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Juris Doctor (JD)
A challenging and diverse curriculum. Hands-on experience. An immersive community.
Graduate Programs
Degree and certificate programs that include MLS, LLM, SJD, and visiting student opportunities.
Our Law School, Our Community
Grow in Incredible Ways
We can’t wait to welcome you into our community, share in your journey, and celebrate your many achievements.
Hire from Wake Forest
We prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Our graduates are fully prepared to succeed in today’s legal market.
Pro Humanitate
Deeply embedded in the fabric of the Wake Forest community, Pro Humanitate (“for humanity”) is more than a motto, it’s a way of life.
News
- Legal Deacon Digest – September 2025
- Professor John Knox Awarded Prestigious Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy
- Wake Forest Law Welcomes New Board and Council Members for 2025
- Gene Riddle (JD ’85) Shares Lifelong Commitment to Clients, Community, and Family
- Legal Deacon Digest – June 2025
- Interview with Professor Zaneta Robinson (JD ’03)
- New Honor of Dean’s Fellow Awarded to Five Faculty Members
- Practicing What They Teach
What’s Happening at Wake Forest Law
Assistant Dean of Achievement and Impact Barbara Melendez was recently honored with the Friend of UMBA Award by the Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA). This annual award, one of UMBA’s most meaningful acknowledgements, recognizes individuals, institutions, and law firms that demonstrate exceptional support for UMBA and its mission. Recipients are celebrated not only for their achievements but for the impact they make through service, mentorship, and advocacy.
“Barbara Melendez is the embodiment of resilience and purpose,” said Amaris Leiataua, Dean Melendez’s former student and presenter of the UMBA award. “My law school journey and countless others’ exist because of Barbara’s unwavering belief that we all belong in this profession.”
Congratulations, Dean Melendez!
“I was working with a little boy and drove out to complete a home visit," says Iris Sunshine (JD `89), executive director of the Children`s Law Center. "He came outside to greet me and he hugged me. He grabbed me around the legs and I thought, ‘He knows I’m his person and that I’m here for him.’ He trusted me and he needed that connection. That’s why we are here. That’s why we do what we do.”
Read more about how Pro Humanitate shines through Iris’s work and her lifelong commitment to protecting children: https://wfu.law/sunshine
Congratulations to 3Ls Jakob Christopherson and Macey Tipton, whose papers were recognized in the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) Student Paper-Writing Contest.
Jakob’s paper, “The EPA: Kneecapping Pollution and Economic Growth,” earned first place. “My background in agriculture was a core motivation to attend law school, and to win the competition is a rewarding full-circle moment,” says Jakob. “Additionally, it was exciting to see two Wake Forest students place in the competition, which to me speaks volumes about the quality of the Wake Forest Law experience.”
Macey’s paper, “Sustainable Farming: Strategies for Large-Scale Biodigester Adoption on Small CAFO,” earned second place. “I’m honored to have received second place in the AALA Essay Contest," says Macey. "This accomplishment would not have been possible without the guidance and encouragement of Professor Murphy and Professor Plott, as well as the support of Wake Forest Law.”
Both students were honored at the AALA Annual Conference in Scottsdale in November. Jakob’s article will be published in the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law.
Learn more about two of our German Exchange students, Christoph Bonarius and Liam Marett! 🇩🇪 We are so happy to have had you at Wake Forest Law this semester.
Before they were shaping future lawyers, they were future professors. ✨
Celebrating #FacultyFriday by showcasing some of our faculty as baby deacs!
@wrightfzl @simone.rose.336 @cardiwj @ellenbakesellensews
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 rotating workshop, where junior scholars presented work-in-progress and received in-depth feedback from distinguished senior faculty. Over two days, participants engaged in wide-ranging discussions of papers on topics ranging from environmental law and tribal taxation to criminal justice, constitutional law, and administrative power.
Regional scholars participated from @UFLaw, @TAMULaw, @EmoryLaw, @UGALawSchool, @TulaneLawSchool, @FSUCollegeOfLaw, @UNC_Law, @William_and_Mary_Law_School, @AlabamaLaw, and @WFULawSchool.
It`s here! Wake Forest Law is proud to present the 2025 edition of The Jurist! This year’s theme, Pro Humanitate, showcases the many ways our faculty, students, and alumni live out the University’s motto both in and outside the Law School.
Read it at the link in our bio.
Over the past couple of months, students participated in the 2025 Transactional Law Competition, a three-round experience that builds practical skills in drafting, redlining, and negotiation. Working as buyer and seller teams on a hypothetical business deal, students moved through the full process—from preparing an initial agreement to marking up the other side’s draft to sitting down for live negotiations.
The final negotiation round took place on Friday, November 14. Congratulations to all who competed, and special congratulations to this year’s winners:
Best Draft: Demetri Papahronis (1L), George Gristina (1L), Josh Benoist (1L), Cameron Knecht (1L), Colin Olson (1L), and Lexington Freeman (1L)
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Patangan (1L), Noah Jacobstein (1L), and Ian Iskra (1L)
Best Redline: Spencer Forstot (1L), Parker Quisling (1L), and Steven Tang (1L)
Honorable Mentions: Juan Reyes (1L), Sara Das (1L), and Katie Helsel (1L)
Best Negotiation: Abigail Emory (1L), Hayley Day (1L), Kat Golden (1L), Cameron Knecht, Colin Olson, and Lexington Freeman
Honorable Mentions: Ethan Thompson (1L), Jeremy Cazes (1L), Demetri Papahronis (1L), George Gristina (1L), and Josh Benoist (1L)
Best 1L Team & Best Overall: Spencer Forstot, Parker Quisling, and Steven Tang
Honorable Mentions: Cameron Knecht, Colin Olson, and Lexington Freeman
Students are pictured with Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Chris Martin.
