Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Welcomes State Bar of Georgia President as 2015 Commencement Speaker

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is pleased to announce Mrs. Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker, State Bar of Georgia President, as the law school’s 2015 commencement speaker. Commencement exercises are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on May 23, 2015 at the Georgia World Congress Center – Sidney Marcus Auditorium, Building A.

Dean Malcolm L. Morris notes,

The law school has the distinct pleasure of welcoming President Perkins-Hooker as the commencement speaker for this year’s ceremony. She is a leading luminary in the profession who has consistently demonstrated her commitment to providing access to justice for all Georgians. No doubt, her words will guide the graduates on a successful path for their future professional careers.

About Mrs. Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker

President Perkins-Hooker is the first African-American to lead the State Bar of Georgia. Perkins-Hooker has a long list of professional accomplishments. She is best known, however, for her role as general counsel and vice president for the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. where she is responsible for land acquisitions, as well as a wide range of other real estate related legal issues.

Prior to joining the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. she was a partner at Hollowell, Foster & Gepp, PC, where she led the law firm’s Commercial Real Estate Group. Perkins-Hooker is also the immediate past chair of Hosea Feed the Hungry’s Board of Directors.

Additional 2015 AJMLS Commencement Information

Tickets are not required for entry. For information regarding parking or other venue related topics, you may visit www.gwcc.com. Additionally, there will be a small reception immediately following the ceremony for the graduates and their guests, faculty, staff and volunteers.

To join the commencement conversation on Twitter, follow the hashtags #AJMLSGrad and #LawGrad.

Former Chief Justice Norman Fletcher Mentions Professor Mears While Accepting Gideon’s Promise Award

Professor Michael Mears, a former public defender and leading expert on the death penalty in Georgia, was mentioned in high regard by former Chief Justice Norman Fletcher as he accepted the Gideon’s Promise Award from the Southern Center for Human Rights.

During Fletcher’s award acceptance, he addressed Steve Bright (Southern Center’s president and senior counsel) by saying,

Steve, I am going to shock you, and probably most everyone here, for I must now admit that your criticism of my death penalty decisions was justified. For with wisdom gained over the past 10 years, I am now convinced there is absolutely no justification for continuing to impose the sentence of death in this country. In 2001 when the Georgia Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision ended the use of electrocution and turned to lethal injection as the sole means of inflicting the death sentence, a colleague remarked that Mike Mears and Steve Bright would never be satisfied until the death penalty itself was totally abolished in Georgia and in this country. Time has proved that colleague to be right, and I thank God for Mike’s and Steve’s resolve. Our death penalty system is unsupportable.

To read more of his acceptance speech, click here.

Professor Michael Mears is an Associate Professor at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School where he teaches Evidence, Advanced Criminal Procedure, and Ethics. He is considered one of Georgia’s leading experts on the death penalty and is a frequent contributor on NPR and WPBA on the subject.

Alumnus David Lee Windecher Publishes Book, Credits Law School

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Alumnus, David Lee Windecher (’12), has chronicled his extraordinary life journey of going from defendant to defense attorney in his soon to be released book* “AmerIcan Dream: HisStory in the Making”. He hopes to utilize his personal story to inspire others to overcome challenges and pursue their dreams.

“John Marshall gave me an opportunity to redefine my life,” said David. “They believed in me. JMLS gave a poor kid from the hood an opportunity to engage his passion and realize his American dream.”

David Lee Windecher became a leader of his class at John Marshall Law School. Windecher was elected President of the Sports and Entertainment Society and was voted Peer Mentor of the Year in 2011.

Today, David Lee Windecher is a practicing criminal defense attorney at Atlanta firm Arora & LaScala and the founder of RED, Inc. (Rehabilitation Enables Dreams), a non-profit organization which sponsors GED programs for young juveniles that are facing non-violent criminal charges who are capable of rehabilitation through an education. RED, Inc.’s mission is to decrease recidivism and increase literacy amongst America’s youth.

“My career, my success… John Marshall was instrumental in it all,” said David.

Congratulations, David!

 *A book release party is planned for Thursday, May 21, 2015 in Buckhead. For more details email: americandreampress@gmail.com.

Family of Alumnus Judge G. Alan Blackburn Establish Memorial Scholarship

As printed by AJC.com on May 11, 2015:

Chief Judge Gerald Alan Blackburn, 76, of Marietta, died on May 9, 2015. He was born May 6, 1939 in East Bend, North Carolina. After serving four years on active duty in the United States Air Force, returned to Atlanta and entered John Marshall Law School and later received his LLM degree from the Virginia School of Law. He engaged in the private practice for twenty years and served as Administrative Law Judge for the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance, before being elected to the Court of Appeals in 1992. He was a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Georgia Association of Administrative Law Judges; the American Bar Association, State Bar of Georgia, and the Cobb County Bar Association. He served as chairman of the Cobb County Salvation Army Advisory Board; chairman of the Board of Directors of New Horizons Ministries and served on the Board of Directors of the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse- Ga Chapter. Survivors include his wife, Linda Blackburn and their four children, Daughters, Jennifer (Ralph) Alewine, Merideth (Dylan) Manning, Elizabeth (Evan) Watkins; Son, Christopher Blackburn; and Grandchild, Ward Manning. Other surviving daughters include, Susan Winger, Jackie Carver, Sandra Blackburn and their families. The funeral will be at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church on May 13, 2015 at 11 am with a reception following the service. Interment will be at 1:30 pm in Arlington Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to Atlanta’s John Marshall Alumni Association/ Judge Blackburn Scholarship 1422 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta Ga 30309, where a building has been named in his honor. Sandy Springs Chapel is overseeing the arrangements. 

Professor Jonathan Rapping Speaks at Bold Moves TEDx Talk

Professor Jonathan Rapping, Director of the Criminal Justice Honors Program and 2014 MacArthur Genius Fellow, spoke at the April 28, 2015 Bold Moves TEDx Atlanta talk.

TEDx described the Bold Moves event on their website,

What’s a bold move and why does it matter? It’s a challenge to go where you’ve never gone before. It’s the sounding of a wake-up call that draws attention to a situation or shows a different way forward. Without them it becomes ever more difficult to initiate much needed change in our lives and communities. With TEDxAtlanta 2015 we’ll explore bold moves from individuals and organizations who are providing ideas and platforms that shift our thinking and calls to actions in impactful ways—through their courage, conviction and commitment.

Professor Rapping spoke of his organization, Gideon’s Promise, and how it is inspiring a new generation of public defenders facing “the nation’s greatest civil rights issue today” – the tragic shortage of representation for those who can’t afford a lawyer.

You may view the video in its entirety on YouTube here.