University of North Carolina School of Law
Encyclopedia
The University of North Carolina School of Law is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier of law schools, and its 2012 US News and World Report ranking is 30th. Further, according to the US News and World Report, "Carolina Law
" is among the top 10 public law schools in the Nation" -- and 17th in reputation among lawyers and judges and 20th among scholars.
With an average J.D.
class size of 250, the law school has just over 700 students at any time, and retains a student-faculty ratio of 16.9 to 1. Admissions are highly competitive: for the Fall 2009 entering class, only 15.4% of applicants were accepted - making it one of the nation's most selective law schools. Minorities represent 30% of the entering class, and over half of the class is female. At least 75% of each incoming class is from North Carolina, although roughly 75% of applications are from out-of-state. This year's entering class includes students from 22 states and Australia.
was named the first professor of law, and legal instruction began at the university. In the years following, assistant professors and later an organized faculty and law library were added. The school began taking on much of the character of a modern law school in the 1920s, after the American Bar Association
first published guidelines for schools. University President Harry Woodburn Chase
was instrumental in leading the efforts for this reorganization over notable opposition, including the governor of North Carolina.
The law school is currently located in Van Hecke-Wettach Hall, towards the southeastern side of the Chapel Hill campus, neighboring the School of Government and several athletic facilities. Opened in 1968 and renovated in 1999, the facilities are nevertheless often regarded as too small for the ever-growing programs of the school. The school is, as of fall 2006, studying an expansion of roughly 40000 sq ft (3,716.1 m²), that may include a second courtroom, a larger gathering space, small classrooms, and added office space. Additionally, the school is pursuing a move to the new Carolina North satellite campus, several miles away. As of spring 2008, the school has decided to relocate to the new Carolina North satellite campus. The new facility could be complete as early as the fall of 2012.
Van Hecke-Wettach Hall includes the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library, located primarily on four floors on the back side of the building.
(Hunt
, Holshouser
, Moore
, and Sanford
), the current Speaker of the NC House
, Joe Hackney
, and (as of the 2011 term) all seven North Carolina Supreme Court
justices (Parker
, Martin
, Edmunds
, Newby
, Timmons-Goodson
, Hudson, and Jackson
), and a number of former and current U.S. Senators and Congressmen. Rogue prosecutor of the Duke Lacrosse hoax, Mike Nifong, graduated in 1978.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier of law schools, and its 2012 US News and World Report ranking is 30th. Further, according to the US News and World Report, "Carolina Law
" is among the top 10 public law schools in the Nation" -- and 17th in reputation among lawyers and judges and 20th among scholars.
With an average J.D.
Juris 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...
class size of 250, the law school has just over 700 students at any time, and retains a student-faculty ratio of 16.9 to 1. Admissions are highly competitive: for the Fall 2009 entering class, only 15.4% of applicants were accepted - making it one of the nation's most selective law schools. Minorities represent 30% of the entering class, and over half of the class is female. At least 75% of each incoming class is from North Carolina, although roughly 75% of applications are from out-of-state. This year's entering class includes students from 22 states and Australia.
History
Following discussion in the North Carolina legal community, on December 12, 1842, the Trustees of the University of North Carolina authorized the University President, David L. Swain, to review and establish a law professorship. In 1845, William Horn BattleWilliam Horn Battle
William Horn Battle was a North Carolina jurist and law professor who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court. He was also the father of Kemp P. Battle....
was named the first professor of law, and legal instruction began at the university. In the years following, assistant professors and later an organized faculty and law library were added. The school began taking on much of the character of a modern law school in the 1920s, after the 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...
first published guidelines for schools. University President Harry Woodburn Chase
Harry Woodburn Chase
Harry Woodburn Chase was the 12th President of the University of North Carolina , President of the University of Illinois , and 8th President of New York University .- References :...
was instrumental in leading the efforts for this reorganization over notable opposition, including the governor of North Carolina.
Facilities
Van Hecke-Wettach Hall includes the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library, located primarily on four floors on the back side of the building.
Centers and initiatives
The UNC School of Law is home to several centers that focus on issues of state and national interest:- Center for Banking and Finance - Lissa Broome, Director
- Center for Civil Rights - Julius L. ChambersJulius L. ChambersJulius LeVonne Chambers is an American lawyer, civil rights leader, and educator.-Early life:Julius Chambers grew up during the Jim Crow era in rural Montgomery County, North Carolina...
, Director. Charles Daye, Deputy Director - Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity - Gene Nichol, Director.
- Center for Law and Government - Michael J. Gerhardt, Director
- Center on Law, Environment, Adaptation and Resources (CLEAR) - Victor Flatt, Director
Clinics
- Community Development Law Clinic: third year law students counsel large and small nonprofit and community development organizations.
- Civil Clinic: third year law students represent indigent clients in civil matters.
