Professor Antoinette France-Harris

Professor and Program Coordinator, Legal Studies

Office: Clayton Hall T-109A
Social Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences
AntoinetteFrance-Harris@clayton.edu
Phone: (678) 466-4810

Biography

Antoinette France-Harris has been a licensed attorney since 1998. A native of New York, she began her legal career at a mid-sized New York firm, quickly establishing herself as a proficient transactional attorney. In 2002, she relocated to Georgia, where she gained valuable experience working in-house for several Fortune 1000 companies before launching her solo practice in 2003. Her firm specialized in real estate, corporate law, estate planning, and family law.

Prof. Harris transitioned to academia in 2010, joining Atlanta Technical College as a full-time instructor in Paralegal Studies. She also served as Department Chair for two years. In 2014, she accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Legal Studies at Clayton State University, where she has since risen to the rank of Professor and serves as Program Coordinator for Legal Studies.

Education

BA, History, Harvard University, 1992

MS, Columbia University School of Social Work, 1994

JD, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1997

Intellectual Contributions

Antoinette S. France-Harris, Sheryne M. Southard, Georgia Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration, 2nd ed. August 2025

Antoinette S. France-Harris, Fundamentals of Georgia Family Law August 2023

Mara A Mooney, Antoinette S. France-Harris, Joshua Meddaugh, An Undergraduate Course on the Road to Law School and a Legal Career for First-Generation Students and Other Underrepresented Groups in the Profession, Questions in Politics – October 19 2023

Antoinette S. France-Harris, "Ethics” in Step-by-Step Guide to Drafting Wills and Trusts in Georgia, National Business Institute – February 4 2025

Antoinette S. France-Harris, “Maintaining an Ethical Practice” in Georgia Probate Process: in 7 Simple Steps, National Business Institute – March 19 2024

Presentations

Antoinette S. France-Harris, "Navigating Multiple Modalities and Your Library: Program Directors Discuss the 300 Series of the ABA Guidelines", AAfPE Annual Conference - 2025, American Association for Paralegal Education – October 23 2025

Antoinette S. France-Harris, "Ethics", Step-by-Step Guide to Drafting Wills and Trusts in Georgia, National Business Institute – February 4 2025

Antoinette S. France-Harris, “Maintaining an Ethical Practice” , Georgia Probate Process: in 7 Simple Steps, National Business Institute – March 19 2024

Antoinette S. France-Harris, "The Journey Ahead: Discussing the Paralegal Career Path”, Georgia Association of Paralegals Statewide Education and Leadership Conference, GAP – October 20 2023

Sheryne Southard, Antointette France-Harris, Denise Allen, The Evolution of Constitutional Law related to Same-Sex Relationships and its Redefinition of Family Law: , Georgia Archives Symposium 2022: Georgia’s Judiciary Through the Years, Georgia Archives – April 2 2022

Service to the University & University System of Georgia

University, University Hearing Panel, Chairperson – Spring 2023 to Present

University, Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Chairperson – February 2023 to May 2024

College, CAS Promotion and Tenure Committee, Committee Member – October 2019 to Present

College, Scholar of the Year Committee, Committee Member – December 2015 to May 2023

Department, Department of Social Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee, Committee Member – August 2019 to Present

Department, Legal Studies Program, Program Coordinator – May 2020 to Present

Department, Legal Studies Advisory Committee, Chairperson – May 1 2020 to Present

Service to the Profession

Committee Member, ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals Approval Commission April 2024 to Present

Member, American Association for Paralegal Education 2017 to Present

Member, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys 2021 to Present

Teaching Interest

Prof. Harris has taught several classes at Clayton State:

PARA 1101: Introduction to Law & Ethics
PARA 2203: Civil Litigation
PARA 2205: Legal Research and Writing
PARA 2213: Real Estate Law
PARA 2223: Wills, Trusts and Probate Law
PARA 2225: Family Law
PARA 2227: Health Care Law
PARA 2231/LGST 3231: Administrative Law
PARA 2235: Law Office Skills
PARA/LGST 4030: Advanced Legal Research and Writing
LGST 4800: Bankruptcy Law
BLAW 3370/5370: Intermediate Business Law/Commercial Law for Accountants
CRJU/LGST 3410: Survey-Criminal Law/Procedures
CRJU 4420: Law and Society
POLS 1101: American Government
POLS/LGST 3220: Judicial Process
POLS 6210: Law for Public Administrators
SOSC 4490: Social Sciences Internship

Research Interest

An accomplished author, Prof. Harris has published two textbooks, Georgia Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration, 2d ed. in 2025, and Fundamentals of Georgia Family Law in 2023. She has also published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, mostly in the area of the scholarship of teaching and learning.