Law firm establishes scholarship to honor Georgia Law advocacy director

This post was written by Heidi Murphy and originally published on UGA Today.

The Athens law firm Epps, Holloway, DeLoach & Hoipkemier, LLC, has created the Kellie R. Casey Scholarship Fund at the University of Georgia School of Law to recognize Casey’s contributions to the school and its storied advocacy program. Starting this fall, a scholarship will be awarded to a law student with a demonstrated interest or achievement in advocacy.

Under Casey’s 19 years of leadership, the law school’s advocacy program has won 25 national championships, more than 40 regional titles and 15 state trophies. Among these victories are the 2013-14 National Moot Court Competition title; the 2014 and 2019 Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championships, an invitation-only “best of the best” tournament; the 2014, 2017 and 2018 South Texas Mock Trial Challenge national titles; as well as 10 trophies in the annual courtroom showdown with the University of Florida and 14 Intrastate Moot Court Competition crowns.

School of Law alumni Kevin E. Epps, Jeffrey W. DeLoach and Adam L. Hoipkemier spearheaded the effort on behalf of their law firm, saying that due to Casey’s tireless passion and commitment, advocacy students enter into the practice of law “well-prepared to be formidable advocates for their clients.”

By a variety of measures, the law school’s advocacy program is regularly considered to be among the best in the country, School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said. “This speaks to the first-rate training our law students receive and contributes to our school’s mission of being the best return on investment in legal education.”

UGA President Jere W. Morehead, a law school alumnus who directed the school’s moot court program from 1986 to 1995, said this gift is a wonderful testament to what Casey has brought to the school’s advocacy program.

“I have known Kellie since she was a Georgia law student and an accomplished member of the advocacy program that I led at the time,” Morehead said. “Her record then and her record since that time have been nothing short of superb. She spends countless hours coaching her students to be the best they can be in competitions, and she is admired and respected by our graduates for her dedication to their education and training and her personal mentorship.”

As a mock trial team member coached by Casey, DeLoach said he “quickly saw the benefit of the unvarnished instruction she provided during hours of mock trial practices. As I spent three days trying my first jury trial, I may have been the only attorney at the table with my client, but I could hear Kellie’s guidance in my heart throughout the trial. At the trial’s conclusion, I enjoyed a victory with an extremely happy client and have no doubt it was in large part because of the coaching I received from Kellie.”

In honor of their inspirational gift, which was announced during the 2019 National High School Mock Trial Championship held at UGA this month, the office space currently used by the school’s advocacy program will be named the Epps, Holloway, DeLoach & Hoipkemier, LLC Student Advocacy Program Suite.

Others are invited to support the Kellie R. Casey Scholarship Fund to strengthen the special legacy Casey is building at the law school by contacting the school’s advancement office at 706-542-7959 or lawgifts@uga.edu.

Casey is a 1990 graduate of the UGA School of Law who participated in the school’s moot court program, winning several individual oralist honors and competing as a member of the prestigious National Moot Court Competition team.