Honors and Awards

Twelve Emory Law students have been designated as Kessler-Eidson Scholars for their excellence demonstrating trial advocacy skills this past May.

While many American citizens were horrified to see Afghan men and women clinging to airplanes to try to escape Kabul in 2021, few knew how to help. But Jacob DeFazio 21C 24L’s work to help Afghan interpreters who risked their lives working with US military during America’s longest war has been recognized with a national public service award.

Six Emory Law students will spend this summer getting hands-on experience working in public interest jobs because they received fellowships through the John Paul Stevens Foundation.

Two recent Emory Law graduates are semifinalists in an international competition where the ultimate prize is $1 million in investment funding. Bene Owanga 24L and Chinelo Adi 24L are among the 16 semifinalist teams that will travel to the United Kingdom in August to compete for the 15th Annual Hult Prize.

On Sunday, May 12, Emory University School of Law graduated more than 300 students during ceremonies held at the Gas South Convention Center in Duluth.

John Witte has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS)—the third Emory Law scholar to receive this honor.

Richard D. Freer, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, presented this year’s John F. Morgan Sr. Distinguished Faculty Lecture: “The State of American Civil Justice: A Story of Exodus and Transformation” was the focus of the lecture.

This year the Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) honored a veteran public defender, a former investigator turned civil rights attorney, and an Am Law 100 firm partner who has logged hundreds of pro bono hours over nearly 40 years in practice.

Both the editor-in-chief of the Emory Law Journal and an alumnus from the Class of 1992 have won Burton/Law360 Awards for Distinguished Legal Writing this year.

Emory Law Associate Professor George S. Georgiev is among a select group of researchers who recently received funding from the Ford Foundation, as part of a far-reaching project on how some of the biggest companies in the United States manage and compensate their employees.

Emory Law’s Kristin N. Johnson, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law, was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve a three-year term as a commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

More than 240 law students recently gathered in person and virtually at Emory Law’s Degree Candidate Recognition Ceremony, held on Mother’s Day, which featured an address by former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates.

Emory Moot Court Society concluded its annual Stange Competition with the Stange Awards Dinner, marking the Society’s first official return to in-person events since 2019.

Former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates will address graduates of the law school.

Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law Martha Albertson Fineman has received the American Bar Foundation’s 2022 Outstanding Scholar Award.

The North-West University in South Africa held its Biennial Alumni Excellence Awards last month, honoring Professor Johan van der Vyer with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Emory Lecturer Sarah Geraghty has been nominated by President Biden to fill a seat on Georgia’s U.S. District Court, Northern District.

This week, President Joseph Biden nominated both an Emory Law professor and an alumna for important financial and regulatory posts within the administration. Also, Emory Law’s associate dean of enrollment management and student services recently joined the U.S. State Department as a deputy assistant secretary, where he will focus on international education initiatives including the Fulbright Program.

Emory Law’s Hugh F. MacMillan Library recently received a Be Well Mini-Grant from Emory’s Office of Health Promotion.

Congratulations to 2021 John Paul Stevens Fellows Mary Katherine "MK" Karcher 23L, Naomi-Beth McCall 23L, Teddy Randel 22L, and Megan Toomer 23L who received grants to work at public interest organizations across the country.

In June, the State Bar of Georgia recognized two Emory Law professors for professionalism, distinguished practice, and service to others. Associate Dean A. James Elliott 63C 66L received the 2020 Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award. Professor of Law Emeritus Charles A. Shanor was honored with the 2019 Marshall-Tuttle Award.

Emory’s Center for Transactional Law and Practice has named George W. Kuney and Carol Morgan the 2021 winners of the Tina L. Stark Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Transactional Law and Skills.

In a welcome return to in-person celebrations, Emory University School of Law graduates either donned masks to cross a socially distanced stage or watched the ceremony live from their devices and home computers as more than 360 students earned master of laws, juris master, doctor of juridical science, or juris doctor degrees.

Suman Malempati left his career as a pediatric oncologist, researcher and associate professor of pediatrics to train as a social justice lawyer because he could “no longer be an observer.”

The Emory Law Alumni Awards recognize outstanding alumni who have achieved distinction in legal practice, teaching, research, or public administration and who have demonstrated distinguished service to Emory Law, the Emory Alumni Association, or Emory University.

This summer, John T. Rose 18L, associate with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, and his law partner were named on Billboard’s list of 2020 Top Music Lawyers.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has included Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im among its annual list of Great Immigrants. The 2020 list honors 38 naturalized citizens who have enriched and strengthened our nation and democracy through their contributions and actions.

Each year, the Emory Law Alumni Awards recognize outstanding alumni who have achieved distinction in legal practice, teaching, research, or public administration and who have demonstrated distinguished service to Emory Law, the Emory Alumni Association, or Emory University.

The virtual version of this year's Emory University School of Law graduation ceremonies occurred May 11, following the university's online Commencement program. The event honored the law school’s more than 360 graduates in programs including master of laws, Juris Master, and Juris Doctor.

