Congratulations to second-year student Taylor N. Lear for being named best oralist at the 50th Annual William B. Spong Jr. Invitational Moot Court Tournament. She and her teammate, second-year student Bradley R. "Brad" Spinner, finished the national tournament as quarterfinalists. The School of Law last won this competition, hosted by the William & Mary Law School, in 2019.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured on Bloomberg News regarding the Smartmatic defamation lawsuit. The segment titled "Billion Dollar Revenge of the Voting Machines" was hosted by June Grasso and aired 2/12/21.
University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues was featured in Crain's New York Business regarding special-purpose acquisition companies. The article titled "Wall Street's latest get-rich-quick scheme may work for sponsors but not investors" was written by Aaron Elstein and published 2/15/21.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch published "Judicial Adjuncts in Multidistrict Litigation" in 120 Columbia Law Review 2129 (2020) (with M.S. Williams).
Assistant Clinical Professor & Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic Director Emma M. Hetherington presented on "Resolving Procedural and Logistical Complexities Inherent in Sexual Abuse/Assault Cases" at the 13th Annual Law & Society Symposium hosted by the Charleston Law Review and Furman University's The Riley Institute during February.
University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues was featured in Billboard magazine regarding special acquisition companies and the music business. The article titled "SPAC Attack: The Music Business' New Favorite IPO Strategy" was written by Glenn Peoples and published 2/9/21.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West published "The Majoritarian Press Clause" in 2020 University of Chicago Legal Forum 311.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The Hollywood Reporter regarding libel lawsuits filed against media outlets. The article titled "How Fox News Will Fight a $2.7 Billion Suit About the 2020 Election" was written by Eriq Gardner and published 2/8/21.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The New York Times regarding libel lawsuits filed against media outlets. The article titled "Trump Isn't the Only One on Trial. The Conservative Media Is, Too.," was written by Giovanni Russonello and published 2/8/21.
Associate Professor Laura Phillips Sawyer was featured on UGA Today regarding her scholarship and experiences teaching at UGA. "Associate professor puts old things in a new light," was written by Lona Panter and published 2/5/21.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured in the New York Law Journal regarding the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy proceedings. The article titled "Plaintiffs Firms Flooded Boy Scouts Bankruptcy With Unvetted, Potentially Fraudulent Civil Claims, Insurers Allege" was written by Max Mitchell and published 2/4/21.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured in Law360 regarding Bayer's possible settlement relating to its Roundup weedkiller product. The article titled "Bayer's $2B Deal May Not Spell The End For Roundup" was written by Emily Field and published 2/4/21.
First-year law student Noah C. Nix is the winner of the School of Law's 2021 1L Closing Argument Mock Trial Tournament. Congratulations to all who competed, including finalist N. Molly Laughlin, on their performances.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The Washington Post regarding the increasing number of government lawsuits over public record requests. The article titled "'Intimidation measure': Louisiana AG criticized for suing reporter over records request" was written by Hannah Knowles and published 2/7/21.
The University of Georgia Alumni Association has announced eight recipients of its 2021 Alumni Awards, an annual program dating back to 1936 that recognizes individuals and organizations who demonstrate a commitment to the university. Among the 2021 honorees are the late Chester Davenport, the first African American graduate of the School of Law who passed away during August 2020, and the Paris family, which includes 2020 School of Law graduate Thomas Paris.
The Veterans Legal Clinic recently helped a 91-year-old veteran receive disability compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs after many years of denials. The veteran served for over 24 years, in both the Vietnam and Korean wars. He survived the 1950 Battle of Chosin Reservoir, an important battle of the latter conflict. For over one decade, he had received only minimal payments from the VA. After learning of his leukemia, the clinic successfully argued for service-connection due to exposure to Agent Orange. The increase of $3,146 per month more than doubled his combined compensation and retirement pay. This outcome reflects the efforts of several Veterans Legal Clinic teams under the direction of Associate Professor Alexander W. Scherr, including current third-year students Taylor E. Pernini and Patrick D. Testa along with 2020 graduates Anne M. Reynolds, L. Andrew "Andy" Bastone and Tyler C. Mathis.
Third-year student Devin Mashman was featured in the Daily Report for presenting oral argument before the Supreme Court of Georgia in the case Harvey, et al. v. Merchan. He represented the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic's client who was abused by her parents throughout the entirety of her childhood. The case involves the choice of law and the constitutionality of the Hidden Predator Act. The article titled "Parents Sued for Abusing Daughter Ask Georgia Justices to Strike Down 'Hidden Predator' Law" was written by Greg Land and published 2/4/21.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured on CNN Business regarding the Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit against Fox News. The article titled "'There is real teeth to this': Legal experts weigh in on Smartmatic's $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News" was written by Oliver Darcy and published 2/5/21.
Congratulations to third-year students Tyler D. Fabbri, Mollie M. Fiero and Devin Mashman for finishing as national semifinalists in the National Moot Court Competition. This trio won the Region 5 round of the National Moot Court Competition in November to advance to the national tier of the tournament. The National Moot Court Competition is the oldest and most prestigious moot court competition in the country. Each year, teams from more than 120 law schools across the nation compete in this contest, which is sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
On Feb. 15, William Elliott Stiles Jr. - an accomplished artist, Atlanta attorney and University of Georgia School of Law alumnus - will unveil a new work of art that was commissioned by the law school to commemorate the 60th anniversary of desegregation at UGA. The new creation will be displayed alongside other pieces of Stiles' "Concept Collection" that were donated to the school in 2018. Stiles said in his new piece, titled "1961," he tried to depict the historic events of the desegregation of the University of Georgia and the Georgia public school system. The artwork will be unveiled during Black History Month on Feb. 15 at 12 p.m. Those wishing to virtually participate need to register by Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. to lawalum@uga.edu or 706-542-7959.