Emory Law@Work

At Emory Law, alumni are at the center of a vibrant community ecosystem. Their connection enriches the learning experience of current students and the work lives of those faculty and staff who benefit from their generosity every day.

EmoryLaw@Work is a program that has been in effect more than 20 years, encouraging continued alumni relationship with the school through their workplaces. The Advancement and Alumni Engagement team believes that partnerships with participating law firms help the law school remain relevant for alumni, keep pace with economic trends, and stay abreast of contemporary legal practice.

Participating firms are placed in the small, medium, or large category and participate in a firm-to-firm giving challenge. (Firm sizes are based on Emory Law alumni population at the firm — not the size of the firm itself.)

Alumni volunteers serve as firm captains for each of the participating companies. Instead of asking firm captains to participate in administrative work for the program, “We’ve brought the main communication efforts into our office,” said Jennifer Crabb Kyles 98Ox 00C, managing senior director of alumni engagement. “Now, captains will thank donors, remind alumni who haven’t given yet, and help think of ways that alumni might engage with the school.” These might include a virtual meeting with the dean, helping to strengthen the interview process with the Career and Professional Development Center, or other means. Firms can host events and invite other local firms to come hear a professor speak or create networking opportunities — whatever is a good fit for their firm culture.

This year’s challenge kicked off January 1, 2022, and concluded April 30, 2022, though gifts submitted since September 2021 (the start of the fiscal year), will be included in challenge totals.

The program encourages attorneys to consider giving at least the equivalent of one billable hour to the Emory Law program of their choosing, and all gifts made during the program period will count towards a company’s participation rate.

At the end of the challenge, firms in each group are recognized for achieving the highest percentage of alumni participation as well as for largest average gift. Challenge results were announced at the Alumni Awards ceremony on May 20 during Emory Law Alumni Weekend.

2022 winners

• Two-way tie: Berman Fink Van Horn led by Neal Weinrich 06L and Condon & Forsyth (NYC) led by Allison Surcouf 06L (fewer than 10 alumni)
• Jones Day led by Emily Baker 98C 01L and Simon Hansen 13L (10 to 29 alumni)
• Smith Gambrell Russell led by John Ethridge Jr. 82L and Steve Forte 80L (30+ alumni)

Condon & Forsyth (NYC) and Berman Fink Van Horn can boast 100% participation during the 2022 challenge period. Despite the pandemic, the 2021 campaign raised more than $100,000, which was accomplished with the generous gifts of over 160 donors.

For more information on how to become a firm captain, email lawalumni@emory.edu.

Many thanks to the 2022 EmoryLaw@Work Challenge participating companies:

• Alston & Bird
• Arnold Golden Gregory
• Berman Fink Van Horn
• Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
• Burr & Forman
• Condon & Forsyth (NYC)
• Dentons
• Eversheds Sutherland
• Finnegan
• Fish & Richardson
• FordHarrison
• Greenberg Traurig
• Jackson Lewis
• Jones Day
• Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
• King & Spalding
• Kitchens Kelley Gaines
• McDermott Will & Emery
• McGuireWoods
• Morris Manning Martin
• Nelson Mullins
• Ogletree Deakins
• Schulte Roth & Zabel
• Smith Gambrell & Russell
• Squire Patton Boggs
• Taylor English
• Troutman Pepper

Challenge group size categories

• Small – organizations with 10 or fewer law graduates
• Medium – organizations with 11 to 24 law graduates
• Large – organizations with 25 or more law graduates