Stephen O. Kinnard

Stephen O. Kinnard, J.D. 1972, was the chief mediator for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and a prominent activist on behalf of death row inmates. In addition to his service as the court’s chief mediator for nine years, Kinnard established the court’s mediation program in 1992. Upon his death, in 2001, the court renamed the program the Kinnard Mediation Center, noting “his extraordinary service in making mediation a fundamental component of the Eleventh Circuit’s appeals process.” Prior to joining the court, Kinnard practiced law in Atlanta at the firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. He also served as an adjunct law professor at Emory University School of Law for ten years, as well as spending a year as a visiting law professor at Wayne State University. He worked as the chairman of the Georgia Bar Association committee that established the Georgia Appellate Practice & Educational Resource Center, which rewarded him with the Bill of Rights Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia in 1987. In the same year, he received the American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award. Outside of law, Kinnard was active in the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. The BSA awarded him the Silver Beaver Award for his service. He was a veteran of the Indiana National Guard. Originally from Zionsville, Indiana, Kinnard received his undergraduate degree from William Jewel College in Liberty, Missouri. He was a tireless supporter of the School of Law who has served on both the Alumni Board and the Board of Visitors. In 2004 he was inducted into the Law School’s Academy of Alumni Fellows.https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/notablealumni/1010/thumbnail.jp