Service to the State

Service to the State

Securing Justice in Alamance County: UNC School of Law Protects Free Speech

One afternoon in July 2020, hundreds of people marched for racial justice in Graham, North Carolina, seeking the removal of a Confederate monument prominently located by the historic courthouse square. Counter-protesters confronted the rally while waving inflammatory symbols, including a nurse who was accused of making racist remarks towards the marchers. When community leader Dejuana Bigelow later posted the comments on social media, the nurse retaliated by suing Bigelow and three others for defamation. Facing exorbitant legal fees, Bigelow turned to Carolina Law's Critical Race Lawyering Civil Rights Clinic for assistance.

Service to the State

UNC School of Law’s Civil Legal Assistance Clinic Secures Transfer of Transgender Client 

A significant legal victory was recently achieved by Carolina Law's Civil Legal Assistance Clinic, helmed by Adjunct Clinical Professor of Law and Strategic Director for Emancipate NC Elizabeth Simpson. Simpson and her students successfully litigated a court order to transfer their transgender client, Ashlee Inscoe, from incarceration in a men’s facility to the safer women’s prison she was owed – a significant win for transgender rights in North Carolina.

Service to the State

Scholar as Change Agent: Muller’s Ruffin Research Spurs Progress

A 2007 conversation with Orange County Commissioner Sally Greene, an independent scholar who has taught as an adjunct professor at Carolina Law, and friend of Eric L. Muller, Dan K. Moore Distinguished Professor of Law in Jurisprudence and Ethics at UNC School of Law, sparked Muller’s research into the legacy of Thomas Ruffin, Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1833-1852. Greene had begun focusing on Ruffin’s legacy in connection with his legacy at her church, which was founded on land donated by Ruffin in Hillsborough, N.C. 

Service to the State

New Hub Connects UNC School of Law’s Expertise to Innovation Pursuits

The doors have opened to the Innovate Carolina Junction—a hub developed on E. Rosemary Street by UNC School of Law alum Clay Grubb '93 to bridge academia and enterprise. The 20,000-square-foot space, led by UNC's Innovate Carolina initiative, creates proximity for Carolina Law and its Institute for Innovation to engage with innovative pursuits beyond campus.

Service to the State

Preserving the Cemetery and Grounds of a 200-Year-Old Church

Ed Cockrell had a real challenge in 2022: to preserve the cemetery and grounds at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Mebane, North Carolina, given a precipitous decline in membership there, where he is treasurer. How to figure out the options, what questions to ask, and finding the best ways to navigate the legal nuances aren’t issues that non-lawyers typically know how to approach. Cockrell’s solution? Carolina Law.