Winter/Spring 2007 Law Letter Georgia State University College of Law

Georgia State University College of Law Reading Room The Law Letter Publications January 2007 Winter/Spring 2007 Law Letter Georgia State University College of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://readingroom.law.gsu.edu/letter Institutional Repository Citation Georgia State University College of Law, "Winter/Spring 2007 Law Letter" (2007). The Law Letter. 21. https://readingroom.law.gsu.edu/letter/21 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Publications at Reading Room. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Law Letter by an authorized administrator of Reading Room. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Biannual Publication of the Georgia State University College of Law Students winter/spring 2007 as Lawyers Clinical Education at the College of Law New HeLP Clinic Joins Nationally Recognized Tax Clinic COL Student Helps Free Man Wrongfully Imprisoned 22 Years Donor Generosity Sets New College Fund-Raising Records Health Law Program Ranked in Top 10 TheLawLetter Message From The Dean The Law Letter is published by the Georgia State University College of Law his Law Letter’s theme, “Students as Lawyers,” reminds two times a year for graduates, students, us that a quality legal education program must satisfy faculty, staff and supporters. T ter/Spring 2007 ter/Spring Please send address changes, graduate news to: an incredibly wide variety of objectives. It must capably Editor: Peri Parks, expose students to foundational and specialized legal Director of Communications Win areas, both substantive and procedural, domestic and Georgia State University College of Law P. O. Box 4037, Atlanta, GA 30302-4037 international, common law and statutory, law-specifi c and aw Phone: 404/651-1973 • Fax: 404/651-2794 interdisciplinary. It must also offer students a framework E-mail: [email protected] for understanding the evolution of law and the rule of law in a democratic society. As well, it must develop an ethos Offi ce of Development and of professionalism, the therapeutic notion of lawyer as counselor, and what it means to Alumni Relations Barbara Waters, Director enter a profession. Intertwined with these objectives is the need to nurture students in 404/651-2142 or [email protected] the development of skills and competencies – analytical and critical thinking skills and Ely Abbott, Director of Alumni Giving what is often termed “lawyering” skills – those related to written and oral communication, 404/651-2040 or [email protected] negotiation, interviewing, problem solving and multiple forms of confl ict resolution, including litigation. Dean’s Offi ce Steven J. Kaminshine, Dean, Traditional classroom teaching, whether by lecture, Socratic dialogue or role play, can 404/651-2035 only go so far in meeting these diverse objectives. A critical part of legal education must Roy Sobelson, include learning by doing. That observation, though obvious and intuitive, is not fully Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, 404/651-2044 Kelly Timmons, embraced by today’s law schools. The Carnegie Foundation’s recently completed two-year Georgia State University College of L Associate Dean for Students, 404/651-4808 study of legal education, Educating Lawyers, concludes that in contrast to medical schools Dr. Bill Prigge, Assistant Dean and most other professional education, “most law schools give only casual attention to tter tter for Administration and Finance, 404/651-4161 teaching students how to use legal thinking in the complexity of actual law practice,” and Nancy Johnson, that this unbalanced emphasis “can create problems as students move into practice.” The Law Librarian, 404/651-4140 report urges law schools to move toward a more-balanced, integrated program that better Board of Visitors blends the teaching of legal doctrine and analysis, and skills. The The Law Le John T. Marshall, Powell Goldstein Like most law schools, the College of Law has not yet achieved this desired balance, but (Board of Visitors Chair) Miles J. Alexander, Kilpatrick Stockton with the opening last January of our second in-house live client clinic, we devote the cover Randall L. Allen, Alston & Bird feature of this Law Letter to “Students as Lawyers,” and the progress we are making in Representative Kathleen B. Ashe, District 56 preparing students for the varied demands of professional legal work. In the pages ahead, Byron Attridge, King & Spalding I invite you to read about the promise of our newly opened HeLP Legal Services Clinic Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley, State of Georgia and the continuing success of our nationally recognized Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. You Joel Cowan, Cowan and Associates will also read about our extensive Externship Program and the opportunities it offers our Larry M. Dingle, Wilson Brock & Irby students to intern with leading agencies, nonprofi ts and members of the judiciary. With Linda DiSantis, City of Atlanta David H. Flint, Schreeder Wheeler & Flint so many outstanding students, there are always several success