RALEIGH – Campbell Law School held its annual appreciation luncheon for scholarship donors and their recipients on Thursday, March 5.
More than 130 donors, alumni, students, faculty and staff members attended the event, including numerous distinguished Campbell Law alumni and former faculty members.
The event was hosted by Dean J. Rich Leonard, who is in his 13th year leading the law school.
“Thank all of you for being here, financing law school has just gotten more complicated for the new classes coming in, there are severe borrowing limitations and we are all trying to figure it out,” he said. “I say that because the supplemental money that you all provide is going to be even more critical in the future.”
The invocation was given by Caleb Fisher ‘26, who is the recipient of the Alumni and Friends Campbell Law at Womble Bond Dickinson Scholarship.
“Lord Jesus, thank you so much for establishing Campbell Law School to teach us about justice and mercy and righteousness,” he said. “Thank you for the gift of this gathering and the many people whose generosity has made these scholarships possible. Thank you for the donors represented here today, their willingness to give, to invest in others, to open doors to students that they may never fully know.”
Leonard provided a brief overview of some of the law school’s recent achievements including the continued increase in applications, a 95 percent bar passage rate for the Class of 2025, strong employment numbers, the addition of two new pro bono clinics in the fall and judicial summer clerkships in the African nations of Ghana, Namibia and Rwanda.
“Remarkably this is the 50th anniversary of Campbell Law School and it’s a good time to take stock of where we find ourselves,” he said. “In terms of size, we’re not the little law school in Buies Creek any longer. Last year we were the second largest law school in the state behind Duke, and this year we are tied with Carolina and Wake Forest for that honor.
“We are very popular. Applications are up … we currently have 400 more than last year at this time and they are arriving from all over the country. We have never seen an applicant pool like the one we are seeing now. Last year at this time we had 80 deposits. Today we have 160 and we are proud of that.”
Talley Ridgeway ‘26, who is the recipient of the Melanie Ruth Callison Endowed Scholarship, was the first of two student speakers. Ridgeway, a first-generation college and law student, took a gap year teaching special education in between earning her undergraduate degree and entering law school.
“In that instant, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief,” Ridgeway explained. “What once felt like a distant dream was becoming my reality. That moment and every moment since has been made possible because people like you choose to invest in students like me. Your generosity doesn’t just fund an education, it creates space for students to read, to believe in themselves and to imagine futures that once felt like a reach. As I stand here today preparing to graduate in 64 days I carry with me not only the lessons I’ve learned, but the deep gratitude I feel for the support that helped me get here. Thank you for believing in us, thank you for investing in our futures and thank you for making stories like mine possible.”
Kevin Goodman ‘27, who is the recipient of the Smith Shaver Law Scholarship, was the second student speaker. Goodman, who is a first-generation high school, college and law school graduate, said the law school has offered him significant opportunities including clerking in Rwanda and Uganda courts last summer and currently serving as a clerk for The Honorable Pamela McAfee in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Eastern District of N.C. He just returned from competing in the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in Queens, New York.
“I thank you for your active participation in our law school experience and thank you so much for your generous contributions,” he said. “The scholarships that you provide … grant each recipient with significant financial relief. This alleviated stress allows us to focus on all the wonderful things that law school offers.”
The annual event is a significant one for the law school, as it provides an opportunity for scholarship donors and recipients to meet and interact, in many instances for the first time.
N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall ‘80 had the chance to meet with her scholarship recipient Alexi Arbaiza ‘28 at the luncheon.
“This event is important to me because I know the quality of education these folks are getting,” Marshall said. “I know what they are going to do when they get out there for justice and the people of North Carolina and I am willing to invest my funds to make that happen. I am very grateful for the opportunities that have come to me because of being a Campbell Law grad and it should happen to others as well.”
Arbaiza added, “As a first-generation American, college student and law student, this wouldn’t be possible without funds from people like the Secretary. These things are life-changing and I am very grateful to meet her and to be at Campbell and at a school that is so well-supported by people that went there. It’s such an honor.”
The luncheon serves as a platform for fellowship, as well as celebrating the hard work of law students throughout the academic year and the foresight of Campbell Law donors.
The scholarship luncheon photo gallery can be found on Campbell Law’s Facebook page at this link.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1986, 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 nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.