Campus News

Three named to inaugural class of Alston Fellows

The UGA School of Law has named the inaugural class of its Distinguished Law Fellows program.

This elite fellowship program offers annually three law students the opportunity to receive a unique legal educational experience that includes domestic and international externships and guided research experiences, opportunities to meet some of the country’s top legal leaders and a full-tuition scholarship.

The fellowship is reserved for students who demonstrate extraordinary academic achievement and exceptional professional promise.

The Distinguished Law Fellows program is modeled after the university’s prestigious Foundation Fellows program for undergraduates. It is a result of a $2 million founding gift from The John N. Goddard Foundation that was facilitated by foundation trustees and UGA alumni Robert G. “Bob” Edge and John G. “Jimmy” Alston Sr. All but one of the trustees of the foundation are children or grandchildren of Elkin Goddard Alston and Philip H. Alston Jr.

The Philip H. Alston,Jr. Distinguished Law Fellows for 2016-17 are first-year law student Lindsey R. Bunting, second-year law student Taryn P. Winston and third-year law student Katherine G. “Kate” Howard.

“These three women, as the inaugural Alston Distinguished Law Fellows, are outstanding students who will receive a premium level of support and unrivaled learning opportunities,” said Georgia Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge.

Benefits of being an Alston Distinguished Law Fellow include a professional development stipend to be used at the end of the fellow’s first and second years of law school for summer externships; study abroad offerings or research projects; special travel opportunities to meet some of the nation’s foremost legal advocates and jurists, including U.S. Supreme Court justices with the law school’s dean serving as the guide for at least one of these trips; and a full-tuition scholarship.

“This opportunity for our students aligns with the university’s mission, and we are very grateful for the Goddard Foundation’s assistance in this effort,” Rutledge said.