Georgia State Law inducted 25 recent graduates and two honorees into the Order of the Coif and the Order of Barristers on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. These elite legal honor societies celebrate excellence in the scholarship and advocacy of law students nationwide.
“Your dedication to scholarship and the pursuit of legal knowledge is truly commendable, and it exemplifies the core values of our law school,” said Georgia State University College of Law Dean Courtney Anderson, commending the graduates and honorary inductees.
The Order of the Coif is a national legal honors society that recognizes high-achieving students who have graduated in the top ten percent of their class. Chapters of the organization are established at institutions who demonstrate a culture of scholarship, community engagement and students pursuing the interests of justice at the highest levels. Fewer than half of American law schools have a chapter of the Order, and the process to establish one is rigorous.
Dean Courtney Anderson presents Jason Poulos (B.S. ‘92, J.D.’97) a certificate commemorating his honorary induction into the Order of the Coif.
Professor Nirej Sekhon, secretary of the Georgia State chapter of the Order of the Coif, inducted students into the Order of the Coif. “This is an auspicious year for our chapter, as it was in 2016 that we were authorized to create this chapter, so this is the 10th anniversary of the Order of the Coif at Georgia State.”
This year’s honorary alumni inductee to the Order of the Coif, Jason Poulos, (B.S. ‘92, J.D.’97), is also an adjunct faculty member at Georgia State. Poulos started teaching Advocacy at Georgia State Law in 2010, and in 2017, he launched his own course, Corporate Compliance, based on his experience as a corporate compliance professional in the legal field. In 2024, Poulos was the first adjunct faculty member to receive the Roy M. Sobelson Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, and he is a Master in the Bleckley Inn of Court.
“To say that I am honored to receive this induction is an understatement,” said Poulos. “Georgia State does several things uniquely better than anyone else, and this university, this college, has only one place to go, and it’s up.”
Professor Paige Boorman and Professor Brian Sites, faculty supervisors for the Student Trial Lawyers Association (STLA) and Moot Court, inducted ten students into the Order of Barristers, an honorary society for students who have mastered oral and written advocacy through sustained competition. The Order began in 1965 at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law to honor graduating seniors who had demonstrated outstanding ability in moot court and mock trial participation.
Dean Anderson presents Beth Tanis a certificate commemorating her honorary induction into the Order of Barristers.
Elizabeth “Beth” Tanis, who endowed the Beth Tanis & John Chandler Scholarship with her husband, was selected as the 2026 Order of the Coif honorary inductee.
Tanis retired from King & Spalding and Eversheds Sutherlands as a partner in both firms. She has been a member of the Georgia State Law Board of Visitors for more than 20 years, previously serving as chair, and she will join the ranks of Georgia State Law’s faculty in spring 2027 as an adjunct faculty member in the Lawyering Advocacy program.
Tanis shared pearls of wisdom with the inductees, reminding them that sometimes the most basic courtesies will help them establish themselves in their careers.
"I know from my experience, how daunting it can be to navigate the field of law,” said Tanis. “Don’t despair, and don’t lose faith. I am confident, given the legal acumen and the skills that you have all demonstrated, that you are going to be brilliant at what you do.”
The full list of 2026 inductees are as follow:
Order of the Coif Class of 2026
Erin Braden, Jay Crawford, Scott Fineberg, Olivia Gates, Matthew Handsfield, Elizabeth Harding, Faith Howerton, Sydney Jackson, Karthik Jayaraman, Dewaine Johnson, Grace Kaldor, Eliana Miller, Rachel Ramsey, Kaitlyn Robinson, Hannah Sanchez, Katelyn Sbravati, Robin Stein, Brooke White, India Wrede
Order of Barristers Class of 2026
Jay Crawford, Olivia Gates, Matthew Handsfield, Sarah Hesse, Madeline Ligameri, Garrett McCarthy, Thomas Morrison, Ashlyn Puckett, Hannah Sanchez, Kanesha Weaver