Future lawyer aspires to help others

S. “Meghan” Pittman, ’19, is about to receive her Juris Doctor from Mercer University School of Law this May. She has recently been published in Mercer Law Review for her work about limiting the scope liability for third parties under the Georgia Streetgang Terrorism Prevention Act—which made its way to the Supreme Court of Georgia this past summer. 

Meghan Pittman in 2019.
Meghan Pittman in 2019.

“There wasn't a lot of work published yet about the case Star Residential, LLC v. Hernandez and its implications on limiting liability against third parties so I thought this would be an interesting topic to write about,” Pittman said. “If someone's searching online for a secondary source to help understand this case's implications more, mine would be one of the few to immediately pop up.”

The citation—Pittman, S. Meghan (2021) “Trouble with Treble Damages for Third Parties: The Georgia Streetgang Terrorism and Prevention Act,” Mercer Law Review: Vol. 73: No. 1, Article 23—is available to help individuals understand more about limiting the scope of liability for third party commercial property owners under this act.

“It was really interesting in terms of when victims under this statute could recover and when they could not extend this recovery a step further,” Pittman said. “The Court of Appeals held one way in 2020, but within a year the Supreme Court of Georgia overruled that opinion and held differently. I thought that was really interesting. And, of course, the latest opinion is now what controls the issue unless the state legislature decides differently.”

She most enjoys helping others. And, soon she’ll be able to do this by practicing law. Pittman discovered her passion for helping others when she attended the first-year student seminar for students with undeclared majors at Georgia College.

“I took an aptitude test to figure out what my mindset was and what traits stood out for me in picking a career,” she said. “The main thing I noticed was I really enjoy helping people and talking through things with them.” 

“Each case is so different. Even if something starts to seem repetitive, it’s someone's issue that needs to get resolved. My hopes are that I'll be able to ease them through that process and give them a bit of peace.”
– Meghan Pittman

At that time, Pittman thought she wanted to become a counselor, so psychology, which was her major, would provide a good background for that career path.

“Now, with my legal education and background, I’m doing a lot of the same type of activities I learned at Georgia College,” Pittman said. “It's really hands-on, talking to people and trying to help them figure something out. There's a lot of overlap there.”

Early in her junior year, she decided to pursue law.

Pittman minored in rhetoric to improve her public speaking skills with large groups. She took a class with Dr. Jan Hoffmann and soon realized public speaking was something she enjoyed.

“I thought speaking in crowds and being comfortable carrying out the message I intend to convey to others was a really good skill for me to have in this field,” Pittman said.

She also minored in political science to get some background in the legal field. The late Professor Jennifer Hammack, J.D. taught pre-law courses, which is one of the reasons Pittman took them.

“I wanted to get involved in as many pre-law courses as possible with Professor Hammack,” she said. “Minoring in political science really helped me make connections with others. My pre-law background rendered such an important skill that it's going to carry me along after law school, as well. Specifically, Professor Hammack was the first one to push me in trying advocacy programs like mock trial.”

Pittman especially enjoyed classes with Dr. Scott Dillard, professor and rhetoric coordinator, who provided experiences that proved valuable in her law classes.

“He taught me how to think quickly on my feet to convey a message and refine my public speaking,” she said. “These skills proved beneficial with mock trial at Georgia College, as well as with court advocacy programs at Mercer Law School such as mock trial and moot court.”

Once Pittman’s an attorney, she plans to continue serving her community. 

Meghan Pittman recently received the co-championship title for the National Trial Competition, Region 6. She and her teammate competed against 30 other teams. It was the first win for Mercer University School of Law since 2009.
Meghan Pittman recently received the co-championship title for the National Trial Competition, Region 6. She and her teammate competed against 30 other teams. It was the first win for Mercer University School of Law since 2009.

“Dr. Dillard’s accomplished a lot at Georgia College, but he took that a step further,” Pittman said. “He found ways to get involved in the community and involved his students, as well. I feel like that's one of the really important things about any profession you’re in—finding a way to give back.”

She was a member of the Council of Student Ambassadors, Student Government Association, Student Alumni Council, Mock Trial Team, Georgia Education Mentorship program and Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity. Belonging to these organizations helped build her confidence and make connections with many people from different backgrounds.

“I'm not really the same person today than I was when I first came to Georgia College,” Pittman said. “Belonging to these organizations gave me the courage to get involved with things I would not otherwise want to try, because I didn’t think I’d be good at them.”

When Pittman first decided on law school, she didn’t tell anyone for six months, because she thought they’d think it was outlandish. But the more she talked to other students and faculty, she realized pursuing her J.D. was attainable.

In late February, she won the National Trial Competition, Region 6, competing against 30 other teams. She and her teammate won the championship—a first win for Mercer University School of Law since 2009. Pittman plans to complete in the National Championship in April.

Pittman will primarily practice education law, insurance defense and litigation. She especially wants to practice civil defense, because she’s drawn to litigating, as things are constantly changing.

“This is a very dynamic area of law,” Pittman said. “I’ll have to really get accustomed to the facts of each case. If I worked a similar case before, it could be completely different the next time around, because there may be news that could change the whole situation.”

Ultimately, she aspires to help calm future clients, who are going through a stressful time.

“Each case is so different. Even if something starts to seem repetitive, it’s someone's issue that needs to get resolved,” Pittman said. “My hopes are that I'll be able to ease them through that process and give them a bit of peace.”