32 minute read
Mayor Elaine O’Neal Q & A
CHAT WITH DURHAM MAYOR ELAINE O’NEAL ‘91
NCCU School of Law Graduate is First Black Woman Mayor of the Bull City
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By Terri Godwin Hyman Director of Marketing and Communications
The City of Durham and NC Central University’s own Mayor Elaine O’Neal is no stranger to stepping around glass as she figuratively continues to shatter the glass ceiling in her career. O’Neal was the first woman to serve as a chief district court judge in Durham County and the first female North Carolina Superior Court judge in Durham County. Before running for mayor, O’Neal served as interim dean of NCCU School of Law from 2018 to 2020.
1st O’Neal is now the first Black woman mayor of the Bull City.
Having recently marked her first 100 days in office, O’Neal says it’s “a lot of work,” something she’s used to. “This should be normal for a woman of color to be in this position,” O’Neal said. “Some days, I feel like a museum object. It shouldn’t be a thing; this should be normal. Women are very capable of running cities and navigating spaces that have traditionally been held by men.”
According to data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, Black women mayors lead seven of the 100 cities with the largest populations in the United States.
O’Neal grew up in the West End community in Durham, which at the time consisted primarily of professionals. O’Neal said, “One of my first jobs as a teenager was at NCCU School of Law through the City of Durham Youth Program.” She worked in the Law Library under Hazel Lumpkin as a library assistant.
She said that as a teen, the exposure to the library, lawyers, and other professionals helped her. However, she only decided to become a lawyer upon meeting a civil rights attorney from her neighborhood who introduced her to the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. “This was my first exposure to politics and law,” said O’Neal, who is the only lawyer in her family.
In her brief tenure to date as Durham Mayor, O’Neal has found herself at the helm of a city rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, challenged with increasing crime, and grappling with disparities that taint everything from housing to public health.
Accustomed to getting the work done without much fanfare, the media attention is something she’s working on getting used to. O’Neal said, “I love the work, but not the publicity.”
Mayor O’Neal sat down on a recent Zoom call to talk about the legal profession, the importance of HBCUs, and her Alma Mater—NCCU. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics in 1984 and a Juris Doctor in 1991, which makes her a “double eagle.”
QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION WITH MAYOR O’NEAL
Nearly all people of color are still under-represented in the legal profession. According to the American Bar Association, 85% of all lawyers are white and only 4.7% are black. What advice do you have on how to achieve greater diversity in the legal profession?
One of the toughest hurdles for African Americans is the LSAT. It goes back to testing. The SAT is probably the first standardized entry test most college students take. I remember taking the LSAT and realizing that I had never been exposed to the scenarios presented on the exam. The LSAT is a big hurdle for African Americans who have not had exposure to the legal profession. There are assumptions that we all have been exposed to things that we have not. I earned a math degree and graduated with honors, but the LSAT was still difficult. The scenarios presented on the exam were not a part of my world. If the scenarios were reflective of the Black experience, I would have aced it on the first try. The LSAT is not written from our perspective, and it caters to a certain population and class of people. So, the biggest hurdle we face is the entry in the door. Prep courses help, but they do not address cultural differences. If the roles were reversed, the majority culture would have the same difficulty passing the test.
Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard Alumna, reignited the interest of popular culture in HBCUs. As a former law school dean, comment on the value of HBCUs and HBLS, particularly NCCU School of Law.
I can’t imagine a world without NCCU School of Law. Just for my life and what it has meant for me and the lives I’ve been able to touch because of my degree. The contributions of judges on the bench from NCCU School of Law are extraordinary. I don’t have the vocabulary to tell you how important that is. There are so many NCCU School of Law graduates in public service right here in Durham and throughout North Carolina and the nation. We would not be who we are as a city, who we are as a state or a country without HBCUs and the value Black attorneys bring to this arena.
Are there any Partnerships with higher education institutions that will be part of your administration?
I’m always on the campus of NCCU. I make it a point to stay in touch with the chancellor and the law school dean. I want to make sure our students stay safe. I’m concerned about the influx of traffic on Fayetteville Street as students are crossing the streets. The city is looking at how we can help in that regard. I want students to know that they have a Durham Mayor who is a double eagle and always here to help. We’re also looking at implementing ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection system with sensors that can be installed on buildings and lamp posts for faster police response times.
