Message from Leadership
Dear Wake Forest Law Alumni,
Spring is always an exciting time at Wake Forest Law. Our students are deep into the semester, graduating students are gearing up for Commencement, and we are working hard to recruit what we expect will be one of the most highly credentialed incoming classes in the Law School’s history, nearing a new record for applications! Spring also brings many opportunities to reconnect with the Wake Forest Law community. We always enjoy seeing alumni at gatherings throughout the year, and I hope to see many of you at upcoming events.
This season also brings one of Wake Forest’s favorite traditions — Deacs Day of Giving.
Deacs Day of Giving returns on March 19. Early giving is already open, and you can designate your gift to Wake Forest Law today. From student aid, trial team success, and public interest work to hands-on learning, every gift helps support the opportunities that make Wake Forest Law special and accessible. I encourage you to make your gift early — gifts of any size help build momentum as we lead into the day. The giving link will remain open through March 19.
Your support has a real impact on our students. Alumni generosity helps us recruit the best and brightest students to Wake Forest Law while reducing the debt our graduates carry into their careers and ensuring they can fully take advantage of the opportunities that define the Wake Forest Law experience. Giving also supports our brand in the market and creates a snowball effect among other alumni.
Before I close, I wanted to share a few updates from our Advancement team. Marty Jo Denny recently joined Wake Forest Law as assistant director of development. She comes to the Law School following the departure of associate director of development Taylor Hill, who left the Law School in December to join her family’s business after more than four years with our team. Natalya Lewitt, who served as our development and project officer, has moved into a new role within University Advancement as associate director of advancement account management and marketing. Earlier this year, Megan Ratley, director for law alumni engagement, welcomed a baby, Walker Neil Ratley. She returns on April 20th. We are grateful for their support of our students and alumni community.
We look forward to continuing to connect with you in the months ahead and hope to see many of you back in Winston-Salem for Law Alumni Weekend this fall. The work we do for our students would not be possible without the continued support of our alumni community. Thank you, as always, for your commitment to Wake Forest Law.
Warm regards,
Logan Roach (’07)
Assistant Dean for Development
Wake Forest University School of Law
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Spotlights
Alumni
Pro Humanitate shines through Iris Sunshine’s (JD ’89) work as the executive director of the Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina, and her lifelong commitment to protecting children.
Wake Forest Law mourns the passing of Professor Emerita Rhoda Billings (JD ’66), who graduated first in her class in 1966 as the School of Law’s only woman and later joined the faculty as its first female professor. She went on to serve in numerous roles in the North Carolina judiciary, including Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and received Wake Forest University’s Medallion of Merit in 2013.
David Daggett (JD ’85) shares the Four Anchors of his life philosophy that guide the way he approaches his work and life.
Professor Laura P. Graham (’86, JD ’94) was selected as this year’s ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) Distinguished Speaker. Through a grant from ALWD, the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law hosted Professor Graham for two days of programming with faculty and students, as she shared insights on teaching and connecting with Gen Z students, the role of counterargument in legal writing, intergenerational mentoring, and how concepts like cognitive load and pre-writing shape the way students learn.
Wake Forest Law’s clinics practice hands-on client advocacy — work AI can’t replicate — while equipping students to understand and navigate emerging technologies.
Wake Forest mourns the passing of Patricia “Pat” Alphin Boyce (’54), a Wake Forest alumna and the beloved wife of Gordon Eugene “Gene” Boyce (’54, JD ’56), who passed away just 30 days before her. During her time at Wake Forest College, she served as Secretary of the Student Body, was a member of Tassels, a cheerleader, and was named May Queen of the Magnolia Festival. The Boyces were some of the University’s most philanthropic donors, creating endowed scholarships in both the College and the Law School, and generously contributing to the Worrell renovation project.
Promotions, New Positions, and Recognitions:
Students
- Throughout the fall, students participated in the 2025 Transactional Law Competition, a three-round experience that builds practical skills in drafting, redlining, and negotiation. The final negotiation round took place on Friday, November 14. Best Draft honors were awarded to 1Ls Demetri Papahronis, George Gristina, and Josh Benoist, as well as Cameron Knecht, Colin Olson, and Lexington Freeman. Best Redline winners were 1Ls Spencer Forstot, Parker Quisling, and Steven Tang. The Best Negotiation award went to Abigail Emory, Hayley Day, and Kat Golden, along with Cameron Knecht, Colin Olson, and Lexington Freeman. The award for Best 1L Team and Best Overall was presented to Spencer Forstot, Parker Quisling, and Steven Tang.
