Emory School of Law has appointed Rita Sheffey to the newly created position of assistant dean of public service.
The new position was designed to expand on the existing opportunities and provide a broader array of pro bono, or free legal service for usually low-income clients, and public service opportunities, including expanding involvement in Atlanta-area organizations and increasing relationships with local judges, Sheffey said.
Sheffey will oversee the school’s public service and interest programs, counsel students interested in pro bono opportunities and expand post-graduation judicial clerkship participation.
Sheffey attended law school at Boston College after receiving a Ph.D. in chemistry from Duke University and a fellowship at Harvard Medical School. She then worked for a number of years at the law firm Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia. This week, Sheffey will be nominated as president-elect of the State Bar of Georgia.
She has also served as a pro bono volunteer in Richmond as well as in Atlanta, she said.
“Sheffey’s career demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to public service and exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession,” School of Law Dean Robert Schapiro said in a Jan. 13 University press release. “Her reputation and knowledge within the pro bono realm are exactly what we had hoped for in a leader for this initiative.”
Sheffey said her decision to come to Emory and leave her position at her law firm stemmed from her interest in public service.
“I do have a passion for public interest work and pro bono work,” Sheffey said. “I love working with the people and the organization.”
According to the press release, the School of Law has existing public service programs, including the Emory Public Interest Committee, a Pro Bono Program, a Volunteer Clinic for Veterans, externship (workplace training for students) and fellowship programs and student organizations dedicated to public service.
The goal of expanding the program is to ensure that every student has exposure to public service work, according to Sheffey.
“What’s exciting to me is to work with the next generation of lawyers,” she said.
Having been on the job for just three days, Sheffey has been getting to know her colleagues and attempting to better understand the existing public service programs at the School of Law.
She said she also plans to establish consistent messages across the law school about service opportunities.
“This is just a perfect niche to take my experience,” Sheffey said.
She added that she is excited to get to know students and match their interests with appropriate public service opportunities.
Sheffey said she is particularly keen on increasing opportunities for students to participate in judicial clerkships at the local, state and national level and engage law faculty with local judges.
Some students, like third-year law student JJ Gonzàlez, have already expressed interest in Sheffey’s initiatives.
“[Sheffey] has showed me that there are a number of ways to incorporate public service into my real estate practice when I never thought it could be done,” Gonzàlez said. “The creation of this new deanship shows Emory Law’s dedication to inspiring students to give back to the community, and it underscores the importance of preparing the next generation of attorneys to strive to complete some form of public service through any avenue of the law they pursue.”
-By Rupsha Basu, News Editor
Rupsha Basu (16C) was the Emory Wheel's executive editor from 2015-2016 and served as the Wheel's news editor prior to that. She currently attends New York University School of Law.
