This fall, nine University of Georgia School of Law students received Louis B. Sohn Professional Development Fellowships to support their attendance of international law conferences. Named after the inaugural holder of the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law at Georgia Law, Sohn Fellowships enable law students to attend professional development opportunities related to international law. The Fellowships are administered by the Dean Rusk International Law Center.

Nicholas Ames (J.D. ’27), Karim Aziz (LL.M. ’27), Zoë Bussewitz (J.D. ’28), Nida Choudary (J.D. ’27), Reny Del Jesús Mazara (LL.M. ’27), Alina (Allie) Herasimovich (LL.M. ’27), Marta Lizer (LL.M. ’27), and Karyna Vepretska (LL.M. ’27) attended the American Branch of the International Law Association’s International Law Weekend in New York City, New York. Taylor Paulsen (J.D. ’28) attended the 15th annual conference of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society (AtlAS) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bussewitz was selected to be a 2026 Student Ambassador for ABILA (detailed here). She was one of eight Ambassadors selected nationwide to assist with International Law Weekend. Bussewitz is the fourth Georgia Law student in the last four years to be selected as an ABILA Student Ambassador. She follows Haichen Zhao (J.D. ’27), Madison Graham (J.D. ’25), and Bohdan Krivuts (LL.M. ’24, J.D. ’26).

Paulsen shared about her favorite panel from the AtlAS annual conference:

One of the highlights was getting to hear Professor Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge, who teaches my International Arbitration course, speak at the conference. Hearing his perspective in a professional setting was specifically memorable, and the discussions at the conference have already influenced my academic interests. I am looking forward to exploring the issue of multiparty arbitration and nonsignatories following Outokumpu in an upcoming capstone paper for his class.

Reflecting on the experience of attending the ABILA ILW, Choudary stated:

My favorite panels were the ones on non-intervention (day 2), sovereignty (day 3), and reparations (day 2). I did not realize that there was a legal framework for reparations and movement lawyering programs working on this cause. The most significant part for me and the true value of events like this was hearing from non-American perspectives. It was a truly international affair and it was refreshing to hear about the law in the global context instead of just American. It has been a goal of mine in my final year of law school to get a more holistic view of the law and what it is capable of. The variety of topics discussed certainly helped me accomplish that goal.

Lizer noted her biggest takeaway from the ABILA ILW:

As an LL.M. student focused on international law and seeking to build a career in New York, I found these issues particularly relevant to my professional development. One of my main takeaways was the importance of understanding not only international legal rules, but also the political and institutional dynamics that shape their development and application. I was particularly interested in the question of whether emerging international arrangements can create more inclusive forms of governance or risk reinforcing existing inequalities. This perspective reinforced the importance of critical analysis, adaptability, and a broad understanding of international institutions in legal practice. The conference strengthened my motivation to continue developing my expertise and pursue opportunities to engage with complex international legal issues in my future career.

To read prior posts about Georgia Law students using Sohn Fellowships to attend professional development opportunities, please click here and here.