RALEIGH – Word can travel fast throughout the legal community, and from time to time that’s a good thing.
For example, when prominent area attorneys Hoyt Tessener and Joe Cox heard through the grapevine about Campbell Law’s crowdfunding campaign for bar stipends, both knew instantly that they wanted to be involved.
“Campbell’s bar passage rate is the identity of the school,” said Tessener who graduated from Campbell Law in 1988, has taught at the law school for 16 years as an adjunct faculty member, and serves on the Campbell Law Board of Visitors. “It means a lot to all graduates and it means the most to non-lawyers. We must continue to excel in this most recognized area. It is important for all of us who benefit from Campbell’s reputation to help our current students.”
It was that mindset that led both Tessener and Cox to each contribute $5,000 of their own funds towards the BELIEVE. FEED. SUCCEED. campaign as the law school aims to raise $40,000 for recent graduates while they prep for the bar exam. You can click on this link for more information on the campaign or to make a contribution. All money raised will go directly to recent graduates who have completed a required number of bar prep-related activities.
“I grew up needing scholarships for undergraduate school and I didn’t have a lot of money,” said Cox. “The only reason I wasn’t in a similar position for law school was because the Navy was paying for me to attend. I am really sympathetic to those with financial constraints following graduation because they need to study for the bar exam, especially as it’s continuously gotten more difficult.”
Tessener, who currently serves as senior attorney of counsel at The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in Durham, has tried more than 100 cases in state and federal courts throughout North Carolina with multiple verdict awards in excess of $1 million.
“I have been fortunate to practice law for almost 29 years in North Carolina,” said Tessener. “My practice area allows me to meet people of all walks of life. When I tell them I went to Campbell Law School, almost all of them remark on our bar passage success. We must help our recent graduates carry on that legacy.”
Cox has enjoyed an illustrious career of several years in private practice and two stints focusing on asbestos litigation as an assistant director at the U.S. Department of Justice. A coveted trial lawyer, he tried numerous consolidated asbestos cases in Texas, involving more than 300 plaintiffs.
“Campbell Law School has a great reputation, especially with regard to its outstanding advocacy program,” said Cox. “I know for a lot of my fellow graduates that it was difficult to make ends meet between graduation and sitting for the bar exams. I felt compelled to do what I could to help out, and I am fortunate to be in a position to do so.”