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Campbell Law School once again wins N.C. Legal Feeding Frenzy

Campbell Law has once again won the law school division of the 2026 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 once again 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 the law school division coming in with $1,207 after winning last year’s competition giving Campbell back-to-back wins. Campbell Law also won back-to-back Feeding Frenzy law school division titles in 2021 and 2022. Learn more at this link.

Campbell Law announces 2026 Competitive Scholarship recipients

Campbell Law is proud to announce the recipients of its four highly prestigious, full-tuition 2026 Competitive Scholarships, awarded annually to incoming students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, leadership, service and professional promise. This year’s cohort — Abigail Yang ’29, William A. Dunn III ’29, Maddie Brother ’29 and Ryana Hanafieh ’29 — represents an extraordinary range of accomplishments across legal, academic and community‑driven pursuits. Learn more about each of the recipients at this link.

Beau Marlette '26 selected to represent Campbell Law in ‘Top Gun’ national competition

Campbell Law graduate Beau Marlette '26 has been selected to compete in the 2026 Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition on May 29-31, hosted by Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, Dean J. Rich Leonard announced earlier this month. Marlette was on the team of Campbell Law advocates who won the national American Association for Justice (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Competition (STAC) on March 29 in New Orleans. Marlette was also awarded the Best Advocate Award in the National Final Round. Another member of the team was Haydn Bauer '26, who will accompany Marlette as associate counsel. Director of Competitive Advocacy Rene Shekmer, who coached the winning AAJ team, will serve as the Top Gun coach as well. Learn more at this link.

Campbell Law Career Center sponsors 2nd Judicial Clerkship Dinner

Campbell Law's Office of Career and Professional Development sponsored its second Judicial Clerkship Dinner at the Bridge Club on May 1. The event brought together at least 26 current and past clerks as well as a number of alumni and other judges. Kempton Healey '20 and N.C. Supreme Court Justice Tamara Barringer provided remarks along with Dean Rich Leonard and Assistant Dean of Career Services Mallory Underwood. The law school is celebrating a historic milestone as the Class of 2026 secures the highest number of judicial clerkships in the school's 50-year history. Fifteen graduates will begin their legal careers serving judges across North Carolina and beyond, marking a significant achievement for the law school and its longstanding commitment to practical training and professional readiness, according to Underwood.

Daiana Mendoza-Acosta ‘28 named 2026 NCBA/NCBF Open Door Fellow

Campbell Law rising second-year student Daiana Mendoza-Acosta ‘28 has been selected as an 2026 Open Door Fellow for the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) and North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF). The NCBF Open Door Fellowship gives students a chance to practice law in a “hands-on” environment while making connections in the legal field. This experience prepares first year students for their legal careers and is awarded to students who have shown a commitment to promoting “diversity and inclusion through their activities, background and life experiences,” according to the NCBF website. During her NCBA/NCBF Fellowship, Mendoza-Acosta will have the opportunity to work in the City of Durham Attorney’s Office with Sofia Hernandez, who serves as a Senior Deputy City Attorney, and Anne Marie Tosco, a Deputy City Attorney. Learn more at this link.

Campbell Law’s Jennifer Cardenas ’28 receives 2025–26 HLSA scholarship

Campbell Law’s Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA) executive board members have chosen Jennifer Cardenas ‘28 as the 2025–2026 Semillas de Justicia Scholarship recipient. The $500 scholarship is sponsored by the Law Office of Cynthia González PLLC in Elkin. González has generously committed to supporting the scholarship on an annual basis, said HLSA President Brooke Salgado ‘26. González, whose aim is to help future attorneys, is the mother of current law student Joshua González ’27, who serves as the HLSA Treasurer. Cardenas was chosen to receive the scholarship because of her intentional leadership in creating inclusive spaces and amplifying underrepresented voices, from advocating for language access and structural change on the farmworker ministry board to her broader efforts connecting marginalized communities with resources and representation. Now serving as Community Outreach Chair on the HLSA Executive Board, Cardenas continues to lead authentically despite imposter syndrome, demonstrating a consistent commitment to building belonging wherever she goes. Learn more at this link.

LeAnn Cain '26 earns honorable mention in national writing competition

Campbell Law alumna LeAnn Cain '26 has earned an honorable mention for her submission to the 2025 Marshall M. Schulman Annual Competition for Student Papers in Criminal Law and/or Criminal Procedure. Her article “The Forgotten Women on California’s Death Row: Deadly Stereotypes and Due Process Violations” will be published in the Criminal Law Journal, the official quarterly publication of the Criminal Law Section of the California Lawyers Association. As a competition winner, Cain will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a one-year student membership to California’s Criminal Law Section. Cain secured a top spot in the competition, where students are judged on the originality and informational value of their research. Competitors are expected to demonstrate unique perspectives through writing, research and analysis. This honorable mention highlights Cain’s dedication to clarity and thorough research regarding law and women’s justice, the judges said. Learn more at this link.

Out of Africa

Eight Campbell Law students are currently working in three African countries as judicial clerks in their high courts. In February, Dean J. Rich Leonard, who has traveled to Africa some 80 times, met with chief justices in Ghana, Namibia and Rwanda to set up an inaugural  student-oriented program funded by the Joseph E. Zaytoun International Judicial Clerkship Fellowship initiative. Angelena Antenuci ‘27, Tracy Harris ‘27 and Ryan Hogan '28 (pictured above) are in Namibia. Three more students are working in Rwanda and two are in Ghana. Learn more at this link. In the photos below, 15 students are currently studying international comparative law and access to justice issues in Ghana along with learning about Ghanian history and culture with Dean Leonard in cooperation with Cape Coast University School of Law.