Laverne Lewis Gaskins was born in her mother’s hometown of Swainsboro, Georgia. Laverne’s mother was the wife of a U.S. Army soldier. Laverne’s father’s military career took her throughout the world during her early childhood. Eventually, her family returned to Georgia when she was nine years old. She graduated from ARC in 1977, having been active in many extracurricular activities: the Varsity Cheerleading Squad (co-captain), the Annual Staff, the Track Team, the Spanish Club, Student Council, and the Pep Club. She went on to receive Bachelor and Master’s degrees from Valdosta State University, and a Juris Doctor Degree from the Florida State University School of Law. After a few years of private law practice, Ms. Gaskins became the inaugural General Counsel for Valdosta State University. In 2010, she received a Fulbright grant in law, and she presented lectures to college students and the community in Hungary. She has served as a Georgia Special Assistant Attorney General. She was admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court and Georgia Supreme Court, all state courts in Georgia, the U.S. District Court of Georgia, the Middle District of Georgia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Ms. Gaskins recently completed a third term as Editor-In-Chief of the National Bar Association Magazine. For several years, she served on the editorial board of the Journal of College and University Law. She has been on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia and was a member of the State Bar’s Disciplinary Board, having previously served as Chair. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s ICLE Board, and the Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession. In 2015, she represented the American Bar Association at the United Nations Economic and Social Council in Vienna, Austria, and in 2018 represented the ABA at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland. She has published many articles in professional journals, including The International Journal for Education Law and Policy, the Journal of College and University Law, The National Bar Association Magazine, the Georgia Bar Journal, Campus Legal Advisor, and others.

She was the 2009 Recipient of the Justice Benham Award for Community Service, the 2013 recipient of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Zenith Political Action Award, the 2018 recipient of the National Bar Association Presidential Award and is an emeritus member of the Florida University College of Law Board of Directors.

Since 2015, she has been employed as a Senior Legal Advisor to Augusta University. She is a member of the Georgia Advisory Board of the US Commission on Civil Rights. She is a member of the Augusta Bar Association, and she also serves as the Augusta Regional Vice President for the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. She is active in community affairs as a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta and serves on several boards: Board of Directors Boys and Girls Clubs of the CSRA, Board of Directors Augusta Symphony, Board of Directors Georgia Legal Service Program.

She and her husband, Kent, are motorcycle enthusiasts, and they both ride Indian Motorcycles.

Ms. Gaskins recently completed a third term as Editor-In-Chief of the National Bar Association Magazine. For several years, she served on the editorial board of the Journal of College and University Law. She has been on the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia and was a member of the State Bar’s Disciplinary Board, having previously served as Chair. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s ICLE Board, and the Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession. In 2015, she represented the American Bar Association at the United Nations Economic and Social Council in Vienna, Austria, and in 2018 represented the ABA at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland. She has published many articles in professional journals, including The International Journal for Education Law and Policy, the Journal of College and University Law, The National Bar Association Magazine, the Georgia Bar Journal, Campus Legal Advisor, and others.

She was the 2009 Recipient of the Justice Benham Award for Community Service, the 2013 recipient of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Zenith Political Action Award, the 2018 recipient of the National Bar Association Presidential Award and is an emeritus member of the Florida University College of Law Board of Directors.