Campbell Law formally launches Richardson Family Education Equity Clinic
Campbell Law School formally launched the Richardson Family Education Equity Clinic with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at the law school in downtown Raleigh. Billy Richardson ‘80, a Fayetteville attorney who served in the North Carolina Legislature for more than a decade, and Barbara Richardson, who holds a master’s degree in special education, have given the law school a substantial gift to support the addition of a sixth pro bono clinic focusing on protection of the educational rights of children with disabilities. “It is a real honor to be a part of this clinic,” Billy Richardson told the group of some 60 invitees gathered in the law school’s Pope Foyer. “Special education has meant so much to our family. This clinic enables us to be part of something bigger than ourselves.” The Richardsons’ daughter Caroline McGann, is an occupational therapist, and their sons, Matt ‘09 and Zack ‘17, are also Campbell Law alumni, making support of the clinic a true family affair. Billy Richardson also had some advice for current law students, saying they are about to embark on a career where they get to impact so many lives. “Seize the day. Passionately care for your clients. And be the best lawyer you can be.” Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law will host the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division Regional Client Counseling Competition on Feb. 9-10, 2024. The competition is expected to include nine teams, according to Director of Competitive Advocacy Mary Ann Matney ’17. “We are looking for attorneys, judges and counselors to judge the preliminary rounds of the competition on Friday, Feb. 9, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the semifinal rounds of the competition on Saturday, Feb. 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the final round on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.,” Matney said. “Your help would really contribute to the success of this competition.” Anyone interested and available to judge the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition, please click HERE to fill out the form at this link by Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Any questions, please contact Matney at matney@campbell.edu.
preLaw magazine highlights Campbell Law graduates for surpassing bar exam results
Bar passage rates are better measures of the quality of legal education than graduation or employment rates, states Professor Jeffrey S. Kinsler in an article titled, “Schools whose grads overperform on the bar exam,” in preLaw magazine’s Winter 2024 edition. The article features Campbell Law School and Dean J. Rich Leonard along with Assistant Dean of Academic Support and Bar Success Sha Hinds-Glick. That’s because a study Kinsler, who is founding dean at Belmont University College of Law in Tennessee, published in 2023 found Campbell Law graduates are tops in “overperforming” on the bar exam. The study, “Ultimate Bar Passage Rates: Which Law Schools Are Overperforming and Underperforming Expectations,” reveals there are quite a few law schools that are doing better than expected when it comes to their graduates passing the bar, but none better than Campbell Law. “Bar passage is our DNA, and we think about it constantly,” Leonard is quoted as saying in the article. “We’re a pretty old-fashioned law school, and we have a heavy required curriculum. Sixty of the 90 hours to graduate are courses we require, so everything on the bar exam is a required course here. Unlike many law schools where students are seeing material for the first time in bar review, that’s just not true here.” Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law Alumni Association to host virtual CLE on March 12
The Campbell Law Alumni Association plans to host a virtual two-hour CLE from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, Assistant Dean of External Relations Megan Sherron has announced. This presentation, which is sponsored by Chaplin and Associates Inc., will offer one hour of ethics credit and one hour of professional well-being credit (pending approval from the North Carolina State Bar).
9-10 a.m. Warren Savage, Lawyers Mutual Insurance, “Emerging Ethics” (ethics credit)
10-11 a.m. Candace Hoffman, N.C. Lawyer Assistance Program, “Getting By With A Little Help From Our Friends” (professional well-being credit)
This CLE is offered FREE to Campbell Law Alumni Association members and $50 for all others. Register at this link. Want to join the Alumni Association? Join the Campbell Law Alumni Association at this link. For more information, please contact Megan Sherron at sherron@campbell.edu or Sharon Sparks ssparks@campbell.edu.
Campbell Law once again recognized among best for competitive trial advocacy by preLaw magazine
Campbell Law’s competitive trial advocacy program has once again been graded as one of the best in the country by preLaw Magazine in its Winter 2024 issue. The accolade marks Campbell Law’s seventh consecutive appearance on the annual list since 2017. Campbell Law received a graded score of A again this year and is the only law school in North Carolina to make this year’s list. The complete list is available online at this link. “I am delighted to once again see our name on the ‘A’ list of Trial Advocacy Schools, and to be the only school in North Carolina on the list,” said Dean J. Rich Leonard. “Advocacy is our hallmark. Our graduates are ready to perform and lead from the moment they pass the bar exam. Our hands-on curriculum and culture deserve recognition for the results they produce.” Campbell Law has also been recognized as a leader in advocacy by U.S. News, Fordham’s Trial Competition Rankings and Hofstra Law School’s GAVEL Rankings. Accolades include one world championship, 12 national championships, 10 regional titles and two Top Gun champions, among others. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law Review Symposium 2024 to focus on AI in the legal profession
The Campbell Law Review will host its 2024 Symposium, “The Impending AI Revolution in the Legal Profession,” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, at the Jiddi Space & Courtyard in Downtown Raleigh. The event will include a social hour, a seated dinner, an incredible panel of industry experts and a Q&A session. Experts include Campbell Law Professor Suzanna Geiser, Angela P. Doughty, Diane Littlejohn, Dr. Edgar Lobaton, Geoff MacLeay, Catherine Sanders Reach, Jill Rothstein and John Sieman. The panel discussion will explore the nature of artificial intelligence, its applications in the legal field and the anticipated transformations it may bring to the legal landscape, according to the event organizers. Leading the conversation will be an impressive panel of industry experts, scholars, practitioners and policymakers. The Symposium offers two hours of CLE credit from the North Carolina Bar for North Carolina attorneys. For more information, contact Emily Hatem ’24 at emhatem0918@email.campbell.edu and/or Emily Sullivan ’24 at ebsullivan0202@email.campbell.edu. Registration, which is limited and ends March 6, is open to students, faculty/staff and the public at this link.
