Coming to a New WorldIn 1984, Steven Kaminshine left private practice in New York to move to Atlanta. At the time, Georgia State’s College of Law was brand new--only two years old--but Kaminshine was not daunted by its fledgling status. He chose Atlanta because it was "a city on the move with a lot of opportunity." Georgia State reflected the city’s verve and gave him the chance to "be a part of building something," he explained in a recent interview.
Dean Kaminshine remembers the school’s early days with fondness. "This place had a lot of energy," he says--an energy that is still alive today--mainly because Dean Ben Johnson made a point to "assemble a group of people who were excited about being part of something new."
Dean Robert Shuford helped assemble this group of energetic people. As Assistant to the Vice President of Academic Affairs in 1982, he assisted Dean Johnson in recruiting efforts that brought Professors Lanier, Bross, Hogue and others to the school. Recruitment was directed at finding people who were energized by and dedicated to the goal of delivering superior part-time legal education.
Shuford explains that "there was a lot of excitement about the university having its own College of Law." Although hard to imagine, in 1982 there was no ABA accredited part-time legal program offered in the state. When the school opened there was a "lot of pent-up demand for a part-time program," says Shuford, which gave the school its pick of high quality students.
Dreams of Something
Greater
While having dedicated faculty and exceptional students
furthered the excitement about the school opening, the College of Law still had
hurdles to jump. First, it needed full ABA accreditation. In 1987 when Dean
Shuford joined the College of Law’s administration, the school only had
provisional accreditation. Shuford explains that the school’s leaders adopted
Dean Johnson’s "never fail attitude" in getting the school fully
accredited. After major facilities changes were made to the school, full ABA
accreditation was achieved in 1990 under the leadship of Dean Marjorie Fine
Knowles.
Achieving full ABA accreditation in only 8 years was impressive, but the faculty and administration knew the school could achieve even more. During the early 1990’s the College of Law sought membership in the highly prestigious American Association of Law Schools. In 1995, under Dean Marjorie Girth, the school realized this goal.
By the time Dean Janice Griffith joined the administration in 1996, the College of Law was gaining a reputation . Its complete commitment to excellence is what attracted Dean Griffith to GSU. She says, "I was impressed by the way that everyone here stressed excellence and the way everyone truly aspired to be the best."
Even then, the school placed an emphasis on litigation skills, but it was exploring other areas as well. Focusing on growth in programs, Dean Griffith has enjoyed seeing the school’s offerings increase since her arrival. Today the school boasts a Tax Clinic; a legislation program; three joint degree programs; an interdisciplinary program with Georgia Tech which couples Tech Urban Planning students with GSU students; the Consortium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; and special offerings in Health Law that bring together medical students and GSU law students.
Yet all of this accomplishment is still not enough for the 20 year old College of Law…
The Future Ahead"Having such impressive students feeds the college’s reputation." Kaminshine explains. As GSU students graduate and move into the workforce, the skills they have gained at GSU make them and the school shine.
This reputation is recognized in law firms, in government, and in the corporate world. GSU’s College of Law is also well known in the state judiciary, where praise on Georgia State grads like Dekalb County Superior Court Judge CJ Becker, who handled the Dorsey trial, is often glowing.
After 20 years, it is apparent that Georgia State’s College of Law has arrived. With its many programs, its well-prepared graduates, its devoted alumni, and its dedicated faculty, it has become recognized nationally as a superior school for legal education. So what is the future of this fine institution?
Dean Shuford sees more scholarship programs in the college’s future. "Since I work with student leadership, I see us being able to attract more leaders with better scholarship offerings. We are working on getting more funding for more scholarships, and I think this will only improve the quality of applicants."
Dean Kaminshine envisions the school increasing its national reputation by adding to its distinctive character. Specifically, he sees the school "taking advantage of its location" by offering programs that will bring the law school and the community together.
Dean Griffith plans to make this vision a reality, "My dream is to see GSU College of Law emerge as the best public law school in the country--one engaged in solving urban problems and improving the quality of life for people in the Atlanta Metropolitan region."