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UGA law school explores women’s roles in public service and honors women judges

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UGA law school explores women’s roles in public service and honors women judges

Monday, September 25, 2017

Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia School of Law will host discussions exploring women's roles in public service and a reception that will honor the women judges of Georgia's Western Judicial Circuit Oct. 12 at 1:00 p.m. in its Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

Part of the law school’s Georgia Women in Law Lead initiative, “The Front Lines of Public Service” will focus on how public service lawyers and judges in non-jury courts shape society.

Public interest lawyers face multiple challenges, according to Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr, the law school’s associate dean for clinical programs and experiential learning. “They represent individual clients, while also seeking to improve the legal system. Advocates can work through individual cases, public education, policy advocacy and community initiatives. The work of front line judges has an equally powerful effect on the lives of the people who come before them,” he said.

The first panel titled “Walking the Talk: Lawyers Leading Through Public Service” will feature experienced practitioners who have worked in diverse contexts including government service, nonprofit advocacy and university-based community support. The panelists will explore several significant questions associated with advocacy in the public interest.

The second panel titled “Courtroom as Classroom: Lessons from Front Line Judges” will focus on the experience of judges in non-jury courts that handle a high volume of cases, many with parties who are not represented by lawyers. The judges will assess how these courts affect their communities and the delivery of justice.

The event will also feature a reception beginning at 4:00 p.m. honoring the women judges of the Western Judicial Circuit including: Chief Judge Patricia Barron, Magistrate Court, Athens-Clarke County; Judge Toni G. Pomerene, Magistrate Court, Athens-Clarke County; Judge Regina M. Quick, Superior Court, Western Judicial Circuit; Judge Robin K. Shearer, Juvenile Court, Western Judicial Circuit; Chief Judge Ethelyn N. Simpson, State Court, Athens-Clarke County; Judge Susan P. Tate, Probate Court, Athens-Clarke County; and Judge Amanda Trimble, Juvenile Court, Western Judicial Circuit. Of special note, Quick, Shearer, Simpson and Tate are graduates of the School of Law.

For more information and registration details, please visit http://law.uga.edu/events/49248. For attorneys, continuing legal education credits are available for a fee by calling (706) 542-5213.

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