an Ultimate Bar Passage rate of 97.7%, meaning close to 98% of these graduates who sat for the bar exam within one year of graduation passed. This high Ultimate Bar Passage rate and the school's pursuit of being the nation's best return on investment in legal education demonstrate that the School of Law is redefining what it means to be a great national public law school - one that offers a world-class, hands-on, purpose-driven educational experience while never surrendering its commitment to accessibility and affordability.
In the moot court system, the University of Georgia is represented by two separate but equally important groups of second- and third-year law students. Georgia Magazine recently shared their story in its summer 2022 issue.