Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is proud to share that Professor Jonathan Rapping, Director of the Criminal Justice Certificate Program, has published Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice.

The book hit shelves this month and is a #1 New Release on Amazon. The book is described online as,

A blueprint for criminal justice reform that lays the foundation for how model public defense programs should work to end mass incarceration.

Combining wisdom drawn from over a dozen years as a public defender and cutting-edge research in the fields of organizational and cultural psychology, Jonathan Rapping proposes a radical cultural shift to a “fiercely client-based ethos” driven by values-based recruitment training, awakening defenders to their role in upholding an unjust status quo, and a renewed pride in the essential role of moral lawyering in a democratic society.

Public defenders represent over 80% of those who interact with the court system, a disproportionate number of whom are poor, non-white citizens who rely on them to navigate the law on their behalf. More often than not, even the most well-meaning of those defenders are over-worked, under-funded, and incentivized to put the interests of judges and politicians above those of their clients in a culture that beats the passion out of talented, driven advocates, and has led to an embarrassingly low standard of justice for those who depend on the promises of Gideon v. Wainwright.

However, rather than arguing for a change in rules that govern the actions of lawyers, judges, and other advocates, Rapping proposes a radical cultural shift to a “fiercely client-based ethos” driven by values-based recruitment and training, awakening defenders to their role in upholding an unjust status quo, and a renewed pride in the essential role of moral lawyering in a democratic society.

Through the story of founding Gideon’s Promise and anecdotes of his time as a defender and teacher, Rapping reanimates the possibility of public defenders serving as a radical bulwark against government oppression and a megaphone to amplify the voices of those they serve.

In addition to his book publication, he has been serving as Co-Chair to the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Use of Force. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced seven Administrative Orders (AO) after receiving the Mayor’s Use of Force Advisory Council’s 45-day recommendations. The Advisory Council provided 33 recommendations spanning five areas of focus on policing practices: Mission, Vision, Values; Standard Operating Procedures; Governance; Community Partnerships; and Reporting and Transparency. The full report may be read here.

Thank you, Professor, for continuing to change the culture and practice of public defense in America. AJMLS students are afforded the very best criminal justice education from you.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is pleased to announce the permanent appointment of its 10th Dean, Jace C. Gatewood. Dean Gatewood succeeded Dean Malcolm L. Morris on January 1, 2020 as Interim Dean and CEO, and has now been affirmed by the Board as the permanent Dean. Dean Gatewood became the first African American to serve in the role since the school’s founding in 1933.

Dean Gatewood, who has been a senior member of the faculty since 2008, said “I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed the new permanent Dean of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. I am thrilled to be able to continue the rich legacy of the Law School as a school that provides opportunity for legal training to those who might not otherwise be able to earn a law degree. For much of its history, women and African-Americans were more welcome at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School than at many law schools, and I look forward to continuing this tradition of diversity.”

Since assuming his interim role in early 2020, the world experienced record events and the Law School required unparalleled leadership to maintain its stability. Chairman of the Board, Dr. Michael C. Markovitz noted “Dean Gatewood has come through brilliantly [the past six months]. The Law School is the better for it and is making plans for this coming year that include, among other things, an improved online learning platform.” AJMLS has continued its J.D. programs remotely and enrolled a strong Fall 2020 class amid the global pandemic.

Dean Gatewood has served in roles such as Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and Associate Dean of Academic Programs. In addition to teaching, he has chaired the curriculum committee, and been a member of the admissions committee and faculty recruitment committee. Dean Gatewood has taught a range of courses including Property, Business Organizations, Sales and Secured Transactions, Wills, Trusts and Estates, and Agency and Negotiations. As a faculty member at Atlanta’s John Marshall, Dean Gatewood has authored numerous scholarly publications, with his chief research topic being the fourth amendment and an individual’s right to privacy in an increasingly technological world.

Dean Gatewood attended Georgetown University where he was a full scholarship track and field athlete. Becoming the first African American Dean of AJMLS was not his first historic moment, he was also a world and American record-holder for the Distance Medley Relay in 1980. Dean Gatewood went on to earn his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Prior to entering academia, Dean Gatewood practiced for nearly two decades in New York and Atlanta at Weil Gotshal LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, Powell Goldstein LLP, Atlanta Housing Authority, and the Law Offices of Jace C. Gatewood. He specialized in a wide range of commercial lending and corporate and real estate finance transactions. His expertise includes the representation of lenders and foreign and domestic commercial banks in the establishment and administration of single lender and syndicated loan facilities of all kinds.

“While I understand the symbolism of my being the first African American appointed Dean of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, especially during a period of social unrest in the wake of a national antiracism movement and a global pandemic, my focus as Dean will be to move the school to be a more progressive institution by incorporating emerging technologies into the classroom to enable more innovative and engaging teaching methods and learning experiences,” said Dean Gatewood. “All while continuing the efforts of the Law School to promote diversity and inclusiveness in the legal field.”

