Legal Deacon Digest – March 2025
Message from Leadership
After 33 years of joyful and meaningful work as a teacher and scholar at Wake Forest Law, I’m a bit surprised to find myself with an office in the Dean’s Suite serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. But it’s an honor to fill this role at a critical time for the Law School, and to work with the outstanding leadership team assembled by Dean Andy Klein. Just two weeks before you read this note, Wake Forest Law hosted a site visit team from the American Bar Association, part of a reaccreditation process that happens every 10 years. The visit was preceded by months of preparatory work, resulting in a submission answering the ABA’s questionnaire that extended over 200 pages! And while the site visit process seems akin to complex discovery, we are confident that one constant truth emerged amidst the myriad details: Wake Forest Law occupies a special place in legal education. We are proud of the work we do educating the next generation of lawyers, who will soon join your ranks as loyal alumni. And we thank you for your continued support in this endeavor. Warm wishes, Margaret Taylor Mark Your Calendars: Deacs Day of Giving is April 8! Get ready, Legal Deacs—Deacs Day of Giving is just around the corner! On April 8, the entire Wake Forest community will rally together for 24 hours of giving, impact, and a whole lot of fun. Whether you loved your days in Worrell or want to support the next generation of legal minds, this is your moment to make a difference! We need our amazing alumni to join the fun—wherever you are! Make a gift to support one of our key giving priorities, from scholarships and experiential education to public interest grants and the Student Activities Fund. Every gift, no matter the size, will help our students thrive! Let’s show the entire university how the #LegalDeacs do it! #DeacsGive Spotlights Alumni
Reece Saunders Jr. (’74, JD ’77) and Bill Webb Jr. (JD ’77) recently received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, which is given to those who have made significant contributions to the state and their community. Read about Saunders’ and Webb’s work.
Learn how alum Ashley DiMuzio (JD ’19)—a criminal defense attorney, adjunct professor, and trial team coach—empowers students to grow into confident and ethical advocates, beginning on page 6 of The Jurist. A special thanks to alums Lisa Costner (JD ’87), Mireille Clough (JD ’01), Chris Geis (JD ’98), Meredith Green (JD ’10), Kevin Olsen (JD ’19), and Judge Benjamin Kahn for providing general and litigation externships to our students this past semester! We are sad to share that David Furr (’80, JD ’82) passed away on February 12, 2025 after a long battle with cancer. David was deeply committed to Wake Forest Law, showing his support through philanthropic giving, mentorship, hiring law students, and serving on the Law Board of Visitors. Read about David’s life and legacy. Alum, adjunct professor, and judge Matthew T. Houston (JD ’13) was recently appointed as business court judge by Chief Justice Paul Newby. Alum Destin Hall (JD ’14) was recently elected as the 121st North Carolina Speaker of the House. Read about how alum and Rose Council member Chase Edmunds (JD ’21) and his wife Kirby got married on Kirby and Chase Day, a local holiday. Promotions, New Positions, and Recognitions:
Students
Nagehan Ilemin Alan, who is currently in residence at Wake Forest Law as a Visiting International Researcher (VIR), was invited by her host institution, Kocaeli University, to speak as a panelist about her research on climate change and human rights in Turkey. The annual PILO (Public Interest Law Organization) Auction took place on Saturday, February 22 at Joymongers, raising $15,000 to go directly toward providing grants to students to be able to work unpaid, public-interest jobs during the summer. Support PILO here! In January, eight 1L students from Wake Forest Law’s competitive trial team competed at the Kilpatrick Townsend’s 1L Trial Competition in Chapel Hill. The first-place team, captained by Anna Sweet, competed alongside Michael Callahan, Madison Pope, and Sabrina Herrera. The second-place team, captained by Leah Necas, competed alongside Matigan Williams, Jordyn Brown, and Evan Meerscheidt. The second-place team also won the award for Most Collegial Team. Throughout the weekend, both teams won multiple Best Advocate and Best Witness awards. Anna Sweet was voted Best Witness and Matigan Williams was voted Best Advocate in the final round of the competition. In February, Wake Forest Law hosted the Wake Forest Law Review Symposium, There’s No Place Like Home: Using the Law to Promote Healthy Housing. This full-day conference brought together leading legal and policy experts to explore innovative strategies, cross-disciplinary approaches, and local initiatives aimed at improving access to healthy housing. Panelists also discussed the intersection of race and housing policy, highlighting the critical role of law in fostering equitable living conditions. In February, representatives from Wake Forest Law’s Moot Court competed in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, the nation’s largest moot court competition. 