The School of Law distributed approximately $305,000 to roughly 95 students pursuing 2021 summer fellowships, which provide essential hands-on learning and involve legal work in government, judicial and public interest positions. This represents a 16% increase in summer fellowship dollars over last year’s record high of $263,000 and an approximately 450% increase over the last five years thanks to generous donations from graduates and friends.
The 2020-21 advocacy season was a success with two national titles secured in the South Texas Mock Trial Challenge and the National Online Moot Court Competition. The school also won the coveted Intrastate Moot Court and the Florida/Georgia-Hulsey/Gambrell Moot Court competitions in addition to finishing as finalists in the Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship and as national semifinalists in the prestigious National Moot Court Competition. These wins bring the law school's five-year tally to nine national titles, six regional crowns and three state trophies.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured on Bloomberg regarding Bayer AG's U.S. Supreme Court appeal relating to its Roundup weedkiller. The article titled "Bayer's Roundup Costs Could Top $16 Billion as Provisions Mount" was written by Tim Loh and Jef Feeley and published 7/29/21.
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The Seattle Times regarding the conflict between The Seattle Times and Seattle City Hall concerning a public information request. The article titled "Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes not off hook in public-records debacle" was written by Brier Dudley and published 7/28/21.
During the 2020-21 academic year, more than 450 School of Law students enrolled in clinical and field placement programs and provided approximately 94,000 uncompensated service hours. More than 26,500 of those hours occurred under the direct supervision of law school faculty members directing in-house clinical programs - all of which provide access to justice services for underrepresented communities and individuals.
Wilner/UGA Foundation Professor in International Law Harlan G. Cohen was recently awarded the John H. Jackson Prize by the Journal of International Economic Law for his article "Nations and Markets" (published by the journal in 2020). The Jackson prize is awarded annually to the author of an article or other contribution in the JIEL that "most significantly breaks new ground and adds new insights to the study and understanding of international economic law, especially in fields beyond a self-contained analysis of WTO law."
Associate Professor Jonathan Peters was featured in The Seattle Times regarding Seattle City Hall suing The Seattle Times over a public records request the newspaper submitted to the city. The article titled "Seattle's toxic attack on the press and transparency" was written by Brier Dudley and published 7/23/21.
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured in a Bloomberg article regarding the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan. The article titled "Purdue Pharma's Opioid Deal Hinges on Divisive Legal Maneuver" was written by Jeremy Hill and published 7/23/21.
Brumby Distinguished Professor in First Amendment Law Sonja R. West's research was featured in the ABA Journal regarding the U.S. Supreme Court and its references to the press. The article titled "Will the Supreme Court reconsider a landmark defamation case?" was written by Mark Walsh and published 7/22/21
Assistant Professor Lindsey Simon was featured in The Wall Street Journal regarding her thoughts on Johnson & Johnson filing for bankruptcy. The article titled "How Bankruptcy Could Help Johnson & Johnson Corral Vast Talc Litigation" was written by Jonathan Randles and was published 7/20/21.
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch was featured in The New York Times regarding a deal with states that would release companies from civil liability in the opioid epidemic. The article titled "Drug Distributors and J.&J. Reach $26 Billion Deal to End Opioid Lawsuits" was written by Jan Hoffman and published 7/22/21.
First Amendment Clinic Legal Fellow Samantha Hamilton was featured in The Augusta Chronicle regarding a letter the First Amendment Clinic sent to the Augusta city leaders in opposition to expansion of its current panhandling ordinance and asking that the city's current ordinance be repealed. The article titled "UGA law clinic warns Augusta's panhandling ordinance violates First Amendment" was written by Jozsef Papp and published 7/19/21.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Hosch Professor Kent Barnett has been reappointed to the Administrative Conference of the United States as a public member, serving a two-year term. ACUS is an independent federal agency dedicated to improving the administrative process through consensus-driven applied research and providing nonpartisan expert advice and recommendations for federal agency procedures. Its membership is composed of senior federal officials, academics and other experts from the private sector.
Rogers Chair of Law Emerita Camilla E. Watson published "How the State and Federal Tax Systems Operate to Deny Educational Opportunities to Minorities and Other Lower Income Students" in 72 South Carolina Law Review 625 (2021).
Callaway Chair Elizabeth Chamblee Burch published "Diversity in MDL Leadership: A Field Guide" in 89 University of Missouri Kansas City Law Review 841 (2021).
Ten School of Law students are participating in global externships this summer. These four to 12-week placements are administered by the Dean Rusk International Law and provide practical work experience in a variety of legal settings - law firms, in-house legal departments and nongovernmental organizations based in Asia, Europe and South America - and practice areas, including dispute resolution, corporate law, refugee law and international human rights law.
Congratulations to the Class of 2019 for posting an Ultimate Bar Passage rate of 95.45%, meaning more than 95% of these graduates who sat for the bar examination within one year of graduation passed. This statistic adds further credence to the School of Law's vision of being the nation's best return on investment in legal education.
The Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic is one of five organizations selected to receive Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Grants. Approximately $300,000 in funding was awarded by the Safe Harbor Commission, which seeks to "increase awareness, improve coordination and multidisciplinary collaboration, and support services for sexually exploited children" in Georgia.
Associate Dean for International Programs & Post Professor Melissa J. "MJ" Durkee presented "International Legal Interpretation as Lawmaking" at the International Society of Public Law's annual ICON-S conference during July.
Since its establishment in 2018, the Veterans Legal Clinic has helped approximately 150 veterans and their family members claim nearly $1,000,000 in additional benefits. The clinic was funded by a lead gift from renowned trial attorney and 1977 law school alumnus James E. "Jim" Butler Jr., who also supports the school's Butler Commitment that guarantees financial aid to 100% of student veteran law school matriculants.