From litigating civil rights cases in federal courtrooms to guiding law students in Atlanta classrooms, Jadine Johnson Nixon has built her career on connecting the practice of law to lived experiences. After four years as adjunct faculty at Georgia State University College of Law, Nixon’s ability to translate these principles into meaningful lessons in the classroom has earned her a promotion to assistant clinical professor. In her new role, Nixon will continue the same mission that has guided her career as a litigator.
After four years as adjunct faculty at Georgia State University College of Law, Jadine Johnson Nixon has been promoted to assistant clinical professor.
An Atlanta native with more than 15 years of civil rights advocacy and litigation experience, Nixon brings a wealth of real-world expertise to her new full-time faculty position. Her background in litigation combined with her commitment to education has made the Street Law course the cornerstone of her teaching career. The class connects law students with high school students, and it introduces them to legal principles. This concept reflects Nixon’s deep dedication to justice and her passion for introducing young people to the law.
“I love teaching Street Law because it combines so many of my passions,” she said. “Student and youth engagement, community legal education and impacting the next generation of lawyers.”
Nixon’s career began at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where she worked on class action lawsuits to protect students and incarcerated youth. From there, she spent almost three years at the Advancement Project, a national racial justice organization. Then her path led to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where Nixon enforced federal civil rights laws in public schools and universities, which was driven by her conviction in the power of equal access to education.
When Nixon returned to Atlanta during the pandemic, she was eager to reconnect with her hometown and find ways to serve the local legal community. A former Georgetown Law professor connected her to the Center for Access to Justice at Georgia State University College of Law, where she found familiar ground in the Street Law course.
“I loved participating in the Street Law Clinic as a law student at Georgetown and was always looking for ways to further that work,” she said.
The Center for Access to Justice had recently sponsored the Street Law course proposal at Georgia State, and Nixon immediately accepted the chance to teach it.
“Jadine started the Street Law program as an adjunct professor while practicing law full time,” said Clinical Professor Kendall Kerew, associate dean for Experiential Education and director of the Externship Program. “She built the program from the ground up, forming partnerships with local high schools and creating a course curriculum that leaned heavily on a student-centered and experiential methodology.”
Nixon's years of civil rights litigation provided a natural foundation for the course. She spent much of her career advocating for fair and equitable educational opportunities, challenging discriminatory discipline practices, protecting students facing harassment and fighting for equitable school resources. Her classroom became a space to connect theory to practice, where she could guide students through discussions of education justice while grounding lessons in real-world examples.
The bridge between courtroom and classroom often came to life in memorable ways. Nixon recalled a lesson she learned when meeting with a student-plaintiff and his parents about for a school discipline lawsuit. While she was anxious to meet important deadlines for the case, she almost missed the broader reality one young client was facing.
“I drove to the small town to meet with them and was on a tight schedule. The student seemed very disinterested and distracted. I grew frustrated until I decided to take a step back and consider his viewpoint,” she said.
Her young client revealed his home had recently been targeted in a drive-by shooting.
“Instead of focusing on what I perceived to be his weaknesses, I focused on his strengths,” she said. “He had courage and commitment to this cause despite traumatic circumstances. Changing my perspective made me a better advocate.”
“At its core, Street Law is about civic engagement and empowerment. Educating and equipping the younger generation about the law furthers democracy,” said Nixon.
Today, she asks her students in the Street Law seminar to take the same approach in their work with Atlanta high schoolers. “We discuss how a strengths-based approach can be an important tool for empowerment and advocacy in legal practice,” she explained. “At its core, Street Law is about civic engagement and empowerment. Educating and equipping the younger generation about the law furthers democracy.”
The course doesn't just benefit high school participants. It also challenges Georgia State Law students to develop critical client-facing skills, like distilling complex legal concepts into practical lessons and communicating effectively so others can make informed decisions.
Her approach to Street Law gives law students a chance to step outside the walls of the classroom and into the community. She emphasizes that this kind of experiential education helps students see the law in action while contributing to civic life. Annual traditions like Street Law Day, which brought more than 100 high school students to campus last spring for interactive programming and a mock trial before guest judge, U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story, have quickly become highlights of the program.
In her new full-time role, Nixon works with the Externship Program, overseeing student placements with public, private and judicial opportunities. She also teaches the Externship Seminar, designed to help first-time externship students reflect on their experiences, grow professionally and develop their professional identity as lawyers.
Associate Dean Kerew praised Nixon for her contributions to the program and the lasting influence her teaching will have. “Professor Nixon is a natural teacher. She is creative, thoughtful, and authentic. She is already making a positive impact on the Externship Program by sharing her ideas and perspective to help inform program improvements and innovations. Similarly, I expect she will continue to grow and innovate the Street Law program.”
- Written by Lauren Allred