“Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other,” held Oct. 29 at the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, brought together John Hood, president of the John William Pope Foundation, and Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University School of Law.

Carol Quillen, former president of Davidson College and former CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, moderated the conversation.

“This is not a debate. It’s a conversation,” Quillen told the audience at the outset. “Our hope is that as John Hood and Melissa Murray share their ideas, their knowledge, and their points of view, each of us will find insights that can enrich our own understanding and also provide tools that we can use to be more effective at engaging others with whom we might disagree.”

Public Square is a civic conversation series produced by to encourage thoughtful engagement across ideological differences and strengthen civic life. The library foundation is producing the series with programming partners including the , �����Ի� �鶹��Ƶ Law. The Durham and Morton families are supporting partners.

Hood emphasized individual liberty, limited government and the responsibility of citizens and civic organizations to address community needs. Murray explored the Constitution’s evolving protections and how historical injustices and structural barriers influence opportunities for meaningful participation in American society.

Hood described the Constitution as a framework designed to accommodate disagreement among people with different beliefs, political views and priorities.

“We can disagree about religion. We can disagree about faith of any kind. We can disagree about political issues. We can disagree about how we want to live, what we want to eat, what team we’re going to root for, whatever it is,” Hood said.

The nation’s founders anticipated those disagreements, he explained, and established a constitutional system intended to prevent them from escalating into threats to individual liberty or violence.

The challenge, Hood said, is to view people who hold opposing beliefs “not as bigots, not as villains and not as liars” — but as individuals with inherent worth and people whose perspectives may have merit, Hood said.

Murray approached the Constitution from a different perspective, emphasizing how the nation’s founding principles evolved through struggles over citizenship, equality and individual rights.

She pointed to the Civil War and Reconstruction-era amendments as transformative moments in American constitutional history, arguing that understanding the nation’s founding requires acknowledging both its ideals and its failures.

“If we aren’t attentive to it, and we don’t try to reckon with it, and see what the residue of it means for us today, we could still make the same mistakes over and over and over again,” Murray said.

She also emphasized the importance of constitutional literacy and the responsibility to consider perspectives that challenge one’s own beliefs. Drawing on her experience in law and teaching law students, she described the value of examining opposing arguments rather than dismissing them.

In law, “we also literally have to do justice to another side, to make the argument as sharp as possible, because that’s the only way to make your argument better,” she said.

Four �鶹��Ƶ Law students served as content navigators, helping explain constitutional principles, collect audience questions and facilitate discussion.

Stellarose Emery L’27 and Ashley Holmes L’26 represented �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Greensboro program, while Mandy Mead LF’29 and Jeremy Yagoda LF’29 represented the Charlotte Flex Program.

Audience questions addressed respectful disagreement, civic education, constitutional interpretation and the responsibilities of citizens in maintaining democratic institutions.

Two additional Public Square conversations are scheduled for spring and fall 2027, exploring “The Art of Compromise” and “Truth and Trust,” respectively.

The annual poetry slams, organized by �鶹��Ƶ School of Law’s Legal Method and Communication Program, brought students together on Oct. 20 in celebration of the National Day on Writing, an annual observance established by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Through original poems that ranged from deeply personal reflections to witty observations about law school and life, students revealed parts of themselves that classmates and professors might not always see in the classroom.

In Greensboro, students competed in the Eighth Annual High Rhymes and Misdemeanors Poetry Slam. Charlotte students in the Flex Program held their third annual Poetry Slam, continuing a tradition that encourages creative expression and builds community among future lawyers.

Greensboro: ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors’

Marlaisha Vereen L’27 earned first place and the People’s Choice Award for her poem, “We Once Shared the Same Sky,” an emotional reflection inspired by a summer internship in criminal law in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida.

During the internship, Vereen encountered familiar faces from her childhood, prompting her to reflect on how differently life had unfolded for people who once shared similar dreams.

“Reconnecting with familiar faces after being away for so long caused me to reflect on how differently life unfolds for people who once shared the same dreams,” Vereen said. “As future attorneys, we must never become so consumed with learning the law that we forget the humanity behind it.”

“My hope is that my vulnerability reminds others of the importance of compassion and never forgetting where we come from.”

The Greensboro competition featured a panel of judges that included James Daniels, Greensboro’s poet laureate and an assistant professor in North Carolina A&T State University’s Department of English; Krista Contino-Saumby, director of career services at �鶹��Ƶ Law; and Sue Liemer, professor of law. Trey McClenny served as emcee.