Despite the events and challenges of 2020, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School has evolved and maintained a rigorous course of study under Dean Gatewood’s leadership. The Law School continues to finalize its new status as a not-for-profit law school and looks forward to a successful academic year.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) congratulates Professor Suparna Malempati, who has been elected to the Board of the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators (NALAE). NALAE is a newly formed organization which supports the community of educators dedicated to elevating advocacy skills education in American law schools. 

Professor Malempati will be serving as a Regional Representative for law schools in Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. She will actively participate in the establishment of NALAE’s goals, bylaws, projects, committees, and other activities. Although NALAE is a brand new organization, over 500 votes were cast from 108 law schools around the country. Professor Malempati has demonstrated a commitment to advocacy education through teaching trial advocacy and working with John Marshall’s advocacy competition teams since 2009.

Prior to joining the AJMLS faculty, Professor Malempati served for two years as lead counsel for the Office of the Child Advocate Attorneys in Fulton County Juvenile Court, where she led a team of lawyers and investigators representing children in abuse and neglect proceedings. She is also an experienced trial attorney, having worked in criminal defense for ten years as an Assistant Public Defender in Fulton County. Throughout her career as a trial lawyer, she successfully defended murders, sex crimes and other complex felony cases. She also wrote briefs and argued cases to the Appellate and Supreme Courts of Georgia.

Congratulations, Professor! We can’t wait to see what great things the Board accomplishes.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is proud to announce it has formally established the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee. The Committee was created early June 2020 by Dean Jace C. Gatewood and is Chaired by both Professor Kathleen Burch and Professor Erika Walker-Cash.

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee advises the Dean on equity, diversity and inclusion issues with the goal of ensuring that Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School becomes a more anti-racist, equitable and inclusive community for all who study, learn, teach and serve here. The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee seeks to: engage the law school community in thoughtful discussion and reflection around race; develop educational and professional programming that includes and addresses topics of diversity and discrimination; and assist students and alumni to identify opportunities to continue this work as lawyers.  

The EDI Committee has already hosted its first two events, a town hall meeting, Activism During Social Unrest: A Conversation with the Atlanta’s John Marshall Community. The inaugural Zoom event was attended by over 75 AJMLS community members ranging from current students to alumni and administrators. The discussion was led by Dr. Bridgett Ortega and breakout sessions allowed participants an intimate opportunity to connect and bring ideas to the table. The Committee also co-hosted with the Office of Student Affairs, the Student Bar Association, and the Black Law Students Association chapter at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School a panel discussion on Police Reform in the 21st Century. The program brought together experts, public officials, and organizers to examine the history of policing in America and discuss how to change policing in America in the context of broader concerns about systemic racism and structural inequality.

The Committee will be hosting and sharing additional events on their webpage here.

Questions, comments, and suggestions may be directed by email at equitydiversityinclusion@johnmarshall.edu.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Associate Professor, Michael Mears, was interviewed by Time Magazine for their recent piece, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Sued to Block Atlanta’s Face Mask Ordinance. In the article, the writer interviewed legal experts at Georgia law schools on whether Governor Kemp’s suit to block the local ordinance mandating masks would be successful in court. 

This case has drawn national attention as Georgia is not the only state that has seen differing views between local municipalities and state leadership. Professor Mears echoed a similar point to other legal experts, telling TIME that 

“there’s a number of cases in Georgia going back to the 1930s that give the authority to the governor.” 

Mears also goes on to note,

“…the case will also likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court. Don’t be surprised if this challenge is just the beginning of a longer legal battle.”

Professor Mears has been on the faculty at AJMLS since 2007. He teaches evidence, advanced evidence, criminal law, criminal procedure, and criminal law ethics. In 2003, Michael was selected to be the founding Director of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council after serving for over ten years as the Director of the Multi-County County Public Defender Office, a state-wide death penalty public defender service funded by the State of Georgia. He then retired from that position in 2007 and has been an Associate Professor AJMLS since. Professor Mears is the author of numerous articles and books, and his unique and diverse background makes him uniquely qualified to comment on the issue as he too has been a Mayor in Georgia for the city of Decatur.

Thank you for your continued contributions to the legal community, Professor Mears. We appreciate all of your efforts!

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Associate Professor, Michael B. Mears, has been reappointed to the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE). Mears has served on the Board for over seven years and has previously served two consecutive terms as Chairman of the Board.

The Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education is a not-for-profit educational service of the State Bar of Georgia and is responsible for providing continuing legal education for all lawyers in the State of Georgia. The Institute is a consortium of the Bar and the Law Schools of the Universities of Georgia, Emory, Mercer, Georgia State, and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

The Institute provides over 300 seminars, webinars, and video seminars to the members of the State Bar of Georgia each year. The Supreme Court of Georgia requires that every active member of the State Bar successfully complete at least 12 hours of legal education in order to maintain their license to practice law. The twelve trustees of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education are charged with the responsibility of developing programs and instituting policies which will provide legal education for members of the State Bar of Georgia.

When asked of his appointment, Professor Mears remarked, 

“I am honored to continue my service as a member of the Board of Trustees of the State Bar’s Institute of Continuing Legal Education. ICLE is dedicated to providing the highest level of continuing legal education to the members of the Bar.”

