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Professor Nell J. Newton, Notre Dame Law School’s 10th dean for ten years, has been named as interim dean for Wake Forest School of Law. She is a leader in legal education and has been for more than 20 years. In addition, she has served as dean of prominent law schools nationwide since 1998. Continue reading »

On Monday, August 15, the Class of 2025 entered Worrell Professional Center as the newest members of the Wake Forest Law community. Excited to embark on their legal journey, the students filled the law school’s auditorium to officially kick off Foundations Week. Interim Assistant Dean of Student Affairs & Executive Strategy Branden Nicholson was able to welcome the students. Continue reading »

At Wake Forest Law, we pride ourselves on welcoming students that come from anywhere and go everywhere. But very few come so far to be with us as our international LL.M. students. We sat down and talked with Anna Alieksieieva, a fresh graduate from the Class of 2022, about how she got here and where she’s going. Continue reading »

Due to the efforts of Veterans Legal Clinic students Allison Spears and Walker Helms, under the supervision of Clinic Director Eleanor Morales, a clinic client now has an Honorable discharge and veteran status under the law. Continue reading »

Professor Sarah Morath is an expert on legal writing pedagogy who also teaches and publishes on a wide range of topics related to environmental law, food law and policy, agriculture, and natural resources law, among other subjects. Her scholarly contributions to the field of legal writing are extensive. Her recently published book, Our Plastic Problem and How to Solve It, was created from her expertise in both writing and environmental law. Continue reading »

Wake Forest School of Law Professor Stratos Pahis was awarded the prestigious Francis Deák Prize by the American Journal of International Law and the American Society of International Law. The prize is awarded annually to honor a younger author who has made “a meritorious contribution to international legal scholarship.”

Professor Pahis was awarded the prize for his article, titled “BITs and Bonds: The International Law and Economics of Sovereign Debt,” 115 Am. J. Int’l L. 242 (2021). In the article, Professor Pahis demonstrates that applying international investment treaties to sovereign debt threatens to raise the overall cost of sovereign debt for creditors and States alike. He proposes an interpretative solution to this problem that leads to the equal treatment of creditors.

“It’s a huge honor, and I’m grateful that the ideas in the paper are being recognized,” said Professor Pahis when asked about his award. “We appear to be heading for a series of debt crises around the world – because of COVID and the war in Ukraine, among other reasons. The human toll of these crises threatens to be enormous. What I point out in the paper is that international investment law may end up making things worse, not better. There’s a solution, but first we need to recognize there’s a problem. I hope the award helps to bring the problem to greater light.”

The prize has been awarded annually since 1973 for the best scholarly article written by a younger author published by the American Journal of International Law. The Board of Editors of the journal voted to give Professor Pahis the Francis Deák Prize at their annual meeting on April 12, 2022.

Professor Pahis’ article can be downloaded here.

The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released the law school employment results for 2021 graduates from law schools across the country. Wake Forest Law ranked No. 3 out of 196 law schools in the number of graduates employed in full-time, long-term positions requiring a bar license or for which the JD is an advantage. As of March 15, 2022, 96.53% of Wake Forest Law’s 2021 graduates have employment in these “gold standard” jobs.

The class of 2021 has made its mark at the Wake Forest University School of Law. Graduates play an integral part in the institution’s future. When students come to law school, they have the reasonable expectation that they will pass the bar, get a meaningful job and not have enormous debt. Wake Forest Law is meeting those expectations. Being ranked No. 3 further confirms that a Wake Forest Law education propels students forward.

“These positive outcomes certainly reflect the quality of our students and the education they receive, but it is also a result of the investment of the law school in working with students from their first year of law school on the formation of a professional identity: understanding the career options available, internalizing the character qualities of a lawyer, and having the right tools to seek out and obtain the opportunities they want” said Francie Scott, Assistant Dean for Career & Professional Development. “We have a highly professional staff that provides key industry knowledge, maintains strong relationships with alumni and other stakeholders, and is deeply committed to seeing each student succeed.”

The ABA employment ranking is just the latest news involving Wake Forest Law’s outstanding reputation. On March 29, 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Wake Forest Law No. 37 out of the top 50 law schools in the country, tying with Boston College (MA), Fordham University (NY), University of California–Davis, University of California–Irvine, and University of Utah (Quinney). While the school consistently ranks among the top-tier law schools, this is the second rise in the rankings in the last two years.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Wake Forest Students are getting wonderful jobs. They are smart, strategic, collaborative and, despite all their talent, do not act as if they are entitled,” said Dean Jane Aiken. “The class of 2021 shows that what we are doing at Wake Forest Law is working!”