What do you wish you had known in law school?
My education at NCCU School of Law was not lacking in any respect. My professors Fred Williams, Irving Joyner, Charles Smith, Finesse Couch, and Adrian Fox trained me well. That is why I am so committed to the school because the faculty equipped me with everything I needed to succeed in my legal career. I made lifetime friends and we remain a family today.
What advice would you give future law students?
Study hard. Law school changes the way your brain thinks about problems and issues, and it requires discipline and lots of studying. You also need balance and discipline.
Are there any final thoughts you would like to leave with us?
As an undergraduate at NCCU, I pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Alpha Lambda Chapter Spring ‘82, and this year our line will be on the yard celebrating our 40th anniversary. NCCU is embedded in my life and my heart, and it always will be.
Legal Eagle Pride…… Amplified!!!
FEATURED ARTICLE
Introducing NCCU School of Law’s Social Justice and Racial Equity Institute
By Assistant Professor Ansel Brown and Associate Clinical Professor Scott Holmes
We are excited to begin introducing the work of our new Social Justice and Racial Equity Institute (SJREI) at NCCU School of Law. We are at the beginning stages of clarifying our mission, values, and operations. We welcome input from the Legal Eagle community as we start the work of our Institute. We are considering our mission and hope to leverage interdisciplinary problem solving to advance a just, wholesome, and prosperous society where all people have equitable opportunity to realize their full human potential and dignity.
Systemic and institutional inequities, especially in matters of race, remain significant barriers for people and communities working to reach their full potential. We seek to advance racial equity by engaging in holistic, interdisciplinary problem solving that offers concrete proposals, policies, initiatives, and legal solutions that will help to repair and reverse the legacy of racial injustice.
The SJREI intends to build collaboration between experts in a variety of disciplines to develop a comprehensive analysis of social problems and systems rooted in the history of racism and develop policy proposals, solutions, and legal strategies driven by data and contextualized by that history in order to repair and reverse the harm of racial injustice.
The efforts of SJREI can be understood historically as part of a “Third Reconstruction” that seeks to build upon the efforts and lessons of the First Reconstruction of the postCivil War era and the Second Reconstruction of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. We welcome the support of the entire Legal Eagle community however you are led, and look forward to updating you regarding our work in the future.
FEATURED ARTICLE
NCCU School of Law Technology Law & Policy Center Launch, Executive Director, Fall Activities
By April G. Dawson, Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and Professor of Law
The NCCU School of Law Technology Law & Policy Center (TLPC) was officially launched fall 2021, and we have been busy.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Attorney Diane Littlejohn has joined TLPC as the inaugural Executive Director of the NCCU Technology Law & Policy Center. Attorney Littlejohn is a proud 2010 graduate of NCCU School of Law. After graduation, she opened Littlejohn Law Offices, PLLC in Durham, NC, with a primary focus on intellectual property, business matters, and family law. Originally from Omaha, NE, Attorney Littlejohn earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2003.
FALL 2021
Center Activities
Creation of Law & Technology Certificate Program NCCU School of Law is strongly committed to preparing students for the increasing technologydriven legal industry and, in support of that mission, has established the Law & Technology Certificate Program. The Law & Technology Certificate recognizes a student’s successful completion of a focused course of technology and law study. Students who earn this Certificate will have completed classes and assignments that will ensure that they have (1) developed competence in the area of law practice technology/legal technology and have (2) studied a broad range of law of technology/ technology law subjects and engaged in an in-depth study in one or more technology law subjects.
Mentorship Programs
During the fall semester, the NCCU School of Law Technology Law & Policy Center collaborated closely with the Law School’s Career and Professional Development Center to establish and develop mentorship programs for students interested in legal tech-related fields. The following legal techrelated mentorship programs have been launched: Intel Mentorship Program (25 student participants); IBM Mentorship Program (15 student participants); Dell Mentorship Program (25 student participants).
