President Joe Biden will soon sign the Safe Connections Act into law. The legislation, which seeks to help survivors of domestic violence sever ties with their abusers by offering a path to more easily separate from shared wireless service plans, was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate. Assistant Professor Thomas E. Kadri, whose research focuses on law and technology with an emphasis on technology-enabled abuse, has been an adviser on the text of the bipartisan legislation. He offers insight into the new law.
Congratulations to third-year students Lucas J. Iddings, N. Molly Laughlin and Roby H. Jernigan for finishing as finalists in a regional round of the National Moot Court Competition. Iddings was named the best advocate of the preliminary round.
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic has successfully negotiated for immigration benefits, including deferred action and employment authorization, from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for noncitizen workers who survived gas leaks while employed at a poultry processing plant. The clinic's representation has included facilitating Department of Labor witness testimony as part of federal investigations into these matters, which led to the deaths of several coworkers. Law students involved in this advocacy included 2022 graduates Navroz N. Tharani and Ariane C. "Ari" Williams, third-year students Victoria Hiten Carabello, Savannah L. Grant, Zakary D. Pearsall and Nia N. Waller, and second-year students Andrew M. Dietz and Madeleine B. "Maddie" Hoss. They were assisted by Clinic Paralegal Sarah Ehlers and supervised by Associate Dean Jason A. Cade and Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd.
The Clarke Middle Health Center celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, Nov. 10, introducing the Athens-Clarke County community to the many free medical, mental health and legal services provided to students, staff and families. Through a collaboration between the Clarke County School District and the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership’s Athens Free Clinic, the health center will see patients during the school week for more than 20 hours each week. This initiative will include services provided by the School of Law's Community Health Law Partnership Clinic.
The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic has secured a major victory for an asylum seeker after seven years of advocacy. The client was put into removal proceedings in 2015 after seeking refuge in the United States from violence in Guatemala. Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd represented the client in the initial agency proceedings. She and Assoc. Dean & Clinic Director Jason A. Cade handled a Circuit Court appeal and BIA remand. They were assisted by 2021 alumnus Frederick J. King and 2022 graduates Thomas A. Evans and Ariane C. "Ari" Williams.