Peter “Bo” Rutledge, dean of the University of Georgia School of Law since 2015, announced he will step down at the end of December 2024 with plans to return to the faculty.
As a first-generation law school graduate, Rutledge said he credits his own law professors, folks like David Strauss and Richard Epstein, for inspiring him to dedicate his professional life to the legal academy.
“The core of my work has involved investing in the next generation of lawyers and leaders,” he said. “This past decade of service as dean has offered the exceptional honor to work with an incredibly talented group of colleagues and alumni to make that same sort of investment at the institutional level, laser-focused on a vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education. As I prepare to return to the faculty, I look forward to continuing that dedication to the next generation and to supporting my successor as they develop their own vision.”
Under his leadership, the UGA Law School achieved historic rankings, set fundraising records, expanded access to student financial aid and was consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best returns on investment in legal education.
The school has been rated the No. 1 or No. 2 Best Value Law School by The National Jurist for seven straight years, including four years as the No. 1 Best Value.
The law school set several fundraising records during Rutledge’s tenure as dean, with much of the support devoted to student financial aid.
The law school created 84 new scholarship funds, including the First-Start Scholars and Butler Commitment programs that guarantee financial assistance to all first-generation college graduates and military veterans, respectively.
Student indebtedness at the law school decreased by more than 50% over the past 10 years and the percentage of J.D. students completing their legal education at UGA free of debt has more than doubled.
The law school’s graduates also achieved impressive employment outcomes during Dean Rutledge’s tenure.
The school posted the nation’s highest employment rate for high-value jobs for the Class of 2021. Almost 95% of the Class of 2022 secured full-time, long-term, bar-pass-required jobs within 10 months of graduation.
The school currently boasts a near perfect 99.48% Ultimate Bar Passage Rate, and its graduates have posted the highest first-time Georgia bar exam passage rate among the state’s law schools for 10 consecutive years.
Rutledge earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a master’s degree in applied ethics from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
He received his J.D. from the University of Chicago, where he graduated with high honors, served as executive editor of The University of Chicago Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at UGA School of Law, will soon launch a search for the law school’s next dean.
“The UGA School of Law has built a well-deserved reputation as one of the nation’s best, and its growing stature is a testament to Bo’s leadership and expertise,” Hu said. “We are grateful for his years of service, and I look forward to his continued contributions to our students as a member of the law school’s outstanding faculty.”
