Campbell Law celebrates largest graduating class in school history
Campbell Law School conferred 183 Juris Doctor degrees on May 9 during its 47th hooding and graduation ceremony at the Martin Marietta Center in downtown Raleigh. "The Class of 2025 marks the largest graduating class in the law school���s history", said Dean J. Rich Leonard. North Carolina’s Attorney General Jeff Jackson, his first commencement address in his new role, told the graduates his mission was to help them feel a little less anxious about their future including the upcoming bar exam and subsequent job hunt. Retiring Dean Emerita and Professor Melissa Essary, in her last official duty for the law school, hooded the graduates. Nottingham Law School Deputy Dean Matthew Homewood on behalf of Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom, bestowed Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees. Student Bar Association President Cole S. Halum '25 gave the invocation, while Valedictorian Matthew Scott Daubenspeck '25 told his classmates in his farewell that his experience at Campbell confirmed to him that law is a vocation, a calling and more than a job. Legal Research and Writing Professor Robert Montgomery in his last act before retiring gave the benediction, adding “remember the law is not only a profession, but a calling.” Find more photos of the ceremony on the law school’s Facebook page at this link and watch the graduation ceremony’s YouTube recording at this link. Learn more at this link.
Samantha Border ’25 selected to compete in ‘Top Gun’ national mock trial competition
Campbell Law’s Samantha Border ‘25 has been selected to compete in the 2025 Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition in June, hosted by Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced. This is the 16th Top Gun Competition and Campbell Law is the only North Carolina school on the distinguished list of competitors. This Top Gun Competition is Campbell Law’s 11th time securing an invitation to this prestigious tournament. Previously, Campbell Law has had two final four finishes by Andrew Shores ’13 and Kaitlin Rothecker ’15, and two championship victories by Jacob Morse ’17 and Tatiana Terry ’19. Terry will serve as Border’s coach. Hailey LaRock ‘26 will accompany Border to the competition, said Director of Competitive Advocacy Rene Shekmer. The competition is an innovative, invitation-only mock trial tournament where the single best advocates from the 16 top trial advocacy schools across the nation (based on results from the other major national competitions) go head-to-head for the honor of being designated as “Top Gun.” The competition also boasts the use of advanced trial presentation software and a winner-take-all prize of $10,000. Learn more about the competition in this link.
Trailblazing Dean Emerita and Professor Melissa Essary retires
Campbell Law Dean Emerita and Professor of Law Melissa Essary will retire in May 2025, Campbell Law Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced. The May 9 commencement ceremony marked Essary’s final official duties, as she hooded the law school’s 183 graduates, the largest graduating class in the school’s 49-year history. Essary herself made history in 2006 when she became the first woman to lead the law school. Three years later, she made history again by shepherding Campbell Law’s trailblazing move from Campbell University’s Buies Creek home to the state capital, as well as increasing law school applications to record levels. Under her leadership, the student body grew from 345 in 2006 to 477 in 2012, accompanied by a significant increase in the academic credentials of entering students. She also achieved the highest minority enrollment in the history of the law school at the time and continued the law school’s tradition of having the highest overall bar passage rate in North Carolina on the July bar exam over the past 25 years, among other accomplishments. Learn more about Essary's accomplishments and journey through this link.
Campbell Law wins 2025 Legal Feeding Frenzy
Campbell Law has once again won the law school division of the 2025 North Carolina Legal Feeding Frenzy, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has announced. The annual joint program of the N.C. Attorney General’s Office, the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA)’s Young Lawyers Division, the North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF) and the seven statewide Feeding the Carolinas food banks, the competition aims to fight hunger across North Carolina by uniting the legal community in support of local food banks. The “food and fund” drive competition runs annually from March 1-31. “While we are excited to announce that Campbell Law School has won this year’s Legal Feeding Frenzy, the real winners are the folks who will receive help from the Feeding the Carolinas food banks,” Dean J. Rich Leonard said. Campbell Law won with $924 or 3,696 pounds (plus 3,724 bonus pounds) followed by Wake Forest University law school with $719 or 2,876 pounds (plus 2,500 bonus pounds) and Elon University law school $112 or 448 pounds (plus 1,000 bonus pounds). Campbell Law also won back-to-back Feeding Frenzy law school division titles in 2021 and 2022. Learn more at this link.
It's not too late to sign up for Campbell Law Alumni Association's 'Connecting with Campbell Law-Raleigh/Virtual CLE' on Thursday, May 29
In honor of the Campbell Law Alumni Association‘s 10th anniversary, the Association will host 10 additional hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) throughout the state during 2025 in addition to its six-hour annual CLE in October, Assistant Dean of External Relations Megan Sherron ‘10 has announced. Alumni Association members can attend the CLEs for FREE and non-members and guests pay $50 each (with the exception of the annual CLE in October). Current students, faculty and staff can also attend for free but must register in advance. The first additional “Connecting with Campbell Law-Raleigh/Virtual” CLE opportunity is on Wednesday, May 29, and there is the option to join in-person or online for a two-hour CLE. The in-person option will be held at Campbell Law School from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m in Room 313. This presentation will offer one-hour general and one-hour technology CLE credits, which have been approved by the North Carolina State Bar. The Alumni Association thanks Chaplin and Associates Inc. for sponsoring this event. Register at this link.
