• 04-11-2011: NBLSA Annual Convention

  NBLSA Annual Convention a wonderful opportunity to learn, socialize with peers

  By Naomi Kemper, 2L

  Each spring, the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) holds its Annual Convention. This year, from March 9th-13th, the NBLSA held its convention in Houston, Texas.
   

  The purpose of the convention is to bring Black Law Student Associations from across the nation together in one city to educate, help with employment and take care of national business. In addition, the convention hosts moot court, mock trial and arbitration competitions. The convention invites a wide variety of lawyers who lecture on many different topics of law, including different practice areas, what to expect when working in different size firms and how to dress for success.
   

  Over 700 law students from across the country attended the NBLSA Annual Convention.
  Many of the students were grateful for the convention because it provided them with an excellent opportunity to make lifelong connections and expand their network nationwide.
   

  The convention left very little time for attendees to rest, with coordinators planning out each day down to the minute. For example, a typical day would consist of a continental breakfast, morning academic panels, catered lunch, plenary sessions and happy hour followed by some event out and about the town.
   

  Students found that it was the perfect mix of academics and business with enough time to get to know other students outside their respective chapters.
   

  While the students found the panels informative and entertaining, some of the lectures were especially popular, such as the panel on Civil Rights. During the Civil Rights panel, the speakers were highly authoritative and passionate. During the panel, the students reacted positively and enthusiastically to the speakers’ message, many eager to go out and make a difference in their communities.
   

  While the students seemed truly to enjoy panels, the social outings each night were a welcome break from the daytime academics. Over free food and drinks, students had an opportunity to talk with colleagues from many different backgrounds, but all with a common goal. Even chapter presidents were able to congregate with each other to bounce ideas back and forth between. For instance, one of the more popular ideas presented was from a school that had instituted a “president-elect program,” which allowed the incoming officer to be completely abreast of the organization’s details because the president-elect had already attended every board meeting and event. The GSU College of Law’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is now considering implementing this idea to continue on with the organization’s successful legacy.
   

  In the past, GSU’s BLSA has not been involved in the NBLSA’s annual convention. For most students at the convention, it served as a reunion because the students had already met each other at several other events over the years. To become more active with other chapters, the GSU BLSA is considering reaching out to schools such as Emory and John Marshall in Atlanta.
  The GSU BLSA leadership is eager to take the experience from the NBLSA convention to improve upon its ongoing success.
   

  The NBLSA will hold its 2012 annual convention next year in Washington, D.C.

  Naomi Kemper is a 2L with an English Literature degree from University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She is the current President of BLSA and works part-time at the Capital Defenders Clinic. She is obsessed with Tar Heel basketball and enjoys going on long runs with her black lab terrier Bailey.
   

• 04-05-2011: GSU BLSA teams up with King Middle

  The Black Law Students Association of Georgia State University partnered with King Middle School English teacher Thomas Dunn, a former capital defense attorney, to help prepare the students for the Atlanta Teen Moot Court Competition. The issue presented was a middle school student’s expulsion under the school district’s Zero Tolerance Policy for unknowingly bringing prescription drugs to school violated her Constitutional Right to an education. BLSA students traveled to King Middle School twice a month to provide advice on brief writing and oral argument prep. The middle school students also learned the basics of the federal and state court system. King Middle School, the defending oral argument champions, won “Best Overall Brief” and again was selected to compete in the final round for oral arguments. GSU BLSA looks forward to continuing their commitment to and partnership with King Middle School and their pursuit of a third straight trip to the Atlanta Teen Moot Court final round.

  By Brian Thomas

• 04-05-2011: BLSA Alumni Spotlight: Dawn Jones

  Dawn Jones is a 2000 Georgia State College of Law Alumni. She currently works for King and Spalding LLP with a focus area in Product Liability Defense, primarily pharmaceutical products. Ms. Jones cherishes her experience in this particular field because it gives her the opportunity to utilize her background as a critical care nurse to develop defense strategies for her clients. Ms. Jones attributes much of her success in the legal community to the strong support of her classmates and professors.

  Ms. Jones’ involvement extends outside just the legal community. The senior attorney at King and Spalding LLP gives back to the community by serving on the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations. This includes highlighting and financially supporting the organization’s initiatives, while helping to find pro bono attorneys to handle their cases. She also promotes efforts to help Black law students succeed including an annual academic retreat sponsored by the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Gate City Bar Association.
  
  Ms. Jones has received several prestigious awards since graduating from the College of Law including: recognition as one of Georgia’s “Rising Stars” in the legal profession by Atlanta Magazine (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010), Gate City Bar Association R. Pruden Herndon Service Award (2010), GSU College of Law Service to the College of Law Award (2009), Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Spirit of GABWA Award (2009), and Atlanta Bar Association Professionalism Award, as member of Lincoln on Professionalism CLE Planning Committee (2009).
  
