Wake Forest University School of Law
Encyclopedia
The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University
. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association
(ABA) accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
(AALS). The school was established in 1894. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks the school among the Top Tier Law Schools in the nation. The current dean is Blake Morant
.
Wake Forest University School of Law has a faculty of 52 Resident Faculty Members and 40 Extended Faculty Members.
The school is known for emphasizing small classes, usually limiting the first year class size to about 150 students. The incoming Class of 2012 had a 25/75% GPA range of 3.26 to 3.71 and LSAT range of 160 to 164.
, LLM, and S.J.D. degrees, as well as four joint degrees (JD/MBA, JD/MA in Religion, JD/Master of Divinity, and JD/MA in Bioethics).
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
(AALS). The school was established in 1894. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks the school among the Top Tier Law Schools in the nation. The current dean is Blake Morant
Blake Morant
Blake Morant is the current Dean of Wake Forest University School of Law. Morant received both a bachelors degree in 1975 and juris doctor degree in 1978 from the University of Virginia. During his undergraduate years, Morant was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Morant is married to fellow...
.
Wake Forest University School of Law has a faculty of 52 Resident Faculty Members and 40 Extended Faculty Members.
The school is known for emphasizing small classes, usually limiting the first year class size to about 150 students. The incoming Class of 2012 had a 25/75% GPA range of 3.26 to 3.71 and LSAT range of 160 to 164.
Degrees
The school offers the Juris DoctorJuris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, LLM, and S.J.D. degrees, as well as four joint degrees (JD/MBA, JD/MA in Religion, JD/Master of Divinity, and JD/MA in Bioethics).
Publications
The school has three student-run law journals. The school's flagship journal is the Wake Forest Law Review. The school also publishes two specialized journals, the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy and the Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law.Rankings
The Wake Forest University School of Law was ranked 39th in the 2011 U.S. News and World Report Best Law Schools rankings.Student organizations
- Student Bar AssociationStudent Bar AssociationStudent bar associations are student organizations that exist at many laws schools in the United States. Student bar associations take their name from bar associations, which are professional bodies of lawyers....
- Phi Alpha DeltaPhi Alpha DeltaΦAΔ , or P.A.D., is the largest co-ed professional law fraternity in the United States of America. Phi Alpha Delta has members who are university students, law school students, lawyers, judges, senators, and even presidents. It was founded in 1902 and today has over 300,000 initiated members...
- North Carolina Student Bar AssociationStudent Bar AssociationStudent bar associations are student organizations that exist at many laws schools in the United States. Student bar associations take their name from bar associations, which are professional bodies of lawyers....
- Federalist SocietyFederalist SocietyThe Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, most frequently called simply the Federalist Society, is an organization of conservatives seeking reform of the current American legal system in accordance with a textualist and/or originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution...
- Moot CourtMoot courtA moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
Board - Trial Bar
Student Opportunities
- Metropolitan ExternshipExternshipExternships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, offered by educational institutions to give students short practical experiences in their field of study. In medicine it may refer to a visiting physician who is not part of the regular staff...
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- Students spend approximately 35 hours per week interning in a government agency or non-governmental organization. In addition to this practice component, students attend a weekly class session, which explores issues common to the interns. - Sumer Study Abroad Programs in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, and ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. - Inns of CourtInns of CourtThe Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
- Guardian Ad Litem
- Pro bonoPro bonoPro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
Project
Clinics
The Law School offers six legal clinics, or programs that allow students to attain practical legal experience through providing legal services to real clients.- Appellate Advocacy Clinic - Students represent clients in a variety of appellate courts, including the Fourth Circuit and the Seventh Circuit. Students handle an actual appeal from start to finish, with advice and assistance from their professor, who is counsel of record. Students also travel to Washington, D.C., to observe arguments at the United States Supreme Court.
- Child Advocacy Clinic - Students represent children in custody disputes, domestic violence situations, and in issues involving the public school system.
- Community Law and Business Clinic - A new program, this clinic provides law and graduate business students with an opportunity to develop skills needed to practice in the increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment they will encounter as professionals.
- Elder Law Clinic - Students provides free legal assistance to moderate income seniors in a variety of legal matters.
- Innocence and Justice Clinic - This clinic has its origins in the Innocence Project in which Wake Forest students review and investigate claims of innocence to determine whether DNA evidence existed that could exonerate inmates.
- Litigation Clinic - Students have the opportunity to represent clients in both civil and criminal matters.
Notable alumni
- Rhoda BillingsRhoda BillingsRhoda Bryan Billings is an American lawyer and a former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.Billings earned her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1966. She served four years as a state District Court judge . Governor James G...
(J.D., 1966), Former Justice of the North Carolina Supreme CourtNorth Carolina Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices... - William Earl BrittWilliam Earl BrittWilliam Earl Britt is a United States federal judge.Britt was born in McDonald, North Carolina. He was the younger brother of David M. Britt. He received a B.S. from Wake Forest University in 1956 and an LL.B. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1958. He was in the United States Army ...
