Lawyers and Leaders program kicks off spring semester on Friday, Jan. 22

Photo of Alton Perry

RALEIGH — In Fall 2020, Campbell Law’s Advocacy Program launched its Lawyers and Leaders program, designed to develop lawyers who will “lead with purpose.” 

“We do so by bringing together leaders from the private sector, government sector, and academia to start a conversation on how we can lead ourselves, how we can lead through advocacy and how we can lead the communities around us,” explained Professor Anthony Ghiotto, director of the advocacy program. “We are excited to continue this effort in the Spring Semester.  We anticipate a number of special events and speakers that address how to lead as citizens, advocates, and attorneys in these increasingly uncertain and problematic times.” 

The series kicked off its Spring 2021 events on Friday, Jan. 22,  with special guest speaker, Alton Perry, who is the program manager for Roanoke Electric Cooperative’s Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project. 

Perry leads efforts to restore and conserve threatened forest land in Roanoke Electric’s Cooperative’s service area by increasing forest-owner income and land asset values.  In addition, he engages youth and young adults in learning what they need to know to advance sustainable forestry on their family lands and provides role models, mentoring and internship opportunities to begin cultivating future natural resource professionals.

“While this talk is a must for anyone interested in environmental and conservational law issues, it will speak to much broader principles as well; specifically, it will speak to how you lead on issues you’re passionate about and how do you use your voice and advocacy against powerful, wealthy and influential opposing forces,” Ghiotto said.  “If there’s any issue you care passionately about and you’re struggling with how to turn that passion into advocacy or legal work, this talk is a must.”

On Friday, Feb. 12, Professor Ashley Campbell discussed how leaders show-up and do their job – no matter how glamorous or unglamorous it may be — as well as valuable professionalism tips.  Campbell will be drawing upon her time as a partner at Ragsdale Liggett PLLC and as the Director of Campbell’s Blanchard Community Law Clinic to discuss the challenges of leading in the context of working with low-income community members while also often times being the only woman in the room. 

“For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of being taught or mentored by Campbell, she is truly inspiring, engaging and brilliant,” Ghiotto said.  “Don’t miss this opportunity to hear of her experiences and learn from them as well before you go off to lead in the greater legal community.” 

The Lawyers and Leaders series will welcome alumna Judge Angelica McIntyre, the Chief District Judge for Robeson County, at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, March 5, in Room 313 (or streaming via Blackboard Collaborate at this link), to hear Judge McIntyre’s inspirational journey from being a Campbell Law student to being the youngest female judge when she was elected as a district judge to finally being the first Native American female chief district court judge elected in the State of North Carolina.

Learn more about Judge McIntyre here and here.  As someone who was elected to be a judge at the age of 29, Judge McIntyre will discuss how she managed to lead in her profession so quickly and effectively; and how those principles continue to guide her as a judge. “This is one you can’t miss,” Ghiotto added.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, contact the Lawyers and Leaders Team Maren Lowery at mhlowrey0421@email.campbell.edu or Wallace Fellow for Advocacy Callie Davis at cedavis@campbell.edu or Professor Ghiotto at ghiotto@campbell.edu with any questions.

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 2021, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and a dozen years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.