One of the law school’s signature events, the Emory Public Interest Committee’s (EPIC) Inspiration Awards,

Elliott 66L will receive the 19th Annual Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award honoring an attorney and a judge who have and continue to demonstrate the highest professional conduct and paramount reputation for professionalism.

Professor Dorothy A. Brown has been named Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. Brown is a Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law and an advocate for economic and social justice.

On Mother's Day, in a new venue and among a packed house of family and friends, 454 students crossed the stage in recognition of their graduation from Emory University School of Law.

Four attorneys will be recognized during Emory Law Alumni Weekend for public service and trailblazing, and for exceptional and distinguished careers. They are: Lewis S. "Mike" Eidson, Lori G. Cohen, John Maggio, and Donna Yip. Interim Dean James B. Hughes Jr. will present the awards during an April 12 reception at the law school.

Tyler Quinn Yeargain, a third-year student at Emory University School of Law, was among the ten winners for his piece, "Discretion Versus Supersession: Calibrating the Power Balance Between Local Prosecutors and State Officials."

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, Emory University School of Law hosted the 23rd annual Emory Public Interest Committee's (EPIC) Inspiration Awards, which honored two community members and an Emory Law graduate for exceptional public service.

McDonald Distinguished Fellow Mark Storslee was recently awarded the 2020 Harold Berman Award for Excellence in Scholarship by the Law and Religion Section of the Association of American Law Schools.

Emory Law has been recognized by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) with a 2018 CLEO Edge Founders Award in honor of CLEO's 50th anniversary.

John Witte Jr. has been invited as a Gifford Lecturer for 2020, a celebratory year that marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Scottish jurist Adam Lord Gifford, founder of the esteemed lecture series begun in 1888.

Dorothy Brown has been selected to receive the Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award, given through the Georgia Independent College Association (GICA).

Emory Law teams bring home trophies for wins at two mock trial competitions in the same weekend.

Mindy Goldstein has co-authored the new Georgia Climate Research Roadmap and has been named one of inaugural Sustainability Faculty Fellows.

Nicole Schladt 18L has been awarded the Brittain Award, Emory's highest student honor for her leadership and commitment to community service, including co-founding Emory LGBTQ Legal Services

On Friday, April 27, 2018, Emory University School of Law hosted the annual Alumni Awards, bestowing honors on four distinguished graduates in recognition of their achievements in the field of law.

Emory Law Professor Martha Albertson Fineman received the Miriam M. Netter `72 Stoneman Award from Albany Law School in recognition of her efforts to expand opportunities for women.

Sydney Kaplan 19L has been elected president of the university-wide Graduate Student Government Association.

Fiona O'Carroll 18L has been named a 2018 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Burton Award winner, an honor given to only 15 people for articles submitted by the nation's top law schools.

On Monday, April 2, the faculty of Emory Law honored sixty years of law teaching for their colleague, Johan D. van der Vyver, I. T. Cohen Professor of International Law and Human Rights and Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Law and Religion.

John L. Latham 79L of Atlanta, partner with Alston & Bird, has been elected to the Board of Trustees at Emory University.

The Emory Public Interest Committee has announced the recipients of the 22nd EPIC Inspiration Awards. EPIC annually honors a student and three community members for their outstanding contributions to public service.

Michael Broyde, CSLR Fellow and Professor of Law at Emory, has won a Fulbright award to spend the 2018-2019 school year at Hebrew University in Israel, studying religious arbitration in diverse western democracies.

The AALS Section on Election Law has selected "Gerrymandering and the Constitutional Norm Against Govern

Dorothy Brown, professor of law, has been named a co-recipient of the 2018 Clyde Ferguson Award by the Executive Committee of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Minority Groups.

Emory Law Professor A. James Elliott has been honored by the Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession of the State Bar of Georgia with the Randolph Thrower Lifetime Achievement Award

Richard Freer has been named Charles Howard Candler Professor. Michael Kang has been named Thomas Simmons Professor. Jonathan Nash has been named Robert Howell Hall Professor. Polly Price has been named Asa Griggs Candler Professor. Teemu Ruskola has been named Jonas Robitscher Professor.

"It's especially gratifying that this ancient, world-class theology faculty would honor a mere jurist," Witte said in his acceptance lecture on February 8.

The Emory University School of Law celebrated its 100th anniversary with a formal gala April 29 featuring former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. senator and Emory Law alumnus Sam Nunn.

Polly Price, professor of law and global health at Emory, is one of 35 recipients of the prestigious 2017 Andrew Carnegie fellowship, which funds significant research and writing in the social sciences and humanities.

Former President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address at Emory Law's Centennial Gala on Saturday, April 29. Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn 61L 62L will receive the school's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Emory's Black Law Students Association (BLSA) has, for the second consecutive year, won National Large Chapter of the Year at the 49th Annual Convention in Houston Texas.

For the second consecutive year, Emory Black Law Students Association (BLSA) was awarded the Regional Chapter of the Year award at their recent regional convention in Atlanta.

Victoria "Lavender" Veran Bartlett, a second-year Emory Law student, won first prize in the Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition.

