The University of Georgia School of Law is pleased to share news of its largest gift in history – a $5 million donation from the Stanton Foundation to support the ongoing operations of the First Amendment Clinic with an endowment. Established in 2019, the clinic defends and advances freedoms of speech, press, assembly and petition through direct client representation and advocacy, while also serving as a hands-on learning opportunity for roughly 15-20 law students each year. With this contribution, the Stanton Foundation has become the school’s largest overall donor with an overall investment in the school of almost $8.5 million.
The University of Georgia has been closely monitoring the development of Hurricane Helene, which continues to intensify as it rapidly approaches landfall. Forecasters warn that this dangerous storm could bring heavy rain and high winds across the state, potentially reaching unprecedented levels here in the Athens area. Therefore, with the safety and security of our faculty, staff and students foremost in our minds, the main campus of the University of Georgia will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
Further updates will be sent as they become available.
The University of Georgia School of Law proudly announces two initiatives that speak directly to its vision of redefining what it means to be a great national public law school – one that provides a world-class, hands-on, purpose-driven education with a pioneering commitment to affordability, according to School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge. The first is the Georgia Honors Fellows Program, which has been designed to help address the deficit of prosecutors and public defenders in Georgia communities without adequate access to legal services, and the second is the guarantee of a minimum one-quarter scholarship to every first-generation college graduate and veteran who enrolls at the law school.
The Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic, which began operations eight years ago, continues to demonstrate the value of quality, trauma-responsive legal representation for survivors. Last year, more than 55 survivors in 12 Georgia counties received direct client services from the clinic, while dozens more received indirect advocacy through the clinic’s partnerships with law firms, child advocacy centers and other agencies across the state. The clinic was established in 2016 thanks to a founding gift from 1986 School of Law alumnus and Board of Visitors Chair Marlan B. Wilbanks.
During its inaugural year of operation, the Land Conservation Clinic provided 3,200+ hours of service to 13 clients ranging from land trusts, state and national conservation organizations, and government agencies. Law students and ecology graduate students collaborated to advance land conservation in Georgia, which included incorporating a new land trust that serves the Lake Lanier region, drafting several conservation easements across Georgia, crafting deed restrictions for a land trust-owned preserve and helping to host a wetlands protection workshop.