Professor, thank you for representing Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Your leadership and legal expertise will continue to bring great things to the Georgia legal community.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Associate Dean of Career Services and Professional Development, Dr. Bridgett Ortega, has been announced as the opening keynote speaker for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 83rd Annual Conference on July 20, 2020.

Dr. Ortega’s session on Compassionate Jurisprudence will help to set the tone for the conference and inspire change. This topic is of particular interest to Dr. Ortega as it is also the title of her dissertation: Compassionate Jurisprudence: As Praxis for Justice. 

Dr. Ortega is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and is currently the equity and inclusion officer for the Georgia affiliate of the ACLU. She has spent more than 30 years working for criminal and juvenile justice reform and is a national trainer on subjects dealing with juvenile and adult drug courts, domestic violence, equity, and inclusion, improving outcomes for children of the incarcerated, and is an expert in juvenile justice. As a law professor, she has taught ethics, trial skills, criminal and juvenile justice, and experiential learning courses. Dr. Ortega also spearheaded the creation of the Homeless Veterans Legal Clinic at AJMLS and collaborated with AJMLS students to develop and write Home for Good: Overcoming Legal Barriers to Reentry in Georgia, a self-help guide designed to answer practical, legal questions to help citizens successfully remain in their community. 

Previously in May, Dr. Ortega spoke at another national conference, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals RISE20. Her session at this conference was also entitled Compassionate Jurisprudence. The conference program described her session as,

Little is understood about human-centered judging or how judging with compassion impacts everyone in the courtroom. Given this lack of understanding, an action research study was conducted to explore how human-centered judging affected the thoughts, communications, and behaviors of 32 adult drug court judges. This workshop will explore the themes discovered that support a more compassionate approach to justice in our system of American jurisprudence.

Thank you, Dr. Ortega, for sharing your expertise and passion both in and out of the classroom. Your research is making a difference and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law students are receiving invaluable instruction from you.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Adjunct Professor and Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court of Clayton County, Steve Teske, has been especially active outside the court and classroom in recent months.

In January, The Child Protection and Advocacy section of the State Bar of Georgia invited Judge Teske to deliver the keynote address at their annual conference. The paper he authored was titled “How Professionalism Can Promote Child Protection and Advocacy Using ‘Procedural Fairness’ as a Court Reform”. The paper thesis is below:

“This paper contends that extending ourselves beyond the minimum standards required of our code of ethics and engaging our clients specifically, and our court system generally, through the lens of professionalism, we can improve the outcomes for our respective clients by : 1) shaping facets of our juvenile justice and child welfare systems to conform to best practices that in turn leads to; 2) producing court orders best suited to meet the needs of our clients (whether a child in a delinquency or dependency case or a parent in a dependency matter); and 3) increase the level of compliance in cases where our client is adjudicated, and is required to be under supervision for re-unification (i.e. parent); probation conditions (delinquent youth); or a child in need of services whether dependent, unruly, or truant.

This paper will focus on a particular model called “Procedural Fairness” as a methodology for exercising the values of professionalism that when employed with fidelity, outcomes for children and for parents will improve dramatically in both the juvenile justice and dependency domains of our juvenile courts. Procedural fairness is not to be confused with due process, procedural or substantive. Like our code of ethics, due process sets forth the minimal rules by which we must afford parties that appropriate modicum of fairness. Procedural fairness is all about professionalism and therefore, goes beyond the minimum. Like our values of professionalism, procedural fairness expects higher standards by which fairness is not only defined by the law, but is measured by the litigant.”

Beginning in late 2019, Judge Teske published a series of articles both regionally and nationally. While he publishes regularly for Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE), this particular series on plea bargaining in the juvenile court began with his piece, “The Contrariness of Plea Bargaining in the Juvenile Courts”, published in December 2019, which was then followed by two more articles published in January 2020 titled “Plea Bargaining Hurts Both Guilty and Innocent Kids” and “To Use Evidence-Based Programs for Kids, Get the Lawyers Out of Here”. After editors at the national quarterly journal, Juvenile Justice Update, took an interest in his thoughts on the subject, they approached Judge Teske to write an additional article, also titled “The Contrariness of Plea Bargaining”.

When asked about the content of this series, Judge Teske kindly summarized for AJMLS,

These series of articles begin with describing plea bargaining, its history and development, and leading into the pros and cons. It is the sharp difference in the role of the juvenile courts–rehabilitation over punishment–that makes plea bargaining a tool that works contrary to the rehabilitative role. To understand this how plea bargaining works conversely to rehabilitation requires an understanding of the “What Works” literature developed over the past nearly three decades, which is a collection of practices and programs proven to reduce recidivism among high-risk offenders and prevent delinquency by taking steps to avoid what I call “hyper-recidivism.” The rub is that many of these evidence-based tools that provide the most informed recommendations for rehabilitation cannot be administered prior to the guilt-innocence stage without violating the child’s 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. In other words, absent these tools, prosecutors and defenders are negotiating dispositions for kids that will be less effective to ward rehabilitation. Thus, plea bargaining should be limited or eliminated altogether as I did in my court as early as 2003 that has played a role in reducing delinquency filings to the court as much as 82 percent.  