Fineman, other Emory Law faculty recognized for scholarly impact

When the Daily Report announced the award winners in its annual "Lifetime Achievement" and "On the Rise" categories, more than a few Emory Law graduates were on the list. Congratulations to all our alumni for their continued success, dedication and service.

While the president, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court continue to clash over immigration, Professor Polly Price, a legal historian and expert in immigration and citizenship, says 19th century case law is still a powerful influence. Price was invited to the U.S. Supreme Court to deliver the lecture, "The Supreme Court and the Chinese Exclusion Cases." The 2016 Leon Silverman Lecture, delivered May 11, was derived from Price's research on citizenship and immigration law, and given in the court's main courtroom.

Emory Law graduates received their diplomas during ceremonies held midday on the lawn of Gambrell Hall.

Emory's mock trial team placed third in the National Ethics Trial Competition (NETC) in Sacramento, CA, March 16-20. The competition featured a case involving charges of legal malpractice.

Emory was awarded the top title of regional finalist in the New England regional competition and the second-place title of regional semi-finalist in the Southwestern regional competition.

Emory Law's Black Law Students Association (BLSA) chapter received highest honors this past weekend when they were named National BLSA Large Chapter of the Year at the NBLSA 48th Annual National Convention.  

The Emory Law team bested University of Virginia in the final round to win the 11th annual National NYU Immigration Law Competition.

Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates will be honored for her public interest work as part of Emory University School of Law's annual EPIC Inspiration Awards. Also receiving awards are Edward J. "Jack" Hardin, The Honorable Peggy H. Walker, and Hana Shatila 16L.

Emory Law has named Michael S. Kang the second recipient of the David J. Bederman Research Professorship. The professorship is awarded annually to recognize the outstanding contributions of a faculty member and offers a research leave to support continuing outstanding scholarly work.

Friday, Sept. 25, Emory Law hosted its annual Alumni Awards, where four alumni and one beloved professor received top honors. The awards ceremony was held at 7 p.m. in Tull Auditorium, Gambrell Hall at the law school.

The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University has received a $1 million gift to expand training and scholarship in religious freedom

Mary L. Dudziak, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law and Director of the Project on War and Security in Law, Culture and Society will hold the Kluge Chair in American Law and Governance at the Library of Congress this fall.

Rita A. Sheffey, assistant dean for public service at the Emory University School of Law, was installed as president-elect of the 47,000-member State Bar of Georgia on June 20 during the organization's Annual Meeting.

Three hundred ninety-one students received diplomas in Emory Law's diploma ceremony today.

Rita Sheffey, Emory Law's assistant dean for public service, received the Ben F. Johnson Jr. Public Service Award from Georgia State University College of Law last night. The award is given each year to a Georgia attorney whose accomplishments reflect selfless public service.

Team Viapore, a TI:GER team consisting of an Emory Law student and Georgia Tech MBA and PhD students, won the April TiE Atlanta Young Entrepreneurs University Competition with their medical device for spinal implants.

Emory Law received a $1.5 million donation to help establish a John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice.

On the heels of impressive regional wins, Emory Law's Transactional Law Program Negotiation Team recently won Best Draft, Semi-Finalist and National Champion honors (Seller's side) at the 2015 National Transactional LawMeet.

Matt McCoyd 93L, long-time Emory Trial Techniques instructor, has been appointed to serve as a judge with the DeKalb County Magistrate Court. "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the citizens of DeKalb County in this position," McCoyd said, noting that he plans to continue teaching at Emory Law.

Emory University School of Law won an international law and religion moot court competition in Venice, Italy, prevailing over 14 teams from four continents.

Five enterprising students and their implantable device for pets won first place at the 2015 Georgia Tech Startup Competition. The first-year TI:GER® team beat out 11 other finalists with their pitch for a device that will monitor and, ultimately, regulate blood glucose levels in cats and dogs.

The Emory Law Black Law Students Association mock trial team recently scored a second-place trophy at the National BLSA Thurgood Marshal Mock Trial Competition.

Emory Law has once again been ranked 19th in U.S. News & World Report's assessment of U.S. law schools

Emory Law's Transactional Law program negotiation teams won "best negotiator" titles in regional competitions.

Leia Clement 15L has been named the 2015 Distinguished Bankruptcy Law Student for the 11th Circuit by the American College of Bankruptcy. The award includes a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the college's annual meeting and induction ceremony on March 13-14.

Associate Dean and Professor Timothy Holbrook will be honored March 3 at Emory University's 23rd Annual Pride Awards, as the Chestnut LGBT Person of the Year.

EPIC recognized the dedication to public service of three exemplary leaders at its 19th annual Inspiration Awards ceremony

Results were based primarily on a survey of more than 300 legal industry professionals, and rankings also factor in data on acceptance rates and post-graduate employment rates. "Emory University Law School has a strong relationship with the Carter Center, where students can work in clinics promoting world peace. One of the four legal journals at Emory Law is the student-run Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal--the only journal of its kind in the country," the report reads.