Atlanta's John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is pleased to announce Ms. Linda A. Klein, of Baker Donelson, as the Law School's 2018 commencement speaker. Commencement exercises are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on May 19, 2018 at the Cobb Galleria Centre – Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.
Dean Malcolm L. Morris notes, "The Law School is very excited that Ms. Linda Klein will be the commencement speaker for the 2018 graduation. She is a leading figure in the legal profession as indicated by her service as the President of both the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia. Ms. Klein is a highly regarded attorney who frequently has been invited to speak both throughout the country and abroad. We are privileged to have her address our graduates and look forward to her words of advice and inspiration for them."
About Ms. Linda A. Klein
Linda Klein is a senior managing shareholder at Baker Donelson. She regularly counsels on business dispute prevention and resolution, contract law, risk and crisis management, media relations, ethics, and governance. She is particularly experienced in advising the construction, pharmaceutical, and higher education industries. She also advises lawyers, architects, accountants, and other professionals at risk for large claims or their licenses.
Ms. Klein is the immediate past president (CEO) of the American Bar Association, the largest voluntary professional association in the world, operating in 60 countries with 900 employees and a budget in excess of $200 million.
Ms. Klein is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Who's Who in America, and Chambers USA. She is regularly named to the Super Lawyers top 100 lawyers in Georgia. In 1998, following her term as the first woman to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia, Georgia Trend Magazine named her one of the 100 most powerful and influential Georgians.
Within the American Bar Association, she has previously served as chair of the House of Delegates, the association's policy making body. She has also served as chair of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and chair of ABA Day, the Association's Congressional outreach effort. She is a recent member of the Council of the ABA Section of International Law and also serves as a columnist Law Practice Management Magazine. In 2013 Ms. Klein had the honor of being a McGlothlin fellow on the campuses of William and Mary's Business and Law Schools. She delivered the commencement addresses at Georgia State University College of Law (2017), Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (2017), Pepperdine University School of Law (2016), and Washington and Lee University School of Law (2012). In 2009, Ms. Klein was honored with the Randolph Thrower Award for Lifetime Achievement and was named to the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers. In 2004, the American Bar Association honored Ms. Klein with the prestigious Margaret Brent Achievement Award.
She currently serves on the executive committee of the Buckhead Coalition and on the advisory boards of Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. She is a past president of Southface Energy Institute, the Board of Directors' Network, the Caucus of State Bars, and past chair of both the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia and the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia. She also served a six-year term on Baker Donelson's Board of Directors.
Ms. Klein has authored numerous published works. Her lecture schedule has included presentations in France, Sweden, Spain, Russia, Great Britain, Japan, Croatia, and Canada, but most extensively in the southeast United States. She is a member of the American Law Institute, and a mediator and arbitrator, frequently serving as a neutral as well as a client advocate.
Linda A. Klein notes, "It is an honor to celebrate the graduates of Atlanta's John Marshall Law School as they begin their careers. As lawyers, they will have the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on our society by helping bring access to justice to so many who need it."
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
Founded in 1933 and fully accredited by the American Bar Association, Atlanta's John Marshall Law School is Atlanta's only stand-alone law school focused on preparing talented students for legal careers in the public and private sectors. Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School students matriculate in a learning environment that includes exceptional faculty, accelerated externships, and intelligent learning collaboration.
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School academic programs consist of a Juris Doctor Program, J.D., including Full-Time, Accelerated (January Start), Part-Time Day, and Part-Time Evening programs; as well as a Criminal Justice Certificate Program. The Law School also offers an LL.M. in Employment Law available to barred attorneys, those with a bachelor's degree, and as a J.D./LL.M. Co-Enrollment option. Atlanta's John Marshall Law School serves as a strategic resource for legal talent for small, mid-size and large law firms, corporations and public service organizations throughout the country.