School of Law

Inside the Legal Profession

For many years, James Lipton has interviewed veteran actors and directors on his television program, "Inside the Actor's Studio." He has done so in front of live audiences of students, who learn from and have the opportunity to interact with his distinguished guests.

In that spirit, and in that format, Mercer Law School requires all first-year students to attend programs that constitute its "Inside the Legal Profession" series.  These programs, which began in 2009, consist of hour-long interviews with distinguished members of the bench and bar.  Professor Longan interviews the guest for approximately 45 minutes, after which the students have about 15 minutes to ask questions. The students hear directly from lawyers in diverse practice areas and from judges on different kinds of courts. 

In 2014, Mercer Law School received the E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award from the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Professionalism and the E. Smythe Gambrell Fund for Professionalism in recognition of "outstanding achievement in the design and implementation of a model professionalism program" for "Inside the Legal Profession."

Here are links to some of the interviews from the series:

  

  • Judge Louis Sands, United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
  • Lin Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Natasha Crawford, Assistant Public Defender, Fulton County, Georgia
  • Professor Sarah Gerwig-Moore, Mercer Law School
  • Ivy Cadle, Baker Donelson, Macon, Georgia
  • Bryan Babcock, Internal Revenue Service, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Daisy Floyd, Dean and University Professor of Ethical Formation, Mercer University

  • Professor Tim Floyd, Tommy Malone Distinguished Chair in Trial Advocacy, Mercer Law

  • Manley Brown, O'Neal & Brown, Macon, Georgia 

  • A. James Elliott, Retired partner, Alston & Bird (banking and real estate practice), now Associate Dean of Emory Law School; former president, State Bar of Georgia

  • Laura Hogue, Hogue & Hogue, Macon, Georgia (criminal defense)

  • Paula Frederick, General Counsel to State Bar of Georgia (2012)

  • Paula Frederick, General Counsel to State Bar of Georgia (2014)

  • Tomieka Daniel, Georgia Legal Services Program, Macon, Georgia (2013)

  • Tomieka Daniel, Georgia Legal Services Program, Macon, Georgia (2014)

  • Tomieka Daniel, Georgia Legal Services Program, Macon, Georgia (2015)

  • Vernon Strickland and Brandon Veasey, Associates at Holland & Knight and Troutman Sanders, respectively, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Hon. Lamar Sizemore, Superior Court Judge (ret.), of counsel Sell & Melton, Macon, Georgia (2011)

  • Hon. Lamar Sizemore, Superior Court Judge (ret.), of counsel Sell & Melton, Macon, Georgia (2014)

  • Hon. Lamar Sizemore, Superior Court Judge (ret.), of counsel Sell &Melton, Macon, Georgia (2015)

  • James P. Fleissner, Professor of Law and former Assistant United States Attorney (2013)

  • James P. Fleissner, Professor of Law and former Assistant United States Attorney (2014)

  • Dwight Davis, retired partner, King & Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Mercer Law School (2013)

  • Dwight Davis, retired partner, King & Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Mercer Law School (2016)

  • Charlie Cox, Solo practitioner, Macon, Georgia (criminal defense)

  • Brian Jarrard, Solo practitioner and former Federal Defender, Macon, Georgia

  • Doc Schneider, Senior Partner, King & Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia (2011)

  • Doc Schneider, Senior Partner, King & Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia (2014)

  • Doc Schneider, Senior Partner, King &Spalding, Atlanta, Georgia (2014)

  • Panel of Younger Macon Lawyers (Amy Fletcher, Jenny Stansfield, Stuart Walker)

did-you-know
Mercer’s entering class size is 125. This allows first year classes of only 25 students.

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