- From courtroom wins to community impact, see how our students are turning theory into practice in Wake Forest Law’s 2025 Experiential Education Newsletter.
- In February, 2Ls Claiborne Mathews, Kyle Fraser, and Adam Spensley performed at the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition. The team won the regional round in Atlanta and took home the award for Best Brief.
 3Ls Emilie Daramola and Trabia McFall competed at the Southern Regional BLSA competition Semi-Finals and Final Standing, finishing in third place overall.- The Wake Forest National Trial Team competed in the regional round of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) National Trial Competition (NTC), February 6-8. The competition, which was hosted at Wake Forest Law for the first time in more than 30 years, included five full trials for each advancing team. 3L Caleb Osborne and 2Ls Jordyn Brown and Evan Meerscheidt earned an invitation to compete at the 2026 TYLA NTC National Championship in Dallas this April. Wake Forest Law’s second team — 2Ls Alex Piontek, Leah Necas, and Madison Pope — finished the preliminary rounds undefeated and earned the top seed heading into the semifinals. Alex Piontek also received a Top Attorney Award. A third Wake Forest Law “ghost” team — 2Ls Josh Horen and Anna Sweet — competed in preliminary rounds to ensure full competition brackets and ranked in the top half of teams.
- Jack Liechty (3L) and Sophie Liechty (2L), coached by fellow student Chris Whipple (3L), competed at the William B. Spong Competition hosted at the William & Mary Law School on February 13-14.
- Wake Forest Law students had a strong showing at the UNC Kilpatrick Townsend 1L Trial Competition in mid-February, with the final round featuring Wake Forest vs. Wake Forest. The championship team — Eliza Taylor, Peter Kane, Brian Sherry, and Tonia Christou — defeated fellow finalists Virginia Zanella, Emma Galante, Ryan Downes, and Trip Moretz. A third Wake Forest team — Cole Hastings, Libby Tarantin, Ian Iskra, and Noah Jacobstein — also advanced to the semifinals. Outstanding Advocate Awards were earned by Eliza Taylor, Peter Kane, Tonia Christou, Cole Hastings, Libby Tarantin, Trip Moretz, Ryan Downes, Emma Galante, and Virginia Zanella, while Eliza Taylor, Peter Kane, Ian Iskra, and Trip Moretz received Outstanding Witness Awards.
- In February, Will Boyce (3L), Jack Cordell (3L), and Kyle Bookwalter (2L) won first place at the American College of Bankruptcy Fourth and DC Circuit Moot Court Competition. Jack Cordell was also recognized as Best Oralist. The team went on to compete at the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, hosted by St. John’s University School of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute in Brooklyn, where they advanced to the final round and earned second place overall among nearly 60 teams from across the country.
- On February 24, students competed in the final round of the Cynthia J. Zeliff Trial Advocacy Competition. The competition gives students the opportunity to practice their courtroom skills and earn placement on the Wake Forest Law Trial Bar. The champions of this year’s competition were 1Ls Ellie Howard and Tonia Christou. The competition finalists were 1Ls Eliza Taylor and Virginia Zanella.
- Six 2Ls — Jordyn Brown, Ian DeGraaf, Bailey Fortenberry, Isabelle Maule, Caroline Morgan, and Matigan Williams — represented Wake Forest Law at the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition regional held February 26–28 in Philadelphia. The team earned the Second Best Brief award, and Matigan Williams was recognized as one of the Ten Best Advocates for her oral argument scores.
- On Friday, February 27, the Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law hosted its 2026 symposium, “Identity as Equity: NIL, Branding, and Legal Boundaries in College Athletics.” The symposium brought together legal scholars, practitioners, and industry professionals to examine the evolving legal, ethical, and commercial dimensions of Name, Image, and Likeness rights in collegiate athletics.
- 2Ls Emma Kent and Jeff Supple advanced to the quarterfinals in the National Energy & Sustainability Moot Court Competition held at West Virginia University School of Law, March 6-8, 2026. They also won Best Brief runner-up.
- Samantha Ann Vincent (3L) was voted on by students as the 2026 Hooding & Commencement Student Speaker.
Faculty
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- Professor Wayne A. Logan’s research from his article “Deepfakes in Interrogations” is cited in The Nation’s article “Our Racist, Terrifying Deepfake Future is Here.” Read to learn about how AI-generated videos are causing problems in the law and what Professor Logan has to say.
- Explore scholarship from Wake Forest Law faculty, including publications, presentations, speaking engagements, and honors and awards, in our Fall 2025 Faculty Scholarship newsletter.