Still forthcoming in 2020 will be Judge Teske’s article in Volume 54 Issue 4 of the Georgia Law Review titled “Georgia Juvenile Justice Reform: Using a Collective Decision-Making Approach to De-Politicize Crime and Punishment”. The abstract of the forthcoming article is below:

“Since the creation of the first juvenile court in 1899, juvenile courts have undergone periods of transition in response to legislative enactments prompted by societal events or in response to legal challenges involving due process rights of children. This Article examines the extent to which politics has played a role in shaping juvenile justice and crime policies and its impact on children and public safety. In this critical review of each period of transition, this Article concludes that the lack of success among juvenile justice agencies, including the courts, is predominately the result of the politicizing of crime and punishment in the United States. This politicization consequently disrupts efforts to employ programs and practices that empirical evidence has shown to prevent and reduce delinquency. Using Georgia’s approach to juvenile justice reform as a case study, this Article shows how using a collaborative approach coupled with employing a methodical analytic decisionmaking process de-politicizes the issues, allowing for a discussion of programs and practices that work”. 

Thank you, Judge Teske, for your incredible work in the juvenile courts. Your research and experience brings the very best juvenile law learning experience to Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School students.

Editor’s note: Since publication, Judge Teske’s article in the Georgia Law Review has been published. You may read the full article here.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Certificate Program, Jonathan Rapping, was recently appointed by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as Co-Chair of the new Use of Force Advisory Council in Atlanta. 

Mayor Bottoms issued an Administrative Order to convene an Advisory Council comprised of community members and partners to examine the City’s use of force policies and procedures. The Advisory Council will make recommendations for operational or legislative changes to the City’s existing use of force policies.*

Professor Rapping is not new to inspiring reform, as the President and Founder of non-profit Gideon’s Promise, his work and support to public defender offices across the nation is transforming the criminal justice system. The vision of Gideon’s Promise is We envision a nation where every person has access to zealous, outstanding representation necessary to ensure “equal justice for all” in the criminal justice arena.

On June 3rd, Gideon’s Promise launched its new weekly podcast hosted by Professor Rapping. Gideon’s Promise: The Podcast explores the critical role of public defenders in systemic justice reform. Each episode explores a wide range of issues facing marginalized communities with subject matter experts, key opinion leaders, and people impacted by the American criminal legal system.

Rapping is a passionate educator, both at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and Harvard Law School. Recently, Law360 interviewed him for their Access to Justice series. In the piece, Jon Rapping Talks Pandemics, Protests And Public Defense, he addressed a question specific to teaching:

As a teacher, what do you have to say to law students preparing to enter the workforce during a pandemic and widespread civil unrest over the justice system?

I came to, and remain at, John Marshall because of its mission to prepare students for practice who otherwise would not have access to law school. Roughly half our students are students of color. They are disproportionately impacted by the issues that give rise to the protests we are seeing and disproportionately likely to use their law degrees to address these problems.

At orientation for first-year students, I say to them, at the end of your first year you’ll have read countless cases. But I bet you couldn’t tell me one thing about a single person behind those cases. And that’s because of the way we train lawyers. Good lawyers are people who can mechanically follow a set of steps to arrive at a logical conclusion. When lawyers then enter the system we do the same thing — we see people as cases to resolve and legal issues to address, not as human beings. We dehumanize.

But If we’re going to ever have a criminal justice system that treats people fairly, we have to humanize it. And public defenders are really doing that.

As ongoing national protests against police violence take place, Professor Rapping is an ally and passionate public speaker. He was a keynote speaker this past week at the Public Defenders for Black Lives Rally in Atlanta, hosted by the ACLU of Georgia, Cochran Firm, Gideon’s Promise, and Southern Center for Human Rights. 

Also this past week, Rapping served as one of five panelists for Microsoft’s Criminal Justice Reform Atlanta Forum. This was a partnership between Microsoft’s Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) division, the African American/Black Employee Network (AA/BEN), and the Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) employee resource group to host a series of Criminal Justice Reform town halls across our nation. Other panelists included Hip Hop star David Banner, Civil Rights attorney Chris Stewart (represents George Floyd’s family), Doug Ammar, ED of Georgia Justice Project, and Judge Beryl Anderson.

Thank you to Professor Rapping for all that you do, in and out of the classroom. Atlanta’s John Marshall Law students will forever be impacted by your teaching and leadership.

*Press Release: Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Appoints Members to Use of Force Advisory Council

The willful and wanton murder of George Floyd serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing institutional racial and social injustices in this country. The painful wounds that flow from the unequal administration of justice run deep. In a democratic society, law is the covenant that binds free people together. The legitimacy of that covenant rests on the bedrock of equal protection—the fundamental principle that everyone stands on a level playing field in the eyes of the law. Racism, however, makes equal protection impossible. To mistreat a person on account of that person’s skin color is evil. When that racism takes the form of state-sponsored police brutality, the ties that link us together as fellow citizens sear from the pain of the oppressed.