Wake Forest University School of Law has been placed once again among the top 50 law schools in the U.S. News & World Report’s national rankings released March 29, 2022.

Up four spots from last year, the law school ranked No. 37 tied with Boston College (MA), Fordham University (NY), University of California–Davis, University of California–Irvine, and University of Utah (Quinney). While the school consistently ranks among the top-tier law schools, this is the second rise in the rankings in the last two years.

The Legal Writing Program at Wake Forest Law was also ranked No. 6 tied with Georgetown University (D.C.), Seattle University (WA), and University of Denver–Strum (CO).

The rankings from U.S. News & World Report weigh student metrics such as GPA and LSAT scores of an incoming class, as well as employment, bar passage rate, and student debt after graduation for graduating students. In addition to Wake Forest Law’s rigorous academic program, small class sizes, and a focus on providing a personalized education, the school also works hard to prepare students to achieve the best possible career outcomes upon graduation. This approach to educating the whole individual in a manner that is consistent with the University’s motto of pro humanitate is what sets the law school apart.

“I want to thank you all for everything that you do, and I look forward to continuing to build on our impressive reputation,” said Wake Forest School of Law Dean Jane Aiken in a message to the Wake Forest Law community about the new ranking.

The U.S. News & World Report 2022 Best Graduate Schools Rankings – Law Schools has ranked Wake Forest University School of Law’s Legal Analysis, Writing & Research (LAWR) program #5 in the nation.

LAWR courses are designed to teach students how to research and analyze legal problems and how to use language with precision, clarity, and persuasiveness. The skills students learn in LAWR are foundational and essential components of the practice of law, no matter how they choose to use their law degree. This rise in the ranking into the Top 5 recognizes Wake Law’s commitment to producing graduates who excel in the foundational research, analysis, and writing skills that legal practice requires.

Our legal writing faculty are experienced teachers, respected scholars, and national leaders in the legal writing community. Laura Graham, Wake Forest LAWR’s program director, will be taking on the role of President of the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) in August 2021. Professor Graham is also celebrating ten years of authoring Writing that Works, a column published in the North Carolina Bar Association’s magazine, The North Carolina Lawyer. She also continues to serve on the NCBA’s Communications Committee.

Wake Forest LAWR faculty are also represented in leadership levels of the Legal Writing Institute (LWI). Abigail Perdue is Co-Chair of its New Member Outreach Committee and a contributing author to LWI Lives. Sarah Morath serves on the Governing Board of the Sirico Scholars’ Workshop and is a Managing Editor of Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute. Brenda Gibson chairs LWI’s Awards Committee and is a member of the editorial board of LWI’s Monograph Series.

Christine Nero Coughlin continues to publish in several disciplines. She co-authored the book Modern Legal Scholarship: A Guide to Producing and Publishing Scholarly and Professional Writing, published by Carolina Academic Press, and The Stories We Tell: Narrative, Policymaking, and the Right to Try, a symposium article for the Wake Forest Journal of Law and Policy, with Professor Nancy M.P. King.

Hal Lloyd continues to publish in various areas and has a forthcoming article on semiotics in the University of Richmond Law Review.  He is also a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards and advises the Wake Forest Law School Transactional Competition.

John Korzen continues his important work as Chair of the North Carolina General Statutes Commission. He also serves as a member and sub-committee chair of the NCBA’s Appellate Rules Committee. Professor Korzen maintains an active appellate practice as Director and Supervising Attorney for Wake Law’s Appellate Advocacy Clinic. Clinic students are currently representing numerous clients in the Supreme Court of the United States, the North Carolina Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Wake Forest University School of Law is incredibly proud to count these talented and accomplished professors as its faculty. Now they can add being in the Top 5 of LAWR programs in the nation to their already impressive list of accomplishments.

(Winston-Salem, N.C., July 1, 2020) — Professor Kami Chavis, a globally recognized expert on policing and police accountability, hate crimes, and police reform, contributed to national and international media coverage on the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests that followed the death of George Floyd.

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