December 29, 2025

Inclusion of items in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by the LST Program or Georgia Tech. All items are passed along strictly for your information.

The fall semester was truly a whirlwind! At the peak of this storm in November, I had the privilege of moving back into the lovely, renovated, and modernized D.M. Smith Building.  

In November we also had a wonderful naming ceremony in D.M. Smith to commemorate the naming of our School, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. Moving back into D.M. Smith as your LST Director is not only wonderfully symbolic, but also very meaningful to me, given the time I spent in its halls as a Georgia Tech undergraduate.  

In the classes I attended in D.M. Smith, I focused mainly on my coursework and exams, with little sense of where those early academic experiences might lead. Returning now as a faculty member offers a striking perspective on the continuity of academic life at Georgia Tech. As your LST Director, I now have the privilege of working with many Public Policy academics who were my professors, mentors, and inspirations when I was an undergraduate.  

This building was also where I encountered the LST discipline as an active intellectual community — where ideas took shape in lectures, discussions, and informal conversations that led me to law school, to practice law, and now, to return as your LST Director. Teaching in the same space today underscores how learning spaces like D.M. Smith carry collective memory and meaning, which now further motivate us all to succeed. 

Occupying this building again is a reminder that Georgia Tech is shaped by long trajectories: students become scholars, questions deepen, and familiar places take on new significance. It is a privilege to contribute to the same setting that helped shape me as a student — a space that has now been beautifully restored and improved.  

I hope you all will see D.M. Smith not only as a place to attend class, but as a place you can visit to ask questions, continue conversations, and explore ideas beyond what you’ve discussed in the classroom. These spaces are at their best when they are lived in and I look forward to welcoming you there. I hope you’ll feel free to stop by my office (Room 120) and chat about anything regarding the path to practice law and beyond! 

Best, 

Prof. McNeil 

Thank you for ten incredible years of coaching Georgia Tech Mock Trial and for taking our program to the next level! 

Thanks to Will, our program has become one of the truly elite top 20 programs in the country out of approximately 800 teams with which we regularly compete for the national championship.

His dedication, strategic insight, and unwavering belief in Georgia Tech students has shaped us not only as stronger competitors, but also as more confident advocates, leaders and people. The countless hours he gave — preparing, mentoring, and pushing our students to be better — built a culture of excellence that will last far beyond any mock trial season or trophy. 

Will, our success is a direct reflection of your commitment, and your impact will be felt for years to come. We truly cannot express how grateful we are for everything you did for the GT Mock Trial program!

Our LST Program continues to grow! Unfortunately, the increased demand for LST courses cannot be fully met by our current offerings. To address this issue, we are offering LST minor elective course credit for approved legal internships which help you prepare for law school and beyond.

Requirements for Eligibility: 

If you think your internship may qualify, please email LST Director McNeil at wmcneil6@gatech.edu to discuss this, as well as how to go about registering for course credit.

The Troy Van Aacken Law Endowment Fund was established in memory of Troy Van Aacken, EE 1997, by his wife, Susan Silver Van Aacken, PUBP 1999, and family to support Georgia Tech students pursuing law school admissions by providing funding for law school application fees, testing fees, and expenses for law school visits. 

Congratulations to this year's winners: Charlotte Leroy, Brittney Ngo and LillyAnne Beatty! 

The Van Aacken Award selection process will take place every fall to coincide with the law school application process. 

Wednesday, Mar. 11, 5 – 7 p.m. | D.M. Smith, Room 115

We will be hosting a CLE (Continuing Legal Education) event for practicing attorneys in the lovely renovated D.M. Smith Building. Students are welcome (and encouraged) to attend! 

This CLE event will be led by Pascal Van Hentenryck, A. Russell Chandler III Chair and Professor at Georgia Tech. Van Hentenryck is also the Director of the NSF AI Institute for Advances in Optimization and the Director of Tech-AI, the AI hub here at Georgia Tech.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now embedded across business systems, from document workflows and e‑discovery platforms to client‑facing services. This CLE translates the technical realities behind AI into plain English for attorneys. Led by Pascal Van Hentenryck — a pioneer in constraint programming and AI‑optimization with long‑standing industry deployments in logistics, energy, mobility, manufacturing, and corporate systems — the session demystifies how modern AI works, where it fails, and what controls legal teams should demand from vendors and internal IT.

Expect an interactive session with plenty time allotted for participants to ask questions. I look forward to seeing many of you there! 

Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 24 and 25

Georgia Tech Mock Trial will host the 21st Annual Ramblin' Wreck Invitational Tournament at the DeKalb County Courthouse. 

Feel free to come and watch some of the best mock trial competitors from around the country! 

Thanks to everyone for attending the in-person law school forum on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in the Bill Moore Student Success Center! Having representatives from all the law schools in Georgia attend was productive and enjoyable for all of us, and I received positive feedback from everyone who attended — including the law school representatives. I look forward to continuing this every fall on campus! 

Pre-law advising is by appointment only. Please include at least three half-hour time slots within the next two weeks that would work for you. If you do not see an appointment time available or that works for your schedule, email LST Director Andy McNeil to schedule an alternate time to meet. 

Students must review the LST FAQs before making an appointment.

We want to celebrate your internships, scholarships, law school acceptances, and any other amazing accomplishments. Complete the brief survey below to share your successes with the LST program!

Law, Science, and Technology at Georgia Tech

Advising Appointment | Pre-Law Information Portal