Legal Deacon Digest – December 2025
Message from Leadership Dear Wake Forest Law Alumni, As we enter the holiday season and my fifth year at Wake Forest Law, I am continually grateful that the success of our school makes it a joy and straightforward proposition to promote Wake Forest to prospective students. We have been on the road extensively this fall, attending over 120 recruiting events across the country. Closer to home, the energy in the Worrell Professional Center is palpable; from September through November, we welcomed over 300 prospective students and guests to sit in on classes and take student-led tours. That averages out to nearly five visitors every single day the University is open. I am thrilled to report that we continue to see the volume and quality of our applicant pool rise. The 2,883 JD applicants for the most recent admission cycle represented our highest volume since 2012, resulting in a 25% acceptance rate. The Class of 2028 is exceptional, boasting a 166 median LSAT and 3.79 median GPA. They hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia, representing 108 undergraduate institutions with 50 different majors, and 8% are active-duty service members or veterans of the US Armed Forces. Further, their commitment to Wake Forest is strong, with 22% of the class admitted through our Binding Decision program. Looking ahead, we face significant changes to federal student loans. A new cap on graduate and professional school borrowing will likely force more students to seek private loans, resulting in higher borrowing costs. As such, alumni support is a defining factor in our ability to offer the robust financial aid necessary to recruit the best and brightest. Your generosity is the bridge that allows students to choose Wake Forest Law regardless of financial constraints, and ensures that a Wake Forest Law education remains accessible to the next generation of leaders. Finally, I am most grateful for your contributions to Wake Forest Law. Last year, approximately 70% of our JD students were scholarship recipients, with more than half of all JD students receiving awards covering at least 50% of tuition. Our success as a law school wouldn’t be possible without your support. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season, Evan G. Didier Make Your End-of-Year Gift Today As we near the end of the calendar year, we invite all members of our Wake Forest Law community to support the mission of the School of Law in the way that feels right for you. Gifts of all sizes make an impact on our students. Many alumni make an annual gift or a multi-year pledge during this season. Others choose to give through their financial or estate plans, such as including Wake Forest Law in a will, trust, or beneficiary designation. Alumni aged 70 1/2 or older may also consider a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA, which can satisfy all or part of a required minimum distribution. Should you wish to begin a gift conversation or have questions about how best to support Wake Forest Law, please contact us at lawalum@wfu.edu. However you choose to give, your support makes an impact on our students and advances the work of Wake Forest Law. Thank you for your generosity this season! Spotlights Alumni
Adjunct faculty member Don Vaughan (JD ’79) received the John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina State Bar. Timothy J. Rooks (JD ’93) was appointed by North Carolina Governor Josh Stein to the Superior Court for Judicial District 36, serving Burke and Caldwell counties. Promotions, New Positions, and Recognitions:
Students
On October 2, Wake Forest Law hosted the final round of the 2025 1L Trial Bar Competition. After multiple rounds of competition, Ellie Stamps (1L) and Cole Hastings (1L) advanced to the final round, presenting their closing arguments before a panel of judges. Ellie Stamps was named the 2025 Trial Bar Competition Champion. Recently, students from Wake Forest Law’s International Programs participated in our annual International Thanksgiving Potluck. The celebration honors the American tradition of Thanksgiving while students, faculty, and staff share their own cultural traditions and bring in dishes from around the world. Jakob Christopherson (3L) and Macey Tipton (3L) are 1st and 2nd place winners for the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) Student Essay Competition. Both students were honored at the AALA annual conference in Scottsdale in November. Jakob’s article will be published in the Drake Law Review. On November 5, the North Carolina Court of Appeals held oral arguments at Wake Forest Law. Judges John Tyson, April Wood, and Christopher Freeman presided over the oral arguments—continuing a 20+ year tradition of bringing real appellate advocacy to our students. Moot Court Marshal Mary McCullough (3L) opened the court and managed time for the oralists. This year, the panel heard the case of the State of North Carolina v. Tristan Jevon Allen and Keon Jaykwon Rush. On November 7, the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy hosted a symposium titled “Principles in Practice: Integrity and the Rule of Law in an Era of Uncertainty.” The event brought together judges, law school deans, attorneys, elected officials, and other legal professionals to reflect on how integrity shapes decision-making across government and the legal profession, and how those principles hold up in today’s complex legal landscape. On November 7-9, a group of students from Wake Forest Law’s Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program attended their MLS Residential, a rite of passage for the online master’s degree program. The day-and-a-half event included sessions on Pay Inquiry and Pay Transparency Laws, and Pay Equity Litigation, along with opportunities to connect and collaborate in person.
Thomas Altman’s (1L) article “Justices on Autopilot: Thinking-Fast Evidence from State Supreme Court Oral Arguments” was recently published in the Journal of Law and Courts. The article analyzes 2014-2021 New York Court of Appeals oral arguments to determine whether non-traditional factors, such as expressed emotions, can shape decisions. Faculty On October 23, Professor John H. Knox and Dr. David R. Boyd were honored with the prestigious 2025 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy for their groundbreaking leadership as successive United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the human right to a healthy environment. Professor Raina Haque is featured on the latest Deacs.AI podcast episode, exploring how centuries-old patent law collides with today’s AI courtroom battles. Listen on Spotify or Apple. Professor Zaneta Robinson (JD ’03) recently joined the Congressional Rock and Roll Caucus and House Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence Roundtable on Capitol Hill. The bipartisan discussion brought together scholars and industry leaders to examine the intersection of AI and music copyright law, focusing on AI-generated music, digital replicas, and deep fakes. On October 29, the Society for Criminal Justice Reform (SCJR) and Women in Law hosted a Career Paths in Public Interest and Criminal Law panel featuring five criminal law experts: Professors Wayne Logan, Ellie Morales (JD ’10), Mark Rabil, Abel Rodríguez, and Ron Wright. The event highlighted diverse opportunities available to students interested in criminal justice reform and public interest law, and offered practical advice on navigating early career decisions. Professor Heather Gram received the Outstanding Service Award from the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) in recognition of her service on ALWD’s Website/Social Media Committee and its Adjunct Committee.
Professor Gregory Parks and Vivian Bolen (3L) recently published an article in the Minnesota Law Review titled “Machine Gun Funk: The Unusual Analysis of ‘Dangerous and Unusual.’” Events Where are we going next? Recap: Law Alumni Weekend and Homecoming SAVE THE DATE
Noteworthy
This past July, 150 Wake Forest Law graduates took the bar exam across 24 jurisdictions, leading to a bar passage rate of 90%. Congratulations to the Class of 2025 for completing the bar exam! Wake Forest Law is thrilled to be recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) as a Best of District III Award winner for The Legal Deac podcast episode, “The Heirs’ Property Project” (category: Podcasts (Occasional)). This episode was made possible with support from Professor Scott Schang, former Law Fellow Jesse Williams, former Provost Michele Gillespie, Holly Swenson (MA ’23), Brooks Lamb (American Farmland Trust), and Crystal Richardson, as well as Faiza Ali (JD ’25), Jada Williams (JD/MDiv ’24), and Lane Wilson (JD ’24). Listen on Spotify and Apple.
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