(LL.B. 1958), Former federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina is the United States District Court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Carolina are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The... - Sidney S. Eagles, Jr.Sidney S. Eagles, Jr.Sidney S. "Sid" Eagles, Jr. is an American lawyer and jurist who served as a judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 1983 until January 2004. At the time of his retirement, Eagles was serving as Chief Judge of that court...
(J.D. 1964), Former Justice of the North Carolina Court of AppealsNorth Carolina Court of AppealsThe North Carolina Court of Appeals is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating groups of three... - James P. CainJames P. CainJames P. "Jim" Cain is a former United States Ambassador to Denmark from July 2005 to January 2009. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on June 30, 2005. He was replaced by Laurie S. Fulton. Cain is a member of the North Carolina Republican Party-Early Life:Jim Cain is a native of High...
(JD, 1984), Former U.S. Ambassador to DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... - Robert L. Ehrlich (J.D., 1982), Former Governor of and Congressman for the state of MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
- Jerome B. FriedmanJerome B. FriedmanJerome B. Friedman is a United States federal judge. He assumed senior status on November 30, 2010.Born in Newark, New Jersey, Friedman received a B.S. from Old Dominion College in 1965, and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1969. He was a Trust administrator, First Union...
(J.D., 1969), Federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of VirginiaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of VirginiaThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia... - Kay Hagan (JD, 1978), U.S. Senator for the state of North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(2009-) - Malcolm Jones HowardMalcolm Jones HowardMalcolm Jones Howard is a United States federal judge.Born in Kinston, North Carolina, Howard received a B.S. from United States Military Academy at West Point in 1962 and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1970. He was in the United States Army Major from 1962 to 1972. He was a...
, (J.D. 1970), Federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaThe United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina is the United States District Court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Carolina are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The... - Samuel Johnson HowardSamuel Johnson HowardThe Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard is the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Florida in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Howard was elected bishop Coadjutor on May 16, 2003 and entered office on January 29, 2004....
(JD, 1976), 8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - I. Beverly Lake, Jr. (J.D. 1960), Former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme CourtNorth Carolina Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
- John C. MartinJohn C. MartinJohn Charles Martin is an American judge, currently Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.Born in Durham, North Carolina, Martin earned an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 1965 and his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1967...
(J.D. 1967), Chief Justice of the North Carolina Court of AppealsNorth Carolina Court of AppealsThe North Carolina Court of Appeals is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating groups of three... - Robert Burren MorganRobert Burren MorganRobert Burren Morgan was a Democratic U.S. Senator from the state of North Carolina from 1975 until 1981. Born in Lillington, N.C., Morgan attended...
(JD), Former U.S. Senator for the state of North Carolina (1975–1981) - Edwin Monroe StanleyEdwin Monroe StanleyEdwin Monroe Stanley was a United States federal judge.Stanley was born in Forsyth County, North Carolina. He received an LL.B. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1931. He was in private practice of law in Greensboro, North Carolina from 1931 to 1954. He was a judge of the Greensboro...
(LL.B., 1931), Former federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of North CarolinaUnited States District Court for the Middle District of North CarolinaThe U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina... - Charles H. TaylorCharles H. TaylorCharles Hart Taylor is an American politician; a Republican, he represented North Carolina's 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He began serving in 1991 and continued through January 3, 2007....
(J.D., 1966) Former U.S. Congressman for the state of North Carolina (1991–2007) - Hiram Hamilton WardHiram Hamilton WardHiram Hamilton Ward was a United States federal judge.Ward was born in Thomasville, North Carolina. He received an LL.B. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1950. He served in the United States Army Air Force from 1940 to 1945. He was in private practice in Denton, North Carolina from...
(LL.B., 1950) Former federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of North CarolinaUnited States District Court for the Middle District of North CarolinaThe U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina... - Samuel Grayson WilsonSamuel Grayson WilsonSamuel Grayson Wilson is a United States federal judge.Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Wilson received a B.A. from the University of Richmond in 1971 and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1974. He was an assistant commonwealth's attorney of Roanoke, Virginia from 1974 to 1976, and was...
(J.D., 1974) Federal Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of VirginiaUnited States District Court for the Western District of VirginiaThe United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in... - Christopher R. BarronChristopher R. BarronChristopher R. Barron is the cofounder of GOProud, a political organization representing gay conservatives. The president of CapSouth Consulting, a political consulting firm, Barron served as the national political director for Log Cabin Republicans, where he directed the organization’s federal...
(J.D.), Co-Founder of GOProudGOProudGOProud is an American tax exempt 527 organization representing conservative gays, lesbians, transgendered people, and their allies. GOProud advocates for small government conservatism at the level of federal public policy. GOProud was founded by Christopher R...
. - Greg HabeebGreg HabeebGregory "Greg" D. Habeeb is a lawyer and American politician in Southwest Virginia. Habeeb, a conservative Republican, is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 8th District, which includes the City of Salem and parts of Roanoke County.- Personal Life & Education :Habeeb was...
(J.D., 2001) Member of the Virginia House of DelegatesVirginia House of DelegatesThe Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
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