  Advice that Ms. Jones gives all first year students is that “In today’s times, it’s even more important to network and build relationships, which begin on the first day of law school. It’s highly likely that your classmates will become judges you appear before, opposing counsel you contend with, sources of referral for your practice, and/or colleagues you work with. Keep that in mind, and know that it’s never too early to network. Those relationships will pay off for you all in the end.”
  
  We are certainly proud of Dawn Jones’ positive impact on our organization as well as society. BLSA would like to thank her for taking the time to be a part of this newsletter.
   

  By: Paetria Hampton

   

• 04-05-2011: BLSA Student Spotlight: Haniyah Miller

  Haniyah J. Miller is one of our outstanding GSU Law Students and is also a critical member of our BLSA Student Organization.

  Presently, Haniyah is a third-year law student at Georgia State University School of Law and the former vice president of the Georgia State University BLSA chapter. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the SRBLSA Law Journal. She previously served as a student attorney in the Low Income Tax Clinic defending impoverished clients against the Internal Revenue Service. She has received both the Georgia Association of Black Woman Attorneys Scholarship and the Gate City Bar Association Foundation Scholarship for 2009. Haniyah also served as a member of the board of directors for a non-profit, Alternate Life Paths Program as well as the Student Member-at-Large for the Georgia Association of Black Woman Attorneys. She currently works for the CEO of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority as a legal intern. For the summer of 2010, Haniyah interned for Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams and now clerks for Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham, the first African-American Georgia Supreme Court Justice.

  Haniyah J. Miller attributes her drive, dedication, and success to her family, living by the Winston Churchill mantra, “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained”. She is truly a leader and a model GSU law student.
   

  By Tamarra Wood

   

   

   

  
   

• 04-05-2011: Students Volunteer & Learn

  "Law Students Volunteer and Learn Valuable Lessons During Camp”

  From June 4, 2010 to June 19, 2010, several members of the GSU College of Law Black Law Students Association served as law student counselors and mentors in the Gate City Bar Association’s Justice Robert Benham Law Camp at the GSU College of Law, named for the first African American Georgia Supreme Court Justice. Now in its fifth year, the program, presented in partnership with Georgia State University College of Law and Clark Atlanta University's Educational Talent Search Program, exposes high school students to the legal profession.

  The purpose of the program is to address a glaring inequality in the racial makeup of the legal profession. While African-Americans make up roughly 13 percent of the overall population, they represent only 4.2 percent of lawyers and judges, according to an American Bar Association group's analysis of Census data and membership figures.

  Camp participants were exposed to some of the most prominent and successful Black attorneys and judges in the Atlanta-metro area. They received academic enrichment sessions in the law field, an LSAT preparatory course and participated in a final mock trial presentation. Along with field trips including the Georgia State Capitol, State Bar of Georgia, Turner Broadcasting, and the Georgia Supreme Court, the participants also were given a week-long internship at several firms and courts throughout Metro Atlanta.

  Although the law students were recruited to assist with organizing and coordinating the mock trial demonstrations, chaperon the various daily field trips, and other duties, they also learned valuable lessons to take into future practice. They were also able to network with attorneys and judges, participate in several field trips, and discover valuable mock trial tips from some of the best legal practitioners. Most importantly, the law students learned the importance of “reaching back” and continuing BLSA’s tradition of mentoring and shaping the legal futures of African American youth in Georgia.

  For more information or to help with next year with the Judge Robert Benham Law Camp, please visit the Gate City Bar Association website at http://www.gatecitybar.org.
   

  By: Brian Thomas and Renee Thompson
  
   

• 04-05-2011: The Results Are In...

  Please join us in welcoming BLSA's new Executive Board for 2011-2012:

  President:                   Candace Sneed
  Vice President:           Joshua May
  Secretary:                   Alicia Mack
  Treasurer:                  Mark Edwards
  Historian:                    Yvonne McDowell
   

  Congratulations Everyone!

• 04-05-2011: BLSA Bench and Bar on April 22, 2011

  The Black Law Students Association at Georgia State University presents its annual Bench and Bar Banquet. This year's theme is "Strengthening the Connection." BLSA at GSU is committed to strengthening the bond between our alumni and current students as well as maintaining a sense of family among our students. This year's banquet celebrates the culmination of a successful year, and we invite all of our alumni, community partners, and friends to join in our celebration. The 2011 Bench and Bar will be held on April 22, 2011 at the Empire Room on the 20th floor of the James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Building just across from the Georgia State Capitol Building. Please join us for dinner as we celebrate our year and look forward to moving forward in excellence. The event will be held from 7pm until 10pm. The guest speaker will be GSU College of Law alumnus and former BLSA president Mawuli 'Mel' Davis from the Davis Bozeman Law Firm. Tickets are $25 per person or $35 per couple. Student and Faculty/Staff tickets are $20 per person and $35 per couple. Tickets include an open bar and parking. Vegetarian options available.

  For more information, please contact Renee Thompson at rethompson27@gmail.com or (843) 252-2456 or Naomi Kemper at nlk6510@gmail.com or (404) 909-6760.

   

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