Associate Professor Logan E. Sawyer III was named the law school's director of undergraduate studies and was selected as 2020-21 UGA Center for Teaching and Learning Senior Teaching Fellow. Only eight professors are chosen from within the university each year for this honor. This program provides faculty with the opportunity to collaborate with other "dedicated, highly motivated and innovative teachers" from other disciplines across campus.
The University of Georgia received the 2020 Laspau University Award, which recognizes exceptional contributions made in working with Laspau grantees. An affiliate of Harvard University, Laspau is committed to the advancement of education in Latin America and the Caribbean, believing that education is the foundation of positive change. Associate Director for International Professional Education Laura Kagel received the award on behalf of the Dean Rusk International Law Center.
The Oregon Tax Court noted that both parties cite Distinguished Research Professor & Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law Emeritus Walter Hellerstein's State Taxation, "a leading treatise on state taxation" and quotes the treatise "[f]or a discussion of the line-drawing problems in the imposition of sales and use taxes within the chain of consumption," in Ean Holdings, LLC v. Department of Revenue (August 12, 2020).
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding Georgia's Open Records Act. The article titled "With few details, DeKalb Schools approves contract to ease crowding" was written by Marlon A. Walker and published 8/12/20.
Legal Writing Instructor Catherine Nemetz Clutter was selected as a 2020-21 UGA Center for Teaching and Learning Writing Fellow. Only 12 faculty are selected each year for this program, which includes a stipend to subsidize projects aimed at constructing courses, resources or initiatives that will support student writing at UGA.
The Community Health Law Partnership presented "The Future of DACA," a webinar in Spanish about recent legal developments concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the benefits and risks of applying. The event featured immigration attorneys Jessica M. Daman (J.D.'10) and Hannah MacNorlin, and was moderated by Community HeLP Clinic Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd. Rising second-year law students Paige Medley and Izaan M. Rizwan helped organize the webinar and prepare the materials under the supervision of Associate Dean & Clinic Director Jason A. Cade. The webinar was viewed over 1,000 times in less than 48 hours.
The deans at six law schools across the nation have forged a unique partnership to launch an innovative digital discussion series which uses a virtual platform to engage prospective students and encourage a robust conversation about legal education. The six-session project - "Open Access: Inside Legal Education with Law School Deans" - begins in August and will feature up to 75-minute informative panels of deans and admissions leaders from the University of Georgia School of Law, Columbia Law School, the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, the University of Colorado Law School, the University of Oregon Law School and Albany Law School.
Associate Dean and Martin Chair of Law Andrea L. Dennis' book titled Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics, and Guilt in America was named a finalist in the nonfiction category in the Library of Virginia's 23rd Annual Literary Awards. The winners will be announced in a virtual ceremony during October.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West was named to a group of 18 female scholars for "lead[ing] the way in different facets of communication, media and First Amendment law scholarship" by offering "go-to, cutting edge scholarship." The article titled "The State of Research on Communication and First Amendment Law in Traditional Law Journals: An Evaluative and Instructional Take" was written by Clay Calvert and published in 25 Communication Law and Policy Journal 267 (2020).
Director of the Law Library Carol A. Watson served as a discussant for "Future-proofing the Law Library: Effectively Incorporate Future-proofing into Library Strategic Planning" as part of the 2020 Southeastern Association of Law Schools Conference held virtually during August.
It is with profound sadness that the law school shares that Mr. Chester C. Davenport, the University of Georgia School of Law's first African-American graduate, passed away Friday, August 7. Mr. Davenport was an incredibly important figure in our school's history. He was a leader. He graduated in the top five percent of the Class of 1966 and served as a founding member and Executive Editor of the Georgia Law Review. He was a successful attorney, public servant and businessman. Mr. Davenport was also a regular supporter of the School of Law and the university throughout his life. The UGA chapter of the Black Law Students Association bears his name, and he received the law school alumni association's highest honor -- the Distinguished Service Scroll Award -- in 2016. These are only a few highlights of his life.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West was featured in Slate regarding First Amendment protections for students. The article titled "In the Pandemic, Students' Free Speech Rights Are More Important Than Ever" was written by Dahlia Lithwick and published 8/7/20.
Metadata Services & Special Collections Librarian Rachel S. Evans co-authored "Georgia Librarians Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic" in 57 Georgia Library Quarterly 3 (2020).
The University of Georgia School of Law hosted the first virtual version of the Georgia Association for Legal Externships supervisor attorney training in collaboration with the other Georgia law schools. Approximately 150 attorneys attended the training on Zoom which covered issues important to legal externship supervision in 2020. Topics included: remote supervision, ethical supervision in the time of Covid-19 and exploring anti-racist supervision.
Wilner/UGA Foundation Professor in International Law Harlan G. Cohen presented "Nations and Markets" at the International Economic Law and Policy Workshop during July.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured on Bloomberg Law regarding multidistrict litigation. The article titled "JPMorgan, BofA Defeat Bids to Combine Suits Over PPP Lending" was written by Janan Hanna and published 8/5/20.
First Amendment Clinic Director and Clinical Assistant Professor Clare R. Norins was featured on Yahoo! News regarding free speech and social media. The article titled "Blocked On Facebook, Douglasville Woman Sues County Commissioner" was written by Jim Massara and published 8/4/20.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West presented "The U.S. Supreme Court and the Press: An Empirical Study" (with R.A. Jones) at the "Rocky Mountain First Amendment All Stars" workshop, sponsored by the University of Colorado Law School.
Assistant Professor Thomas E. Kadri published "Networks of Empathy" in 2020 Utah Law Review 1075 (2020).
Three members of the School of Law faculty have been appointed to endowed professorships as of Aug. 1: Nathan S. Chapman has been named the Pope F. Brock Associate Professor in Professional Responsibility. Melissa J. "M.J." Durkee was promoted to the rank of full professor and named the holder of the Allen Post Professorship. Joseph S. Miller was awarded a J. Alton Hosch Professorship.