Atlanta Law School

The Atlanta Law School, was a private, night law school for working professionals and others seeking a legal education. The school's faculty members were practicing lawyers and judges from across the state of Georgia.

The school began in 1890 and closed its doors in 1994. It was accredited by the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners. Today the school continues as a scholarship fund for those students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to practice law. In 1890, Hamilton Douglas, Sr., Hooper Alexander, Archibald H. Davis and Charles A. Read, began night law classes for those who were unable to attend law classes during the day. The law school has graduated over 6,000 in its 104 years of operation. It was incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia in 1892. The law school conferred the Bachelor of Laws degree and students had diploma privileges along with the University of Georgia and Mercer University. Later the school adopted the Juris Doctor degree as the requirements of admission to the bar included college credits and finally a college degree. Students could return for an advanced degree, the Master of Laws, in litigation. National Legal Fraternity Delta Theta Phi had an active senate at the school. The Wayne Senate was named for Judge James Moore Wayne of Savannah, Georgia, who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1835 until his death in 1867. The Senate was installed at Atlanta Law School in 1914 by Robert S. Parker, late Governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Georgia. The Dean of the Wayne Senate in 1988 was James Fabian Bernecker. The School offered the Valedictorian Prize, Harrison Company Prize and The Hershel E. Cole League of Honor Graduates. From its founding, the instructors were always engaged in the practice of law, either as practitioners or as judges (sitting or retired). No professional teachers or instructors were engaged in the teaching process throughout the school's history. The character of the school was defined as a "Lawyer's Law School".

The late Hamilton Douglas, Sr., served as Dean of the Law School. His son Hamilton Douglas, Jr. continued the school until Herschel E Cole, became the last Dean of the school. Donald W. Gettle served as Assistant Dean for the last thirty years of the schools existence. Robert E. Cochran,II was named an Assistant Dean in 1985. Board of Trustees included Herschel E. Cole, Chairman, Charles W. Allen, Donald W. Gettle, E. Lewis Hansen (1985) Dean Virlin Moore and Dean Wayne C. Pressley were also quite involved throughout the transition of Woodrow Wilson College of Law.

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