Daniels also performed an original poem, “Pushout: Ode to the Black of the City,” for the audience.

Flex Program flexes lyrical prowess

In Charlotte, Nadia Mazza LF’28 held first place for the third year with her poem, “1 & Done.” It is her third win

Nadia Mazza LF’28 captured first place in Charlotte with “1 & Done,” a lighthearted celebration of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s recent bar examination success and the culture of achievement fostered by Dean Zak Kramer and the school’s “One and Done” slogan.

The poem drew inspiration from the Class of 2025’s record performance on spring bar examinations in North Carolina and 11 other jurisdictions, when 90.9% of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s first-time test-takers passed. Kramer had promised to get a tattoo if the class reached an 85% passage rate.

“I thought Dean Kramer’s promise to get a tattoo was a compelling — and fun — way to show the power of shared motivation and commitment to a goal,” Mazza said. “I love how traditions bring a community together and give us meaningful ways to celebrate milestones like this!”

The Charlotte judging panel included Louis A. Trosch Jr., a retired Superior Court judge in North Carolina’s 26th Judicial District and an attorney at Conrad, Trosch & Kenny; Karen Neff, director of �鶹��Ƶ Charlotte; and Gabrielle Kelly, senior assistant city attorney in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Police Attorney’s Office. Adjunct Professor Bob Minarcin served as emcee.

Greensboro ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors’ Poetry Slam winners

First place and People’s Choice Award: Marlaisha Vereen L’27 — “We Once Shared the Same Sky”

Second place: Elaijah Lapay L’28 — “Call”

Third place: Rachel Dale Walker L’28 — “American Will”

Charlotte Poetry Slam winners

First place: Nadia Mazza LF’28 — “1 & Done”

Second place: Somer Dice LF’29 — “The Holdout”

Third place: Auston Johnson LF’30 — “Icarus”

People’s Choice Award: Hanny Echeverria Navarro LF’30 — “You Don’t Own Me”

The law school is a programming partner for , a new civic conversation series produced by the . The inaugural event, “Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other,” will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place in Charlotte.

Event details

“Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other”

A moderated conversation featuring Carol Quillen, John Hood and Melissa Murray

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at 7 p.m.

Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, 230 N Tryon, Charlotte, NC 28202

General admission is $35. Student admissions is $15.

“At �鶹��Ƶ Law, we prepare students to listen carefully, think critically and consider opposing views. Public Square brings people together to ask tough questions, debate ideas and learn from each other in pursuit of a stronger democracy,” said Dean Zak Kramer. “That makes this a natural partnership. As the law school grows in Charlotte, we’re excited to contribute even more to the civic life of this community.”

�鶹��Ƶ Law’s participation in Public Square comes as the university expands its presence in Charlotte through a merger with Queens University of Charlotte. The law school launched its part-time Flex Program there in 2024, and will welcome its first full-time Charlotte J.D. class in fall 2027. Beginning next fall, both programs will operate on the historic Myers Park campus.

A conversation about freedom and responsibility

The inaugural Public Square conversation will explore the relationship between individual liberty, shared responsibility and the obligations Americans have to one another.

Carol Quillen, former president of Davidson College and former CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will moderate a discussion between John Hood, president of the John William Pope Foundation, and Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University.

Hood will explore individual liberty and personal responsibility, while Murray will address collective investment and the conditions necessary for meaningful freedom.

Quillen recently discussed the series and the importance of respectful disagreement in , Charlotte’s public radio station and a partner of the event.

The series seeks to encourage conversations across differences, model respectful civic discourse and create opportunities for Charlotte residents to consider questions that shape their communities and the nation.

“I am so grateful to our donors and partners for joining CMLF on this journey to gather our diverse community for conversations that matter to our personal lives and collective well-being,” said Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation Executive Director Jenni Gaisbauer. “This series aligns with the Library’s commitment to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas – a principle vital to our democracy and to each individual’s search for knowledge.”

�鶹��Ƶ Law students contribute to the conversation

�鶹��Ƶ Law students will play a distinctive role in bringing that civic engagement to life.

Four students from the law school’s Greensboro and Charlotte programs will serve as content navigators, contributing legal and constitutional context to the discussion, engaging with audience questions and making complex issues more accessible to participants.