2Ls Katie Koesters, Jack Liechty, and Chris Whipple won the Boston region and will compete in Chicago at nationals in April. 2Ls Nayeli Selkis, Melissa Stuckey, and Matt Wolpe earned an above-average brief score and high praise from judges. Students prepared for the competition with help from Professors John Korzen (’81, JD ’91) and Luellen Curry. Faculty Wake Forest Law is excited to share recent news about our Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research (LAWR) program—ranked 5th in the nation—including our LAWR faculty’s scholarly achievements, and our work in the local, state, and national legal community. Wake Forest Law’s Experiential Education program continues to provide multifaceted opportunities for students to develop essential lawyering skills and engage in meaningful professional identity formation. Read what they’ve been up to. Learn about Wake Forest Law faculty scholarship, including publications, presentations and speaking engagements, media, and honors and awards from January-June 2024 in the latest Faculty Scholarship Newsletter. Learn more about how mentorship helps create a stronger, more diverse legal community, and how Professor Brenda Gibson is leading the way, beginning on page 10 of The Jurist. Enjoy the third video of our Expert Encounters Series with Professor Meghan Boone! “Studies confirm that protecting the human rights of Indigenous peoples results not only in better lives for these communities but also better conservation of the lands where they live,” writes Professor John H. Knox. “However, governments often do not recognize Indigenous peoples’ legal rights in their ancestral lands.” Read more about the problem, what’s being done to stop it, and what more can be done in Professor Knox’s recently published article in The Conversation US. Professor Chris Coughlin (JD ’90), an expert in health law, recently co-authored a journal article titled “Strategy, Morality, Courage: Bioethics and Health Law after Dobbs.” The article examines what is required to protect and promote effective public discussion and policy development in the current climate of divisive disagreement about many public policy questions. Professor Samir Parikh, an expert in business law, weighs in on the increasingly common tool of securitization in litigation finance in the Bloomberg Law article titled, “Opioids Lawyers Offer Investors Piece of $100 Million-Plus Win.” While incumbent Democrat Alison Riggs won the race for North Carolina Supreme Court Justice in the traditional sense, opponent Jefferson Griffin, a Republican, argues that approximately 60,000 North Carolina ballots should be discounted because of missing driver’s license or Social Security numbers. Appellate Advocacy Clinic Director and Professor John Korzen (’81, JD ’91) weighs in on the legality of the claim on 90.7 WFAE. Professor Shannon Gilreath (JD ’02) and Professor Emerita and former Wake Forest Law Dean Suzanne Reynolds (JD ’77) recently published an anthology book about former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg titled On Being American: The Jurisprudence of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The book explores what Justice Ginsburg did as a lawyer, an advocate, and a judge to change and broaden what it means to be an American citizen. Events Where are we going next? Washington, DC | Alumni SCOTUS Swearing-In Trip Winston-Salem, NC | Leadership and Character in the Law Conference | REGISTER HERE Winston-Salem, NC | The Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law Spring Symposium | REGISTER HERE New York, NY | Law Alumni Reception | REGISTER HERE SAVE THE DATE | Law Alumni Weekend and Homecoming Noteworthy This year’s Founders Day featured a special guest speaker: our very own Dean Andy Klein! The event took place on Thursday, February 20 at 4:00 p.m. at Wait Chapel, and Dean Klein spoke on academic freedom and free speech. You can watch his remarks here (beginning at the 31:40 mark). Wake Forest Law is proud to share its new partnership with UNC Charlotte, the second partnership recently established to advance access to legal education (Wake Forest Law signed a partnership agreement with Winston-Salem State University last fall). Hear from Wake Forest Law Dean Andrew Klein and Dean of University College at UNC Charlotte Teresa Petty as they discuss how this partnership will make a real impact. Wake Forest Law is seeking Pro Humanitate-themed stories about our alumni for the upcoming edition of The Jurist magazine. If you have a story you would like to contribute, please email lawcomm@wfu.edu.
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Categories: Legal Deacon Digest, News