Seven School of Law professors have been elected to serve, or are currently serving, on the executive committees of Association of American Law Schools Sections. They are: Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Legal Ethics and Professionalism & Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Lonnie T. Brown Jr. with the Professional Responsibility Section, Martin Chair Andrea L. Dennis with the Minority Groups Section, Associate Professor Matthew I. Hall with the Federal Courts Section, Associate Professor Fazal R. Khan with the Law, Medicine and Health Care Section, Hosch Professor Lori A. Ringhand with the Constitutional Law Section, University Professor & Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law Usha Rodrigues with the Securities Regulation Section and Associate Dean for Faculty Development & Kirbo Chair Elizabeth Weeks with the Associate Deans for Academic Affairs and Research Section.
Congratulations to third-year students Eleanor "Nora" Brogan and W. Coleman "Cole" McFerren for placing second in the Duke Law Interscholastic Transactional Law Competition. They were scored on their drafting and negotiation skills on behalf of sellers in a complex stock purchase transaction. One judge described the pair as a "powerhouse."
Congratulations to third-year students William D. Ortiz and Sarah C. Rosenhoover for finishing as finalists in the regional rounds of the National Trial Competition. Ortiz was also given an award for the best opening statement. Many thanks to those who helped the team to prepare including 2014 alumnus Jeremy B. Dailey, who served as the pair's coach.
The UGA School of Law was recently ranked number 1 in the nation for bar passage based on a report focusing on the delta between a school's first-time passage rate and the overall first-time passage rate for the state, which is an approach that helps to control for variations in overall passage rates across states.
Congratulations to third-year students Alanna Pierce and Anne M. Reynolds who helped a veteran establish permanent and total disability through their work in the Veterans Legal Clinic. Gulf War Era veteran Hunter Breedlove served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2013. After discharge, he began to receive disability compensation for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from his service. But in November 2018, the Veterans Benefits Administration proposed to reduce those payments. Working under the supervision of clinic attorney Kelly Parker, the students persuaded the VA that the veteran's PTSD merited full compensation. This win gives Breedlove permanent disability and entitles him to claim educational assistance for his children.