Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is pleased to welcome Alicia Hughes as the new Associate Dean of Student Affairs. As an attorney, educator, higher education leader, and former public official, Hughes brings a distinguished career spanning legal practice, public service, academia, and student development.
Dean Hughes will work directly with Dr. Harrison, who has entered her new role as the Senior Associate Dean and Chief of Student Affairs at AJMLS.
Hughes began her academic career at Texas Southern University, where she earned a B.S. in Biology with dual minors in Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering. As an undergraduate, she was a Douglass Honors Institute Scholar, international champion debater, Student Government Association President, and National Institutes of Health undergraduate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine. She later earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law, where she held several leadership and academic positions, including serving as President of the Black Law Students Association.
Her career has since taken her across law, government, public service, and higher education. After practicing law and completing a federal judicial clerkship with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Hughes went on to serve as a congressional staffer, elected city councilor, governor-appointed commissioner, and Chief Policy Advisor of the National Bar Association.
Hughes has also built a significant career in legal education. She has taught at the University of Texas at Austin, Widener University’s Delaware Law School, Boston University School of Law, and Emory University School of Law, where she primarily taught and advised students in patent law. At Emory, she also served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Center on Civil Rights and Social Justice.
Her academic and leadership experience includes fellowships with the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and the Aspen Institute’s Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership. She has also completed doctoral coursework toward an Executive Ed.D. in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania.
Now at AJMLS, Hughes is focused on building upon the strong foundation already established within Student Affairs while helping students navigate the many dimensions of their law school experience. Her vision encompasses academic success, wellness, belonging, professional identity, leadership, mentorship, service, and career preparation.
“I am most excited about the opportunity to help shape a student affairs experience that sees each student not only as a law student, but as a whole person and an emerging legally-trained professional across a broad array of fields and vocational disciplines.”
For Hughes, law school represents more than preparation for an examination or a first position. It is a formative period in which students begin developing the judgment, confidence, relationships, and professional identity that will shape their careers and lives.
As Associate Dean, she hopes to make the Office of Student Affairs a place where students feel both supported and challenged. Her approach emphasizes individualized pathways into the profession and recognizes that professional readiness requires more than academic achievement alone. Mentorship, communication, professional etiquette, emotional intelligence, resilience, and preparation all play an important role in helping students take advantage of opportunities when they arise.
“I want every student to have a solid pathway into the legal profession and to be poised and prepared to ‘meet the moment’ when opportunity arrives.”
A central part of Hughes’ philosophy can be summed up through three questions she hopes students will be able to answer throughout their law school journey: Where am I now? Where am I going? And what do I need to do next? Through those questions, she hopes students will identify their strengths and areas for growth, clarify their professional goals, and develop the relationships, skills, experiences, and opportunities needed to reach them.
As she begins her work with AJMLS, Hughes is also committed to listening and learning from the law school community. She looks forward to partnering with students, faculty, staff, alumni, judges, attorneys, and community partners to create meaningful opportunities for professional and personal growth.
“I am coming to this role ready to learn, to listen, and to partner with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader legal community.”
Hughes believes the future of AJMLS and its students is bright and is honored to join an institution committed to preparing the next generation of legal professionals. Her goal is to help students leave law school with not only the knowledge and skills to enter the profession, but also the confidence, character, poise, and sense of purpose to make the most of the opportunities ahead.
AJMLS welcomes Alicia Hughes to her new role and looks forward to the experience, perspective, and student-centered leadership she brings to the law school community.