Hosch Professor Logan E. Sawyer III has been invited to join the prestigious UGA Teaching Academy, which seeks to promote faculty leadership in teaching and learning, to advocate for effective educational environments and to foster a community of scholars. Membership in the academy is an honor granted to a select few UGA faculty members each year who have demonstrated a significant commitment to the teaching-learning enterprise.
Congratulations to Student Services Librarian Geraldine Kalim and Instruction and Faculty Services Librarian Savanna Nolan on being selected to participate in the UGA Teaching Academy Early Career Fellows Program. The initiative promotes excellence in classroom instruction by mentoring early-career faculty.
Metadata Services and Special Collections Librarian Rachel Evans presented "What's In A Name? An Open Discussion On Librarian Job Titles" as part of the American Association of Law Libraries' Law Repositories Caucus Sandbox Series (with C. George). Evans also organized and moderated the five August 2021 Sandbox Series sessions that were viewed by more than 160 law librarians across the country. Among the topics discussed were scholarly profiles, modernizing repositories and tech projects.
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein's treatise State Taxation was quoted by the Minnesota Supreme Court in Sheridan v. Commissioner of Revenue (August 25, 2021).
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured in Corporate Crime Reporter regarding findings from her survey of mass tort plaintiffs in cases involving products targeted toward women. The article titled "Plaintiffs in Mass Tort Cases Not Happy With Their Lawyers" was published 9/4/21.
The late Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Stephen S. Goss is being memorialized with a scholarship bearing his name at the University of Georgia School of Law. More than 100 former classmates and friends have contributed to the Judge Steve Goss Scholarship Fund. The effort was led by Marlan B. Wilbanks, who is the chair of the School of Law’s Board of Visitors, and Dan H. Willoughby Jr., both of whom graduated with Goss in 1986 and were part of his law school section. These gifts were matched by an anonymous donor who has helped to spearhead the law school’s efforts to provide scholarships to first-generation college graduates.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured in an Associated Press article regarding the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement. The article titled "Legal shield for Purdue Pharma owners is at heart of appeals" was written by Geoff Mulvihill and published 9/4/21. This article appeared in several media outlets across the country.
Renowned scholars and leaders in the arts, agriculture, business, civil rights, government, the sciences and several other fields will speak this semester as part of the fall 2021 Signature Lectures series. UGA Signature Lectures feature speakers noted for their broad, multidisciplinary appeal and compelling bodies of work. School of Law alumna Joan T.A. Gabel (J.D.'93), the president of the University of Minnesota, will deliver the Louise McBee Lecture in Higher Education with a speech titled “The Evolving Social Contract of Higher Education” on Nov. 16.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured on STAT regarding the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement. The article titled "The Purdue bankruptcy plan was approved. Will it get derailed by appeals?" was written by Ed Silverman and published 9/3/21.
Smith Professor Hillel Y. Levin was featured in The Washington Post regarding religious exemptions to vaccines. The article titled "Religious exemptions from coronavirus vaccines are expected to become a legal battleground" was written by Sarah Pulliam Bailey and published 9/1/21. The article was reprinted by other media outlets including The Seattle Times.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured in Forbes regarding Purdue Pharma settlements. The article titled "Judge Approves Settlement That Shields Sacklers From Being Sued" was written by Graison Dangor and published 9/1/21.
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein's treatise State Taxation was quoted by the Oregon Tax Court in Global Hookah Distributors, Inc. v. Department of Revenue (August 6, 2021). His article “Substantive and Enforcement Jurisdiction in a Post-Wayfair World" in 90 State Tax Notes 283 (2018) (with A. Appleby) was also quoted in the opinion.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured in a Bloomberg article regarding the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan. The article titled "Purdue Pharma Tests Limits of Liability Shields in Bankruptcy" was written by Daniel Gill and published 8/30/21.
The University of Georgia School of Law has named its iconic rotunda after its first Black graduate, Chester C. Davenport. A portrait of Davenport is being commissioned and will eventually hang in the space located at the main entrance to the law school. Davenport, who passed away in August 2020, was a monumental figure in the School of Law’s history. He was the law school’s first Black student and remained its only Black student during his law school career. He earned his law degree in 1966, finishing in the top 5% of his class and serving as a founding member of the editorial board of the Georgia Law Review.
Legal Writing Instructor Jean Mangan was named a 2021-22 UGA Service-Learning Fellow. The Service-Learning Fellows Program is a year-long faculty development program that provides an opportunity for selected faculty members to learn best practices in service-learning and community engagement, and to integrate service-learning into their teaching, research and public service work.
The Alexander Campbell King Law Library has received a Digital Library of Georgia grant to digitize and describe a collection of photographs encompassing 50 years of legal and political history. The law library was one of eight institutions (and nine projects) that are recipients of the ninth set of service grants awarded in a program intended to broaden partner participation in the DLG and engage with diverse institutions across the state of Georgia.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West's research was featured in The Economist regarding her thoughts on libel suits against news organizations. The article titled "Two Supreme Court justices want to revisit a landmark free-press decision" was published 8/21/21.
Four University of Georgia faculty members have been named Fellows of the 2021-2022 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program, including the School of Law's Elizabeth Weeks. Throughout the fellowship year, participants deepen their knowledge of topics such as budgeting, accreditation, student affairs, and diversity and inclusion while learning how UGA and other SEC institutions navigate the challenges and opportunities of contemporary higher education.
The University of Georgia School of Law is pleased to announce the establishment of the Justice Robert Benham Scholars Program Fund, an endowed fund that will support those who have overcome significant adversity and who have a demonstrated connection with or intent to return to and serve rural or legally underserved communities. This fund – named for retired Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham who became the law school’s second African-American graduate in 1970 – provides permanent funding for the school’s scholars program named in the jurist’s honor.
University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues was featured on Bloomberg regarding special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) being considered investment companies. The article titled "SPAC Suit Leads to SPARCs" was written by Matt Levine and published 8/23/21.