UGA School of Law appoints Rollins associate dean; welcomes new LCS director

Abstract

Writer/Contact: Cindy H. Rice, 706/542-5172, cindyh@uga.edu

Athens, Ga. - The University of Georgia School of Law recently announced the promotion of Paul B. Rollins to associate dean for administration. In this role, he will be responsible for supervising all phases of the admissions process for the law school's degree programs in addition to the oversight of Legal Career Services and Professional Development and the shared oversight of Student Affairs and the Registrar's Office.

"Paul has done outstanding work for our law school, and I am very pleased he will be taking on this enhanced role," Georgia Law Dean Rebecca Hanner White said. "Strong leadership is part of what makes us one of the nation's finest law schools, and I know Paul will continue to build on this tradition of excellence."

Rollins joined the law school in 2008 as the director of admissions. Three years later, he was promoted to assistant dean for student affairs and then to associate dean this fall.

Prior to coming to Athens, Rollins was the assistant dean for student services at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He has also served as a litigation associate for Wyche, Burgess, Freeman & Parham in Greenville, S.C., and as a judicial clerk for Judge James C. Turk of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

Rollins earned his bachelor's degree in political science magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina and his law degree from Yale University.

Georgia Law also announced the recent hire of senior attorney David P. O'Brien from Alexandria, Va., to serve as its Legal Career Services director. O'Brien comes to UGA with nearly 20 years of extensive practice experience in a variety of legal fields in addition to having served as an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law.

Since graduating from Cornell Law School in 1992, O'Brien has worked for large corporations and nonprofits, has served as outside and in-house counsel, has litigated cases in state and federal courts and has managed teams of professionals both nationwide and internationally.

"We are delighted that David will be joining us this fall," White said. "His unique and varied background in the legal profession will allow him to provide students with inside knowledge on a wide range of career opportunities, and I am confident that they will benefit greatly from his expertise as they navigate this challenging job market."

O'Brien's portfolio includes serving as chief counsel for the Missing Children Division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; as senior vice president and chief litigation counsel for Wachovia Securities, the nation's third largest securities broker-dealer at the time; and as special counsel for the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, Calif., and Reston, Va.

He earned his bachelor's degree cum laude from Harvard University and his law degree cum laude from Cornell University, where he was a notes editor for the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.

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