Campbell Law partners with Cape Coast University in Ghana for study abroad
Campbell Law students, faculty and staff spent three weeks in Ghana in May and June learning about the political and social structure of the West African nation on the Gold Coast. The first week in Accra, Ghana's capital, included visits to the High Court, the Supreme Court, various criminal and civil courts and Parliament. In addition to lectures from the Interim Chief Justice of Ghana and multiple judges, professors from the University Of Cape Coast (UCC) Law and Dean J. Rich Leonard taught the group about the history of slave trade on the Gold Coast. The students also had the opportunity to learn from UCC Law students, who accompanied them to Parliament and the courts. The group then traveled to Cape Coast, where they toured three slave forts — Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and Fort Anomabu -- built by European traders and used in the Atlantic slave trade. The forts were used to hold enslaved Africans before they were loaded onto ships and sold in the Americas, especially the Caribbean. Each fort has a "gate of no return" marking the spot where the slaves passed through before being forced on to boats to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Legal Aid of North Carolina CEO Ashley Campbell educated the students about the lack of access to Justice for North Carolinians and had the students brainstorm and present projects on a solution to the problem. "The students all had phenomenal projects and ideas," Leonard said. "We were blown away!" Lecturers from UCC Law explained the downfalls of the Ghanaian legal system, especially the current jury dilemma the country is facing. After a short trip to Kumasi and a visit to the Ashanti Kwame Nkrumah Palace, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge of the 10th Judicial District (Wake County) Paul Ridgeway '86 taught the students about business in Ghana after returning to Accra. The group also visited the W.E.B. Du Bois Center and the U.S. Embassy. In addition to the lectures and educational trips, the group spent time on the coast, hiking in Kakum Park, shopping for native art and learning traditional Ghanaian dancing, drumming, cooking and batiking. Keep an eye on our blog for more stories from this year's study abroad trips! Visit Campbell Law's Blog at this link.
Professor Chris Cox joins Campbell Law faculty
Professor Chris Cox has joined the Campbell Law faculty as the Director of Trial Advocacy effective June 15, 2023, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced. “I am delighted to announce that Professor Cox has joined our faculty to lead our curricular trial advocacy program,” Leonard said. “We are one of the few law schools in the country with a required, four-credit trial advocacy class that is both substantive and experiential. It takes enormous skill to design the curriculum and coordinate multiple practice sections, and I have no doubt that Professor Cox is up to the task.” Learn more at this link.
Nicholas Sanders joins Career Services as director of externships
Campbell Law Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced Nicholas Sanders will join the Office of Career and Professional Development on July 10, 2023, as Director of Externships. In his new role, Sanders will also serve as an adjunct faculty member. He is charged with overseeing the teaching and administration of the law school’s robust externship program throughout the year – fall, spring and summer. “With his background as special deputy attorney general for the North Carolina Department of Justice and as a judicial law clerk for the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Nick brings a wealth of experience to his new role,” Leonard said. “I look forward to working with him to bring our already extensive externship program to the next level.”In his new role, Sanders will also serve as an adjunct faculty member. He is charged with overseeing the teaching and administration of the law school’s robust externship program throughout the year – fall, spring and summer. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law Spotlight: Tia Overway ’23
Tia Overway is a 2023 graduate of Campbell Law. While in law school, Overway worked as a summer associate for Young Moore and Henderson PA as well as Poyner Spruill LLP. Outside of internships, she was heavily involved in the Campbell Law community. Overway served as an Honor Court Justice, competed in a mock trial competition and three moot court competitions, including winning the 2021 Old Kivett Moot Court Competition. She was elected secretary for the law school’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and became Senior Editor of the Southern Journal of Policy and Justice her during her second year of law school and then earned her role as Editor-in-Chief her third year. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law Spotlight: Cassiday Williard '24
Cassidy Williard ’24 is a rising third-year student at Campbell Law. The summer between her first and second years of law school, Williard interned for Justice Tamara Barringer of the North Carolina Supreme Court and she is currently interning at Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey PLLC. Williard has also interned with Hardison and Cochran. Williard serves as a teaching assistant for the law school’s Advanced Legal Research and Writing program and is a member of Willem C. Vis Moot Court team. Learn more at this link.
Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic accepting applications for clients for Fall 2023
Campbell Law’s Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic is looking for a few good entrepreneurs or start-ups to receive free legal services in the fall of 2023. The clinic and its student attorneys strive to provide area businesses with specialized legal services needed to scale and grow. Clinic Director Benji Jones utilizes decades of experience working with start-ups to supervise up to eight third-year Campbell Law students. The Clinic is located in Raleigh Founded in the Raleigh warehouse district. “We are looking for about a dozen start-up businesses,” said Jones, who is also the Clinic’s co-founder. “The value of the free services they receive may range from several thousand dollars to more than $10,000.” Interested applicants should complete an online questionnaire at this link as soon as possible. Selections will be made in August 2023. Learn more at this link.
David Gantt ’81 receives NCBA's 2023 McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award
Campbell Law School David Gantt JD ’81 has been awarded the 2023 Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award from the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA). Gantt was honored at the organization’s annual conference, June 22-24, in Wilmington. Gantt, a 1981 Campbell Law School graduate and Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Legal Specialist, has spent more than 30 years representing injured and disabled clients in the mountains of western North Carolina. In addition to Workers’ Compensation, Gantt practices in the areas of Social Security disability and personal injury law. Learn more at this link.
Campbell Law alumni named among Triangle Business Journal’s ’40 Under 40′
Campbell Law School alumni Anna B. Hedgepeth ’13 and Jeffrey M. Kelly ’13 are the recipients of the Triangle Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 Leadership Award” for 2023. Learn more at this link.
SAVE THE DATE
- Campbell Law Advantage Orientation Begins August 4
- 5th Annual Bike Ride Fundraiser October 21
- Annual Alumni Association CLE October 27
- U.S Supreme Court Swearing-in Trip November 6
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.