No one is unaffected. While wrongfully imprisoned by police in a Birmingham jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught the world that the infection of inequality lands on each of us: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

We, the faculty of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, denounce the murder of George Floyd and the senseless killing of countless others. We share the heartache of all those who are hurting from the continuing stain of racism. We also stand in solidarity with our many students and alumni who are battling on the front lines to make this country more just. Their example inspires us, and we remain steadfast in our mission of shaping future lawyers dedicated to forging a system of justice that lives up to our nation’s stated, yet unrealized, ideals.The courage and passion of our students and alumni provide hope that the day is near when the constitutional guarantee of equal protection becomes a living, breathing reality for all races.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Associate Dean of Career Services and Professional Development, Dr. Bridgett Ortega, is on the move in Georgia, advocating for others.

In her capacity at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, Dr. Ortega collaborated with AJMLS students to develop and write Home for Good: Overcoming Legal Barriers to Reentry in Georgia*, a self-help guide designed to answer practical, legal questions to help citizens successfully remain in their community. This publication is distributed free of charge and is available on the Law School website here. Dr. Ortega’s office provides pro-bono opportunities for students to reach their community at events such as the Restoration Resources Fair for Ex-Offenders, hosted by Congressman Henry “Hank” Johnson on Thursday, February 20th. The 4th edition of the publication is forthcoming in 2020.

As a veteran herself, Dr. Ortega spearhead the creation of the Homeless Veterans Legal Clinic. Now under the leadership of her office and AJMLS alumnus, Corey Martin of Martin and Associates, the second Friday of each month, AJMLS provides representation and advocacy to system-involved veterans through its Homeless Veterans Legal Clinic in partnership with the Atlanta V.A. Medical Center. These services are provided at Ft. McPherson in the Justice Programs Office.

In January, Dr. Ortega was the lead presenter at the January meeting of the End Mass Incarceration Georgia Network, where her presentation spoke to the background on voting disenfranchisement for felonies in Georgia. Georgia law states that anyone convicted of a “crime involving moral turpitude” will lose their voting rights. However, it does not clearly define what “moral turpitude” means. Dr. Ortega lead the discussion and sought to educate, organize, and help disenfranchised people to understand their rights.

As a law professor she has taught ethics, trial skills, criminal and juvenile justice, and experiential learning courses. She has nearly 30 years experience in legal and programmatic positions aimed at criminal and juvenile justice reform. Her life’s work has been the zealous advocacy for and on behalf of children and disenfranchised adults, as a public defender, researcher, and policy consultant. Dr. Ortega was formerly Deputy Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Reclaiming Futures, a juvenile justice reform initiative aimed at creating strategies for intervening with young people with substance abuse and other issues that bring them into the criminal justice system. She is also a trainer for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and former member at large of The National Juvenile Defender Center. Her dissertation is entitled Compassionate Jurisprudence: A Praxis for Justice.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School students have had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Ortega since 2011 and we thank her for her tireless service!

*The guide is information only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal advice in any particular situation. If you need legal help or have questions about your particular situation, call a lawyer. Only licensed attorneys can interpret the law for you. See the resource section at the end of the book.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Certificate Program, Jonathan A. Rapping, has been on the move in December and January speaking about criminal justice. In addition to his roles at AJMLS, Professor Rapping serves as the President and Founder of Gideon’s Promise, is a Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard University Law School, and is a frequent presenter and contributor to national conversations on criminal justice reform. Rapping is also the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant, the American College of Trial Lawyers Emil Gumpert Award, Harvard Law School Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship, Cardozo Law School Inspire Award, and the George Soros Open Society Fellowship along with many other honors and recognitions.

In December, Professor Rapping was the keynote speaker in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at “Where Do We Go from Here? A community forum on criminal justice reform in Orange County”. The event was co-sponsored by Orange County and the District 18 Bar Racial Justice Task Force. Invested panelists included the District Attorney, Public Defender, County Sheriff, Police Chief, Superior Court Judge, and representatives from the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, University of North Carolina School of Government, North Carolina Justice Center, and the District Courts. The impressive table of panelists engaged in discussions about “The role of stakeholders in criminal justice reform” and “The intersection of poverty and the criminal justice system”. Professor Rapping’s keynote was entitled: Rewriting the Criminal Justice Narrative.

Later in January, Professor Rapping will travel to Los Angeles to participate in three separate events on the topic of criminal justice reform. The first, a lecture hosted by the University of Southern California’s Dornsife Pre-Law Speaker Series discussing “The Lawyer’s Role in a Just Society”. The second, Professor Rapping is presenting to the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office a lecture discussing “A public defender movement to transform criminal justice”. The third, a lunch event presented by UCLA Law’s Criminal Justice Program and David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy discussing “Gideon’s Promise: Building a Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice”.

When asked of his work, Professor Rapping remarked “Lawyers have always played a critical role in the ongoing struggle to push our nation to achieve its stated ideals. The criminal justice system is one example of how far we are from living our democratic values. It is not enough that lawyers help administer the system as it exists; they must be change agents to make society more just. How law schools educate future lawyers determines whether they are prepared to raise the standard of justice or perpetuate the status quo. I am proud of our mission at John Marshall and our commitment to creating lawyers who will leave the legal system better than when they entered it. ”

The Law School is proud to offer its students the opportunity to learn criminal law from one of the nation’s leaders working to improve the criminal justice system. Thank you, Professor!

