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By Sharron Hannon
President Michael F. Adams has selected a Kentucky circuit court judge to serve as UGA’s  executive director of legal affairs.
Adams has appointed Stephen M. Shewmaker, who has served as circuit judge for the 50th Judicial Circuit since 1983, to the position effective Jan. 1, 2000. Shewmaker succeeds acting executive director Jere Morehead, who was named associate provost and director of the Honors Program at UGA in July. Morehead, previously a faculty member in legal studies, had held the legal affairs post since March 1998. The appointment is subject to approval by the board of regents.
“I have known Steve Shewmaker for many years and believe he will be a significant addition to the university legal community,” says Adams. “While we had a strong pool of candidates, he brought more experience to this position than anyone else. The time he has spent on the bench will be especially helpful as the University of Georgia continues to move through a series of affirmative-action issues.”
More than 90 candidates applied for the position, which reports directly to Adams. “The objective in making this hire was to find a person who could work within the university community and give me a high level of advice in which I can have confidence,” says Adams. “I believe we have done that. I am very grateful to Jere Morehead, Elizabeth Bailey and others in the legal affairs office who have carried on so well while we re-examined the needs and administrative structure of the office.”
“The Office of Legal Affairs provides critical legal services for the university community,” says Morehead. “The appointment of a permanent executive director will serve the university well, particularly in light of our continuing litigation in the area of affirmative action.”
Shewmaker received his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1974. He practiced law in Danville, Ky., from 1975 to 1980, then served as assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Kentucky from 1980 to 1982. He returned briefly to private practice in Danville before being elected circuit judge, a position he held for 16 years. Earlier this month, he failed to win re-election.
“I was in the midst of a campaign for re-election when this opening came to my attention,” says Shewmaker. “I told my advisers then that even if I won the election, I was not sure I would stay, because I considered this to be a chance of a professional lifetime to change directions and be involved in the life of the University of Georgia, which I have followed closely over the past few years.
“It is a university with strong support and leadership for the future. I look forward to being a part of the team to maintain the positive momentum of a nationally recognized land-grant university.”
With reference to President Adams’s recent decision to stand by UGA’s use of a race-conscious admissions policy in the face of legal challenges, Shewmaker says, “I agree with the stance on admissions both personally and legally.
“After discussions with Jere Morehead and other advisers, I feel the professional experience I have is a good fit for the challenges of this position,” he says. “I look forward to working with the judges and lawyers in Georgia.”
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