The students are:

• Stellarose Emery L’27, Greensboro full-time J.D. program
• Ashley Holmes L’26, Greensboro full-time J.D. program
• Mandy Mead LF’29, Charlotte Flex Program
• Jeremy Yagoda LF’29, Charlotte Flex Program

“So much of how we talk about politics now happens on a screen, in short bursts, with people who already agree with us. That isn’t how self-government is supposed to work,” said Yagoda, whose full-time job is as board and grant specialist at the Foundation For The Carolinas — also a partner of Public Square. “Charlotte is growing and changing quickly, and a city like ours needs places where neighbors can sit in the same room, disagree, and still take each other seriously. The whole experiment only works if people keep arguing in good faith, and that doesn’t happen by accident. You have to practice it.”

For Holmes, the importance of participating in conversations across differences is also personal.

“Growing up, my family did not participate much in politics; however, my parents instilled in me the importance of doing my best to do the right thing and the courage to stand up for ideals I believe in,” Holmes said. “I’m excited to participate in this event because ‘doing the right thing’ in a modern democracy requires us to step out of our comfort zones. It means recognizing that our own ideals are tested, sharpened, and ultimately improved when they meet different perspectives.”

Building a community conversation

Public Square events will examine the ideas, disagreements and responsibilities that have shaped American democracy.

 is producing the series with programming partners including the , and �鶹��Ƶ Law. The Durham and Morton families are supporting partners.

The Oct. 29 discussion marks the beginning of a continuing series intended to bring Charlotte residents together around questions of civic life, democratic participation and the nation’s future.

Additional Public Square dialogues planned for 2027 include:

• Spring 2027: The Art of Compromise
• Fall 2027: Truth and Trust

As Mayar Elgeyoshi L’26 describes trying her first criminal cases, her eyes lock in — intense, focused and flashing with amusement at the contradiction in her words.

She’s serious, but she’s having fun.

Last summer, she prosecuted two cases in a Randolph County courtroom under a student practice certificate. The first involved a driver accused of traveling nearly 30 mph over the speed limit. The second was an assault case.

“In the beginning, you’re completely stiff,” she said. “Then after a while, you start to get comfortable. You realize, ‘Oh, hey. I can do this.’”

She found herself thinking “a step — or five — ahead.” The state won both cases.

“Haven’t lost a case yet,” she said wryly.

The experience confirmed what years of studying and working alongside prosecutors and public defenders made clear: She belongs in a courtroom.

“It’s just a rush that can’t be recreated.”

That rush draws Elgeyoshi to the courtroom. What first led her toward the law — an innate desire to first understand people, and then to help them — has much deeper roots.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Elgeyoshi came to the United States with her family at 5 years old. She grew up in Asheboro, North Carolina, the oldest of three children, watching her parents build a new life from scratch. Her mother had earned an accounting degree in Egypt. Her father’s relentless work ethic eventually led him to found Omar’s Italian Restaurant in nearby Biscoe, where Elgeyoshi has worked alongside him.

The restaurant bears her younger brother’s name. “I’m clearly not the favorite child,” she quipped.

Behind the humor is abiding respect for what her parents risked.

“It’s not easy to leave the home that you’ve owned, the only home that you’ve ever known, for a chance,” Elgeyoshi said. “It’s not even guaranteed. It’s just a chance.”

“She is incredibly good at seeing different sides of people and understanding different walks of life.”

— Barron Thompson L’09, �鶹��Ƶ Law Advisory Board member

Their determination imbued a kind of obligation: “I want to provide for my family in the way that they’ve sacrificed everything for us.”

At UNC Greensboro, Elgeyoshi studied political science and sociology, and met the Hon. Barron Thompson L’09, a North Carolina District Court judge in nearby Randolph County who taught her Introduction to Law course as an adjunct professor.

Thompson, a member of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s charter class and the school’s Advisory Board, remembers an inquisitive student whose curiosity made her memorable. They stayed in touch after she graduated, and he saw that curiosity paired with a drive to serve. Working as a state driver’s license examiner, Elgeyoshi saw a need among Spanish-speaking customers.

“So, she learned Spanish to better serve them,” Thompson said. “She is incredibly good at seeing different sides of people and understanding different walks of life.”

When Elgeyoshi was deciding on law school, Thompson encouraged her toward his alma mater.

Upholding the law as ‘the greatest honor’

Her first up-close experience with criminal law involved the kind of grisly reality and high stakes most law students only imagine.

