Name: Jack Donlon
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Undergraduate university, degree(s), year(s): University of Tennessee, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, 2017
High school: White Station High School (Memphis, TN)
Expected law school graduation year: 2020
School of Law achievements and awards: Law School Association Scholarship; Bobby and Jackie Soper Scholarship
School of Law extracurricular activities/highlights: Student Bar Association 2L Vice President and 3L President; Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law Senior Notes Editor; Research Assistant for Professor Julian Cook
Family ties to UGA: I'm a first in my family to attend UGA!
I chose to attend UGA School of Law because ...
UGA Law posed the best combination of "elite academic school" and "affordability" that was available to me. In undergrad, my dream law school was the University of Tennessee College of Law, but after reviewing my financial situation, visiting UGA's campus and meeting with current students, the decision to come to Georgia was a no-brainer for me.
COVID-19 has altered my last semester of law school by ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected my last semester of law school in a number of ways. First and foremost, I was unable to spend the last couple of months of our final semester with my classmates, which was extremely disappointing. In addition, I lost my job at a bar in downtown Athens as all the bars shut down, and I had to make an adjustment in my study habits to make online classes and exams work. However, I am very fortunate to have been able to keep my health and I have gotten an opportunity to spend more time with my family this semester, both of which are blessings.
Has your family been impacted by this pandemic?
My father is an ER doctor in Memphis, Tennessee, so he has been busy over the past few months working with more sick people than usual. My elderly grandparents also live with my family at home, so my dad has had to quarantine himself in an AirBnB away from the rest of the family since he doesn't want to unintentionally get my grandparents sick. Aside from that, we have all been able to stay relatively healthy, and we've gotten to spend a decent amount of time together, which is great.
Ways I am helping during these uncertain times are ...
My father also works for a pilot EMS unit with the Memphis Fire Department that specializes in responding to ostensible non-emergency 911 calls by bringing a doctor and a paramedic to the scene of such calls. A lot of people call 911 who aren't actually having an emergency, and his unit works to keep those people out of the hospitals and away from the sick people as much as possible, while at the same time freeing up ambulances across the city from having to respond to these non-emergency calls. My father asked my brother Jimmy (a sophomore at the University of Arkansas) and me to come back to Memphis temporarily and work with him on this unit while the pandemic is really bad, so we both have been working as medical scribes and non-emergency transport drivers with the unit over the past couple of months while we finish up our respective semesters online. It has been a great opportunity to work with some amazing people (doctors, firefighter paramedics, social workers) who are on the front lines every day, and it's also been a great privilege check for me. Many of our patients are low-income Medicare or Medicaid holders, and I think it's valuable for me to a) realize that many people don't have the privileges or opportunities that I've been blessed with, and b) see the example that the members of this EMS unit (and the fire department in general) are setting by serving the poor and underprivileged in their communities at definite risk to personal health. Overall, it has been a great learning experience for me, and I just hope that I've been able to help our community out a little in these uncertain times.
My favorite things to do on campus are ...
Sanford Stadium, North Campus quad, Herty Field, Pound Hall
When I have free time, I like ...
During the school year, I work at a bar in downtown Athens on the weekends, but when I'm off, I spend a lot of time playing basketball on campus with some of the other guys in law school. When the weather's nice, I love taking my dog on walks down by the Oconee River, and during the fall, I spend way too much time watching football with the guys.
My favorite place to study is ...
the reading room of the law library.
My favorite professor is ...
Professor Matt Hall.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with ...
Jennifer Lawrence. We're soul mates, she just doesn't know it yet.
If I knew I could not fail, I would ...
put my name in the NBA draft and hope to get drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to ...
travel to Montana to see Glacier National Park. I hear it's one of the most beautiful places in the United States.
What is your passion and how are you committed to pursuing it?
My passion is to serve the poor and marginalized people in our society as best I can. I recently accepted a job with the Conasauga Circuit Public Defender in Dalton, GA, and I look forward to providing legal representation for those who would not be able to obtain it otherwise.
After graduation, I plan to ...
See above.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be ...
During the fall of my 2L year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas visited the law school for a few days. I submitted my name to the school for a chance to sit with him at a round table and talk for a few minutes, and I was lucky enough to get the chance to meet him. It was a surreal experience; he is a figure who is larger-than-life, especially in the legal community, but he spoke to me like he was just a regular guy. And later, we even had run-in to each other on the street. I will never forget that experience. Even though I don't always see eye to eye with him when it comes to our respective political views, I was thrilled to get a chance to hear him talk about his life and career, and he couldn't have been a nicer, more welcoming person.