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.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020 for posting an Ultimate Bar Passage rate of 98.85%, meaning close to 99% of these graduates who sat for the bar exam within two years of graduation passed. This high Ultimate Bar Passage rate and the school's pursuit of being the nation's best return on investment in legal education demonstrate that the School of Law is redefining what it means to be a great national public law school - one that offers a world-class, hands-on, purpose-driven educational experience while never surrendering its commitment to accessibility and affordability.
The 2022-23 advocacy season was a great success with the School of Law capturing three national titles – the Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship, the LL.M. International Commercial & Investment Arbitration Moot Competition and the Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition (for the second year in a row). Other key victories include regional wins in the American Association for Justice National Student Trial Advocacy Competition and the National Trial Competition as well as the fifth straight trophy in the annual Florida/Georgia-Hulsey/Gambrell Moot Court Competition. These results bring the School of Law's five-year tally to 12 national titles, 11 regional crowns and three state trophies.