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is pleased to announce the appointment of its 10th Dean, Jace C. Gatewood. Dean Gatewood succeeded Dean Malcolm L. Morris on January 1, 2020 as Interim Dean and CEO, becoming the first African American to serve in the role since the school’s founding in 1933.

Dean Gatewood, who has been a senior member of the faculty since 2008, said “Atlanta’s John Marshall has offered the opportunity for legal training to those who might not otherwise have been able to earn a law degree. For much of its 87 year history, women and African Americans were more welcome at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School than at many law schools, and the Law School today proudly continues its tradition of diversity.”

Dean Gatewood has served in roles such as Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and Associate Dean of Academic Programs. In addition to teaching, he has chaired the curriculum committee, and been a member of the admissions committee and faculty recruitment committee. Dean Gatewood has taught a range of courses including Property, Business Organizations, Sales and Secured Transactions, Wills, Trusts and Estates, and Agency and Negotiations. As a faculty member at Atlanta’s John Marshall, Dean Gatewood has authored numerous scholarly publications, with his chief research topic being the fourth amendment and an individual’s right to privacy in an increasingly technological world.

Dean Gatewood attended Georgetown University where he was a full scholarship track and field athlete. Becoming the first African American Dean of AJMLS was not his first historic moment, he was also a world and American record-holder for the Distance Medley Relay in 1980. Dean Gatewood went on to earn his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Prior to entering academia, Dean Gatewood practiced for nearly two decades in New York and Atlanta at Weil Gotshal LLP, Troutman Sanders LLP, Powell Goldstein LLP, Atlanta Housing Authority, and the Law Offices of Jace C. Gatewood. He specialized in a wide range of commercial lending and corporate and real estate finance transactions. His expertise includes the representation of lenders and foreign and domestic commercial banks in the establishment and administration of single lender and syndicated loan facilities of all kinds.

“Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School occupies a unique place in American legal education,” said Dean Gatewood. “I am extremely proud of the opportunity to share in this rich legacy of the school.”

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is looking forward to flourishing under the leadership of Dean Gatewood as it converts to a non-profit institution in 2020.

Dean Malcolm L. Morris, who is Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s (AJMLS) ninth dean, announced his retirement to the AJMLS community on November 14.

Dean Morris, who has served since July 1, 2014, said “Fifty years ago I entered law school. Except for a brief hiatus to practice law, I have been working in law schools ever since. It has proven to be a wonderful experience and a career choice never once second-guessed.”

During Dean Morris’s tenure, the Law School made significant advancements in admissions, bar preparation programs, and upheld its mission to serve both traditional and non-traditional students. Professor Michael Mears noted, “The past several years have provided many challenges to our school and because of Dean Morris’s vision and leadership our law school has met those challenges with very positive outcomes. His leadership footprint will remain a part of our school for decades to come.”

Dean Morris, who is known for his wit, stories, and trivia, was often found checking-in with his employees around the school. He enjoyed getting to know each person personally and sharing great laughter and conversation. His work ethic was reflected in his schedule as the first to arrive and the last to leave, also being found most weekends jean-clad in his office tending to law school business.

Dean Morris continued “During my time in the academy I have taught at five different law schools and delivered lectures to students in every section of the country. I was privileged to be mentored by some outstanding faculty colleagues, befriended by many other wonderful colleagues, and to teach generations of students. It also was my good fortune to work with a number of professional and lay organizations as well as national and local bar associations. A number of them graciously recognized my contributions, something for which and I am appreciative. In sum, it has been a rewarding and enjoyable career which most importantly was fun.”

“Over the last five and one-half years I have led the Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School through some difficult times. It now has the academic programming and student support needed to serve those who come to learn how to become and succeed as lawyers. This is a legacy of which I will be most proud for as most of us who teach know student success is our raison d’etre.”      

“Many years ago I was taught a simple lesson—leave wherever you have worked a little better place than it was when you arrived. I have always strived to meet that goal and my sincere hope is that I have done so. What I also learned along the way is to enjoy what you are doing. It makes the effort much easier and life more enjoyable.”

The road to Dean at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School was paved with impressive leadership positions, research, and service to legal education and the legal community. As one of the most prominent legal scholars in notary law, Dean Morris was the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Notary Association. Dean Morris was the Director of Graduate Estate Planning Programs and the Associate Director of Graduate Tax Law Programs. He also served two terms as the Associate Dean and one term as the Interim Dean at Northern Illinois University College of Law. During his tenure there, he was elected Secretary of the Faculty Senate and was a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and the University Council, as well as the University Personnel Advisor. Additionally, he has been active as an ABA accreditation site visitor, Board Member and Treasurer of CLEO, Inc., LSAC trustee, and member of various AALS and ABA committees. During his time in Illinois, Dean Morris chaired and participated on numerous Illinois State Bar Association committees, received a number of awards for those efforts, including the prestigious Austin Fleming Award, all of which led to his induction as a Laureate in its Academy of Illinois Lawyers. He also has an extensive scholarship record that includes works published in both law reviews and practitioner-oriented publications.

