Melanie D. Wilson (J.D.’90) relishes her role as a law school leader and professor. She feels that she is able to pay forward the education, support and advocacy that she received as a UGA student.

Wilson had a rewarding career practicing law before entering academia including work at law firms and positions such as assistant U.S. attorney and assistant attorney general for the state of Georgia. However, legal education was her true calling.

“It was somewhat fortuitous, but I always loved law school,” she said. “I always loved learning the law and talking about the law, so it was an easy transition for me.”

Wilson originally pursued a law degree because she knew it would provide her with a good, broad professional education that would make many great opportunities available to her. She was particularly inspired by her parents, who did not attend college. They encouraged Wilson to pursue education and assured her that she could be and do anything she desired.

“They instilled in me not only a sense that education is power but also that I could achieve something,” she said. “It didn’t matter what my gender was, it didn’t matter what my background was, and it didn’t matter their background. It was basically just hard work that would get it done, and that was really influential.”

Being a successful student is one of her proudest accomplishments.

“That may sound mundane, but I think when you come from a family who didn’t have those opportunities, you have an appreciation for how valuable that education is,” she said.

Wilson attended UGA for both her undergraduate and law degrees. “I had such a great experience in Athens – at Georgia – both for my undergraduate experience and certainly at the law school,” Wilson said. “Every accomplishment that I’ve had professionally goes back to my time at UGA. I sit in a lot of gratitude for the great education and experience I had there.”

The first semester of law school was the toughest part of Wilson’s legal education. Beginning law school felt intimidating, and it took her time to get acclimated with the new environment.

Wilson said she was “just very dedicated, worked really hard and stayed focused” on what she was doing. “I worried about learning. I worried about taking advantage of all of the opportunities – all of the lecturers who came, the great professors we had,” she said.

Wilson’s favorite professor was University Professor, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor & Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law Dan T. Coenen. She first had Coenen for her Contracts course during her first year of law school, which happened to be the year Coenen began teaching at the School of Law. Coenen also taught Wilson Constitutional Law I and II.

When beginning her career in academia, Wilson would return to UGA to watch Coenen teach to be reminded of what great law professors look like, how they prepare for classes and how they engage their students. Wilson practices these techniques as a law professor, her favorite aspect of her job.

“Being in the classroom is unparalleled,” she said. “Really seeing people learn and grow and think about things in new ways and really develop as lawyers, that’s tough to beat.”

In addition to being Dean and the Steinheimer, Jr., Professor of Law at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, Wilson’s commitment to the betterment of legal education is furthered by her involvement in the Association of American Law Schools. The nationwide body works to uphold and advance excellence in legal education by serving as an institutional membership organization for law schools and as a learned society for individual law faculty members.

When assuming the one-year presidency of the group in January, she announced her theme for the organization: “Courage in Action.” The theme resonates with her and reflects her vision for the future of legal education.

“We’re trying to prepare students to be courageous advocates for their clients and to stand up when it’s difficult and when the easy thing to do would be to remain quiet,” she said. “With technology changing so much, it really is a time when we have to be courageous in adapting, changing and preparing our students for the practice in law that looks different than when I graduated.”

Through the changing times, Wilson remains optimistic for the future and the next generation of lawyers. She said interacting with law students and young people has shown her how smart, thoughtful and committed they are to creating a better tomorrow.

“I hope that they get confidence,” she said. “I hope they get a good education. I hope they get a sense that grades aren’t everything, that they can be healthy and happy and good lawyers and good people.”

Wilson offered advice to aspiring legal professionals, including taking risks and being honest with yourself about your strengths. She emphasized authenticity above all else.

“When you interact with the world, you’ve got to be your real self and not pretend to be what somebody wants you to be, because that’s just exhausting,” she said.

—Mason A. Brock