Legal Design Derby The NCCU School of Law Technology Law & Policy Center and the Duke Center on Law & Technology co-hosted a virtual Legal Design Derby during the fall 2021 semester. Teams of three
or four law students from North Carolina law schools explored the question, “How might we carry forward the legal system’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic to maximize access to justice and use human-centered design principles to develop, refine, and present a prototype?” There was a total of six teams, and three of those teams were NCCU School of Law teams.
Some NCCU School of Law alumni and Tech Law and Policy Center Advisory Council members volunteered to assist the students participating in the Derby. The student teams presented their ideas during the 2021 Legal Design Derby Solutions Showcase, which was held virtually on November 5, 2021.
The first-place winner of the Derby and presentation competition was one of the NCCU School of Law teams! The team members were Brittany Burks, Lexus Real, Vabrice Wilder Smiley, and Hillary Teoyotl.
Cybersecurity Webinar The NCCU School of Law Technology Law & Policy Center and the NCCU Cybersecurity Lab co-sponsored a Cybersecurity webinar — Cybersecurity Breach! Incident Response Team Call to Action Webinar — on Thursday, October 21, 2021. The panelists included Maria Thompson, former North Carolina Chief Security Officer and current SLG Leader, Cybersecurity Amazon Web Services (AWS); Anthony Hendricks, Attorney, Crowe & Dunlevy and Cybersecurity Law and Data Privacy Expert; and Cheryl Purdy, Digital Forensic Investigator.
HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference Presentation Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and Professor of Law, April Dawson, and Professor and Director of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Research Clinic & Lab, Dr. Henry McKoy, gave a presentation at the HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference hosted by Bowie State University on October 1, 2021. The title of the presentation was—NCCU School of Law and Entrepreneurship: Cross Department & Curriculum Collaboration.” The presentation focused on the value of cross-department and curriculum collaboration.
Conference Attendance Support for Students Law students interested in careers in the law and technology space can benefit greatly from attending law tech-related conferences. Students attending industry conferences can hear from practicing attorneys and industry leaders, connect concepts learned in the classroom with real-world application, increase networking skills, meet leaders in their fields, and learn about the cuttingedge issues in their areas of interest.
During the fall, the Center paid the registration fee for students to attend two virtual conferences sponsored by The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA). ILTA is an international legal technology organization with helpful resources and networking opportunities for those in or interested in the legal technology space. Ten students attended the 44th Annual ILTA Educational and Networking Conference (ILTACON), August 22-26, 2021, and three students attended October 21, 2021, ILTA’s LegalSEC Summit, an information security education event focused on the information security challenges faced by the legal industry.
Appearances April Dawson, Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and Professor of Law, was a guest on Bob Ambrogi’s LawNext Podcast - How Law Schools Should Teach Tech, With April Dawson (2021) (60 minutes) (This episode was the top downloaded episode on LawSites in 2021.) Dawson was also a panelist on the December 7, 2021, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) Denver panel, Redesigning Legal: The Role of Legal Education, Clinics, and Legal Labs.
L-R Dr. Kurt G. Vernon, Professor Kia Hardy-Vernon
FEATURED ARTICLE
Kia Vernon ‘93, ‘00, Associate Dean of Academic Success and Professor of Law, is passionate about student success. However, her passion extends well beyond the classroom. As a graduate of NCCU and NCCU School of Law, she is a zealous advocate for HBCUs. Her husband, Kurt G. Vernon, a graduate of Howard University, Howard University College of Medicine, and Howard University Hospital’s Residency Program, shares her commitment and support for HBCUs. “We are who we are, in large part due to the education and experiences that we received at our respective Historically Black Institutions,” Dean Vernon stated. As Dean Vernon knows firsthand, HBCUs play an integral role in enrolling and, most importantly, graduating African American students. According to the United Negro College Fund, “though HBCUs make up only three percent of the country’s colleges and universities, they enroll 10% of all African American students and produce almost 20% of all African American graduates.” Therefore, “HBCU institutions are a critical component of decreasing the minority wealth gap, social justice inequalities, and systemic racism that exist in our society,” says Dean Vernon. “HBCUs have a tremendous impact, providing a rigorous, but supportive environment that nurtures student growth and development.” Unfortunately, financial obstacles—especially for students of color—significantly impact access to undergraduate and professional schools. Even if the
students are admitted, financial challenges affect their ability to be successful. Dean Vernon witnesses this firsthand every day. “Many students come to law school with tremendous potential and a strong desire to learn, but due to financial strains are unable to dedicate the requisite time and energy to their studies,” she laments. “Access to financial resources is a constant concern, requiring many students to work to support themselves throughout law school, resulting in less time to maximize their chances to be successful in the rigorous program.” The Vernons want to do We are who we are, in large everything possible to help. Last part due to the education and year, they donated $25,000 to experiences that we received establish the Kurt G. Vernon and Kia Hardy-Vernon Endowed at our respective Historically Scholarship for NCCU School
Black Institutions of Law students with financial needs. They also contributed $20,000 for scholarships at Howard University and plan to establish scholarships at other HBCUs. For them, their donations are a small amount compared to what their HBCUs have given them. “We have to support our institutions and students,” insists the Vernons. “Despite their incredible value, they are severely underfunded.” They hope that their contributions inspire others to give to support these precious resources and encourage HBCU graduates and friends to give back to support their HBCUs. “It’s incumbent on us all to do our part to ensure that higher education, especially at HBCUs, is a viable and affordable option for future generations.”