Dr. Michael Markovitz, Chairman of the Board, remarked, “As the law school’s third Dean since achieving American Bar Association accreditation, Dean Morris has presided over the law school through a troubling time for legal education. With his usual good cheer and positive attitude, Dean Morris has seen our law school through these hard times. He strengthened the curriculum and significantly improved student outcomes. He set the school on a positive trajectory, leaving the law school on an up-note for his successor to build upon. We wish him and his wife Terry all the best in retirement.”

“I cannot imagine having enjoying any other career as much as I did during my time in the academy,” said Dean Morris. “Thank you to everyone who made it possible.”

Dean Morris is a graduate of Cornell University (B.S.), SUNY Buffalo (J.D.), and Northwestern University (LL.M.). In retirement, Morris will reside in the greater metropolitan Chicago area with his bride of 36 years, Terry Morris.

As of January 1, 2020, Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Jace C. Gatewood, was appointed Interim Dean and CEO of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Adjunct Professor, Jeffrey D. Diamond, was interviewed by WallHub as one of their insurance experts. The article goes in-depth about Georgia auto rates and insurers. Professor Diamond is a practicing litigation attorney who specializes in insurance law and related matters and teaches Insurance Law at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

Questions asked of Professor Diamond in the article:

What are the biggest risk factors keeping car insurance rates from being cheaper in Georgia?

Is there anything that state and local governments can do to promote cheap car insurance rates for their constituents?

What is the biggest vehicle-related financial mistake that drivers in Georgia make?

Why do you think credit history has a relatively [big/small] impact on car insurance rates in Georgia?*

Questions from WalletHub’s article: 2019’s Best Cheap Car Insurance in Georgia

Several years ago, Georgia law schools formed GALE, the Georgia Association of Legal Externships. GALE has worked hard to standardize policies and practices for the supervision of externs in their field placements. Every year, the Georgia Association of Legal Externships hosts an annual Supervising Attorney training designed to help externship supervisors and their organization get the most out of working with law students. This year’s supervisor training was held at the Georgia State Bar on August 7, 2019. Assistant Dean of Experiential Learning, Dr. Bridgett E. Ortega facilitated a session on navigating cultural difference that was warmly received by the 75 plus attorneys in attendance.

The Atlanta’s John Marshall Legal Externship Program provides work experience in different areas of practice so students can determine what suits them best. Externships also help students to develop relationships that will continue as they begin their legal career. Externships are an educational experience in every sense and good placement supervisors serve to enhance the students’ educational experience in the field where students get to experience firsthand the practice of law.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Adjunct Professor and Acting District Attorney in Cobb County has been named the new Chief of Staff at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

In addition to teaching AJMLS students, Professor Melvin is in his 24th year as a prosecutor and has worked in three metro Atlanta counties: Dekalb, Gwinnett, and Cobb.

Quoted in the Daily Report,

Melvin said he makes a pitch for his career path in classes he has taught at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School and previously at Emory University School of Law.

“I tell them I have dismissed more cases as a prosecutor than any defense attorney will ever win,” Melvin said.

“People want to change the system and improve the world,” he said. “A prosecutor has a tremendous amount of power. You really want good people in those positions.”

His courtroom experience has brought invaluable lessons and insight to AJMLS students in the classroom and we wish him the best as he transitions to his new post at the GBI. Congratulations, Professor!

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Certificate Program, Jonathan A. Rapping, helped to facilitate the Trial Advocacy Workshop for law students at Harvard Law School January 9-10, 2019. In addition to his roles at AJMLS, Professor Rapping serves as the President and Founder of Gideon’s Promise, is a Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard University Law School, and is a frequent presenter and contributor to national conversations on criminal justice reform. Rapping is also the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant.

Also recently, The Jewish Council for Public Affairs invited Professor Rapping to join a working group of Jewish experts in criminal justice reform, and to participate in a strategic planning session on Jewish Advocacy and Criminal Justice Reform. The planning session took place at the law offices of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. December 4-5, 2018.

On November 28, 2018, Professor Rapping also presented at the National Association for Public Defense “We the Defenders Conference” in Indianapolis. Professor Rapping’s presentation on Client Centered Defense Teams and Race in the Criminal Justice System was delivered to investigators, social workers, and sentencing advocates from across the nation.

The Law School is thrilled to offer its students the opportunity to learn criminal law from one of the nation’s leaders working to improve the criminal justice system. Thank you, Professor!

NCBE and CLEO Announce New Collaboration

NCBE invests in diversity and inclusion within the legal profession

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Professor Jeffrey Van Detta, the John E. Ryan Professor of International Business and Workplace Law, recently gave two lectures based on his most recently completed works of legal scholarship.

On October 5, 2018, Professor Van Detta was one of the featured speakers at Belmont University Law School’s 2018 Law Review Symposium-CLE Program,

“The Modern Workplace: Contemporary Legal Issues in Employment & Labor Law.”