- Wake Forest Law’s 2025 Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research (LAWR) Updates newsletter is now available. Explore recent faculty accomplishments, program highlights, and the work shaping our legal writers.
 The Southeast Junior/Senior Scholars Workshop brought together rising and established legal scholars from across the region for an intensive academic workshop. This year, Wake Forest Law hosted the two-day rotating workshop, where junior scholars presented work-in-progress and received in-depth feedback from distinguished senior faculty.- In this episode of Expert Encounters, Professor Mark Hall — one of the nation’s leading experts on health law and public policy — discusses his research and its real-world impact.
- In her recently published UCLA Law Review article, “Environmentalists’ Latent Abolitionism,” Dr. Alyse Bertenthal calls for closer collaboration between environmental law and criminal law to support a more just approach to addressing social and environmental harms.
- In their recently published Cornell Law Review article, “Proportional Possession,” Professor Allyson E. Gold and Joseph A. Singleton argue that although the law does not guarantee a right to housing, courts should use proportionality analysis in eviction cases.
- Professor Ellen Murphy (JD ’02) recently published the 3rd Edition of “Legal Ethics for the Real World: Building Skills Through Case Study,” co-authored with Renee Jefferson. The updated edition incorporates the ethics of Generative AI in legal practice, fundamentals of prompt engineering, and professional identity formation exercises.
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Wayne Logan teaching, David Logan back as an adjunct
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- Professor Meghan Boone was voted on by students as Faculty Member of the Year, and Professor Jasmine Plott was voted on by students as Staff Member of the Year.
Events
Where are we going next? Don’t miss the invitations to a full calendar of summer events — update your contact information in Wake Network before we head your way! We’ll continue to update our Alumni Events page as the plans come together for the events below and as new events are added! (The picture to the right is from a Law Alumni Reception in Atlanta on December 10.)
Deacs Day of Giving
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends are invited to support Wake Forest University and may designate their gift to Wake Forest Law. Early giving is live, and the giving link will remain open through March 19. Gifts of any size create meaningful opportunities for our #LegalDeacs — supporting scholarships, public interest initiatives, hands-on learning, and student organizations. Make a gift. - Black Law Students Association (BLSA) 41st Annual Scholarship Banquet
Saturday, March 21, at 6:00 p.m. at McCreary Tower, 4th Floor
Centered on the theme Standing Strong: Resilience in the Face of Adversity, the banquet convenes alumni, students, faculty, and friends for an evening of reflection and celebration while raising funds to support scholarships for law students.
- Wake Forest Law Review Symposium, Injury, Insight, and Influence: Celebrating the Work of Professor Michael Green
Friday, March 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wake Forest Law
The symposium will honor former Wake Forest Law Professor Michael Green and his legacy as a scholar, teacher, and leader in tort law. Panels will bring together leading voices in the field to examine pressing and emerging developments that build on Professor Green’s work.
- Law Alumni & Homecoming Weekend
November 6-8, 2026
All alumni are welcome back for a weekend of festivities, and classes ending in 1 and 6 will celebrate their reunion. We can’t wait to see you!
- Law School Alumni Receptions – Save the Date
The following events are coming up this spring! Keep an eye on your email for more information.
- April 21 – New York City, NY
- April 22 – Boston, MA
- May 6-7 – Dallas and Houston, TX
- June 9 – Richmond, VA
Noteworthy
 Wake Forest Law has been awarded a grant from AccessLex Institute to support the Program for Legal Access and Career Excellence (PLACE), an initiative designed to make the path to law school clearer, more accessible, and more achievable for talented students across North Carolina. Through partnerships with Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Greensboro, and UNC Charlotte, PLACE provides a structured and supportive pathway to law school for students with strong potential who may have faced barriers to entry. The program officially launched on February 20 with a Law Immersion Day, welcoming more than 80 undergraduate students from the partner institutions to explore the law school admissions process, participate in a mock class, and experience a day in the life of a Wake Forest Law student.- Wake Forest Law has been recognized by The National Jurist as one of the top law schools for human rights law and family law, and as a top law school for law firm employment.
- We are pleased to share that with the faculty’s approval, Wake Forest Law has changed the name of the Master of Studies in Law (MSL) program to Master of Legal Studies (MLS) beginning Spring 2026. Renaming the MSL program to Master of Legal Studies is a strategic decision that aligns Wake Forest Law with industry norms, enhances employer recognition of graduates, and improves the program’s appeal to prospective students. As the demand for non-JD legal education continues to grow, adopting the MLS name will ensure that we remain competitive in this expanding market while advancing our mission to deliver accessible, high-quality legal education.
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Alex Telarik (JD ’15)