FEATURED ARTICLE
Alumna, Dena J. King ‘06 Sworn in As United States Attorney For The Western District Of North Carolina
NCCU School of Law alumna Dena J. King was officially sworn in on November 29, 2021, as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. nominated Ms. King on September 28, 2021. The United States Senate confirmed her on November 19, 2021. Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger administered the oath of office to U.S. Attorney King during a private ceremony at the federal courthouse in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ms. King is the first person of color to be appointed U.S. Attorney in the Western District.
“I am honored to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina,” said Ms. King. “It is a privilege to lead a team of dedicated and talented public servants who are passionate about their work and delivering justice to the people we serve.” With over 15 years in public service, U.S. Attorney King will lead an office of approximately 100 federal prosecutors and staff located in Charlotte and Asheville. This office serves over three million residents throughout North Carolina’s 32 western most counties, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian Reservation residents.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
More Than a Marathon: Preparing Students for the Bar Exam by Adopting an Olympics Mentality
By Meredith Darlington Hudson ‘14 Director of Bar Preparation
If you are reading this article, chances are you’ve heard more times than you can count how studying for the bar examination is like training for a marathon. I especially agree with this statement in the context of the 10-12 weeks a bar taker will spend either from May through July for the July bar exam or December through February for the February bar exam. However, with the 2022 Winter Olympics just wrapping up in Beijing, China, I also propose that preparing for the bar exam is like preparing to compete at the next Olympic Games, years in the future.
Athletes around the world are already preparing for 2026, when the next Winter Olympics will be hosted in Italy. These athletes will train for and compete in other events and championships during the months and years in between, building up to their ultimate goal: the test of human strength and endurance in their Olympic event. Similarly, first-year law students should enter law school with their projected bar exam date scheduled in the back of their minds. While years away in the future, every step students take during their law school journey, starting on their first day, brings them closer to their expected bar exam date. Thus, they should take purposeful steps.
Much like athletes during those training years, law students will train by taking midterm and final exams every semester, testing their legal knowledge in those courses. They should evaluate what worked for them and what did not, noting what they want to both maintain and improve upon after each assessment. This includes not just their knowledge of substantive law, but also their reading, writing, and analysis skills. By making self-assessment a habit throughout their law school career, they should have a good idea of their personal strengths and weaknesses before they begin their bar review program. Actively thinking ahead about the bar exam and continuously working towards taking that exam (as law licensure is the goal for most of our law students) is an important part of bar exam success.
Here at North Carolina Central University School of Law, the Office of Academic Success is committed to supporting our students from orientation until they pass the bar exam. One of the messages we convey to our students is how bar preparation starts at the same time law school does. On day one law students are already learning the skills and substantive law they will need to be successful on the bar exam upon graduation. Those core 1L classes of Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Real Property, and Torts are all tested on both the essay and multiple choice portions of the bar exam. Further, Critical Thinking provides 1L students the study skills required for successful navigation of law school and the bar exam.
