Fortenberry Receives Award for Work in Law and Christianity |

Fortenberry Wins Gertie and John Witte Prize for Outstanding Work in Law and Christianity

Trevor Fortenberry (JD 2022) received the Gertie and John Witte Prize for Outstanding Work in Law and Christianity.

The prize was created in 2014 to honor the memory of CSLR Director John Witte, Jr.’s parents. “They were wonderful souls, powerful personalities, and moral exemplars for my sisters and me,” says Witte of their influence. The award honors a graduating student who has shown scholarly excellence in the study of law and Christianity.

During his time at Emory, Fortenberry acted as the assistant managing editor for the Journal of Law and Religion (JLR). His original scholarship and demonstrated leadership skills led to a comment of his being published in the Ecclesiastical Law Journal published by Cambridge University Press.

Fortenberry cites the CSLR as the determining factor in his decision to study law at Emory.

“Being part of the JLR staff was a hugely rewarding experience, as were the law and religion classes I took from John Witte and Shlomo Pill,” says Fortenberry. He emphasizes their influence as mentor figures: “Both shaped my thinking and made me a better scholar, and a better person.”

This fall, Fortenberry will be joining Seyfarth Shaw LLP as an associate.