stories to share in any one Sharon Gay, McKenna Long & Aldridge year. We feature in this Law Letter the work of 3L Cliff Williams, whose efforts with the Cathy Henson, Georgia School Council Institute Georgia Innocence Project helped win the release of a man (Pete Williams) forced to serve Richard Jones, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta nearly 22 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Paul Kilpatrick Jr., Pope McGlamry Kilpatrick Morrison & Norwood, LLP. The development of practice skills is not just the work of clinics and externships. Judge Phyllis Kravitch, Co-curricular opportunities such as Moot Court and Trial Advocacy programs also U. S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit feature “students as lawyers,” with students engaged in legal representation in Paula Lawton-Bevington, Marcus Institute simulated advocacy settings. The Law Letter shares with you the latest news of our Joey M. Loudermilk, American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus student teams, and their continuing successes and victories in advocacy competitions Morris W. Macey, with other law schools throughout the country. Macey Wilensky Cohen Wittner &Kessler Susan Neugent, Fernbank Museum of Natural History The Carnegie Report on Educating Lawyers is a call for all law schools to examine their Representative Mary Margaret Oliver, District 83 skills curriculum and the way students are prepared for practice. As we get ready to Stephanie Parker, Jones Day celebrate our 25th Anniversary and begin the fi ve-year journey toward a new law building W. Scott Petty, King & Spalding at the nearby SunTrust Plaza, we are well positioned to undertake the kind of review the Elizabeth V. Tanis, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan Carnegie Report envisions. In this way, we will continue to advance our mission as a law Patricia Tate, McKenna Long & Aldridge school committed to bridging theory and practice. Judge Peggy H. Walker, Douglas County Juvenile Court Hugh W. Welborn, Attorney at Law 2 Ely Abbott Joins COL as Director of Alumni Giving Visit the Georgia State College of Law online: The College of Law welcomes a new addition to the Development and Alumni Relations department – Ely G. Abbott is on board as our new Director of Alumni Giving. Abbott comes to Georgia State from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as Associate Director for the Annual Fund and coordinated the Law Center’s Law Firm Challenge, a peer-to-peer solicitation program designed to increase alumni participation. From the cover, 2L Jeff Phillips of the Tax A graduate of the University of Montana at Missoula, Clinic, provides a student perspective on Abbott grew up in Montana on the Flathead Reservation clinical education at the COL on page 6. of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. Before his table of contents career in educational development began, he was a political Ely Abbott http://law.gsu.edu fundraiser for two U.S. senators. 2 Message from the Dean 4 Students as Lawyers Although not a native Georgian, Abbott is no stranger to the Peach State. His wife, Farrar, is a special needs teacher from Columbus, where her mother is a Georgia 8 Students Spotlights State alumna, and her father is Judge Robert G. Johnston III of the Chattahoochee 11 Alumni Highlights Judicial Circuit Superior Court. 12 Speakers & Scholars “We are delighted to have Ely as part of our development team at the College of 14 News & Events Law,” said Director of Development Barbara Waters. “His work at Georgetown 16 ’05-’06 Donor Recognition Law was very impressive, and we welcome his enthusiasm and expertise for the 21 Focus on Programs many opportunities at hand here at Georgia State in our Development and Alumni Faculty Features Relations offi ce.” 22 23 Class Actions COL alums and friends are invited to contact Abbott by phone at 404.651.2040 Faculty Briefs or by e-mail at [email protected]. 26 Sobelson and Timmons Named New Associate Deans “Dean Emanuel was slated to make this institution as well as anyone. With his transition over a year ago, and again this two years as Associate Dean of Students, past summer, but being the incredible and as a member of our administrative person she is, agreed to delay the team, Dean Sobelson has moved into his transition until the end of the fall,” new role quickly and smoothly.” explained Dean Steven Kaminshine. “I Dean Kaminshine also announced that cannot tell you how fortunate the COL has Professor Kelly Timmons has been been in having Dean Emanuel to oversee named the new Associate Dean of the academic side of our operation. We all Students, effective at the end of spring have benefi ted immeasurably from her semester. deft touch, her judgment, her advice, her New Associate Deans Sobelson and Timmons discretion, her candor and her capacity to “Dean Timmons has ‘unoffi cially’ take on an unfair load.” already begun taking on some of ith the spring semester of this her new responsibilities,” Dean Dean Kaminshine said he is delighted that year, there have come changes Kaminshine said.

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