Campbell Law Alumni Association hosts annual alumni reunion on May 3
The Campbell Law Alumni Association welcomed more than 200 alumni back to campus on May 3 for its annual alumni class reunion activities. The Classes of 1980, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2015 and 2020, who raised a whopping $591,051.85, and their guests descended upon Raleigh for events at the law school and a plated dinner at The StateView Hotel. Morning activities at the law school included tours of the building, family fun activities, a “State of the Law School” presentation by Dean J. Rich Leonard and a barbecue lunch. The evening’s festivities, which were sponsored by Gary Shipman '80, Sheila Pope ‘95 and William Pope ‘95, capped off a yearlong fundraising and engagement effort undertaken by law school administrators and volunteer committees from each class. Learn more about the Reunion in this link.
Jon Powell ’98 receives 2025 Law Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award
Assistant Clinical Professor Jon Powell ‘98 is the Campbell Law recipient of the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award for 2025, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced. Powell joined Campbell Law in 2003 after a successful career in criminal defense. He is the first and only full-time director of the law school’s Restorative Justice Clinic (RJC), which was initially established as the Juvenile Justice Project in 2003 with a grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission, and was renamed the RJC in fall 2015. The project initially served Harnett, Lee and Johnston counties, where juvenile criminal cases from the local district were referred by the district attorney’s office, Department of Juvenile Justice and local schools. In leading the law school’s oldest clinic, Powell has made an indelible mark on the law school, the lives of its graduates and the community, Leonard explained. “He has educated second- and third-year students in the Restorative Justice Clinic with compassion, grace, humor and real-life experiences,” Leonard said. “In addition to his Restorative Justice Class, Professor Powell takes on an exceptional number of students in an independent study each semester and trains them personally in upper-level restorative justice practices. Professor Powell has a remarkable gift in training future lawyers in the humanity of being a lawyer.” Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law Faculty/Staff celebrate milestones
In April, Campbell University Human Resources hosted its annual Faculty/Staff Service Awards dinner, which recognized all full-time faculty and staff for their years of dedicated service to the University. Faculty and staff are recognized for every five years of continuous service. Five Campbell Law School faculty and staff members were recognized at the 2025 milestone dinner for their years of hard work and commitment: Sharon Sparks, Sha Hinds-Glick, Anne Powell, Johnny Chriscoe and Gregory Wallace. Learn more about the faculty at this link.
Two new assistant professors to join Campbell Law on Aug. 1
Assistant Law Professors Luke Morgan and Charles Warren will join the Campbell Law faculty effective Aug. 1, 2025, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced. Morgan, who will teach Civil Procedure, brings a strong blend of academic achievement and hands-on legal experience to the classroom, Leonard said. Warren will teach Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. With a distinguished background in military justice and a passion for teaching, Warren brings a wealth of experience and insight to the classroom drawing from his extensive military service, Leonard said. Learn more at this link.
Public interest summer stipends provide Campbell Law students hands-on legal experience
A number of Campbell Law students are participating in public interest internships and externships this summer thanks to stipends provided by the Campbell Public Interest Law Students Association (CPILSA), the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, the Rawls Family and the North Carolina Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (NC IOLTA), Assistant Dean of Career and Professional Development Mallory Underwood has announced. Learn more about the programs at this link.
Campbell Law Spotlight: Jamie Herman '22
Jamie Herman '22 is a contracts administrator for the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation. She most recently served as the Special Assistant to the Campbell Law School Dean. In her former role, she assisted the Dean with any special projects, as well as managed the law school’s Human Resources and Procurement duties. While at Campbell Law, Herman successfully completed a legal internship at Wake County Public Defender’s Office and she worked as a legal assistant at Bellomy, Turner & Bartram LLC in Huntington, West Virginia. Herman is a licensed attorney and focuses on restorative practices, where she is skilled in juvenile delinquency and as a child advocate. Herman earned her bachelor’s degree from Marshall University in West Virginia. Learn more at this link.
Alumni News and Class Notes now available online
Did you get married, have a baby, get a promotion, get elected, retire or experience any other exciting life change? We want to hear about it! Submit your alumni note for inclusion in our newly published online Alumni News and Class Notes at this link. Send your updates to External Relations and Events Coordinator Sharon Sparks at ssparks@campbell.edu or Director of Communications and Marketing Lisa Snedeker at lsnedeker@campbell.edu.
SAVE THE DATE
- "Connecting with Campbell Law" CLE Raleigh/Virtual May 29
- "Connecting with Campbell Law" CLE Asheville June 25
- Campbell Advantage/Orientation August 8
- Alumni Association Annual CLE October 24
Check out new Campbell Law swag
Looking for Campbell Law apparel? Our Campbell Law brand shop is ready and open for business! All orders are made on demand and ship in approximately 15 days. We have T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, tumblers, coasters and more! Click here to shop.
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.