Please help Campbell Law hold on to N.C. Feeding Frenzy title by donating today, March 31
Campbell Law is competing in the 2023 North Carolina Legal Feeding Frenzy — a “food and fund” drive competition among all North Carolina law firms, law schools and organizations to assist Feeding The Carolinas’ Food Banks that runs through Friday, March 31. “Campbell Law is the reigning champion, and we will be competing to hold that title for the third consecutive year,” says Pro Bono Council Director Brigitte Kelly ’23. Please donate by midnight to help us keep the title by visiting this link.
N.C. First Lady Kristin Cooper ‘82 to offer Campbell Law’s commencement address
Kristin Cooper, First Lady of North Carolina and 1982 graduate of Campbell Law School, will offer the commencement address at Campbell Law’s 45th annual hooding and graduation ceremony on Friday, May 12, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced. The celebration is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Dorton Arena at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. “I am so pleased and honored that our First Lady has agreed to speak at the hooding ceremony for our next generation of Campbell Law leaders,” Leonard said. In December 2019, Cooper served as commencement speaker for Campbell University’s Winter Commencement at the John W. Pope Convocation Center in Buies Creek. "Leading with purpose, as I know you’ve already learned here, may call you someday to give your time and talents to someone who needs it, even if they don’t necessarily deserve it,” Cooper told the graduates. Learn more at this link.
46th annual Law Day Awards recognize student achievements, faculty and staff contributions
Campbell Law awarded and recognized distinguished members of the community for their academic achievements and their contributions to our law school community at the 46th annual Law Day Awards banquet on Saturday, March 25, at the Sheraton Center Downtown. That morning, the law school welcomed students' families and friends to the annual Family Law Day activities, which included a mock class led by Dean Emerita Melissa Essary and a mock trial. Learn more at this link or watch the Law Day TikTok.
Donors, recipients celebrated at annual scholarship luncheon
Campbell Law held its annual appreciation luncheon for scholarship donors and their recipients on Thursday, March 2. More than 100 donors, alumni, students, faculty and staff members attended the event, including numerous distinguished Campbell Law alumni and former faculty members. Hosted by Dean J. Rich Leonard, the event’s invocation was given by Mary Catherine Coltrane ’23, a Gordon Rowland Scholarship recipient. Leonard provided a brief overview of some of the law school’s recent achievements including a two-year ultimate bar passage rate of 95.6 percent and third-year scholarship recipients Corey Goss and Adia McLaughlin shared what their scholarships mean to them. Learn more at this link.
Hartsell and Williams PA sponsor Campbell Law LL.M. students trip to Nottingham over Spring Break
Campbell Law alumni Merritt White ’87 and Jay White ’91, longtime partners at Hartsell & Williams PA, are once again generously sponsoring students’ Spring Break trip to Nottingham, United Kingdom, with Dean J. Rich Leonard. Ten students are currently in Nottingham at Nottingham Trent University‘s law school as part of the work they must complete to earn their Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Legal Practice. This trip allows the students to meet face-to-face with faculty and fellow students and present the topics for their dissertations. This degree offering is also available for judges and practicing attorneys. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law reaches national quarterfinals, wins Best Advocate Award at South Texas Mock Trial
The competition was hosted by South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. This year’s competition problem involved a comparative fault wrongful death trial related to a highway accident. Forty-eight law school teams from across the nation competed in the tournament. McLaughlin, Torres and Stanley advocated masterfully as attorneys flipping between each round, representing both sides, often on the same day, according to their coaches. The team was proudly coached by Dan Tilly, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Tatiana Terry ’19 of Hedrick Garner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP and Miriam Sheppard ’22, Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Adam M. Conrad. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law advocates finish strong at BLSA nationals
Campbell Law advocates finished strong after returning to the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) competition following their win at the BLSA Constance Baker Motley Regional Mock Trial Competition in Orlando, Florida. “We placed fourth at Nationals in the NBLSA Mock Trial competition held in Washington, D.C.,” wrote advocate Tiqeece Brown ’23 in a post on LinkedIn following this weekend’s competition in Washington, D.C. “I am grateful for the experience, lessons, interactions and growth. I am proud of our team. I assure you that we exuded proper courtroom decorum and zealous and respectable advocacy. Thank you all for the support! Shoutout to my teammates Sarah Mills ’23, Niayai Lavien ’23 and Nikkia Jacques ’23 and our Coach Kimberly Dixon ’15.” The team was generously sponsored by the Safran Law Offices. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law advocates earn hardware at regional AAJ mock trial competition
Two Campbell Law teams competed in the Regional American Association of Justice (AAJ) Student Trial Advocacy Regional Competition, which were held virtually via Zoom on March 2-3. Advocates Emily Murphy, James Brocker, Emma Tillotson and Corey Goss finished second in the prestigious and highly competitive regional event. They were coached by Jacob Morse ‘17, winner of the 2017 Top Gun National Trial Advocacy Competition. Advocates Lindsey Ross, Rachel Rogers, Susannah Horton and Taylor Norton, who were proudly coached by Lydia Stoney ’20 and Casey Peaden ’17, made it to the semi-finals. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law students earn first Stubbs Bankruptcy Fellowships