The law school has made substantial investments to provide additional resources to students while they are enrolled here in order to enable them to be even stronger when they enter the bar preparation period. We offer revamped courses, Advanced Legal Analysis (ALA) 1 and 2 and Comprehensive Legal Analysis (CLA) – formerly North Carolina Distinctions – both designed to prepare students to be successful on the bar exam.
Advanced Legal Analysis 1 and 2 is offered to all 2Ls/3LEs and 3Ls/4LEs. The course focuses on the multiple choice portion of the bar exam, the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). This class gives our students the opportunity to take two semesters of learning and practicing the strategies and tactics required to be successful on the MBE. Each semester focuses on different substantive law subjects tested on the bar exam: Civil Procedure, Contracts, and Criminal Law; and Real Property, Torts, and Criminal Procedure. An additional benefit students gain by taking ALA is these same MBE subjects may be tested on the bar exam’s essay portion. Thus, students have an another chance to review and reinforce their knowledge of highly tested bar exam material.
Comprehensive Legal Analysis is a required spring semester class for all 3Ls/4LEs. The course focuses on the written components of the bar exam, the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and Multistate Essay Exam (MEE). When students take CLA, they are learning how to transition from law student to bar preparation student. Thus, this class gives our students the opportunity to learn and practice the strategies and tactics required to be successful on these written portions of the bar exam by watching bar review style lectures and completing written assignments, simulating what they will soon do during the bar prep process. Additionally, CLA gives students the chance to practice time management, as they have more freedom to decide when they want to complete each week’s assignments. This also mimics the bar review process. During bar prep, bar takers will have daily tasks assigned by their bar review course to complete, but they will be responsible for creating their study schedule and deciding when during their day they will complete those items.
In addition to ALA and CLA, all graduating students are invited to enroll in the Spring PASS (Prepare, Adapt, Study, Succeed) Program. PASS is an additional way students can experience transitioning from law student to bar review student while focusing on MBE strategies and tactics for Evidence and Constitutional Law.
Students who take ALA and/or PASS and/or CLA have access to the course materials, which are created by bar review companies. By using those materials, students are able to experience the bar preparation process by using resources designed for bar preparation. These opportunities allow our students to enter bar preparation with the understanding of how they actually do bar prep rather than diving head first after graduation without direction.
Last summer a May 2021 graduate was in the law school preparing for the July bar exam. That graduate came into our office distraught over the amount of information there was to learn over the summer. She expressed the sentiment that she could never learn it all. This was a great opening to remind her that she isn’t learning it all over the summer because she was doing the work all along. She’s been working hard to learn this material since she started law school, and now it’s all coming together. Years of training are culminating in this final summer push. That graduate was dedicated to her work both in law school and all summer. To none of our surprise, she passed the July 2021 bar exam.
She, as well as the other bar takers in the building last summer, trained in all sorts of conditions. Sometimes the rooms were as icy cold as one would expect to feel at the Winter Olympics, and other days the rooms felt searing hot with conditions one would expect to feel at the Summer Olympics. Both are conditions one might expect to find themselves in on bar examination day. However, they pushed on. They covered the walls of study rooms with rules they’d collected from 1L, 2L, and 3L years. They created stacks of flash cards measuring from the floor to almost shoulder height. They worked through tiredness and times of low motivation, but they never gave up. Of the graduates who regularly studied at the law school last summer, 90% passed the July bar exam. They worked hard throughout law school, and then they brought themselves over the finish line by continuing to do the work all summer. They gifted themselves the confidence on exam day that they did everything they could to set themselves up for success.
As we tell our students, every pass at the material makes them stronger. The stronger they are when they graduate, the stronger they will be when they sit for the bar exam. That starts on their first day of law school and does not end until they pass the bar exam. We are here to support them and encourage them throughout these years. When their ultimate event, the bar exam, finally comes around, it is their time to shine and execute. Just like Olympic coaches working with athletes for years, on game day we are there for that support and encouragement. We are on the sidelines cheering the bar takers on, reminding them of the hard work they’ve put into this challenge all along.
Instead of, “Go Team USA!” we shout, “Let’s Go Legal Eagles!”
