Alumni

The new school year is in full swing and things are hopping! Our revamped Orientation hit a responsive chord with the lLs, who are settling in very well.

At the June 20, 2024, Southeastern Legal Awards Ceremony hosted by the Daily Report, two of three attorneys honored for lifetime achievement were Emory Law alumni.

In 1989, Ian Levin 92L arrived at Emory Law as a 1L from New York. The world was shifting under waves of unrest and protest as the Berlin Wall fell and students defied tanks in Tiananmen Square.

Next month, Emory Law will honor four of its best at the annual Alumni Awards Reception. Three are leaders in the fields of wealth management, personal injury/malpractice, and securities litigation. The fourth is a former US Navy judge advocate who co-founded Emory Law’s Volunteer Clinic for Veterans.

This year the Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) honored a veteran public defender, a former investigator turned civil rights attorney, and an Am Law 100 firm partner who has logged hundreds of pro bono hours over nearly 40 years in practice.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, meet Emory Law alumna Claudia A. Chafloque-Siu 19L. “Because my entire family partnered with me to obtain my American education, I know that I owe them, although it is unstated. It is understood.

Emory Law’s Volunteer Clinic for Veterans former Senior Staff Attorney Carlissa Carson 08L has received the Georgia State Bar’s Marshall-Tuttle Award, which honors lawyers who work on behalf of Georgia’s more than 700,000 veterans.

On July 1, alumnus Andrew R. Klein 88L will join Wake Forest University as dean of the law school, following a national search. While a student at Emory Law, Klein was a Robert W. Woodruff Fellow and editor-in-chief of the Emory Law Journal.

Two of Emory Law’s most recent graduates who designed projects to help citizens with little or no access to legal services have earned fellowships from Equal Justice Works.

At 63, Robert Sharp Jr. has been an attorney for nearly 30 years. He’s licensed to practice before the US Supreme Court, as well as three federal courts of appeal.

Ross Fishman 85L was recognized by the City of Highland Park, Illinois, for bravery and negotiating skills that helped end a 12-hour police standoff that involved an armed neighbor who had threatened to harm himself.

Two recent Emory Law graduates have been awarded national public interest fellowships based on proposals for two-year projects they designed to address as yet unmet legal needs.

Marissa Cohen 22L already had a JD when she came to Emory Law. So, why invest in a master of laws at Emory? "My first reason ... was the realization that my JD wasn't enough to quench my thirst about the law," she says.

Emory police officer Anthony ReFour 22L earned a juris master degree from Emory University School of Law in May 2022.

In addition to graduating with high honors and joining the Order of the Coif, Tejas Dave 22L will also receive the Keith J. Shapiro Corporate Bankruptcy Writing Award.

A day before his death from pancreatic cancer, a father handwrites a new will that blocks all his children from inheriting a sizable estate. The new beneficiary? Dad’s longtime caretaker. His children are outraged. Attorneys on each side arm themselves for a bruising trial. For the past week, hundreds of Emory Law students have lived this fictional controversy via the Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques (KEPTT), a required course for all 2Ls.

The Center for the Study of Law and Religion (CSLR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Terri Montague as McDonald Distinguished Senior Fellow at CSLR, and Senior Lecturer at Emory Law School.

Wednesday, November 17, Dean Mary Anne Bobinski welcomed members of the class of 2021 back to Tull Auditorium for the first in-person swearing-in ceremony held in Tull Auditorium since 2019.

Rhani Lott Choi 10L was selected to direct a new student program for Academic Advising and Bar Success.

Suman Malempati left his career as a pediatric oncologist, researcher and associate professor of pediatrics to train as a social justice lawyer because he could “no longer be an observer.”

When a ValuJet DC-9 crashed in the Everglades 25 years ago on May 11, 1996, hundreds of lives were changed forever. But as a result of a lawsuit brought by the family and friends of Kathleen Kessler 72L, nearly 50 female Emory Law students have received scholarships to help them become the formidable trial lawyer she was.

The Emory Law Alumni Awards recognize outstanding alumni who have achieved distinction in legal practice, teaching, research, or public administration and who have demonstrated distinguished service to Emory Law, the Emory Alumni Association, or Emory University.

The membership of Emory’s American Inn of Court has voted to rename itself as The Judge Clarence Cooper American Inn of Court, after a 1967 Emory Law graduate and history maker within the judiciary.

In just nine months, an effort spearheaded by the Black Law Students Association Advisory Board has created an endowment that will allow more Black students to choose Emory Law.