A dearth of young attorneys choosing bankruptcy law is the impetus behind Campbell Law’s new Stubbs Bankruptcy Fellowships, says Dean J. Rich Leonard, a former U.S. Bankruptcy judge. “A few years ago a group of us were talking about how worried we were that there were not enough young lawyers going into bankruptcy law,” Leonard explained. So he asked the law school’s Stubbs Bankruptcy Law Clinic namesake Trawick Stubbs, the patriarch of the bankruptcy bar in North Carolina and the senior partner in Stubbs Perdue, if he would be willing to sponsor a unique scholarship to encourage law students to take at least three bankruptcy courses. Thanks to Stubbs generous donation, five law students recently earned the Stubbs Bankruptcy Fellowships of $3,000 each this week after completing all three courses: Jack Ayers ‘24, Kylie Bouplon ‘23, Kyle Conway ‘23, William Godwin ‘23 and Adriel Parks ‘23. “My hope is to continue to find generous donors who will help fund the Bankruptcy Fellowships for current students for years to come,” Leonard added. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law advocates compete in 31st Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition
Campbell Law third-year advocates Rebecca Pierce, Charlie King and Samantha Richardson competed in the 31st Annual Duberstein Moot Court Competition on March 4-6. The national competition was hosted by St. John’s University School of Law in New York City. Coach Anna Osterhout '93 explained the team, which won the American College of Bankruptcy (ACB) Fourth Circuit Moot Court Competition on Feb. 20, had three great rounds. “Unfortunately, they did not advance beyond the preliminary rounds (only 16 of 54 teams advanced),” Osterhout said. “While we were disappointed that the team didn’t advance, I think the students were very pleased with their performances and were happy to have had the opportunity to participate in the competition. I think it was a great experience for each of them. They are a delightful group and they did a fantastic job!” It was the fourth year in a row Campbell Law School advocates won the ACB, which is hosted by the Education Committee of the ACB. Pierce was named the ACB competition’s Top Oralist and the team was coached by Margaret Westbrook as well as Osterhout. Learn more at this link.
Pro Bono Council members clear expunction records over Spring Break
Campbell Law's Pro Bono Council and the Blanchard Community Law Clinic (BCLC) partnered with the Pro Bono Program at Duke Law School and Pisgah Legal Services to host a criminal record expunction clinic in Western North Carolina over the law school’s Spring Break. A total of 18 law students — nine from Campbell Law and nine from Duke Law — participated in the clinic, which was held at the Buncombe County Courthouse in Asheville, according to Campbell Law BCLC Professor Emily Mistr, who was on site as one of the supervising attorneys. Learn more at this link.
Pro Basketball Negotiations Team puts on impressive performance
Campbell Law's Professional Basketball Negotiations Team recently put on a wonderful performance at Tulane School of Law, said Evin Grant ’16, the team’s coach and former Assistant Dean of Student Life and Pro Bono Opportunities. “I am extremely proud of our team’s performance. Spring 2022 was the first time we competed in this competition and placed 25 out of approximately 40 teams. To progress to finish among some of the top teams in just a year shows the hard work and dedication this team has to performing at their highest levels. It’s always a joy watching these advocates grow through the competition season and the confidence they exhibit during the difficult rounds.” The competition team consisted of third-year advocates Clare Poston, Garrett Blom, and Kylie Bouplon and 2Ls Jake Blum and Heath Topel rounded out the team as support and practice squad. Learn more at this link.
SBA hosts annual fundraiser golf tournament
More than 100 students, faculty, staff and alumni participated in Campbell Law's Student Bar Association Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser, which was held on March 24 for the first time since the pandemic. Congratulations to the winners and a huge thanks to our generous sponsors! Shoutout to Will Sparks '24 for organizing the event that raised money for student organizations. Watch the Golf Tournament Fundraiser on TikTok.
Dean J. Rich Leonard featured on 'All Things Judicial' podcast
Dean J. Rich Leonard was recently featured in an episode of the “All Things Judicial” podcast on which he shared stories from his early life, career and time spent assisting several African nations improve their systems of justice. Leonard wrote about these stories in his recent book entitled “From Welcome to Windhoek: A Judge’s Journey.” The interview was conducted by Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism Executive Director Mel Wright whose insightful questions prompted Leonard to expound on lessons-learned, both personally and professionally, Chris Mears wrote in a press release. Learn more at this link.
SAVE THE DATE
PLEASE ADD LINKS TO ALL THE DATES BELOW
- Admitted Students Day April 15
- Book Talk/Signing with Law School Dean J. Rich Leonard April 19
- Alumni Reunions Classes of 1983, 1998, 2013 and 2018 April 15
- FLEX JD In-Person Information Session May 5
- 45th Graduation Ceremony May 12
Campbell Law is now on TikTok
Please follow Campbell Law at this link and feel free to tag us in your videos when appropriate. Be on the lookout for a contest for current law students that is coming soon!
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 October! 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.