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
NCCU School of Law has been awarded two pipeline grants to help under-represented undergraduates matriculate in law school. The Law School Admission Council awarded a $100,000 grant to create the Preparing Aspiring Law Students (P.A.L.S.). The P.A.L.S Program will invite 30 first-generation college students and students who are economically disadvantaged. The law school will work closely with the state’s 10 HBCUs and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a Native American-Serving Institution. P.A.L.S. intervention is grounded in Jacquelynne Eccles’s Expectancy Value Theory, which begins with an examination of the “culture milieu” or the understandings imposed by our broader society. The P.A.L.S. Program will acknowledge the existence of stereotypes regarding the performance and expectations of all applicants to law school.
The Second Chance Legal Pipeline Program award of $300,000, funded by AccessLex will provide support, encouragement, and assistance to members of under-represented communities who have demonstrated an interest in becoming lawyers by submitting law school applications which did not result in acceptances. NCCU School of Law is one of only a handful of law schools in the country to receive these grants. “We’re excited for the opportunity to offer these programs,” said Dean Browne C. Lewis.
These grants will allow NCCU School of Law to inspire the next generation of law students. Thank you to Associate Dean and Professor Malik Edwards for his diligence in securing the grants.
Both programs will begin in summer 2022. For more information and to apply, visit
LAW.NCCU.EDU.
FACULTY NEWS
Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Programs, Fred J. Williams, Retires
By Terri Godwin Hyman Director of Marketing and Communications
Longtime Law School Professor Fred J. Williams retired with 40 years of service. Williams, an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Programs, began teaching at NCCU School of Law School on January 1, 1980. Dean Harry Groves hired him to teach Criminal Law and Criminal Law Procedure. A Durham native, Williams became the go-to source for both.
For decades, he has been an active member of the legal community and has served in numerous leadership roles. Early in his career, he worked as a public defender in Fayetteville, NC. In 1985, he was appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge by NC Governor James B. Hunt. During his time on the judicial bench, he traveled to numerous counties throughout the state.
“It’s been gratifying to have given students a foundation. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and educating students,” he said. NCCU School of Law is one of only six HBCU Law Schools in the country. When asked what makes this law school unique, Williams shared, “NCCU gives intelligent individuals, many of whom are minorities, an opportunity to attend law school by considering more than just the required standardized test scores. We know that LSAT scores are not always the best indicators of what a student can do.
I admire our law school for establishing the Performance Based Admissions Program (PBAP).” PBAP was created by former NCCU School of Law Dean Mary Wright and Professor Charles Smith nearly 30 years ago. It is offered to a limited number of applicants whose credentials do not qualify them for unconditional admission but whose records nonetheless show promise of success.
Williams earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Duke University. A respected leader, he has inspired generations of lawyers. His commitment to teaching law never wavered. Year after year, he brought his unique spirit to every class and student he taught. Among the NCCU School of Law faculty, Williams has a collective joy to enjoy a new chapter in his life but a sense of loss of institutional knowledge.
What is next for Williams? “Family, rest, and relaxation, that’s it,” he says.
FACULTY NEWS
Assistant Professor Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine Authors New Book
Professor Jonathan C. Augustine published a new book titled: Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion.
FACULTY NEWS
In January of 2022, NCCU School of Law Assistant Professor Ansel Brown traveled to East Africa with the Africa-Israel Chamber of Commerce, a faithbased organization charged with advancing the economic development of Africa through trade, investment, and leadership development.
As Director of the African Diaspora Chamber of Commerce, Professor Brown met with local chambers in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nauru, and Kigali to impart vision and engage opportunities for facilitating business ties between Africa and the African Diaspora. During the trip, Professor Brown was also able to spend a few priceless days with family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Of the trip, Professor Brown stated, “While this was a personal trip, I was able to see first-hand the immense potential for collaboration between HBCU law schools such as our own and partners in Africa.”
Professor Brown was honored to present his most recent article for publication, “Establishing an Integrated Judiciary to Facilitate the African Continental Free Trade Area,” to the African Group of Ambassadors to the United Nations. The article was published in January 2022 in the Minnesota Journal of International Law.
