Campbell Law welcomes 177 first-year students

Photo of Judge Paul Ridgeway administering the Professional Oath to the Class of 2022

RALEIGH — The first-year law students entering the 2019 academic year at Campbell Law School represent a significant milestone. These 177 1L students make up the 11th new class since the school made its trailblazing move from Buies Creek to downtown Raleigh, the state capital.

“Today is my favorite day of the year,” Dean J. Rich Leonard told the incoming students during his welcome on Aug. 9.  Here’s the Class of 2022 by the numbers:

  • 71 undergraduate institutions represented, including one international
  • 19 states represented
  • Ages range from 21 to 45 but the average age is 24
  • 65% women
  • 12 served in military
  • 170 traditional students (i.e. full-time)
  • 8 Campbell FLEX students

The majority of incoming students call N.C. State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Appalachian State University and UNC-Wilmington alma maters in that order. The student hailing from the furthest west is from the University of Oregon, the furthest north the University of Rhode Island and the furthest south Florida International. 

Orientation for Campbell Law’s newest students included attending customary instructional meetings with faculty and staff, including participating in the eight-part Campbell Advantage orientation program.

On Aug. 9, the new students and their families enjoyed a social BBQ dinner at Haywood Hall. 

On Aug. 16, the students took the Professionalism Oath delivered by Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway ‘86 in the morning followed by the dean’s annual afternoon Campbell Law Court Crawl — a tour of all of the local, state, and federal courts in downtown Raleigh. The day’s activities wrapped up at the City of Raleigh (COR) Museum, where the dean hosted a reception.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW

Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 4,200 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2019, Campbell Law is celebrating 40 years of graduating legal leaders and 10 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.