Congratulations to School of Law alumni Kelsey P. Donnalley (J.D.’13), David B. Dove (J.D.’14), Leila Y. Harrison (J.D.’24), Paul B. Murphy (J.D.’88) and Maria M. Todorova (J.D.’06) on receiving various honors as part of the 2026 Southeastern Legal Awards presented by the Daily Report. Murphy was honored as a Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, while Todorova was selected as a Distinguished Leader Winner. Donnalley was a finalist in the Most Effective Deal-makers category, Dove was named a Best Mentors Finalist and Harrison was a Most Promising Newcomer Finalist. The results were published earlier this year by the Daily Report and Law.com.
Congratulations to third-year law students Emily W. Munger and Mason C. Favro who received 2026 NALP PSJD Pro Bono Publico honors. Munger was named the overall winner for her “holistic effort” to bring a name change clinic to Athens. Favro was selected as a Merit Distinction Finalist. This highly competitive, national award recognizes upper-level law students for their “extraordinary commitment to law-related public service work [that] contributes to the overall growth of pro bono culture within their law school and their broader community.”
Associate Professor Christian Turner has been selected as an AI and Society Fellow. As part of the Center for AI Safety fellowship, he will conduct research in AI governance and collaborate with academics in law, economics, international relations and adjacent fields for three months in San Francisco, California.
The University of Georgia School of Law's advocacy program is regularly counted among the best in the nation and helps to prepare its students to be effective advocates in and out of the courtroom. Recent rankings have UGA listed as #9 in the nation for both mock trial (Gavel Rankings) and moot court (Blakely Advocacy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center).
Additionally, over the past five years, UGA has captured 30 national/regional championships!
Congratulations to second-year law student McKay L. Powers on being named a Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellow. This fellowship “is committed to inspiring the best and brightest law students to pursue careers in child welfare law.”