It is with great pleasure that I write to you as the 14th dean of the University of Georgia School of Law.
I assumed the role of dean on January 1, and so far 2025 has flown by. I have proudly served on this faculty for 19 years, and I thought I knew the law school pretty well. But over the past months the breadth of activity at Georgia Law and the dedication of our faculty, staff, and students has impressed me time and again.
Our law school continues to redefine what it means to be a great national public law school. We aim to produce well-rounded graduates who will succeed – and thrive – as leaders in the profession. We are the nation’s best value law school (and have been for five of the last seven years). We rank among the top 22 law schools in the nation and have by far the lowest tuition among this elite group. Our Class of 2022 graduates posted a 98.95% Ultimate Bar Passage Rate (ranking 12th in the nation), and 95% of the Class of 2024 is employed.
Usha R. Rodrigues, Dean, University Professor & M.E. Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law
Matching excellence with access, this academic year we committed to awarding an endowed one-quarter scholarship to all first-generation college graduates earning a Juris Doctor and launched the Georgia Honors Fellows Program, sending our students and recent graduates to prosecutor and public defender offices in rural parts of our state. The School of Law also hosted approximately 40 judges for a variety of lectures and events. Federal judges from six circuits came to campus. The Georgia Supreme Court even held a special session in our own Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom. With these kinds of ties, perhaps it is no surprise that we rank 10th in the nation for federal judicial clerkships.
On the faculty front, we have seen a changing of the guard. Longtime professors Dan Coenen and Michael Wells concluded their storied careers with well-deserved retirement, after a combined 84 years of service. They have left an indelible mark on Georgia Law, both inside and outside the classroom, and we miss them already. Even as we bid them farewell, we welcome four new accomplished professors and scholars to campus this fall.
Our students continue to shine in so many ways – academically, in the courtroom, editing and publishing four legal journals, and serving in our 18 clinics and externships. This year, one of our students was chosen as an Academic All-American Trial Advocate and another was selected as a national Law Student of the Year.
I have always known our community was blessed with fiercely loyal alumni who will always answer the law school’s call. Since becoming dean, I have felt this connection even more, and I appreciate the warm welcome you have given me. I also want to thank those of you who have funded law school initiatives that will help advance our institution. It was with great joy that we recognized Yvette Daniels (J.D.’89) and Carson Alexander (J.D.’17), along with former Dean Peter “Bo” Rutledge, at our spring awards banquet for their service to the law school and the legal profession.
As evidenced in the pages of this magazine, our law school continues to operate from a place of great strength, thanks to the hard work so many have invested in our community. This includes you – our alumni and friends, our dedicated faculty and staff, as well as our talented students. It also includes my predecessors, Peter “Bo” Rutledge, Rebecca Hanner White, and David Shipley, as well as the UGA administration, led by President Jere Morehead (J.D.’80). Additionally, I want to recognize the wise counsel provided by the members of our three alumni boards.
While it is still early in my deanship, I am confident our law school remains on the right path – making excellence in legal education accessible for the next generation.
Redefining what it means to be a great national public law school will take all of us working together, focused on the same vision. I encourage you to find your own way to play a part in your law school’s success.
