Woodrow Wilson College of Law
 | |
| Active | 1933–1989 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Governor Clifford Walker and Joeseph B. Kilbride |
Other students | Approved by the Georgia Bar Examiners to issue Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor and Master of Laws Degree |
| Location | , , United States |
The Woodrow Wilson College of Law was a private law school for working professionals and others seeking a legal education. The school was established in 1933 along with John Marshall Law School. Woodrow Wilson College of Law faculty members were practicing lawyers and judges from across the state of Georgia.[1]
History
[edit]In 1933, Governor Clifford Walker and Joeseph B. Kilbride, began night law classes for those who were unable to attend law classes during the day. Woodrow Wilson College of Law was incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia.[2] The College was home to national legal fraternities, Sigma Delta Kappa and Iota Tau Tau[3] In 1951 Mercer University completed a survey of all the law schools in Georgia. These included the Non-ABA Schools Atlanta Law School, io6-io8 Forsyth Street, Atlanta; the Augusta Law School, Augusta; the John Marshall Law School, I I5 Forrest Avenue, Atlanta; the Macon Law School, 515 Persons Building, Macon; the Woodrow Wilson School of Law, 203-210 Healy Building, Atlanta. The researcher found Half of the students now enrolled in Georgia law Schools are in unapproved law schools, and approximately two thirds of those who graduate in law do so from unaccredited law schools, as against the national average of less than twenty per cent in attendance in unapproved schools. The enlarged student enrollments in law school due the G.I. Bill. Woodrow Wilson College of Law employed an innovation to the teaching. A written test is given at the close of each class and a special grader is employed to grade the tests, which are returned to the students and that excellent results, considering the circumstances, are being attained. The graders are rotated and this gives the student clear and welcomed feedback for the Bar Exam. This novel innovation was cited in the law journal.[4]
Notable Alumni
[edit]Judge Juanita Marsh: Appointed in 1971 as a municipal court judge in College Park, becoming the third female judge in Georgia.[5] Judge Murphy Miller: Former Chief Judge of the Enotah Judicial Circuit (2012–2018), founder of the Enotah Mental Health Court.[6] Chief Judge Albert B. Collier (Clayton County): Graduated with a law degree (1982) and Masters of Law (1987) from the school and presided over the Clayton County Adult Felony Drug Court. In addition, he was an adjunct professor with Clayton College & State University, teaching Criminal Procedure in the Paralegal Program.[7] Senior Judge Richard Foxworth, DeKalb County Magistrate Court.[8] Col. W. C. Dominy, Director, Department of Public Safety of the Georgia State Patrol.[9]
Closing
[edit]After repeated unsuccessful efforts to obtain American Bar Association accreditation, Woodrow Wilson College of Law entered negotiations in 1981 with Georgia State University and the Georgia Board of Regents about a possible takeover that would have created Georgia State University Woodrow Wilson College of Law.[10] After several years of legal negotiations, the Georgia Board of Regents approved the takeover, but the American Bar Association did not grant accreditation to the merged arrangement because of legal issues and concerns about the institutions’ differing status as a private law school and a state university.[11] The College Library was donated to Oglethorpe University for their former paralegal program and now used for the pre-law program in return for the student transcipts to be held for former students of the College.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Atlanta and Its Lawyers: A Century of Vision:1888-1988" ISBN 0-9621443-0-4
- ^ Atlanta and Its Lawyers: A Century of Vision:1888-1988" ISBN 0-9621443-0-4
- ^ The Joseph B. Kilbride Memorial Edition of THE VERDICT Woodrow Wilson College of Law, 1973.
- ^ Moreland John W., Mercer Law Review, Volume 2, Number 2, Article 2, 1951.
- ^ Sarah Juanita Daniel Marsh, 86, of College Park. The Citizen. February 12, 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2020
- ^ 2026 Georgia Public Defender Council.
- ^ Barnett et al. v. Caldwell (S17G0641). Supreme Court of Georgia case retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ^ he State Bar of Georgia member directory retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ^ Tattnall journal. (Reidsville, Ga.) February 20, 1958.
- ^ University of Georgia Press, “Establishment of a Law School at Georgia State University,” August 18, 1981.
- ^ University of Georgia Press, “Establishment of a Law School at Georgia State University,” August 18, 1981.
- ^ The Woodrow Wilson College of Law Official Transcripts. Custodian December 15, 1987. Oglethorpe University Academics Retrieved April 10, 2026.