Summer public interest and judicial fellowships provide life-directing, hands-on and purpose-driven experiences for law students. As such, the School of Law has placed greater emphasis on growing financial support for students seeking unpaid legal work in nonprofits, federal and state government, judicial clerkships, legal services and policy/impact organizations over the summer months. Since 2019, the school has provided almost $1.3 million in summer fellowship funding to its rising second- and third-year students.
Ninety-four percent of the members of the Class of 2023 participated in at least one clinic or externship while earning their Juris Doctors. The School of Law currently offers 11 in-house clinics and 7 externship programs for students to engage with real-world clients, cases and communities.
Another group of incredibly talented students from around the world enrolled at the University of Georgia School of Law for the 2023-24 academic year. The Juris Doctor Class of 2026 boasts a record-high 169 median LSAT score and an impressive 3.83 median undergraduate GPA. Almost 20 foreign-trained lawyers pursuing a Master of Laws hail from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The Master in the Study of Law program welcomed 10 new students who seek to merge the study of law with their professional interests, and they will study in Athens and Atlanta.
Steffney R. Thompson, who joined the faculty in the spring, will lead the School of Law's new Land Conservation Clinic (a refocused version of the Environmental Practicum). The clinic will be an interdisciplinary collaboration between the law school and UGA’s Odum School of Ecology working at the nexus of law, science and policy to support and expand conservation efforts across Georgia and the Southeast.
Congratulations to the three School of Law faculty members who have earned recent promotions. Nathan S. Chapman, who holds the Brock Professorship, was promoted to the rank of full professor; Associate Professor Laura Phillips-Sawyer was named to the Jane W. Wilson Professorship in Business Law, and Rachel Evans was elevated to Librarian III. These faculty members are helping the School of Law to deliver a world-class, hands-on and purpose-driven legal education.