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Adrienne Meddock: Assistant Dean for the Evening Program and Visiting Assistant Professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law, Durham, NC [By Jen Woods] Adrienne Meddock, a former member of two alternative bands and at one time an aspiring architect, is now the Assistant Dean for the Evening Program at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law.
Meddock toured with an 80s punk band, “The
trademark infringement and copyright
“I teach in the evening and late afternoons,
Beef People,” and she was a vocalist for
issues that came up for the band became
in what we call ‘the swing hour,’ a time
“Bloom” from 1990 to 1992. But she knew
more intriguing than learning new songs, it
when students from the full- and part-time
right away that playing music and booking
was time to stop fighting it and accept my
programs take electives,” she said.
bands wouldn’t pay the bills. “Booking was
calling,” she said. The school’s Evening Program is designed for
self-supporting, but the band was always Meddock earned her J.D. degree at NCCU
people who want to earn law degrees while
and accepted a full-time position at the
working full-time. Evening students come
As she began considering different
school just days after she passed the bar
from many professional fields, including
professions, law originally wasn’t of much
exam in 1991. “I had originally thought I’d
academia, medicine, scientific research, law
interest to her, although she always knew
work here for a few years while building my
enforcement, and government.
she would make a successful lawyer. “I had
entertainment law practice, but I fell in love
felt that the law was sort of an obvious field
with working with students and gradually
The Evening Program presents unique
for me, since my writing and speaking skills
stopped practicing,” she said.
challenges to professors. “One of the most
another hungry mouth,” she said.
frustrating things about working with the
favored that career, but I definitely ran from Meddock is also a visiting assistant professor
Evening Program is the outside influences on
at the school, teaching global intellectual
the students and program over which none
Meddock decided to pursue a career that
property, intellectual property (IP), relational
of us has much control,” she said. Many of
would make use of her creative ambitions,
injuries, legal writing, and entertainment law
Meddock’s students have had to drop out of
and she enrolled in an architecture graduate
to students enrolled in the Evening Program.
the program because of major life changes. “It
it,” Meddock said.
is always a challenge to accept that there are
program. However, after one semester of school, she realized the field of architecture was not a match for her. She found that her desire to create far surpassed her talent. She
Advice to Young Lawyers:
some things beyond your control,” she said. Many of the techniques that practicing
also wasn’t as serious and passionate about
“Students should think about teaching
lawyers use are applicable to the teaching
the program as most of her peers were.
at all levels as a good preparation for
profession, Meddock said. Lawyers need to
becoming professors,” said Meddock, who
be able to see problems from the client’s
“I was the youngest and probably the most
tutored students while she attended law
point of view, in the same way that professors
dilettantish of the group. By the end of the
school.
need to be able to see problems from the student’s point of view. Both lawyers and
semester, I vowed I wouldn’t return to school until I felt about a subject the way my fellow
“While there will always be a need for the
professors need to be able to explain complex
architecture program students felt about
theoretician who churns out thoughtful
information clearly and concisely in order to
that subject. Several folks had given up on
publications, teachers who teach members
effectively engage their audiences.
careers and made real sacrifices to join that
of the community, fellow attorneys,
program,” she said.
undergraduates, and even community
Meddock’s favorite course to teach is
college students are invaluable. Teach
relational injuries because “the torts tend
Meddock eventually started to take an
where you can and who you can to see
to fill the gaps between traditional first-year
interest in the law, as she continued booking
if you have the gift of being able to help
areas of law and provide remedies for harms
bands and playing music. “I knew that when
students learn,” she said.
to a[n] […] unusual range of interests,” she
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THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF LEGAL JOBS ON EARTH
LAW STAR
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said. “You have to love a class whose subject
grasp concepts in class and then put those
former co-chair of the North Carolina Bar
matter spans the very different topics of
ideas into practice as a lawyer,” Meddock said.
Association’s Art and the Law Committee.
Meddock is also the advisor for the
ON THE NET
defamation, alienation of affections, and unfair competition,” she added.
Trademark Moot Court, Intellectual Property Meddock said it is rewarding to see her
Law Society, and Sports and Entertainment
North Carolina Central University School of
students develop into critical thinkers. “Plus,
Law Society at NCCU.
Law
working with the non-traditional population
www.nccu.edu/law/index.html
in the Evening Program, you see folks make
Meddock is a member of the North Carolina
drastic changes in their lives,” she added. For
State Bar and the South Carolina State
The North Carolina State Bar
instance, one of Meddock’s students started
Bar. She is on the board of directors of
www.ncbar.com
off as a paralegal in a small law firm. Now she
the Triangle Intellectual Property Law
is a partner at one of the largest firms in North
Association. She is also a former Volunteer
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Carolina. “It is rewarding to see a student
Lawyers for the Arts board member and the
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