Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge announced earlier this year that he will step down as leader of the School of Law and return to its faculty at the end of this calendar year. Under his decade-long deanship, the School of Law achieved historic rankings, set fundraising records, expanded access to student financial aid and was consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best returns on investment in legal education.
In April, the School of Law defended its highest U.S. News & World Report ranking ever – No. 20 overall and No. 7 among public institutions – for the second straight year. Additionally, the school has been rated the No. 1 or No. 2 Best Value Law School by National Jurist for eight straight years, including five years as the No. 1 Best Value.
Rutledge said it has been an honor to serve the law school community as dean since Jan. 1, 2015. “With thanks to the unflagging support of President Morehead, Provost Hu and his predecessors, the UGA Foundation trustees, the University System of Georgia and the state’s elected leadership, we have successfully executed a vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education.”
The law school set several fundraising records during Rutledge’s tenure, with much of the support devoted to student financial aid. The school created 90 new scholarship funds, including the Amos First-Start Scholars and Butler Commitment programs that guarantee financial assistance to all first-generation college graduates and military veterans, respectively. The Distinguished Law Fellows program, created in 2016 thanks to a transformational commitment from The John N. Goddard Foundation, offers more than 25 full-tuition scholarships and professional development stipends to some of the most academically gifted students in the law school.
Student indebtedness at the School of Law has decreased by 54% since 2013, and currently half of the student body is completing its legal education at UGA free of debt.
The law school’s graduates also achieved impressive employment outcomes during Rutledge’s deanship. The school posted the nation’s highest employment rate for high-value jobs for the Class of 2021. More recently, 95% of the Class of 2023 secured full-time, long-term, bar pass required/J.D. advantage jobs or enrolled in further graduate studies within 10 months of graduation. The school currently boasts a near-perfect (99.48%) Ultimate Bar Passage Rate.
“Bo Rutledge’s tenure as dean has been extraordinary, and I am grateful for his commitment to the School of Law and the University of Georgia,” President Jere W. Morehead (J.D.’80) said. “He has strengthened the school’s long-standing record of excellence and led it to even greater heights. I have appreciated his friendship and wise counsel as well as his dedication to our students.”
Rutledge championed several curricular initiatives as dean, including an undergraduate law minor, a combined bachelor’s and Juris Doctor program, and three-year degree programs that combine a Juris Doctor with an MBA or Master of Accountancy. The school also created an innovative mentorship program that matches each incoming student with an alumnus/alumna, faculty member, career advisor and fellow student.
Under his leadership, the law school expanded its experiential learning/outreach programs, creating the externally funded Veterans Legal Clinic, First Amendment Clinic, Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic and Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills. It also secured additional external funding for the existing Jane W. Wilson Family Justice Clinic and Community Health Law Partnership Clinic.
Consistent with this track record of strong philanthropic and foundation support, the law school also created several new endowed professorships during Rutledge’s tenure.
“The UGA School of Law is now on course to redefine what it means to be a great national public institution,” Rutledge said. “Alongside the university’s leadership, many deserve credit for this record: a generous alumni/alumnae base, a brilliant faculty, a hardworking staff and inspiring students. Above all else, my wife of 25 years, Birgit, and our four children – Anna, Marie, Nina and Franki – deserve loving gratitude and boundless credit for their support during sleepless nights, long hours, heartbreaking emergencies and a pandemic’s challenges.”
Rutledge added that serving the law school community has been the privilege of a lifetime. “As a first-generation law school graduate, I credit my own law professors, folks like David Strauss and Richard Epstein, for inspiring me to dedicate my professional life to the legal academy. The core of my work has involved investing in the next generation of lawyers and leaders. This past decade of service as dean has offered the exceptional honor to work with an incredibly talented group of colleagues and alums to make that same sort of investment at the institutional level, laser-focused on a vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education. As I prepare to return to the faculty, I look forward to continuing that dedication to the next generation and to supporting my successor as they develop their own vision.”
First-gen scholarship program renamed in honor of Rutledge’s tenure
Soon after Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge announced his decision to step down as the leader of the School of Law, several members of the law school community called for a lasting tribute honoring the strides the school made under his 10-year deanship.
Early in Rutledge’s tenure, he identified a goal of creating a program that would benefit first-generation college graduates. In 2019, through the generosity of Kathelen V. Amos (J.D.’82) and the Daniel P. Amos Family Foundation, the First-Start Scholars Program was established to provide scholarships and specialized programming for this special cohort of students.
This initiative speaks to the heart and legacy of Rutledge’s leadership and, upon the announcement of his transition to the faculty, the Amos family requested to rename the program in his honor. The Rutledge Family First-Start Scholars Program, as it will now be titled, will continue to support first-generation college graduates with a demonstrated commitment to service, community building and problem solving.
In addition to the renaming, the effort will be expanded so that every first-generation college graduate enrolled at the School of Law is guaranteed endowed scholarship aid, both now and in the future. Notably, Dean A. Adelman (J.D.’90) and Gary P. Jackson have matched the first $100,000 of new gifts supporting the expansion of the fund.
For the last decade, support for first-generation college graduates has been a high priority for the School of Law under Rutledge’s leadership.
“Birgit and I are incredibly grateful to Kathelen and the Amos family for this touching gesture to rename the scholarship. They have been dear friends, and we will remain invested in the success of the Rutledge Family First-Start Scholars Program,” Rutledge said. “Dean and Gary’s thoughtful matching gift means a great deal to our family as well. Inspired by their donation, Birgit and I will likewise contribute to this important cause as the law school builds on its successful track record of supporting first-generation college graduates.”
Rutledge teaching on Herty Field in 2011.
Rutledge with (l. to r.) U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald, U.S. District Senior Judge Lawrence Piersol and UGA President Jere Morehead (J.D.’80) in 2017.
Rutledge at the 2022 Commencement ceremony.
Rutledge and students at the Pie-A-Professor/Peer event in 2023.
Rutledge with CeCe Davenport – the daughter of Chester Davenport (LL.B.’66), who was the School of Law’s first Black graduate – at her father’s portrait unveiling.
