|
LAW SCHOOL
Ann Gibbs
Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism (CJCP) Grant
Awarded $4,000 for the period 1/1/08-12/31/08
Source: North Carolina State Bar
Funds support two integral professional development programs. The first, Conversation With, brings in role models to speak about their lives in the law with students in an interview format. Such luminaries as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Justice Rosalie Abella, the first female judge in Canada, and Oliver Hill, a famous civil rights lawyer from Richmond, Virginia, who played a key role in Brown v. Board of Education, have participated. All of the guests are selected for their stellar ethical standards and demonstrated professional values. The series is inspiring and leaves a lasting image of the ideal legal professional in the minds of our students.
The First-Year Professionalism series consists of 6 programs, each focusing on a different aspect of professional growth. Esteemed members of the local NC Bar present many of these programs and serve as professional role models. Attendance is mandatory for all first-year students. The goal is to provide them with direct information about the ethical/professional standards and skills that are expected of lawyers.
Kate Mewhinney, Legal Clinic
Client Needs Fund
Awarded $2,000 for the period 7/1/07 to 6/30/08
Source: North Carolina Bar Association
Wake Forest's Legal Clinic for the Elderly pays legal fees,
such as power of attorney registration, for low-income elderly
clients through the Client Needs Fund.
Robert Walsh
Professionalism Program
Awarded $7,000 for the period 9/7/06 to
9/6/07
Source: North Carolina State Bar
The program aims to expose law students
to a variety of professional role models.
Before orientation, entering students are required to read
a book about an outstanding lawyer.
During the first day of orientation week,
groups of 8-10 students meet with faculty to discuss the
book and the responsibilities that
arise in the legal profession. Orientation
also includes two other professionalism activities. First,
students work on a pro bono project;
for example, a Habitat for Humanity home.
Second, a judge gives a brief address and administers a formal
oath of professionalism.
Monthly seminars on ethical duties, pro
bono obligations, civility, substance abuse,
and quality of life begin with a general
overview of the topic before breaking into groups of
10-12 for more intense discussion, led
by lawyers and judges teamed with faculty.
All WFU law students are required to take
a formal course in Professional Responsibility.
Over half participate in one of two legal
clinics before graduating: the Litigation
Clinic, supervised by a full-time faculty member
and selected local attorneys; and the Elder
Law Clinic.
Extra-curricular activities include Chief
Justice Joseph Branch Inn of Court. This
group meets monthly for dinner and brings
judges, lawyers, and approximately 50 students
together to discuss professionalism. The “Conversation With…” series
brings exemplary legal professionals to speak in a more informal way
to the students. Recent visitors include Annie Brown Kennedy, one
of the first black women to practice law in North Carolina; Judge
Norman Veasey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware and
Chair of the ABA Ethics 2000 Commission; Robert Ehrlich, Governor
of Maryland; and Rosalie Abella, one of the first women on the Court
of Appeals in Canada.
In 1996, Wake Forest assisted in founding the
Domestic Violence Advocacy Center (DVAC) in partnership with
the local bar and Legal Aid of Northwest North Carolina. Students
and lawyers volunteer to represent victims of domestic abuse
at a ten-day hearing to determine whether a long-term protective
order can be issued against the abuser. About 20 students each
semester participate in the courtroom proceedings, and another
50-70 work with Family Services to aid victims at the local
shelter. DVAC won the 2004 Law Student Pro Bono Award from
the North Carolina Bar Association. |
