Two NC Law Schools Send Moot Court Teams To National Finals

Moot court teams from two North Carolina law schools continued their successful seasons with strong showings at the 68th Annual National Moot Court Competition last week at the New York City Bar Association.

Both Campbell School of Law’s team of student advocates and Wake Forest University School of Law’s National Moot Court Team competed after Campbell topped Wake Forest in the title round of the Fourth Circuit Regional in Richmond, Va.

Campbell School of Law’s team consisted of Chris Moore, Morgan Pierce and Ellen Williams.

Wake Forest’s team consisted of Emily Lagan, Kelsey Mellan and Alex Teixeira. The trio earned the eighth best score out of the top 28 teams in the country at the National Finals. At the National Moot Court Region IV tournament, Wake Forest held won all five of its oral arguments, tied for the second-best brief and finished as runner-up to the Campbell team.

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How I Emerged Refined: My Moot Court Experience

By Nnenna N. Olu, Esq.

As I reflect on my time as a student at North Carolina Central University School of Law and the wholesome academic experience that I gained, I am forever grateful for all the pieces that came together to make me the well-rounded attorney I am today. One piece of the puzzle was my membership in the Moot Court Board.  I seized the opportunity to try out to join and was accepted into the prestigious Moot Court Board during my 2L year. The idea of arguing appellate cases was interesting, and I excitedly awaited the opportunity to fully experience what being a member of the Moot Court Board entailed. Competition season finally arrived, and my team and I were registered to represent our school. I quickly realized that we had lots of work to do: legal research, brief writing, more legal research and preparation for oral arguments.

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Internship Experience: Learning From the Ground Up

By Rachel Procaccini

Living in the state of North Carolina — home of the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, a coastline over 300 miles long and approximately 50,000 farms in operation — it is important, for both North Carolina’s economic stability and for the future health of North Carolina’s natural landscape, to utilize the land, water and natural resources, all the while conserving, replanting and replenishing the resources we use.

Upon completion of my first year of law school at the University of North Carolina School of Law, I spent my summer serving as a legal intern with the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). DEQ’s OGC attorneys appreciate that farmers, fishermen, hunters and educators depend on the use of the environment for their economic livelihood and for their recreational and educational enjoyment of the state’s natural resources. DEQ’s OGC attorneys utilize the laws and regulations of the state to ensure that commercial, recreational and educational interests can reap the benefits of the environment while still conserving those resources for their continuous bounty.

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Extra Credit: Five Things I Wish I’d Learned In Law School

By David G. Omer

Law school is a strange creature.  You spend three long years sacrificing your sleep, your credit rating, your relationships, and your sanity.  In return, you get the opportunity to take the bar exam and start a career where you get to challenge yourself every day, help countless people, and maybe even make a little money along the way.  As you’ve (hopefully) learned, law school is all about filling your brain with points of law and forcing you to think your way around the gray areas.  For all the substantive information you pick up during your time as a law student, however, there are some important things that get left along the wayside.  As a recently licensed lawyer in North Carolina, I appreciate the opportunity to fill you in on a few things I didn’t learn until I made it out into the “real world.”

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Ask Not What You Can Do for Pro Bono; Ask What Pro Bono Can Do for You

By M. Rebecca Hendrix

Everyone should do pro bono work during law school.  While I could discuss at great length the merits of helping others, the focus of this article is how pro bono helps law students themselves.  Pro bono opportunities strengthen students in the classroom and eventually in a career.   Practical skills, networking experience, and a broader perspective are three things that students gain from pro bono work.

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There’s No Place Like Home: Job Searching from an Out-of-State Law School

By Aaron Lindquist

When attending an out-of-state law school, the stress of job searching can make you wish you had the ability to click your heels three times to return home like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” As a recent law school graduate and licensed North Carolina attorney, I can say that there are options and ways to ease the stress of job searching from an out state law school. After leaving North Carolina to attend law school in Virginia, I knew that I would need to be intentional with my job search if I wanted to return to North Carolina.

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Practice Series: Question and Answer with a Civil Litigator

Matthew D. Quinn is a 2009 graduate of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University.  He practices with the Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice Jr. in Raleigh.

Q:  What kind of law do you practice?

A:  I have a general civil litigation practice.  I typically, but not always, represent the plaintiff.  Over the years, I have developed a niche practice of representing individuals and families injured by mold contamination.  In fact, I have found that the best way to build a practice is to find a discreet type of case and build up experience in that area.  There are not many mold litigators, so I receive a lot of those cases.

Q:  What do you like best about your practice?

A:  The diversity of duties.  I might spend one day reading, writing, and researching.  The next day I could spend in the field at a property inspection, or perhaps learning about a scientific issue at an expert’s office.  Then twenty-four hours later, I could be at a court hearing.  There is never a dull moment in civil litigation.

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The Practice Series – Question and Answer with a Family Lawyer

Jessica B. Heffner is a 2013 graduate of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University.  She practices with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP in Raleigh, NC.

Q:  What kind of law do you practice?

A:  My practice includes all aspects of North Carolina family law including absolute divorce, child custody, child support, property division, spousal support, separation agreements, postmarital agreements, and premarital agreements.

Q:  What do you like best about your practice?

A:  I enjoy practicing family law because it allows me to work with individuals.  Family law requires a great deal of client contact—in person, over email, and/or over the phone.  It’s a practice area where you interact with clients every working day.  Also, every family law case is unique and challenging in its own way.  As members of a “learned profession” we are challenged to consistently study and expand our knowledge of complex and evolving issue—it keeps my day to day job very interesting and rewarding.

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Tip Sheet: Networking Advice For Law Students

For a quick look at everything you need to know about networking in a nutshell, from the NCBA’s Law Student Resources Committee, check out the Networking Advice For Law Students tip sheet.

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