ALUMNI
Your connection to Georgia State Law doesn’t end at graduation. The connections you make at GSU Law are lifelong.
As an active member of our alumni community, there are several services available to you. We host events for graduates throughout the year and offer career services. We invite alumni to return to campus to collaborate with faculty, speak to students and volunteer. You also have the ability to make a positive impact on our college by hiring a graduate or making a donation.
Get connected and stay connected. That’s #TheStateWay.
Tower to Trenches
Tower to the Trenches is a monthly CLE series for Georgia State Law alumni. The monthly sessions are led by Georgia State Law faculty and alumni who are experts in specific practice areas. The program features a 40-minute faculty presentation, 60-minute panel discussion, and 20-minute question and answer session with faculty, panel and attendees.
The Tower to the Trenches program for 2020-2021 is cancelled due to COVID.
Swearing in Ceremonies
The College of Law will host a virtual swearing-in ceremony in January. All College of Law alumni in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia, including newly minted lawyers, are eligible to participate for admission to the Court of Appeals of Georgia and/or the Supreme Court of Georgia.
2021 Virtual Swearing-In Ceremony
Please join us for the Winter 2021 Swearing-in Ceremonies for the State Bar of Georgia, the Court of Appeals of Georgia and the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Date: January 29, 2021 (Friday)
Location: Virtual “Zoom” Ceremony due to COVID-19
Time: 10 – 11 a.m.
Special Note: Participants must log into Zoom no later than 9:45 a.m. sharp to participate in the virtual Swearing-in Ceremony. To participate your audio and video must be connected and working properly.
Who is Eligible?
All College of Law alumni in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia, including newly minted lawyers, are eligible to participate in the admission to one or all three courts.
Alumni and friends may view the ceremony here.
Reunion
Every spring, the College of Law hosts a reunion for graduates of certain class years.
GSU Law Alumni Reunion 2020-2021 will be scheduled when we are able to host an in-person reunion. Date TBD.
Alumni Calendar
Center for Professional Development & Career Strategies
Support from the Center for Professional Development & Career Strategies doesn’t stop once you land your first job. We make a lifelong commitment to all Georgia State Law graduates. Whether you are pursuing your first or fourth job, we can help you with job leads, alumni connections, resume review and interview skills.
Job Search
CPD is committed to helping Georgia State Law graduates succeed. Available jobs are posted in Symplicity, which is accessible to students and alumni with logins. Students and alumni may view all job postings, including positions for experienced attorneys.
Resume Review and Interview Prep
CPD offers resume review, cover letter editing and interview preparation services for alumni.
Staying in Touch
When you change jobs or career status, submit a Class Notes Form. By keeping us updated with your successes, we can better support new and upcoming graduates as they seek internships and employment.
Another way to stay in touch with Georgia State Law is to return to campus for speaking engagements and other programs. Contact CPD if you or your company can participate in speaking engagements, on-campus interviews, networking events or job fairs.
Hire Georgia State Law
If you plan to hire an attorney, summer associate or law clerk within the next year, our CPD team can help you find your next great hire. Learn the benefits and resources available to employers on the Hire Georgia State Law page.
Center for Professional Development & Career Strategies Team
Share Your News!
Class Notes Form
Ben F. Johnson, Jr. Public Service Award
The Ben F. Johnson Jr. Public Service Award is presented each year to a living Georgia attorney whose accomplishments reflect the tradition of public service that our founding dean, Ben F. Johnson Jr., exemplified during his life. Throughout his career, Johnson helped argue a case before the Georgia Supreme Court in 1962, successfully challenging a state law that denied tax exemptions to integrated private schools. He also sought support for a program to help recruit minority law students during his years as dean of Emory University School of Law.
Johnson was elected to a state senate seat representing DeKalb County, serving in the Legislature from 1962-1969. He was the principal author of the legislation creating the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). At Georgia State Law, he helped make possible the return of ABA-accredited, part-time legal education to Atlanta students.
Nominations
Recipients are living Georgia attorneys whose overall accomplishments reflect the high tradition of selfless public service that our founding dean exemplified during his career and life.
Nomination Materials:
- Nomination Letter under 2,500 words
- Nominee’s CV or resume
- News accounts of their public service
- Supporting letters describing their public service
If you know a lawyer who exemplifies these qualities, submit your letter of nomination and any supporting materials by 5 p.m. on September 30th.
The Ben F. Johnson Jr. Public Service Award Selection Committee will announce the recipient during Spring 2021.
Past Recipients
- 2021: Bernard Taylor Sr.