After her first year at �鶹��Ƶ Law, she interned with the Randolph County District Attorney’s Office, helping prosecutors prepare for the capital murder trial of Joel Vilchis Valdez-Beltran, accused of killing his girlfriend’s 14-month-old child.

“It doesn’t get more complex than a capital case,” said Randolph County District Attorney Andrew “Andy” Gregson.

A jury convicted Valdez-Beltran of first-degree murder in August 2025 and sentenced him to death — the county’s first death sentence since 2006. Elgeyoshi reviewed evidence, researched legal questions and organized trial materials. She also produced a video from previously admitted evidence that Chief Assistant District Attorney Walt Jones used during closing arguments.

Elgeyoshi returned the following summer with a student practice certificate and tried cases herself. Her performance led Gregson to offer her a position contingent on passing the bar exam.

“She has a great attitude, a great work ethic,” Gregson said. “She just jumped right in and was a great teammate.”

Between those summers, Elgeyoshi crossed to the other side of the courtroom.

During her full-time Residency-in-Practice with the Guilford County Public Defender’s Office, she visited clients in jail and worked alongside attorneys representing people facing criminal charges. She now externs with Greensboro defense attorney Christon Halkiotis.

She refuses to view criminal law through a single lens.

“It gives you entirely different perspectives,” Elgeyoshi said. “To uphold justice on both sides, while ensuring the Constitution is upheld, is the greatest honor.”

The lawyer she aspires to be

Associate Professor Eric Fink, Elgeyoshi’s academic adviser, watched her adjust to the unfamiliar demands of law school and become a stronger student. What drives her, he said, isn’t law as an intellectual exercise.

“She sees the law as a way to address real people’s real problems in their real lives,” Fink said.

Bob Minarcin, an adjunct professor who helps oversee �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Mock Trial program, watched her progress from first-year witness to team member and trial advocate. Her final performance in his trial practice course, he said, was “years ahead of where most law students are at that stage.

“She’s the real deal.”

“Regardless of where I end up, I want to be the type of criminal attorney who never forgets to be human.”

— Mayar Elgeyoshi L’26

Her classmates see the same commitment. Olivia Domowitz L’26 said Elgeyoshi shows people they matter by giving them her time despite an overcrowded schedule, while Lindsay Hetzel L’26 points to her 250-plus pro bono hours and public-service work as a reminder that “serving real people is the true prize of pursuing the legal profession.”

She hasn’t decided which side of the courtroom will be hers. But her experiences have clarified something more fundamental: The attorney she wants to become.

“Laws are written by people. Crimes are committed by people. And people are those who enforce, from law enforcement to the attorneys and judges. People make people mistakes, from all ends,” Elgeyoshi said.

“Regardless of where I end up, I want to be the type of criminal attorney who never forgets to be human.”

Members of the �鶹��Ƶ School of Law Advisory Board gathered in Greensboro this week for their regular fall meeting, providing strategic guidance and professional insights to university and law school administrators while devoting significant time to students through panel discussions and small-group mentoring conversations shared over meals.

The 21-member board includes prominent attorneys, judges and business leaders from across the country who advise �鶹��Ƶ Law and �鶹��Ƶ leaders on the law school’s development and strategic direction.

A Wednesday, Sept. 16, panel featured Jennifer Bowden L’09, principal at R. Steve Bowden & Associates; Marla Crawford, general counsel at Cimplifi; and Gerald Walden G’14, general counsel at The Fresh Market. Student Bar Association President Trey McClenny L’26 moderated.

Their conversation offered students practical advice drawn from careers spanning private practice, corporate law, litigation and emerging legal technology. Among their key takeaways:

Treat law school like your first professional job.

Bowden encouraged students to take advantage of access to professors and seek their guidance rather than trying to navigate difficult material alone. Walden similarly urged students to make law school a priority and to be intentional about learning from classmates who excel in different legal areas, as well as faculty.

Stay open to where a legal career can lead.

All three panelists described careers that evolved in directions they hadn’t necessarily anticipated in law school. Crawford encouraged students not to arrive with a fixed idea of where they must end up. Opportunities others overlook, she said, can sometimes become defining moments in a career. For her, that arose through first managing discovery, which became her specialty and led to managing the nation’s first electronic discovery case in the complex Enron case that began in 2001. She then leveraged that skill to become an expert in technology and the law, and is now focused on AI.

