A University of Georgia pilot program launching this month involving faculty and staff will further the university's efforts to foster a more welcoming and supportive campus community. Based on recommendations issued by the Presidential Taskforce on Race, Ethnicity, and Community, the university is implementing a pilot Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) training, beginning this year with two groups of UGA faculty and staff. The law school's Sarah Ehlers and Morgan Tickerhoof will participate in the program, which aims to build the capacity of communities and organizations to engage, live and thrive despite their differences through a dialogue process that shifts the goal of conversation from problem solving to mutual understanding.
The School of Law regrets to announce former Assistant Professor Emily Calhoun passed away March 27, 2021. She served as an assistant professor in Athens from 1974 to 1978 and taught Torts, Evidence, Federal Courts, Women and the Law, and Rights of the Confined. She will be missed by law school faculty, staff and students.
Post Professor Melissa J. "MJ" Durkee published "Welcoming Participation, Avoiding Capture: A Five-Part Framework" in 114 American Society of International Law Proceedings 39 (2021).
Associate Dean and Martin Chair of Law Andrea L. Dennis presented as part of the Race & Evidence: Beyond Neutrality program at Cardozo School of Law during April.
Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law Christopher Bruner presented "Artificially Intelligent Boards and the Future of Delaware Corporate Law" at a conference titled "AI Challenges to Established Legal Institutions," hosted by faculty of Monash University in Australia and the College of Law and Business in Israel during April.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured on CBS News regarding self-regulation and misinformation on social media platforms. The segment titled "Lawmakers work to regulate social media platforms saying companies are responsible for the spread of misinformation and played role in inciting Jan. 6 Capitol riots" was hosted by Lana Zak and aired 4/2/21.
Three University of Georgia faculty members have been named recipients of the Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which recognize outstanding instruction by faculty members early in their academic careers. Associate Professor Jonathan Peters, who holds a courtesy appointment in the School of Law, is among this year's recipients. The Russell Foundation established the Russell Awards during the 1991-1992 academic year to honor the late U.S. Sen. Richard B. Russell.
The Spring 2021 Charter Lecture will feature four University of Georgia faculty members who were recently named Regents' Professors, an honor bestowed by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to faculty whose scholarship or creative activity is recognized both nationally and internationally as innovative and pace-setting. The School of Law's Woodruff Chair in International Law Diane Marie Amann will be among this year's presenters. The virtual lecture will take place on April 6 at 3:30 p.m., and it is free and open to the public.
Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein presented as part of the "Taxable Persons and Related Issues in VAT Law" panel at the "Court of Justice of the European Union: Recent VAT Case Law" conference at the Vienna University of Economics and Business during March.
Legal Writing Instructor Jean Mangan was recently awarded a Continuous Improvement Grant from Affordable Learning Georgia, a University System of Georgia initiative to promote student success by supporting the implementation of affordable alternatives to expensive commercial textbooks, particularly Open Educational Resources (OER) and open textbooks. Mangan will use the grant to create a textbook for her Criminal Law Drafting class with law student assistance.
Woodruff Chair in International Law Diane Marie Amann presented as part of the "International Courts and Their Role in Cross-Border Criminal Prosecutions" panel at the annual symposium of the George Washington University International Law Review.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured on NPR's "Marketplace" regarding mass tort settlements involving company stock. The segment titled "PG&E ties compensation of victims to its future through stock" was reported by Lily Jamali and aired 4/1/21.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured in Law360 regarding attorneys' fees in mass tort settlements. The article titled "Murky World of Mass Torts Left Clients At Girardi's Mercy" was written by Brandon Lowrey and Ryan Boysen and published 3/30/21.
Foreign and International Law Librarian Anne Burnett, Metadata Services and Special Collections Librarian Rachel Evans and Student Services Librarian Geraldine Kalim presented "Building Community" at the first INCONECSS international business and economics information librarian meeting series during March.
University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Chief Executive Leadership Award by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District III, which is presented annually to an institutional head, president, chancellor, system head or other campus chief executive who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and service in support of education. Morehead is a 1980 graduate of the School of Law and has served UGA since 1986 in both faculty and administrative roles including as advisor to the School of Law's moot court program.
Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus Ronald L. Carlson received the 2021 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who's Who. This is the highest honor extended by the group and recognizes Carlson's "outstanding professional accomplishments and dedication."
Congratulations to second-year students Taylor Cressler, Navroz N. Tharani and Andrew Q. Varan for finishing as national finalists in the Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition. More than 30 teams from law schools across the nation participated in the moot court tournament hosted by the Brooklyn Law School. Third-year law student Mollie M. Fiero helped coach the team.
We are pleased to share good news about the University of Georgia School of Law and its vision to be the best return on investment in legal education. The School of Law is now ranked 27th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, its second highest ranking in history. This news comes on the heels of the School of Law being named the best value in legal education for the third consecutive year - a first for the National Jurist ranking. The School of Law also posted gains in the specialty areas of international law (to 18) and clinical training (to 24), which highlights two centers of excellence at the state of Georgia's flagship law school.
Second-year law students Cole M. Harper, Destiny J. Burch and Cameron N. Kemp brought home the top trophy in the Intrastate Moot Court Competition, capturing this coveted state trophy for UGA for three straight times and for seven of the last 10 contests. UGA, Emory, Georgia State and Mercer field two teams in this annual Peach State law school rivalry. The second UGA team, comprised of Alexandria H. "Alex" Clark, Charles D. Calkins and Michael J. Robson, also represented the school with outstanding advocacy. Third-year students Alexa L. Dato and Abby J. Tyre served as coaches.
Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus Ronald L. Carlson was featured on 11 Alive, Atlanta's NBC TV affiliate, regarding the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The segment titled "Why is the Derek Chauvin trial different from most murder trials?" was hosted by Jerry Carnes and aired 3/29/21.