News and Information
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322

Release date: October 27, 1998
Contact: Elaine Justice, Assistant Director

EMORY LAW SCHOOL RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT IN MEMORY OF LAWYER KILLED IN VALUJET CRASH

Emory University School of Law has received a gift of $510,000 from the Miami law firm of Colson, Hicks, Eidson, Colson, Matthews & Mendoza and Richard P. Kessler Jr. of Atlanta and his daughter Grace Kessler to establish a scholarship endowment in memory of Kathleen Kessler, a 1972 law school alumna who was killed in the 1996 ValuJet Airlines crash.

Mike Eidson, a partner in the Colson, Hicks, Eidson firm, and Richard Kessler also graduated from Emory Law School, class of 1971.

The Kessler-Eidson Endowment will be used to fund scholarships for second- and third-year women students who have demonstrated a commitment to public service, along with interest and skill in trial advocacy. In addition, a room in the MacMillan Law Library will be named for Kessler, and a portion of the endowment will be used to fund Emory's nationally recognized trial techniques program, which will be named the Kessler/Eidson Trial Techniques Program.

"Throughout her career, Kathy Kessler was a trial lawyer, never fearing to speak her mind or to tackle unpopular causes if she thought she was right. She was a woman of sound ideals and principles who gave unselfishly of her time and talents for the good of her profession and for her frequently downtrodden clients who so badly needed her help," says Eidson, who represented the Kessler family in litigation stemming from the ValuJet crash. "Through the years, Kathy and I frequently exchanged ideas about difficult problems with the cases we handled. I considered it a privilege to be her friend."

Eidson and his firm waived their legal fees in favor of the establishment of the endowment, a highly unusual move but an act the firm felt strongly about.

Joining in the law firm's support of the endowment, Richard Kessler says he and his daughter Grace see the scholarship as a fitting tribute to "one of the pioneers for women in trial practice on the plaintiff side." After Kathleen Kessler's death, the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers established an award in her name to honor other women who have contributed to the legal profession. "Kathy proved that you can practice law successfully at a high level, take time for the things that are important in life and earn the respect of others," says Kessler.

"We are pleased that Dick Kessler and Mike Eidson have worked to establish this unprecedented endowment in memory of one of Emory's finest graduates and a leading member of the Atlanta legal profession whose tragic death brought great sorrow to all who knew her," says Howard O. Hunter, dean of Emory Law School. "We are also grateful that something so positive has come out of this tragedy and that her legacy will continue at Emory for future generations of students."

A native of Miami, Kathleen Kessler practiced in Atlanta with the noted trial attorney Hugh G.

Head after her graduation from Emory Law School, becoming one of the few female trial attorneys in Georgia during the 1970s. Following his retirement, she developed a strong solo practice, representing individuals with a variety of legal problems, from employment issues, to family issues, to personal injury and wrongful death cases. At the time of her death, she was chair of the General Practice & Trial Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, the organization's largest section with almost 3,000 members. Her husband was chair of the Corporate and Banking Law Section, making them the first married couple to chair two sections.