First-year law student Jordan Heath is the winner of the School of Law's 2022 J. Ralph Beaird 1L Closing Argument Mock Trial Tournament. Congratulations to all who competed, including finalist Natascha Merida-Perez, on their performances.
Congratulations to third-year students Haley K. Kairab, Taylor N. Lear and Navroz N. Tharani for finishing as one of the top four teams in the National Moot Court Competition. The trio won Region 13 of the tournament in November, earning the right to compete for the national title. The National Moot Court Competition is the oldest and most prestigious moot court tournament in the country.
Clinical Assistant Professor & Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic Director Emma M. Hetherington is a recipient of a UGA Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program Grant for a project titled "Trauma Informed Pedagogy and Practice in Higher Education." The grants are supported by the university's Office of Research in partnership with the Office of the Provost. It is envisioned that the “pre-seed” funding will facilitate the formation of faculty teams and collaboration around critical areas of research expertise or emerging research topics with the ultimate goal of attracting resources for collaborative research, including internal and external grants.
A University of Georgia School of Law graduate and his wife have made an additional pledge to support law students with spouses and/or families. The John and Becky Douglas Family Student Support Fund was initially created in 2019 to honor the support the Douglases received when John was enrolled at the School of Law.
The School of Law will host the 22nd Annual Symposium on Legal Ethics and Professionalism virtually. The title of the Feb. 25 event is "Lawyering for the President: Testing the Limits of Ethics and Professionalism." The University of Minnesota's Richard W. Painter will deliver the keynote address titled: "Political Independence of Government Lawyers in the Executive Branch." Registration is free and required to receive the link for the daylong symposium. For attorneys seeking CLE credits, the cost is $24.
Congratulations to third-year student Kayla S. Hope for being selected for a 2022 Diverse Student Mentor Fellowship from the Corporate Counsel Women of Color. The fellowships are part of the national nonprofit's "My Life As A Lawyer Program," which seeks to create a pipeline of underrepresented professionals to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal field.
The 12 law schools in the Southeastern Conference are collaborating to host “A Series of Conversations on Name, Image and Likeness and the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics” throughout the academic year. Professors from each law school - including the UGA School of Law's Laura Phillips Sawyer and David Shipley - as well as professionals within the athletics industry will speak on a variety of legal topics surrounding the NIL policy for college athletes that took effect in July 2021. The virtual panel series runs through April and is open to the public.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West was featured in the Los Angeles Times regarding Ketanji Brown Jackson, a potential nominee for the position of justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The article titled "Ketanji Jackson is a favorite for Biden's historic Supreme Court pick" was written by David G. Savage and published 2/2/22. The article was republished in other media outlets across the country.
University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues has been named UGA's interim vice provost for academic affairs. In this role, she will assist with all matters of academic administration, policy and planning. She will continue to teach classes at the School of Law while serving the university in this leadership capacity.
Appellate Litigation Clinic participant and third-year student Matthew Moore argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in the case Thomas v. Secretary, Fla. Dep’t of Corrs. The issue was whether the district court abused its discretion in denying Thomas’ motion to amend his habeas petition. 2021 graduates Jared R. Allen and Olivia B. Hunter helped write the briefs. Third-year student Madison G. Mischik helped Moore prepare for the argument.
Congratulations to third-year students Destiny J. Burch and Cole M. Harper for finishing the 2022 Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship as quarterfinalists. This invitation-only tournament is for the top 16 moot court programs from law schools across the country based on performances from the previous academic year.
The Veterans Legal Clinic has helped approximately 370 veterans and their family members claim over $1 million in additional benefits since its establishment. This impact is expected to grow exponentially with the expansion of services later this year. Thanks to additional financial support from renowned Georgia trial lawyer James E. “Jim” Butler Jr., the Athens-based clinic will soon be able to offer: a permanent virtual remote outreach program, psychological and medical evaluations, and self-advocacy webinars.
Hosch Professor & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lori A. Ringhand was featured in The Christian Science Monitor regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's jurisprudence patterns. The article titled "Minority report: How justices from Harlan to Breyer shaped legal opinion" was written by Henry Gass and Noah Robertson and was published 1/27/22.
Clinical Assistant Professor & First Amendment Clinic Director Clare R. Norins was featured in the Georgia Recorder regarding a bill being considered by Georgia lawmakers about free speech zones on college campuses. The article titled "House bill to extend 'free speech' areas campus-wide spurs First Amendment debate" was written by Ross Williams and published 1/27/22. It was republished by Georgia Public Broadcasting and other media outlets.
Hosch Professor & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lori A. Ringhand published "Justice Breyer announced he will retire. Here's what happens next." in The Washington Post on 1/27/22.
Assistant Professor Thomas E. Kadri presented "Platform Federalism" at the Media Law and Policy Scholars Conference during January.
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein presented on the panel on “taxable persons” at the Vienna University of Economics and Business virtual conference titled “Court of Justice of the European Union: Recent VAT Case Law” during January.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West presented "The Disappearing Freedom of the Press" at the Media Law and Policy Scholars Conference during January. She also served as a discussant for a paper titled "The Ideology of Press Freedom."
Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law Christopher M. Bruner presented as part of a panel discussion titled “Where Does New York Stand in the Competition Among States and Regions for Business?” The online panel was a part of the New York State Bar Association Business Law Section’s 2022 Annual Meeting.
Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus Ronald L. Carlson's book Carlson on Evidence (with M. Carlson) was recently cited by the Georgia Court of Appeals in the case Parrish v. State regarding the question of whether the statement by a defendant’s attorney can be held against the defendant in a criminal trial. This citation brings the total to 61 times that this text has been used by Georgia appellate courts to resolve evidentiary issues.