The University of Georgia School of Law proudly announces two initiatives that speak directly to its vision of redefining what it means to be a great national public law school – one that provides a world-class, hands-on, purpose-driven education with a pioneering commitment to affordability, according to School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge.

The first is the Georgia Honors Fellows Program, which has been designed to help address the deficit of prosecutors and public defenders in Georgia communities without adequate access to legal services, and the second is the guarantee of a minimum one-quarter scholarship to every first-generation college graduate and veteran who enrolls at the law school. 

Addressing legal needs for rural Georgians: Georgia Honors Fellows Program

The Georgia Honors Fellows Program, made possible through a blend of public and private funds, will help to create a pipeline of future attorneys from the School of Law to serve in these critically important roles throughout non-metropolitan parts of Georgia. The program has two components:

• The “Georgia Summer Honors Fellows Program” will provide stipends for up to 10 law students working in the offices of prosecutors and public defenders in rural Georgia. Five will work in prosecutors’ offices (or the Georgia Office of the Attorney General), and five will work in public defenders’ offices. Before beginning their summer fellowships, the selected students will participate in short “boot camps” organized by Melissa D. Redmon, director of the school’s Prosecutorial Justice Program and a former prosecutor, and Elizabeth Taxel, director of the school’s Criminal Defense Practicum and a former public defender. Following their summer experience, student participants will have the option to extend their work for one semester, thanks to private funding support. The result will be students gaining nearly nine months of hands-on experience in these non-metropolitan legal settings.

• The “Georgia Honors Fellows Program” will support several School of Law graduates in full-time, longer term positions in these offices. Like the Summer Honors Fellows Program, participants will work in prosecutors’ and public defenders’ offices. Before commencing their fellowships, Honors Fellows also will participate in boot camps organized by Redmon and Taxel. Private donations will supplement this part of the program. Additionally, the law school will pay for the bar exam preparation costs for each participant as well as contribute $10,000 annually to reduce the graduates’ debt for each year they participate in the program, up to a maximum of three years.

“The Honors Fellows and Summer Honors Fellows programs are a crucial step in addressing the critical shortage of public servants in our rural communities,” Redmon said. “By directly supporting the prosecution offices in these areas, the local justice system is strengthened, and law students have an invaluable opportunity to gain both hands-on practical experience and a deep understanding of the unique challenges rural prosecutors face. I am excited to know these programs will create a new generation of highly skilled public servants committed to justice and equity throughout the state.”

Taxel said the shortage of public defenders in Georgia's rural and underserved legal areas has a profound impact on these communities and on the integrity of the legal system. “Having the opportunity to support law students and young lawyers who are taking the initiative to ensure that constitutional ideals are upheld in every corner of the state is a true honor.”

This initiative also includes the School of Law hosting conferences for Georgia prosecutors and public defenders on the UGA campus in Athens. This will build on a partnership the law school has had for several years with the Georgia Public Defender Council to host the organization’s annual conference.

Rutledge said this support will help defray conference expenses for the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and the GPDC. He indicated that it also has the potential to reduce the costs of participants attending these annual meetings.

“The Georgia Honors Fellows initiative exemplifies the School of Law at its very best,” he added. “Generous state support, combined with private contributions, allows some of our truly world-class faculty to help tackle an acute need within the state of Georgia. Several states around the country confront similar challenges, and this initiative offers the opportunity to serve as a model for the nation.”

Expanding access to a legal education: Increased aid for first-gen college graduates/veterans

The School of Law will now guarantee that every first-generation college graduate and veteran who accepts an offer of admission will be guaranteed a minimum of a one-quarter scholarship for the duration of his or her Juris Doctor studies.

Since 2013, the School of Law has reduced aggregate student indebtedness by almost 55%. It also has more than doubled the number of students currently obtaining their legal education without borrowing a penny.

“First-generation college graduates and veterans have been priorities in our efforts to keep a legal education affordable,” Rutledge said.

Catalyzed by a transformational gift from 1982 School of Law alumna Kathelen V. Amos and the Daniel P. Amos Family Foundation, the law school’s First-Start Scholars Program provides financial aid and other support to first-generation college graduates. Roughly 25 students in each entering class self-identify as first-generation college graduates.

“For the past four years, the law school has ensured that every member of this cohort has received some level of financial support, ranging from a stipend to a full-tuition-plus scholarship,” Rutledge said. “With this newest effort, the School of Law raises the floor and guarantees that each first-generation college graduate will receive at least a one-quarter scholarship for all three years of law school.”

Another transformational gift focused on veterans is supported by 1972 law school alumnus Jim Butler. The Butler Commitment guarantees financial aid and other support for veterans. Former military member enrollment has ranged from a few students in each entering class to up to 10.

“Since 2019, these former military members have been guaranteed some level of financial support, again ranging from a stipend to a full-tuition-plus scholarship,” Rutledge said. “With today’s announcement, the School of Law has increased the minimum guarantee to the equivalent of a one-quarter scholarship for all three years of legal study.”

Rutledge added:  “I’d like to thank the Amos family, the Butler family and the countless donors who have followed their lead to bring the School of Law to the point where we can confidently make these monetary commitments. In a world of continued concern about the affordability of legal education – and higher education – programs like the First-Start Scholars and the Butler Commitment exemplify how the UGA School of Law is redefining what it means to be a great national public law school.”