Correction appended


Thanks to a new rule allowing second-year law students in Georgia to practice under attorney supervision, state Supreme Court Justice Harris Hines swore in 15 second-year law students from Georgia State University at the Cobb County Superior Court on Wednesday.

The swearing-in, which also included a third-year student, occurred because of a major overhaul to the state's student practice rule that went into effect Aug. 15. It previously allowed only third-years to practice under supervision of an attorney licensed in Georgia. The Georgia Supreme Court approved the new rule, which was two years in the making, in March.

The 16 GSU students will be representing domestic violence victims in Cobb Superior Court as part of an innovative experiential learning class, Transition to Practice, made possible by the rule changes. GSU law and ethics professor Clark Cunningham, who helped craft the new student practice rule, is offering the class for the first time this semester.