Get legal experience (even if it isn’t your dream job).

The panelists emphasized internships, summer work and other law-related opportunities as ways to test practice areas and workplace environments. Students can learn as much from discovering what they don’t enjoy as from finding an immediate fit.

Build relationships deliberately.

Walden reminded students that their professional networks already include the classmates sitting beside them. When meeting practicing attorneys, he advised students to follow up, reference the conversation and give the attorney something memorable to know about their own interests and goals.

Referencing a specific conversation and expressing interest in continuing it can help turn a brief introduction into a meaningful professional connection, he said.

The panel was only one part of the board’s interaction with students. Members joined students for a community dinner in the �鶹��Ƶ Law Library on Wednesday, Sept. 16, creating opportunities for informal conversations about careers, law school and professional life.

Those connections continued Thursday, Sept. 17, when board members met with students in smaller mentoring conversations over lunch.

The interactions reflect �鶹��Ƶ Law’s emphasis on connecting students with practicing attorneys, judges and other leaders throughout their legal education, as well as the Advisory Board’s dedication to providing top-notch law school experience to law students as they develop professional networks and clearer understanding of opportunities available.

New members were selected based on their academic standing, quality of legal writing, and strong performances in the school’s oral advocacy competition and auditions.

Moot Court Board

Thirty-eight members of the Class of 2027 have been named to the Moot Court Board:

• Brianna Arnovits L’27
• Aislynn Bell L’27
• Gabrielle Brown L’27
• Vivian Camplin L’27
• Megan Chen L’27
• Will Courts L’27
• Kali Crooks L’27
• Madison Curtis L’27
• Samantha Davis L’27
• Frank Deronja L’27
• Aarya Deshmukh L’27
• Madison Emsermann L’27
• Paulina Escobar L’27
• Skylar Flechsig L’27
• Kayleigh Foster L’27
• Jacqueline Gardner L’27
• Abigail Halloway L’27
• Zaria Hanchell L’27
• Kyla King L’27
• Arden Latham L’27
• Anthony Logrono L’27
• Nicole Malagon L’27
• Michael Maroney L’27
• Kassidy Neuner L’27
• Addison Noe L’27
• Grant Paramore L’27
• Carson Patterson L’27
• Bryanna Rediger L’27
• Clare Rudolph L’27
• Queen Salaam L’27
• Alex Sarmiento L’27
• Lily Selznick L’27
• McKenzie Swedin L’27
• Baron Turner L’27
• Avery Vidt L’27
• Rachel Wilson L’27
• Adelaide Zahren L’27
• Libby Zapor L’27

Board members were selected based on a combination of their performance in the spring 2026 Intramural Moot Court Competition, their appellate brief writing in Legal Method and Communication, and their overall academic record.

Members of the Moot Court Board represent �鶹��Ƶ Law in external appellate advocacy competitions and help organize the law school’s internal and national moot court competitions.

“These new board members have demonstrated that they can analyze difficult legal questions, craft persuasive arguments and advocate effectively before a panel of judges,” said Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief, director of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Moot Court Program. “We look forward to seeing them represent �鶹��Ƶ Law in competitions across the country and work alongside our Class of 2026 board members to host this fall’s 17th Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition.”

The new members will also help organize �鶹��Ƶ Law’s spring 2027 Intramural Moot Court Competition and the fall 2027 Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition.

Mock Trial Team

Following auditions last spring, eight members of the Class of 2027 were also selected for �鶹��Ƶ Law’s 2026–2027 Mock Trial Team:

• Aislynn Bell L’27
• Gabrielle Brown L’27
• Sam Grant L’27
• Kyla King L’27
• Arden Latham L’27
• Grant Paramore L’27
• Avery Vidt L’27
• Rachel Wilson L’27

The Mock Trial Team gives students opportunities to develop courtroom advocacy skills and represent �鶹��Ƶ Law in trial competitions.

“These students put in the work and brought their A-game to earn their places on the team,” said Adjunct Professor of Law Bob Minarcin, who coordinates �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Mock Trial program. “Here’s to a fantastic season and an even better team.”

“A Changing Landscape: Immigration Law in the 21st Century” will bring attorneys and scholars to �鶹��Ƶ School of Law in downtown Greensboro on Friday, Sept. 25, to examine the complexities of the nation’s laws and policies.

