As the assistant dean for career development, Tony Waller gives students, staff and faculty of the School of Law the tools necessary to put their best foot forward.
Waller’s connections to the law school began after his undergraduate education. With a newly obtained bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, he entered law school in 1990.
After graduating and spending some time practicing law, Waller began to work for a startup company in Washington, D.C., primarily serving human resources roles. There, he discovered what would become his passion.
“The thing I found I enjoyed the most about that was helping figure out who were the best fits for which clients and which jobs,” he said.
In 2000, he decided to return to Athens, finding a job as the associate director for legal career services in the law school. Waller stayed in this position for six years before becoming the assistant dean for career planning and professional development at the University of Illinois College of Law.
He and his wife came back to Athens in 2011. During this time, Waller ran a startup formerly known as Children First Inc., a nonprofit committed to providing advocacy to children in foster care around Georgia.
“My job was to make sure the people who did the hard work wouldn’t have to worry about being paid,” he said. “They didn’t have to worry about making sure the lights come on in the building. They didn’t have to worry about how we were going to stay open.”
He finally returned to the University of Georgia in 2015 when the then dean of the law school, Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge, fulfilled a commitment that he made to the students.
“He said he would bring on someone to focus on government and public interest advising. I worked in local government law when I practiced law and, of course, ran a nonprofit here in Athens.” Waller said. “So, he brought me in to be the first public interest advisor who focused on that in the Career Development Office.”
For the next five years, Waller worked in career development positions at the school before signing on as the assistant dean in 2021. In this job, he uses an amalgamation of the skills and values he picked up along the way to best serve members of the law school community.
“A lot of people come to law school generally because they want to help people, and I’m no different from them,” Waller said. “I’m able to help students learn and realize their full potential and put them in a position to see and learn the skill sets so they can go on to their careers and do great things.”
As a self-proclaimed extrovert, Waller also enjoys this job because it gives him the opportunity to connect with others.
“I’m genuinely happy when people figure out what their thing is,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be like the capital “T” thing; it can be a little thing.”
It’s important for resources like Waller to be available for students as the school and the job market get more competitive. UGA law students are becoming more academically competitive each year, as are the comparable talents in the job market. It is Waller’s job to assist students in making it over those extra hurdles.
With almost 600 students and 300 to 500 partnering employers a year, no day is the same. One day, Waller may dedicate his time to providing professional development opportunities for students. On another day, he may spend a portion of his time helping a student find funding for a career endeavor. No matter the task, Waller ensures that the people of the law school are able to perform at their best.
“If I’ve done my job well, they have the opportunity to operate nearly frictionless,” he said.
Outside of work, Waller is very active in the local community and the legal world. With three kids, he always makes it a point to get involved with their schools, taking part in PTO boards and booster clubs. He is also involved in the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) and served as the 2023-2024 president.
With a group of friends, he also hosts a podcast dedicated to UGA athletics. “Waitin’ Since Last Saturday” has featured guests like director of athletic bands Brett Bawcum and Amanda Mull, a Grady alumna and writer for The Atlantic.
Throughout Waller’s time with the School of Law, he will always appreciate the spirit of the law school.
“I’m astounded by the genuine kindness and sense of community that the law school still has,” he said. “Despite all of the things that are happening in the world, we are extraordinarily fortunate to have the community we have.”