Alumni Association elects three new board members
Zack Anstett ’18, Ann Ochsner ’11 and Jesse “Jay” Tillman ‘99 are the newest members of the Campbell Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, Assistant Dean of External Relations Megan Sherron ’10 has announced. The new board members were voted on at the Alumni Association’s annual meeting on Oct. 27, 2023. They took office in January 2024. Anstett, Ochsner and Tillman will all serve three-year terms on the board. Current board members Margaret Currin ’79 and Keith Boyette ’19 were also elected to additional three-year terms on the board of directors at the meeting, Sherron said. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law first-year students place at Kilpatrick Mock Trial Competition
A team of first-year Campbell Law students finished as runner-ups at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Law’s Kilpatrick Townsend 1L Mock Trial Competition earlier this month. The team, which consisted of Manu Jarvis, Lane Corbett, Beau Marlette and Thomas Lotito, came in second after a well-fought battle against a team from UNC Law, said Director of Competitive Advocacy Mary Ann Matney ‘17. Twenty-two teams competed in the Kilpatrick Mock Trial Competition this year. Of those teams, 14 were made up of 56 Campbell Law student advocates. Throughout the competition, many Campell Law advocates received Best Advocate Awards. Four Campbell Law teams competed into the quarterfinals. Learn more at this link.
While many students used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to catch up on homework or sleep, students involved in Campbell Law’s Pro Bono Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (IRRP) partnered with Catholic Charities of Raleigh to host a Community Naturalization Clinic on Monday, Jan. 15. IRRP Program Manager Kelly Chauvin ‘24 explained that at this free, structured clinic, 13 law students were paired with approximately 16 members of the community to assist them in filling out their naturalization paperwork. The students were supervised by the gracious attorneys at Catholic Charities, who also reviewed the applications before the clients were released from the clinic, Chauvin added. “The students were able to analyze and review complex issues including disability waivers, fee exemptions, marital complications, travel regulations and the implications of criminal histories in assisting over a dozen community members,” she said. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law Spotlights
During her freshman and sophomore years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Aryana Ainolhayat ’22 was science major, but quickly realized it was not the right fit for her. As she began to consider which direction she wanted to take, she decided to enroll in a course on the Supreme Court. This class prompted her to switch her major to political science and set her on a course to attend law school. Learn more at this link. Iman Abebe ’25 has known she wanted to be an attorney and a public servant since she was in seventh grade. Growing up outside Washington, D.C., Abebe says because the role models she looked up to in public service had juris doctor degrees, she had her mind set early on that she wanted to attend law school. Learn more at this link. Alexandra Macey Davis ’15 knew she did not want to be a traditional attorney. After graduation from Campbell Law, Davis passed the North Carolina bar exam and landed a job at a boutique law firm in Raleigh. Though the job provided a great work environment, it confirmed her suspicions the traditional practice of law was not necessarily her ideal career path. Learn more at this link. Carey King '24, the concept of becoming an attorney had always been synonymous with criminal defense. Growing up in Eastern North Carolina, he did not realize the vast array of opportunities the legal field offered until a COVID-induced reflection period in 2020 when he also graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. King used his free time to take the LSAT and explore the legal profession. Learn more at this link.
SAVE THE DATE
- ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition February 9-10
- North Carolina Court of Appeals February 12
- Alumni Association VIRTUAL CLE March 12
- VIRTUAL FLEX JD Program Information Session March 14
- Campbell Law Review Symposium March 21
- SBA Annual Golf Tournament March 22
- Admitted Students Day April 6
- FLEX JD Program Information Session April 26
Are you a Campbell Law judge?
If you or anyone you know is a Campbell Law alumna/nus and also a current or past judge, we are expanding our "Judges of Campbell Law" wall we unveiled in 2021! The exhibit honors alumni who have served on a variety of judicial benches. Read more at this link. Please contact Coordinator of External Relations Sharon Sparks at ssparks@campbell.edu or call 919-865-4652 for more information.