The symposium will explore how questions surrounding borders, power and the rule of law intersect with contemporary legal challenges. Speakers will address asylum, policy changes, family immigration law, as well as employment and humanitarian issues at the day-long event.

A Changing Landscape: Immigration Law in the 21st Century

Friday, Sept. 25, 2026

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

�鶹��Ƶ School of Law

201 N. Greene St.

Greensboro, NC 27401

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Please register early to reserve a spot.

Keynote Address

“The Complexities of Immigration Policy”

, founder of New Frontier Immigration Law and TEDx speaker

Panel Discussions

Seeking Asylum – Hands-On Immigration Law

• Dara Arroyo-Longoria L’22, attorney at McKinney Immigration Law
• Heather Scavone, assistant professor of law and former associate counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

American Immigration

• Jordin Dickerson, assistant professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke
• Tolulope Folokun, assistant professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
• Allen Orr Jr., founder and principal attorney of Orr Immigration Law Firm

The Family Immigration Landscape

• Kailey Houck, judicial law clerk for Justice Melissa Hart and Justice Susan Blanco of the Colorado Supreme Court
• Maria Rosales, executive director of FaithAction International

In addition to the keynote address and panel discussions, the symposium will feature remarks from �鶹��Ƶ Law Dean Zak Kramer; Chief Symposium Editor Rose Peterson L’26; Co-Symposium Editors Abigail MacKnight L’26 and Lauren Collins L’26; and �鶹��Ƶ Law Review Editor-in-Chief Rachel Claffee L’26.

�鶹��Ƶ �鶹��Ƶ Law Review

The �鶹��Ƶ Law Review is a student-edited legal journal that publishes scholarship examining emerging issues and developments in the law. Through its scholarship and annual symposium, the Law Review fosters legal dialogue among scholars, attorneys, judges and students while contributing to the study and practice of law.

�鶹��Ƶ �鶹��Ƶ Law

�鶹��Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required, full-time Residency-in-Practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive curriculum offers a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, providing exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

�鶹��Ƶ Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since its establishment in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 600 students, and the law school is regularly featured in the top tier of preLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings.

�鶹��Ƶ Law offers full-time legal education in Greensboro and a part-time, in-person Flex Program in Charlotte. In 2026, the American Bar Association approved �鶹��Ƶ Law to expand its signature 2.5-year J.D. program to Charlotte.

Beginning in Fall 2027, students in Charlotte’s full-time and Flex programs will attend classes on the Queens University of Charlotte campus in Myers Park. �鶹��Ƶ Law will continue to offer its full-time 2.5-year J.D. program at its downtown Greensboro campus.

“Your future will be shaped far less by the titles you earn than by the person you become while earning them,” said Taylor, delivering the annual Call to Honor in downtown Greensboro’s Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. “I hope people know you as someone they can trust. Someone who’s prepared. Someone who listens. Someone who treats everyone with dignity. Someone who uses the law not simply to make a living, but to make a difference.”

Taylor serves North Carolina’s Judicial District 8, hearing cases in Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson counties following her 2025 appointment by Governor Josh Stein. Drawing on her own path from �鶹��Ƶ Law graduate to assistant district attorney, private practice attorney, adjunct professor and judge, she reminded students that the most meaningful legal careers are built one opportunity — and one relationship — at a time.

Taylor didn’t imagine becoming a judge when she arrived at law school. In fact, she’d planned on a career in sports and entertainment law. But through her law school experiences, including a Residency-in-Practice with the Guilford County Public Defender’s Office and an internship at the Alamance County District Attorney’s Office, she found her calling.

She implored students to remain open to opportunities they cannot yet see, trusting that each experience will prepare them for what comes next.

Throughout her remarks, Taylor encouraged students to:

• “Walk through every door” �鶹��Ƶ Law opens, knowing that the lessons you learn and the skills you develop may prepare you for tomorrow’s unexpected paths.
• Never stop learning, remaining curious, humble and open to growth throughout your legal career.
• Remember the people behind every case, approaching each client with compassion and respect as well as legal skill.

Student Bar Association President Trey Sharpe McClenny L’26 echoed Taylor’s message, reminding students that the legal profession is defined by character.

“Law school will provide you a lot of titles beyond lawyer,” McClenny said. “You will become a counselor, an advocate, an officer of the court. But to many, you will simply become their lawyer on speed dial. Wear those titles with kindness and compassion. Be someone that others trust and want beside them.”