This summer, John T. Rose 18L, associate with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, and his law partner were named on Billboard’s list of 2020 Top Music Lawyers.

Each year, the Emory Law Alumni Awards recognize outstanding alumni who have achieved distinction in legal practice, teaching, research, or public administration and who have demonstrated distinguished service to Emory Law, the Emory Alumni Association, or Emory University.

The US Senate confirmed two Emory University School of Law graduates to federal judgeships.

Kumar Rajamannar, JM Class of 2019, discusses why he chose to pursue a juris master at Emory Law.

Four attorneys will be recognized during Emory Law Alumni Weekend for public service and trailblazing, and for exceptional and distinguished careers. They are: Lewis S. "Mike" Eidson, Lori G. Cohen, John Maggio, and Donna Yip. Interim Dean James B. Hughes Jr. will present the awards during an April 12 reception at the law school.

On April 2, President Donald Trump announced he intends to nominate Steven Grimberg 98L for U.S. District Court judge, to serve in Atlanta. Grimberg is a former U.S. attorney known for prosecuting white-collar and cyber crimes, who served with the Department of Justice for more than 12 years. In 2018, he joined Nardello & Co., where he is managing director, head of the Atlanta office, and general counsel of the Americas.

David Adelman 89L and Richard Hubert 60L, the two alumni chosen as this year's Emory Medalists, share both a global worldview and a JD from Emory Law.

Alumni demonstrate how their legal education enables them to practice law in the international sphere.

Emory just announced its Class of 2018 '40 under 40,' which includes four Emory Law alumni. They are: Brandon Goldberg, Stacy Tolos Kane, Kurt Kastorf and Sara Toering.

John L. Latham 79L of Atlanta, partner with Alston & Bird, has been elected to the Board of Trustees at Emory University.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate easily confirmed Elizabeth "Lisa" Branch 94L to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Senators voted 73-23 to seat Branch on the 12-judge panel, which has jurisdiction over Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Drew Findling 84L has gained some renown as a courtroom killer for an array of high-profile acts. But he has also taken on the role of a mentor, and even a father figure, to some clients as they try to outrun societal disadvantages (and youthful recklessness) in favor of fame. "It is increasingly disturbing to me, the 'X' that is on the forehead of people in this industry," Findling tells The New York Times. "There's such a target on these young guys," he said. "Every once in a while someone is going to make a mistake. But no one looks at all the good that comes out of what they do."

Manuel Burga, former president of Peru's soccer federation, was the first person to be acquitted among over 40 people and entities in the soccer world who were charged with a scheme to extract hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. Of those, 24 pleaded guilty. Burga was cleared of a single racketeering conspiracy charge. He was represented by Bruce Udolf 79L. A former prosecutor, Udolf is now president of his own firm, where he concentrates his practice in white-collar criminal defense, investigations and corporate compliance.

Emory Law's Center for Transactional Law and Practice marked its 10th anniversary last month by convening the first meeting of its inaugural advisory board.

The State Bar of Georgia's innovative Lawyers for Equal Justice incubator program offers millennial attorneys an opportunity to launch their own firms and earn a living while serving a different market--moderate-income people--where there is a huge unmet demand for legal services. It graduated its first class of law firm proprietors recently. Emory Law alumni are among both the graduates and the program's organizers.

Judson Graves 75L, a longtime partner with the international law firm Alston & Bird, has been appointed interim dean of Emory University School of Law, effective Aug. 1.

Courtney Stombock recently joined Emory Law as associate dean of development and alumni relations. She previously served as senior associate director for major gifts at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Emory Law held its annual Alumni Awards Thursday, April 27, honoring Kareem Madison 03L, Patti H. Bass 83L, Randy L. New 76C 82L, and John Latham 79L.

Wasserman, a former Woodruff Scholar at the school, is actively engaged in his community and his school, and has been the managing partner of Sutherland for twelve years. 

Jacynta Brewton is Emory Law's new director of alumni relations. She joins the law school from the University of Maryland's School of Medicine.

The verdict on Nov. 8, 2016, was not unanimous, especially when Secretary Clinton will end up with a popular vote advantage. Yet, it is a message of extreme magnitude from voters willing to overlook the serious flaws of a candidate because they could not reconcile themselves to ratifying the perpetuation of politics as usual.

On Oct. 12, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Sam Olens 83L president of Kennesaw State University. Olens assumes his new role on Nov. 1, 2016. He is currently Georgia's attorney general. "Sam Olens' two decades of public service and outstanding leadership qualities make him the right person to lead Kennesaw State University at the right time," said Board of Regents Chair Kessel Stelling, Jr.

