25th Anniversary
College of Law Making Its Mark at 25
It was a topic about which everyone had an opinion. Not a legal opinion necessarily, but at least a well-honed point of view. You didn't find much gray in the discussions about a law school at Georgia State.
"Whether or not the College of Law is a good thing probably depends on what day you talk to somebody," said a senior university official at the time. "Either it's great or they wish to hell they'd never heard of it."
As far back as the early 1970s, Georgia legislators and academic leaders debated the pros and cons, the ups and downs. In the background waited an untold number of prospective students who needed this kind of law school – an institution that embraced not only traditional students, but students who worked full-time, who required evening instruction, and who were older and considering career changes.
The Georgia State University College of Law finally was sanctioned by the Board of Regents in 1981.
Founding Dean Ben F. Johnson Jr.'s steely determination propelled the college from the planning documents to the first floor of Georgia State University's Urban Life Building in the fall of 1982, and the doors opened at last.
"I have been in the business a long time... I know what I am doing," he said. "In a way we envy them (other law schools), but in another way we appreciate the opportunity to do things differently."
And different it was. The college enrolled 200 students in its inaugural year. Many were parttime because they had full-time jobs during the day. Six professors taught them, and three of them – Lynn Hogue, E.R. Lanier and James Bross – still teach at the college today.
The college's first seven graduates were hooded in December 1984 at a commencement ceremony keynoted by the late Dan Sweat, president of Central Atlanta Progress. Several months later, the first full graduating class was lauded in an Atlanta Journal editorial:
... A word of acknowledgement is due those who lobbied so long for a law school at Georgia State University in Atlanta
...The 39 students who were graduated Saturday have set an example
... Far from being a redundancy, Georgia State University Law School is and will be an asset to Atlanta's legal and business interests.
At the end of its first decade, full-time faculty had grown to 31. Nearly half were women. More than 120,000 volumes filled the Law Library. Applications for admission exceeded 2,200 for only 180 slots. Yet, the exploding popularity of the college did not alter its institutional DNA.
"There's a liveliness and willingness to try new things," said Dean Marjorie Girth in 1992. "It's kind of like Atlanta. If there's a challenge, Atlanta goes for it. The law college is just like that."
The challenge of being a young school only sharpened the College of Law's teeth. It was the first Georgia law school to win the prestigious National Moot Court Competition, held annually. Students brought home the Wagner Cup twice in three years. Others took notice, too. The Georgia Civil Justice Foundation funded the school's first endowed scholarship. Atlanta law firms teamed up to recruit top students through the Dean's Scholars Program. And, driven by the leadership of the college's second dean, Marjorie Fine Knowles, the college received full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 1990.
"It's accomplished a ton in a relatively short period of time," said Dean Janice Griffith in the college's 20th anniversary year in 2002. "It's never satisfied with the status quo. It's always looking to improve the quality of education and the services it provides its students. That's the sign of a highquality law school."
Today, the Georgia State University College of Law is making bigger marks than ever. Its health law program is ranked 10th in the country by U.S. News & World Report, which also ranks the college at number 82 – the youngest law school to be placed in the Top 100. The Princeton Review says that the college ranks fifth in the category of welcoming older students. National Jurist ranks the law school a Top Five "best value" in the nation. The career information firm, Vault Inc., recently ranked the college as America's 11th most underrated law school.
"At 25, the College is making its mark nationally, while continuing its long-standing tradition of forging community partnerships," said current Dean Steven Kaminshine.
"Students here thrive on the college's many oppor tunities for applied learning – what they learn in the classroom is brought to life through their work and contributions in the Atlanta community."
Many of those contributions will ignite the college's Pro Bono Initiative, a commitment by the college's students, faculty and staff to log 25,000 hours of donated public service this year. The college is providing legal and professional skills to organizations that support civil rights and civil liberties, low-income families, neighborhood and community interests, legal advocacy, nonprofit causes and public education.
Could the first 25 years have been more memorable, more productive, or more meaningful? Probably not. The Georgia State University College of Law has reached maturity. It is entering its second generation of academic leadership. A new home awaits future students at the corner of Edgewood and Peachtree Center avenues.
And if past is prologue, as wise ones advise, then the future looks bright indeed.