Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates was honored for her public interest work as part of Emory University School of Law’s annual EPIC Inspiration Awards.

Yates was confirmed as deputy attorney general on May 13, 2015. Previously, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and was confirmed by the Senate on March 10, 2010. She was the first woman to serve as United States attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. Yates has spent most of her professional career in public service and has 25 years of prosecutorial experience in the US Attorney’s Office.

The Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) was founded by law students in 1988 to promote awareness and increase understanding of public interest law, encourage and facilitate the employment of Emory students in public interest legal positions, and acknowledge the professional responsibility of lawyers and law students to make legal services more accessible to those who do not have adequate representation.

Based upon funds raised during the 2014-2015 academic year, EPIC provided support totaling $85,000 to Emory Law students working in summer public service jobs.

EPIC hosted its annual Inspiration Awards on Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 7-10 p.m. in the law school's Tull Auditorium, 1301 Clifton Rd., Atlanta.

Other honorees include:

• Edward J. “Jack” Hardin, Founding Partner, Rogers & Hardin LLP - Lifetime Commitment to Public Service Award 

• The Honorable Peggy H. Walker, Chief Judge, Juvenile Court of Douglas County - Unsung Devotion to Those Most in Need Award

• Honoring Hana Shatila16L - 3L Outstanding Commitment to Public Service Award

Photo courtesy of the Department of Justice.