His topic is an area of particular expertise for Professor Van Detta — the “direct-threat” standard under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy published Professor Van Detta’s 1999 article on this subject, which arose frequently during his 13 years of law practice at Atlanta-based Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, when he represented clients in safety-sensitive industries such as commercial passenger aviation, defense contracting, and manufacturing and logistics. Professor Van Detta’s latest article on this topic updates the developments in this area over the last 20 years. “For The Love Of God!  Open This Door!”:  Individual Rights Versus Public Safety Under The “Direct Threat” Standard Of The Americans With Disabilities Act After Three Decades Of Litigation, 6 Belmont L. Rev. ___ (2019)

Faculty from Boston University Law School, Pace University Law School, University of West Virginia College of Law, University of Cincinnati College of Law, University of Memphis Law School, ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law, and Nova Southeastern University College of Law, joined Professor Van Detta on this day-long program.

On October 18, 2018, Professor Van Detta was a featured presenter at the 25th Annual Georgia ICLE Supreme Court Update. Following a presentation he made on a blockbuster 2013 SCOTUS case concerning the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) in 20th Annual Supreme Court update in 2013, Professor Van Detta lectured on a pair of 2018 SCOTUS cases that substantially limited the kinds of claims that can be made under both the ATS and the anti-terrorism exceptions to foreign-nation sovereign immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). The paper he wrote for the ICLE program has been accepted by the University of Indiana Robert H. McKinney School of Law’s International & Comparative Law Review, for publication in its Spring 2019 issue. In addition, the University of Indiana has invited Professor Van Detta to be one of the featured speakers at the Law Review‘s Annual Symposium in Spring 2019. Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran and Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC: SCOTUS Trims To Statutory Boundaries The Recovery In U.S. Courts Against Sponsors of Terrorism and Human-Rights Violations Under FSIA and ATS, 29 Indiana Int’l & Comparative Law Review ___ (Spring 2019).

Professor Van Detta is currently in his 20th year of teaching at AJMLS, where he teaches courses and publishes in the areas of domestic and trans-national business law (including Contracts and International Business Transactions), workplace law (including Employment Discrimination Law, Labor Law, and several LLM-level courses), Torts, and procedural law (Conflict of Laws, International Civil Litigation in U.S. Courts, and Civil Procedure).

Dean Malcolm L. Morris met with aspiring law students this past week at the Council of Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Achieving Success in the Application Process (ASAP) event in Washington, D.C. Dean Morris is a member of the CLEO, Inc. Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

ASAP is an intensive weekend that helps participants develop the tools they need to understand the application process and become competitive law school applicants. College juniors, seniors, and post-graduates who plan to apply to law school are eligible to apply.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is a proud supporter of CLEO.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently recognized the 13th annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by hosting an event in Washington, DC. Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Professor Lisa Tripp was invited to attend and speak at the event, where next steps in seeking nationwide elder justice were announced.

Tripp is a consultant to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and is a frequent speaker and contributor at conferences around the United States and abroad. Professor Tripp’s research and scholarship focuses on areas of U.S. and international law, while on the domestic front, she is an expert on federal regulations governing health facilities. With this expertise, Tripp spoke at the DOJ event about the federal government’s health and safety regulations and how those regulations are enforced.

The Law School thanks Professor Tripp for her contributions and ongoing efforts to help protect and empower our seniors.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Professor B. Michael Mears has been re-elected as Chairperson for the Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) Board of Trustees. The ICLE is a not-for-profit educational service for Georgia’s licensed attorneys.

The State Bar of Georgia assumed administrative duties for the ICLE in 2017 and is governed by representatives from each of the state’s law schools and by members of the State Bar of Georgia. Professor Mears has been Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s representative to the Board for five years and is now serving his second consecutive term as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.

Read here for Professor Mears’ first term announcement

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Associate Professor of Law Michael Mears recently wrote a poignant article which was published in the June 16, 2016 issue of the Daily Report.

The article affirms that law students with dreams of joining the legal profession make a tremendous commitment of both their time and finances to further their education. He goes on to state how disappointing it is to see students lose sight of those same dreams; dreams that persuaded them to apply for entry in to law school in hopes of pursuing their passions. He urges students and attorneys to reminisce on why they chose to enter into the profession in hopes of reigniting their fire for success and self-fulfillment.

In sum, the article reminds students and practitioners alike to remain steadfast in their commitment to the legal profession; a profession that Professor Mears proffers to be the greatest in the world. To that Professor, we wholeheartedly agree. Thank you for your continued dedication to educating AJMLS students and producing quality attorneys to join the profession.

Professor Suparna Malempati has joined the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL) as area Vice President for Fulton County beginning in January 2016.  GACDL is a statewide association that supports criminal defense attorneys in their fight to advocate and protect the rights of the accused.  GACDL is the largest member supported statewide criminal defense association in the US and has a membership that includes criminal defense lawyers, law school students, and full-time criminal defense investigators.

Professor Malempati is a veteran trial attorney who fought many battles in her decade of service with the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office.  As an area Vice President, she will serve as liaison between GACDL and its members in the area, as well as criminal defense lawyers, judiciary, and legislators.

To learn more about GACDL, please visit the website at www.gacdl.org.