- Juvenile Justice Clinic: third year law students defend and represent juvenile defendants.
- Immigration Law and Policy Clinic
Law journals
The school is home to five student-edited law journals. The oldest, the North Carolina Law Review, was founded in 1922. This journal features an annual North Carolina issue reviewing developments in the state's law.- First Amendment Law ReviewFirst Amendment Law ReviewThe First Amendment Law Review is a law journal published by students at the University of North Carolina School of Law. it publishes articles related to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and its stated goal is the promotion and protection of rights contained in the amendment...
- North Carolina Banking Institute Journal
- North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial RegulationNorth Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial RegulationThe North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation is a student-run legal journal at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Now in its 33rd year of publication, the Journal is dedicated to stimulating the intellectual climate through...
- North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology (NC JOLT)
- North Carolina Law ReviewNorth Carolina Law ReviewThe North Carolina Law Review is the law journal of the University of North Carolina School of Law. It was established in 1922 and is published in six issues each year, with issue 5 devoted to its annual symposium and issue 6 designated as a special review of North Carolina and Fourth Circuit law...
Notable alumni
The more than 9,300 alumni of the school have gone on to many notable roles, including countless government offices in North Carolina. Among these are several recent NC governorsGovernor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
(Hunt
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...
, Holshouser
James Holshouser
James Eubert Holshouser, Jr. was the 68th Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1973 to 1977. He was born in Boone, North Carolina....
, Moore
Dan K. Moore
Daniel Killian Moore was the 66th Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1965 to 1969. Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Moore earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity...
, and Sanford
Terry Sanford
James Terry Sanford was a United States politician and educator from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford was the 65th Governor of North Carolina , a two-time U.S. Presidential candidate in the 1970s and a U.S. Senator...
), the current Speaker of the NC House
Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
The Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the members of the house when they convene for their regular session in January of each odd-numbered year...
, Joe Hackney
Joe Hackney
Joe Hackney is a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's fifty-fourth House district, including constituents in Chatham, Orange, and Moore counties. A farmer and attorney from Chapel Hill, Hackney is currently serving in his sixteenth term in the state...
, and (as of the 2011 term) all seven North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The 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...
justices (Parker
Sarah Parker
Sarah Parker is an American judge, currently the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.-Education and career:...
, Martin
Mark Martin (judge)
Mark D. Martin is the Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. With over fifteen years of service in the North Carolina judiciary, Martin is the only active member of the state judiciary with experience on the Supreme Court of North Carolina, the North Carolina Court of...
, Edmunds
Robert H. Edmunds, Jr.
Robert Holt Edmunds, Jr. is an American judge, currently an Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.Born in Danville, Virginia, Edmunds moved to Greensboro, North Carolina at the age of 8. He attended Woodberry Forest School and Williams College before graduating with honors from...
, Newby
Paul Martin Newby
Paul Martin Newby is an American judge, elected in 2004 to a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court to an eight-year term that expires in 2012.Newby was born in Asheboro, North Carolina...
, Timmons-Goodson
Patricia Timmons-Goodson
Patricia 'Pat' Timmons-Goodson is an American judge, currently an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court....
, Hudson, and Jackson
Barbara Jackson
Barbara Jackson is an American attorney and jurist who was elected in 2010 to an eight-year term on the North Carolina Supreme Court....
), and a number of former and current U.S. Senators and Congressmen. Rogue prosecutor of the Duke Lacrosse hoax, Mike Nifong, graduated in 1978.
Leadership
- William Horn BattleWilliam Horn BattleWilliam Horn Battle was a North Carolina jurist and law professor who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court. He was also the father of Kemp P. Battle....
, 1845-1868; 1877-1879 (as professor of law) - John Manning, Jr.John Manning, Jr.John Manning, Jr. was a North Carolina politician who briefly served in the United States House of Representatives in 1870 and 1871.Manning was born in Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina on July 30, 1830...
, 1881-1899 (as professor of law) - James Cameron MacRae, 1899-1909 (as dean)
- Lucius Polk McGehee, 1910-1923 (as dean)
- Merton Leroy Ferson, 1924-1926
- Charles T. McCormickCharles T. McCormickCharles Tilford McCormick was an American university professor.-Early life and education:McCormick was born in Dallas, Texas in 1889. He studied at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1909...
, 1927-1931 - Maurice Taylor Van Hecke, 1931-1941
- Robert Hasley Wettach, 1941-1949
- Henry Brandis, Jr., 1949-1964
- James Dickson Phillips, Jr.James Dickson Phillips, Jr.James Dickson Phillips, Jr. is a senior federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.-Early life and education:...
, 1964-1974 - Robert Gray Byrd, 1974-1979
- Kenneth S. Broun, 1979-1987
- Judith Welch Wegner, 1989-1999
- Gene Nichol, 1999-2005
- John "Jack" Charles Boger, 2006-