When the Daily Report announced the award winners in its annual "Lifetime Achievement" and "On the Rise" categories, more than a few Emory Law graduates were on the list. Congratulations to all our alumni for their continued success, dedication and service.

John Lewis spoke to a capacity crowd at the screening of a new documentary telling his life story, "Get in the Way: The Journey of John Lewis," at Emory School of Law on March 26 when he noted of now being a film star, "It is almost too much for a boy who grew up in rural Alabama, 50 miles from Montgomery, on a farm, preaching to chickens."

Keith J. Shapiro 83L has contributed $50,000 to endow the Keith J. Shapiro Writing Awards Fund. Two Keith J. Shapiro Writing Award winners will receive $1,000 awards, one for consumer bankruptcy writing and the other for corporate bankruptcy writing.

A Washington lawyer who specializes in prosecuting pharmaceutical fraud, Reuben Guttman 85L has gone after Pfizer, Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, and several other top drug maker--and he usually wins big, recouping billions of dollars for federal and state governments, according to a recent profile in STAT magazine. Guttman talked about bad behavior in the drug industry, and whom he trusts for his own medical care.

The Emory University Board of Trustees has named Leah Ward Sears 80L to their executive committee.

Each year, the Emory @ Work program includes a friendly, nationwide competition in support of the Law School Fund for Excellence. The 2015 campaign included 560 Emory Law alumni at 30 firms, who raised more than $256,000 to support our students, faculty, and vital programs at the law school.

When Charter Communications was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, Doody became its general counsel and spent years restructuring the company. When he tired of the constant traveling, he attended the French Culinary Institute, became accredited in the first two levels of the Court of Master Sommeliers program, and took over business affairs for Vineyard Brands importer.

Friday, Sept. 25, Emory Law hosted its annual Alumni Awards, where four alumni and one beloved professor received top honors. The awards ceremony was held at 7 p.m. in Tull Auditorium, Gambrell Hall at the law school.

The latest issue of Emory Lawyer magazine is now available online.

Andrew H. Jones 14L says "manners were once, but are no longer, viewed as a social asset" in his exposition of civil discourse in the current political climate.

Emory Law closed its fiscal year on August 31, breaking all previous fundraising year-end totals. The school raised more than $7 million including three seven-figure gifts.

Aloke Chakravarty 97L spoke at this year's Welcome Week convocation about how Emory Law inspired him to make a difference.

Several Emory Law alumnae are scheduled speakers for the upcoming conference, "Women in Law: Making Rain, Climbing the Ladder and Forging Your Path." The half-day seminar, sponsored by the Daily Report, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The Daily Report covered Tuesday's panel discussion at Emory Law, that included Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens 83L, Congressman John Lewis, Barbara R. Arnwine, Jason Carter, Anne Lewis and Fred Grey. The 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision voided the requirement that Georgia and other states and localities must have federal preclearance before making changes to voting laws, practices or precincts, holding that the application of the requirement against only some states was unconstitutional, and based on an outdated formula.

Sonny Morris 69L, Oscar Persons 67L, Leah Ward Sears 80L, and Chilton Davis Varner 76L were among the 2015 honorees at the Daily Report's Lifetime Achievement Awards, given in June. "Many took unpopular stands to do what they thought was right for their clients or law," says the Report.

"Best College Values" recently named Emory University's Alumni Association among the Top 50 Most Powerful Alumni Networks.

Three hundred ninety-one students received diplomas in Emory Law's diploma ceremony today.

Attorney General Sam Olens 83L discussed potential legal defense of Georgia's constitutional ban on gay marriage if the high court overrules bans on same-sex marriage: "If the court rules that Georgia's constitutional amendment is legal, the press release from my office will be that the Supreme Court has spoken."

Monday, April 20, Emory University School of Law will host its second annual Diversity Speaker Series panel discussion.

A federal jury found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a failing college student and the youngest child in a dispersed Russian immigrant family, guilty of the 2013 bombings at the Boston Marathon, the worst act of terrorism on American soil since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the New York Times reports. Aloke Chakravarty 97L was a member of the prosecution team that led the jury to convict following 11 hours of deliberations over two days.

As the attorney for the only defendant acquitted of all charges by the jury deciding the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial, Atlanta solo practitioner Sanford "Sandy" Wallack is happy for his client and eager to get back to the rest of his law practice, which he essentially placed on hold during the seven-month-long trial, writes Greg Land of the Daily Report.

