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.
The University of Georgia School of Law honored four women for their service during the school's virtual Alumni/Alumnae Week. Valerie Caproni, B. Lynn Chastain and Santhia L. Curtis received the Law School Association's highest honor - the Distinguished Service Scroll Award - for their outstanding dedication and service to the legal profession and the law school. Additionally, Lt. Cmdr. Catherine T. "Katie" McMahon was presented with the Young Alumni/Alumnae of Excellence Award.
Congratulations to third-year students Elizabeth J. Poland and Megan R. "Meggie" Willinger for winning the Best Draft Award at the Transactional LawMeet hosted by the University of Missouri at Kansas City. They represented the buyer in a complex stock purchase transaction and spent over two months drafting an amendment to the stock purchase agreement, interviewing their client and marking up the other side's draft.
Congratulations to third-year students Amelia Welch Ortiz, Charles W. Hoffman and Ian L. Kecskes and second-year student Haley K. Kairab for winning the Tenth Annual South Texas Mock Trial Challenge. Kairab received the Best Advocate Award for the final round. Notably, UGA has won this national mock trial competition four times in the tournament's history.
Wilner/UGA Foundation Professor in International Law Harlan G. Cohen presented on "Nations and Markets" at the University of Trento School of International Studies during March.
Appellate Litigation Clinic participant and third-year student Madison "Maddie" Conkel argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in the case Denis Aguilera Fernandez, Petitioner v. U.S. Attorney General. The clinic's client was detained and beaten by Cuban police 7-10 times over the course of two years to prevent him from protesting the Cuban government. The issues in the case were: what is the appropriate standard of review for past persecution rulings, did the clinic's client show past persecution, and does the client have a reasonable fear of future persecution.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The New York Times regarding the likelihood of "real change" in internet regulation. The article titled "Is a Big Tech Overhaul Just Around the Corner?" was written by Giovanni Russonello and published 3/25/21.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The Washington Post regarding the impact of New York Times v. Sullivan on ideological diversity in the media. The article titled "Fox News would be in trouble without 'actual malice' standard" was written by Eric Wemple and published 3/23/21.
Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law Christopher Bruner published "Index Funds and Millennial Assets," a review of a forthcoming article titled "Shareholder Value(s): Index Fund ESG Activism and the New Millennial Corporate Governance" (in the Southern California Law Review by M. Barzuza, Q. Curtis and D. Webber), in JOTWELL (March 22, 2021). Bruner is a contributing editor to JOTWELL's Corporate Law section.
Metadata Services and Special Collections Librarian Rachel Evans presented "Dapper Design: Using Infographics for Library Marketing & Institutional Data" at the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries annual conference during March (with G. Kalim).
Student Services Librarian Geraldine Kalim presented "Dapper Design: Using Infographics for Library Marketing & Institutional Data" at the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries annual conference during March (with R. Evans).
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured in the Detroit Free Press regarding attorney fees in mass tort settlements. The article titled "Attorneys fees in Flint deal controversial" was written by Paul Egan and published 3/24/21.
Former Prosecutorial Justice Program Director Alan A. Cook and Adjunct Professor Titus Nichols were featured in The Daily Beast regarding false statement charges in legal proceedings related to the 2020 election in Georgia. The article titled "Georgia Prosecutors Eye 'False Statement' Charges for Rudy Giuliani and Team Trump" was written by Jose Pagliery and Asawin Suebsaeng and was published 3/24/21.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured in the Detroit Free Press regarding attorney fees in mass tort settlements. The article titled "Concerns mount over attorney fees in Flint water settlement. Here's Why." was written by Paul Egan and published 3/23/21.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West presented on the "Interpreting the Press Clause" panel as part of the "Crisis of the Press and Democracy: Saving the Press Function" conference hosted by Yale Law School's Information Society Project during March.
The University of Georgia School of Law is pleased to announce that it will begin offering an undergraduate minor in the fall of 2021. The minor's flexible curriculum is specifically designed for UGA undergraduate students by allowing them to integrate their legal studies with other academic interests and courses of study. There are two required courses that are taught by School of Law faculty - Foundations of American Law and Law, Justice, and the State - while the other three elective courses can be chosen from classes taught by faculty at the law school or other units across the university.
Hosch Professor Joseph S. Miller published "United States Supreme Court IP Cases, 1810-2019: Measuring & Mapping the Citation Networks" in 69 Catholic University Law Review 537 (2020).
Associate Dean and Martin Chair of Law Andrea L. Dennis published "The Music of Mass Incarceration" in 13 Landslide 14 (2020).