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The Wake Forest Law Class of 2016 has chosen Professor Rebecca Morrow and Maria Nkonge (JD/M.Div ’16) to be the speakers for the Wake Forest University School of Law Hooding Ceremony on Sunday, May 15, 2016.

The Hooding Ceremony will be at 1:45 p.m. in Wait Chapel followed by the Dean’s Reception at 3 p.m. at the Millennium Center in downtown Winston-Salem. Graduation exercises are scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday, May 16, on Hearn Plaza. This is a private, ticketed event. Learn more about the Hooding Ceremony and Commencement here.

Since not all of the graduates’ family and friends can travel to Winston-Salem for the Commencement weekend festivities, the law school is providing a free Livestream of the Hooding Ceremony at http://livestream.com/wfu/2016law and Commencement at http://commencement.wfu.edu/webcast/

Prior to coming to Wake Forest Law, Professor Morrow’s experience includes practice at a nonprofit, at a large corporate firm and at a mid-size boutique firm. She began her career at Legal Aid, assisting clients to gain custody of children who had been abused or neglected by their parents. She then worked at Preston, Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) where she was a member of the Tax-Exempt Organizations group.  She next joined Skellenger Bender where she continued representing victims of domestic violence and developed further expertise in tax and estate planning. Professor Morrow graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor’s in political science, Yale University with a J.D. and the University of Washington with an LL.M. in Taxation.  She was an adjunct professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, where she taught Estate Tax, Gift Tax and Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates. Her scholarship applies concepts from macro and micro economics (price capitalization, behavioral economics, stock option pricing models) to tax issues.  She is also interested in the program that is designed to equip students for creative leadership in advocacy and activism by interconnecting studies in law and religion.

Nkonge interned with the 13th Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office in eastern North Carolina, where she assisted with domestic violence cases. She decided to put her experience to practice and compete for a seat on Wake Forest Law’s National Trial Team. More than 100 students tried out, delivering closing statements for a mock murder trial. After a rigorous and difficult selection process, Nkonge was selected as the sixth seat on the Wake Forest team. Under the coaching and mentorship of local attorneys, Nkonge joined five other law students who competed against other law schools in the nation to be exposed to the nature of trial practice and strengthen their advocacy skills. Nkonge, Jordan Lee (JD ’16) and Amanda Parker (JD ’16) were the winners of the regionals of the TYLA National Trial Competitionwere the winners of the regionals of the TYLA National Trial Competition.