Georgia Law Review symposium explores evidence reform

Sunday, January 13, 2013 Writer/Contact: Cindy Rice, 706/542-5172, cindyh@uga.edu Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia School of Law’s student-edited legal journal, the Georgia Law Review, will present “Evidence Reform: Turning a Grotesque Structure into a Rational Edifice?” on Jan. 18 in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall, located on North Campus. During this daylong symposium, evidence scholars from across the country will discuss Georgia’s new evidence code and will reflect upon the nation-wide evidence reform movement as a whole. The event is free and open to the public. However, due to limited capacity, pre-registration is encouraged. “When its new Rules of Evidence went into effect on January 1, 2013, Georgia became the 44th state to adopt a new evidence code modeled on the Federal Rules of Evidence,” conference co-organizer and third-year law student Clare Ellis said. “The symposium celebrates the modernization of Georgia’s evidence code by examining the broader reform movement from which it grew. We have asked contributors to comment upon the achievements and shortcomings of evidence reform in Georgia and elsewhere, with the hope of fostering discussion and debate about the past, present and future of evidence law.” The conference will include a keynote address by W. Ray Persons, litigation partner at King \u26 Spalding and past chair of the State Bar of Georgia study committee on evidence reform. Persons will present an overview of the evidence reform process in Georgia and will provide insight into its impact on the day-to-day work of a trial lawyer. For more information and to register, see www.law.uga.edu/georgia-law-review-symposia. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Attorneys interested in registering for Continuing Legal Education credits can do so the morning of the conference as long as they have their bar number and a check to pay for the credits. #