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
Julian T. Pierce Memorial Scholarship Committee Makes Donation to NCCU School of Law
A special thank you to the Julian T. Pierce Memorial Art Dinner Program for presenting a generous donation to NCCU School of Law Scholarship Program. Alumnus Kelvin Jacobs ‘13, General Counsel at UNC Pembroke, graciously presented the donation to Dean Browne C. Lewis. Deans Browne C. Lewis and Marsetta Lee at lunch with alumni in Pembroke, NC.
LAW CLINIC
By Lakethia G. Jefferies ‘09 Director of Pro Bono Clinic
Pro bono work has made its way to the forefront of practice and legal education in the midst of the pandemic. Legal minds are finding creative ways to solve the exasperated, COVID-19 induced needs for its most vulnerable citizens. Budding attorneys have picked up the mantle to assist with these efforts as law school pro bono programs partner with the community to support and serve.
NCCU School of Law understands the importance of service. It is the hallmark of the institution and engrained in its mission. In finding ways to support citizens in need during the pandemic, NCCU School of Law knew the question was not “if” but “how”. The NCCU School of Law Pro Bono Program has relaunched with strategic efforts to serve marginalized citizens while remaining safe during the pandemic. Under the leadership of the new Pro Bono Clinic Director, Lakethia G. Jefferies ‘09, dedicated law students and alumni have gotten creative in continuing the institution’s legacy of “truth and service”.
While pivoting to remote spaces has come with its challenges, the NCCU School of Law Pro Bono Program found the silver lining and turned lemons into lemonade. Director Jefferies saw the remote spaces as an opportunity to engage and partner in new ways, particularly with alumni who were already doing worthwhile pro bono work. The barriers that once accompanied in-person work were now eliminated. Now alumni, throughout the state and country, could connect and collaborate in providing free legal services to those in need.
As a result, Director Jefferies petitioned alumni to learn about their current pro bono work and seek out pro bono projects through the newly created NCCU School of Law Pro Bono Project Submission platform. This virtual platform allows attorneys, particularly alumni, to submit pro bono project proposals online to be a part of the law school pro bono program. With the launch of this new platform, alumni enthusiastically responded, breathing new life into the program. To no surprise, alumni are giving of their time, talents, and resources to advocate for the marginalized and train future lawyer leaders to do the same.
A few highlighted projects are as follows:
NCCU SCHOOL OF LAW WILLS CLINIC – ELDER LAW PROJECT:
CONFEDERATE MONUMENT REMOVAL RESEARCH PROJECT:
NCCU SCHOOL OF LAW NAME CORRECTION CLINIC:
Alumnus William C. Moore, ‘92, serves as the supervising attorney for the NCCU School of Law Elder Law Project (ELP). He gives freely of his time and expertise in training students and partnering with the Pro Bono Clinic to provide health care directives and wills for indigent elderly clients of Durham County. While the ELP has a strong legacy at NCCU School of Law, this pro bono project has been coined as Attorney Moore’s “pro bono baby”.
In collaboration with the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) and the North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System (NC CRED), students work with alumni Emily Gibson, ‘09 and Christopher Heaney, ‘09 to prepare for litigation across the state regarding the removal of confederate monuments, portraits, writings, or other relics. As part of representation in criminal cases, students work with these attorneys on research and filing motions to remove or cover confederate statues.
Legally changing your name is a major milestone for many transitioning people. However, it can be a complex and expensive endeavor. Alumni Katheryn A Jenifer, ‘20 and Nicholas Patten, ‘20 are leading the efforts in supporting diversity and inclusion through the NCCU School of Law Name Change Clinic. The NCCU School of Law Name Change Clinic is a virtual clinic where law students, attorney volunteers, and experts meet with attendees seeking legal information. This clinic offers step-by-step guidance and legal assistance for attendees embarking on the name change process.
These are but a few on the growing list of pro bono projects offered through the NCCU School of Law Pro Bono Clinic. Unarguably, everyone has experienced setbacks due to the pandemic, but Jefferies is optimistic about the possibilities and opportunities to connect and serve those underrepresented in new ways. While the pandemic will fade away, Jefferies believes its effects in bringing about innovation and new collaborations will endure.