Provost Rebecca Kohn welcomed students to �鶹��Ƶ and introduced one of the university’s longstanding traditions. Named for the Hebrew word for “oak,” �鶹��Ƶ presents each new student with an acorn symbolizing the beginning of their academic journey. At graduation, students receive an oak sapling representing the growth they have experienced during their time at �鶹��Ƶ and the continued growth that lies ahead.

Kohn also highlighted the close faculty mentorship and academic rigor that define the �鶹��Ƶ experience.

“�鶹��Ƶ Law faculty engage with students both inside and outside the classroom,” Kohn said. “They’re known for their accessibility and responsiveness to students, and they will stretch you and challenge you more than you thought possible.”

�鶹��Ƶ Law Dean Zak Kramer closed the ceremony by reflecting on a conversation with with Taylor before Convocation. Taylor told him she hadn’t envisioned becoming a judge until an �鶹��Ƶ Law mentor recognized qualities in her that she had not yet seen in herself. Building on Taylor’s message, Kramer encouraged students to embrace every opportunity at law school, reminding them that each one will shape their careers in unexpected ways.

“We don’t know yet where your career is going to take you, but I promise you that each and every one of us at �鶹��Ƶ is completely committed to helping you get there,” Kramer said. “We will take your dreams seriously, we will hold them precious, and we will do everything in our power to launch you into the life that you have imagined.”

As they helped parents prepare legal documents designed to ensure their children would continue receiving care and education if the unexpected happened, students found themselves doing something equally important: listening to families navigating uncertainty and providing greater peace of mind.

Organized by �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Pro Bono Board in partnership with — an agency that advocates for and serves immigrants in the Triad — the May 2025 clinic responded to concerns from families who wanted to prepare for the possibility of sudden family separation. Under the supervision of licensed attorneys — including an �鶹��Ƶ Law alumna and a faculty member — students assisted parents in completing powers of attorney that would allow trusted caregivers to make educational and medical decisions for their children if needed.

“It was something concrete we could actually do,” recalled Molly Hohler L’26, who helped organize the clinic through the Pro Bono Board.

Families spoke candidly about their fears as they contemplated possible detention or deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Working alongside fellow board leaders Frank Edwards L’25, Adnan Omer L’25, Saniya Pangare L’25 and Cameron Riordan L’25, Hohler organized the clinic with FaithAction International, Professor of Law Andy Haile and attorney Abigail Seymour L’17. Together, they identified a way to use their legal training to meet a community need and serve real clients.

More than a year later, that student-led effort earned statewide recognition. during the association’s Annual Meeting this summer, recognizing an “outstanding law student group whose pro bono project advanced access to justice in North Carolina.

“You have that script of what you want to say, and then all of that goes out the window because you recognize the emotions your client is experiencing. It taught us that you have to approach clients with empathy, not just legal answers.”
— Adnan Omer L’25

The idea grew from conversations with FaithAction International, which identified an urgent community need and contacted the Pro Bono Board. Immigration legal advice was beyond the scope of what students could provide, but powers of attorney offered a meaningful way to serve clients under attorney supervision.

For Adnan Omer L’25 and others, the clinic quickly became much more than a legal exercise.

“People come to you on one of the hardest days of their lives,” said Omer, now an associate attorney with Vrapi Weeks Immigration Attorneys in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “You have that script of what you want to say, and then all of that goes out the window because you recognize the emotions your client is experiencing. It taught us that you have to approach clients with empathy, not just legal answers.”

Seymour L’17, who founded Greensboro-based Camino Law in 2019, was the supervising attorney for the clinic. As a former Pro Bono Board member herself, she understood the value of the experience for students. Throughout the day, she observed, interpreted and worked alongside them during client meetings in the one-day clinic.

“The main purpose of this clinic was to give people a sense of control and preparation,” Seymour said. “Peace of mind to know that if the worst were to happen, they would have a plan.” �鶹��Ƶ Law students “were wonderful and jumped right in. They didn’t hang back.”

“The most important lesson is learning to work with clients who are facing significant challenges that we as lawyers may never experience ourselves. In class, we can debate and discuss these abstract issues of law and policy, but when you see how they affect real people, that makes it a different lesson.”
— Professor of Law Andy Haile

In recommending the clinic for the statewide award, Seymour praised the students’ “extraordinary professionalism, leadership and compassion,” writing to the NCBA that they approached the work “not as an academic exercise, but as a professional responsibility.” The project exemplified “the highest ideals of pro bono service in North Carolina,” she wrote.