- 2020: Robert B. Remar
- 2019: Mawuli Mel Davis (J.D. ’02)
- 2018: Edward J. ‘Jack’ Hardin
- 2017: Bobby Lee Cook
- 2016: Aimee Maxwell (M.Ed ’83, J.D. ’87)
- 2015: Rita A. Sheffey
- 2014: Miles J. Alexander
- 2013: Judith A. O’Brien
- 2012: Randall L. Hughes
- 2011: Emmet J. Bondurant
- 2010: Horace Sibley
- 2009: Steven Gottlieb
- 2008: Honorable Orinda D. Evans
- 2007: John T. Marshall
- 2006: Linda K. DiSantis (B.A. ’85, J.D. ’88)
- 2005: Honorable Anthony A. Alaimo
- 2004: Honorable Robert Benham
- 2003: Stephen B. Bright
- 2002: Honorable Griffin B. Bell
- 2001: Clifford Oxford
- 2000: Honorable Luther A. Alverson
- 1999: Paul Cadenhead
- 1998: Randolph W. Thrower
- 1997: Honorable Dorothy Toth Beasley
- 1996: Honorable Harold G. Clarke
- 1995: Donald L. Hollowell
- 1994: Honorable Elbert P. Tuttle
Law Alumni Council
The Law Alumni Council is the governing body of the College of Law Alumni Association. The purpose of the council is to build the reputation of the College of Law, raise money, and create connections between students and alumni. The council also advises the dean on issues and opportunities in legal education and other alumni interests.
The council consists of up to two representatives from each graduating class. Members of the council are nominated by faculty, staff and administrators. Nominations are sent to the Office of Development & Alumni Relations and the council’s executive committee. Council members are expected to attend regular meetings and give of their time, talents and treasures to GSU Law.
Executive Committee
President (Interim)
Brett Switzer (J.D. ’12)
Vice President
Bob Watts (J.D. ’14)
Secretary
Ramona Condell (J.D. ’13)
Class Representatives
1989
- Michael Manely
1993
- C.R. Wright
1994
- Marlo Leach
1997
- Joe Farrell
- Joe O’Kelley Jr.
1998
- Chris Chan
1999
- Carrie Young
2000
- John Merritt
2001
- D’Ree Cooper
2002
- Stephanie Everett
- Josh Schiffer
2005
- Ramsey Knowles
2006
- Graham McDonald
- Lisa Payrow
2007
- Matthew Kaynard
2008
- Shelley Momo
- Nicola Pasquarelli
2009
- Noelle Whitmire
2010
- Jason Wiggam
2011
- Maria Batres
- Brian Cuhna
2012
- Kristen Spires-Williams
2013
- Ramona Condell
- David Emadi
- Lauren Smith
2014
- Michelli Rivera
2015
- Allison Averbuch
- Kevin Coleman
- Anamaria Hazard
2016
- Luke Donohue
- William King
- John Martin
2017
- Ryan Brown
- Pierre-Joseph Noebes
- Alex Stone
2018
- Reena Patel
- Qudsia Shafiq
- Michelle Wilco
2019
- Jarvarus Gresham
- Monica Laredo-Ruiz
The Class Gift Campaign Scholarship Fund, an enduring legacy class gift program, was created by the Class of 2008. Class Gift Campaign funds now provide both immediate and ongoing financial support to students at the College of Law.
An annual scholarship is awarded to a deserving student from the subsequent year’s entering class, and a portion of the gift goes toward an endowment that grows over time to support additional scholarships.
The goal of the Class Gift Campaign is to reach 100 percent participation from the graduating class. A gift of any amount is included in the overall participation percentage and provides financial support to an incoming law student.
Class Gift Campaign donors receive:
- Recognition in the official Hooding Ceremony printed program (if the gift is received by April 19th).
- Recognition in the college’s annual fund report with all fellow law graduates who contribute annually.
- Recognition on the campaign plaque.
- The satisfaction of helping to provide an affordable legal education to a future alumnus/a, colleague or friend.
Ways to Give Back
There are many ways to support the College of Law. Find the area of need that resonates with you. Donors who contribute more than $1,000 each year qualify for the Dean’s Club membership, the law school’s annual leadership donor society.
Fund for Law
Unrestricted gifts to the Fund for Law help guarantee a dependable, ongoing source of support for the college’s annual operating budget and other important needs. Right now, you can leave lasting mark by naming a locker in the College of Law. For $1,000, your legacy can help us burn brighter.
Program Specific
Another way to have a positive impact is to support student activities, programs, clinics and centers.
Scholarships
Scholarships help us to attract the most talented students from all walks of life. State restrictions on funding allocation make it impossible for the college to fund its own scholarships. This means that private giving makes a GSU Law education available to a diverse student body.
CONTACT
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 4037
Atlanta, GA 30302-4037
Physical Address
85 Park Place NE
Atlanta, GA 30303