Daniel Marti 99L was unanimously confirmed as U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator by the Senate on March 9.

A new initiative to connect low-income inventors with pro bono patent lawyers kicked off last week. For those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, the Georgia PATENTS program screens and refers Georgia inventors to patent lawyers in the appropriate discipline. "The biggest cost is the attorney fees, not the patent application,""said W. Grant Corboy of the Patent Office. Low-income inventors can apply for a 75 percent application fee discount, he added.

Lee Miller 82L is a managing director with The Glenmede Trust Company, N.A., the independent investment and wealth management firm serving endowments, foundations, family and individual relationships that was originally founded in 1956 to serve as the corporate trustee and fiduciary of The Pew Trusts. Miller is on the Dean's Advisory Committee at Emory University School of Law. In addition, she is a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and serves on the Museum's Professional Advisory Council. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Preservation League of New York State.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today named Walter E. Jospin as regional director of its Atlanta office, where he will oversee enforcement and examinations in a region covering five states.

Emory Law alumnus Christian Miele 14L was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, Legislative District 8, on Nov. 4. He was the top vote-getter in a closely contested race with six candidates, including two incumbents, running for the district's three House seats. Miele received 20,164 votes, or 19.4 percent of the total votes cast, in an election where each voter may vote for no more than three candidates. He will be sworn into office Jan. 14.

Pete Rose could have saved his place in major league baseball had he been counseled to admit he gambled on his team, said John Dowd 65L, the lawyer who led the 1989 investigation into the game's all-time hit leader. The Emory event marked the 25th anniversary of Rose's banishment.

A new U.S. magistrate judge has been named for the western district of Kentucky. A statement from Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. says 51-year-old Colin H. Lindsay will assume the position on Jan. 1 after the retirement of Judge James D. Moyer.

The White House announced Thursday that it is nominating a new Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, known colloquially as the "IP czar." He is Washington lawyer Daniel H. Marti. The position coordinates U.S. law-enforcement strategy around copyright, patents and trademarks. The coordinator's duties, somewhat controversial from the start, include harmonizing the enforcement activities of several federal agencies under the White House's Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement.

In August, three Emory Law graduates were named among the Daily Report's annual list of 40 under 40 "Rising Stars" for 2014. They are Christina Graham 02L, Amna Shirazi 12L and Paul Vranicar 06L.

Emory Law alumnus Judge William O'Kelley 51C 53L will receive the university's highest alumni honor, the Emory Medal, Oct. 7. Medalists are honored for distinguished service to the university, extraordinary public service, or high achievement in their field, the professions or the arts. The medal was first awarded in 1946 and is given to one to three recipients annually.

Emory Law alum Whitney Rappole joined the Turner Environmental Law Clinic in representing the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) and investigating federal loan guarantees offered by the Department of Energy.

Randy Davis 79L was one of three captains who piloted a private plane from Liberia to return American aid worker Nancy Writebol to the U.S. to receive treatment for Ebola. Davis said that he was not nervous about his proximity to the contagious patient, and that he viewed it as an honor. "I think everybody everywhere would agree that you'd like to try to help people who are so selfless," Davis said to ABC News.

Executive, judicial and legislative branches are trying to untangle the web of technological innovation.

Emory Lawyer is published twice annually by Emory University School of Law.

Emory Law notes with sadness the passing of Randolph W. Thrower 34C 36L 84H on March 8, 2014.

The sex trafficking of minors placed Georgia in the national spotlight after a FBI lists of cities with a high incidence of the crime included Atlanta. WABE's Rose Scott profiles Georgia's current attorney general Sam Olens.

The changing job market has inspired some Emory Law alumni to leverage their law school education, their personal interests and their entrepreneurial spirit into nontraditional careers.

Emory Law honored five alumni for distinguished work in public service and volunteer efforts on the law school's behalf.

The Emory Public Interest Committee Conference, "Neighbors for Sale: Modern Slavery in Atlanta," will be held Sept. 21, at Emory University School of Law.

The 2013 BLSA Awards features keynote speaker C. Robert Henrickson 72L.

The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory Law named Silas Allard as Associate Director

David Adelman 89L, U.S. ambassador to Singapore, discusses the role of southeast Asia in the global economy.

On Nov. 7, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced the appointment of George F. Hutchinson III 89L to the Gwinett County Superior Court Bench.

Allan Diamond 79L was appointed the new chair of the Advisory Board of the Emory University School of Law.

Elizabeth Branch 94L will be sworn in as judge for the Georgia Court of Appeals on Sept. 4.