Haile, who also supervised students during the clinic, said the experience demonstrated why experiential learning is critical for legal preparation. Some skills can’t be learned in a classroom.

“The most important lesson is learning to work with clients who are facing significant challenges that we as lawyers may never experience ourselves,” Haile said. “In class, we can debate and discuss these abstract issues of law and policy, but when you see how they affect real people, that makes it a different lesson.”

For Pangare, whose family immigrated to the United States, the project carried special meaning.

“It was an opportunity to help people feel more secure in their homes, their surroundings and their communities,” said Pangare — now an associate attorney at Hall Booth Smith P.C. in Asheville, North Carolina. “We wanted to help a community we knew felt vulnerable and let them know we were there to support them.”

“We have unique skills as soon-to-be lawyers. The more we can use those skills to help people, the better lawyers we become in the process.”
— Molly Hohler L’26

She joined Hohler and Shannon Ward L’26, current Pro Bono Board co-director, in accepting the award on behalf of �鶹��Ƶ Law during the NCBA Annual Meeting on June 26.

Hohler said that public service has been a throughline in both her personal and professional life. Serving on the Pro Bono Board gives her an opportunity to channel that instinct alongside classmates who share a commitment to service.

“I love working with clients. It gives me new energy,” Hohler said. “We have unique skills as soon-to-be lawyers. The more we can use those skills to help people, the better lawyers we become in the process.”

Presiding over the ceremony were The Hon. Catherine C. Eagles of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, The Hon. Stephanie L. Reese of the North Carolina Superior Court and The Hon. Bill Davis of the North Carolina District Court. Graduates were presented to the court by sponsoring attorneys before being admitted to practice before the state bar, the federal bar or both.

“Today is the day you can represent people, represent clients and call yourself a lawyer,” Eagles said during the Thursday, May 21, session. “It’s your job to stand up for people and to stand up for the rule of law. It is your job to conduct yourself uprightly and according to law, and to look after our system of justice every day in everything that you do.”

The ceremony was hosted by the ’s Young Lawyers Section, one of many held across North Carolina and the nation as members of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s Class of 2025 complete their legal studies after December graduations and successful performances on the February 2026 bar examinations. Dean of �鶹��Ƶ Law Zak Kramer delivered remarks welcoming new attorneys, calling the ceremony “the culmination of years of work and sacrifice by our graduates and their families.”

Jonathan M. Parisi, president of the Young Lawyers Section, encouraged newly licensed attorneys to engage in the legal profession and broader community as they begin their careers.

“This is not the end of your learning journey. It’s just the beginning,” Parisi said. “Seek out mentors, get involved in your legal community, and find ways to serve.”

Davis reminded them that their professional reputation will shape their careers.

“Your reputation is your greatest tool and your greatest asset,” Davis said. “Be thoughtful about how you interact with judges, lawyers, clients and court staff. Build a reputation that will serve you well and help you succeed.”

Reese emphasized the responsibility attorneys assume when clients place their trust, livelihoods and futures in lawyers’ hands.

“You’ve shown incredible strength and character in making it to this point,” Reese told the newly admitted attorneys. “People put their very lives in your hands. From today forward, you have that responsibility, and no one else can carry it for you. You are their voice. You are their guide and their strength in the storm.”

Eagles also encouraged the graduates to pursue civic leadership beyond courtrooms and law offices.

“Lawyers are often the people making the nonlegal parts of our community work,” Eagles said. “Find your place where you can make a contribution beyond the courtroom and your office.”

Presiding over the ceremonial court sessions were:

The Hon. Catherine C. Eagles of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

The Hon. Stephanie L. Reese of North Carolina Superior Court for the 24th District

The Hon. Bill Davis of North Carolina District Court for the 24th District

�鶹��Ƶ Law graduates admitted to federal and state court

�鶹��Ƶ law graduates seeking admission only to federal court

�鶹��Ƶ Law graduates seeking admission only to state court

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�鶹��Ƶ �鶹��Ƶ Law

�鶹��Ƶ Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

�鶹��Ƶ Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating each year since 2023. �鶹��Ƶ Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

�鶹��Ƶ has applied to the American Bar Association to open a full-time, 2.5-year J.D. program in Charlotte beginning in fall 2027. The �鶹��Ƶ Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched there in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it will enroll its third cohort in fall 2026.