Name: Hannah S. Sells
Age: 25
Hometown: Roswell, GA
Expected graduation year: 2017
Georgia Law achievements and awards: 2015 J. Melvin England Mock Trial Competition: 1st Place Winner; 2015 J. Ralph Beaird Closing Argument Competition: 2nd Place Winner; James R. Borders Scholarship Recipient; 2016 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition: Philadelphia Regional - Semi-Finalists; 2015 William Daniel Mock Trial Competition - Semi-Finalists
Georgia Law Activities: Mock Trial Executive Board; Moot Court Team; EU Business Law and WTO Trade Practices courses (Summer 2015)
Undergraduate university/degree(s), year(s): Georgia Institute of Technology / Bachelors of Science in History, Technology and Society / 2013
1. What inspired you to become a lawyer?
I don't know why I got started down the legal career path, but I have been on it since childhood. It has been such a gift to know with certainty what the goal is when I make decisions. I always know where I am trying to go, so it is easy to decide which road to take. I did my middle school book reports on books like 1L, joined the debate team in high school and chose Georgia Tech because it had the highest acceptance rates to law schools.
2. What did you do before attending law school?
I worked for a digital media recruiting firm in Atlanta.
3. Why did you choose to attend the University of Georgia School of Law?
When I went on the tour of Georgia Law, the guide took us into the courtroom and showed us all the advocacy trophies. I was hooked.
4. Who is your favorite Georgia Law professor? Why?
This question makes me think of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. When the press asks Audrey, playing the princess of a small country, what her favorite city was in her long tour across Europe, she responds with "Each in its own way was unforgettable." There are so many good professors at Georgia. Some are good because their explanations clearly answer my questions, while others are good because their questions require clear explanations from me. It has been fun trying to learn each new professor's quirks.
5. Thus far, what is your most memorable experience from your time at Georgia Law?
Winning the intramural mock trial competition was quite a golden moment for me. I loved mock trial in college, but I was intimidated by the new standards in law school. My teammate Jacob and I competed against each other for four years in college mock trial, so it was really fun to finally get to work with him in this competition. We knew each other's styles so well by that point that it was easy to work together to play a game we both love. I was so sure we lost when it was over. I will never forget looking at Jake like "Did I hear that right?!" when they jury came back to say we had won.
6. What are some activities/clubs/clinics you are involved in at the law school?
I am on the moot court and mock trial teams when in Athens. However, I also took advantage of several programs abroad through the Dean Rusk International Law Center and am participating in the D.C. Semester in Practice this fall.
7. What has been your most rewarding experience through this program?
The semester I did my advanced research was the hardest I have ever worked, but it was also the most rewarding period of my life so far. I have gotten to do a lot of cool things because of Georgia Law, but the most rewarding thing must have been the supervised research I did for my advanced writing requirement. I got to work with a professor I like and create a paper of which I could be proud.
8. What are your hobbies?
I like having projects with some kind of end product to create. I made my dress for barrister's ball last year and that was a great side project during the stressful times.
9. Where is your favorite place to study? Why?
I have a little porch at my apartment where I can sit outside with my dog and a cup of tea.
10. What are two things you always have to have with you when you study?
Food and my dog! I am a compulsive eater when I study. If I don't have mountains of snacks close by, I will get up every ten minutes to go find more food. My dog, Elvis, could probably sit for the bar himself at this point. When I don't have a good grasp of a subject, I will start trying to talk through it. Elvis, as the only one in the room, ends up getting lots of lectures on civil procedure.
11. What do you like most about living in Athens?
I love that it's a city big enough to have everything you need, but remote enough that a 10-minute drive can take you into the countryside and a 20-minute drive can take you to hiking paths and waterfalls.
12. What do you do to handle the stress of law school?
I found a few opportunities to give back to the community. You would think that giving your time away when you have so little would make you more stressed, but actually helping other people reminds you that you are more than your studies. Personally, I got involved in my church by leading kids' classes, coaching a high school mock trial team and trying to build relationships with a few of the homeless people in the area by always carrying supply bags to give away. It reminds you that you can make a difference, with or without a law degree. So work hard, but don't define your value by your grades.