Mass Swearing In Ceremony on November 5, 2014

The Alumni Office held a mass swearing in ceremony for the July 2014 bar exam passers and other AJMLS alumni on November 5, 2014. The Alumni were sworn into the Supreme Court of Georgia and Fulton County Superior Court.  They were honored to be sworn in by Justice Carol Hunstein of the Supreme Court and Judge T. Jackson Bedford of the Fulton County Superior Court.  There was a reception for friends and family held after the ceremony.  Here are the pictures from the event that can be downloaded for personal use. If you have any questions about the event, please contact the Alumni Office.

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John Marshall BLSA Chapter Donate Time and Food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA), in conjunction with the SBA, recently donated over 440 pounds of non-perishable items to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The staff at the food bank was overjoyed at the sizable donation and expressed their gratitude for the students and staff who worked tirelessly to collect cans for a great cause.

Additionally, the John Marshall BLSA chapter was recognized by the Southern Region of the National Black Law Students Association (SRBLSA) for its work in the community. During their annual Academic Retreat, SRBLSA reported that the AJMLS chapter contributed the largest amount of canned goods in the entire region. The BLSA executive board would like to thank all who contributed to this wonderful cause. For more information on BLSA, visit the Student Organizations page of the website. The Atlanta Community Food Bank is always looking for volunteers and donations. More information about this organization is available on their website.

Four AJMLS Students Receive GABWA Scholarships

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is pleased to announce that four students recently received scholarships from the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA). The GABWA Foundation is committed to providing scholarships to black women attending Georgia law schools to insure that the pipeline of black women entering the legal profession remains strong. Since 2002, the GABWA Foundation has awarded over $250,000 in scholarships to African-American women law students.

Be sure to congratulate the following students for being awarded GABWA scholarships:

Uchenna Mary-Anne Uzoka, 3L
Christle Guinyard, 2L
Yesenia Muhammad, 3L
Amber Reed, 3L

The students will receive their scholarships at the GABWA Honors Brunch on December 13, 2014. For more information on GABWA and how to qualify for a GABWA scholarship, visit their website.

AJMLS Students Advance to Final Round at 2014 Regional ABA Negotiations Competition

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School recently sent two teams to compete in the 2014 Regional ABA Negotiations Competition at Mercer University. The competition consisted of two preliminary rounds where the teams negotiated two fact patterns received in the weeks leading up to the competition. Following the conclusion of the two preliminary rounds, the competition pool was reduced from 24 teams to four. The law school is pleased to announce that the team of Robert Rentfrow (1L) and Jeff Sayer (2L) was one of the four teams, together with three teams from Florida International University, to advance to the final round.

This is the third time in the past four years that John Marshall has placed a team in the final round of the Regional ABA Negotiations Competition. This is a great accomplishment for The Boardroom and the law school as a whole. The team would like to specially thank alumnus Ben Stidham who competed in the 2012 Regional ABA Negotiations Competition. Ben generously donated his time and experience to work with the team on this year’s problem and traveled with the team to Macon the day of the competition. The law school is extremely privileged to have such devoted alumni who continue to support the school and its students.

Congratulations again to Robert and Jeff on this outstanding accomplishment and their wonderful representation of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

John Marshall Ranked 4th Most Diverse Law School by National Jurist

Providing a diverse learning environment for students is important to the faculty and administration at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. While this diversity enriches the academic environment, it also challenges the law school to meet the educational needs of students, many of whom are either returning to the rigors of an academic experience, or are simply seeking a supportive environment for the study of law. Therefore, it is a great honor for the National Jurist to name Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School the fourth most diverse law school in the nation in their winter issue. Other top diverse law schools joining John Marshall on the list are Texas Southern University (1), University of the District of Columbia (2), University of La Verne (3), and Florida A&M University (5). In the article, National Jurist explained how the rankings were determined.

“We broke down each school into six categories – percentage of minority faculty; percentage of black students; percentage of Asian and Hawaiian students; percentage of Hispanic students; percentage of American Indian students; and percentage of Caucasian students. We assigned each school a score from one to 10 for all categories, except for American Indians. We assigned each school a score from one to five for that category, given the much smaller number of students.

A school that matched the U.S. national average for any race received a seven (or 3.5 for American Indian), and a school that was 30 percent or greater than the national average received a 10 (or 5 for American Indian). We then weighted the student categories as 75 percent of the final diversity score and faculty at 25 percent. The final outcome is a list of schools that have a breadth of races both in student bodies and faculties.”

The full article gives prospective students and law schools a detailed look into what socioeconomic factors have caused an increase in black and Hispanic students while simultaneously creating a decline in white and Asian students. Regardless of the trend, a diverse law school should offer more than just ethnic diversity. At Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, the student population are also diverse in life experiences and professional background. A well-rounded understanding of diversity allows John Marshall to continue producing practice-ready, ethical, and knowledgeable members of the legal community.

For more on the various programs the law school provided, view our program offerings.

State Bar President Speaks to First Year Students

Perkins HookerPresident of the State Bar of Georgia, Patrise Perkins-Hooker, accepted an invitation from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and spoke to approximately 100 first year law students. The program was the final installment of the Atlanta’s John Marshall Fall Professionalism Series and was held on Friday, November 7th, 2014, from 1 P.M. – 2 P.M. at the Blackburn Conference Center . The topic discussed was “Your Professional Obligation to Give Back to Your Community. ”

The Professionalism Series is part of the law school’s ongoing effort to help students establish good practices and high ethical standards early in their training.  It is also an opportunity for them to meet practitioners and members of the judiciary who exemplify the ideals of the profession.

Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker, vice president and general counsel of Atlanta BeltLine Inc., was installed as president-elect of the 45,000-member State Bar of Georgia on June 22 during the organization’s Annual Meeting.

Having previously served on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee and as secretary (2011-12) and treasurer (2012-13), she will become the first African American and the third woman to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia in its 50-year history when she is sworn into that office in June 2014.

Perkins-Hooker is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Emory University Law and Business Schools. She is very active in community work, serving and/or leading many community organizations, including Hosea Feed the Hungry, an organization that serves hungry, homeless, and other disadvantaged citizens. She was admitted to the Bar in 1984.