Campbell Law students receive LL.M. degrees in Nottingham, England

July 24, 2024

RALEIGH - Each May, Nottingham Law School Deputy Dean Matthew Homewood visits North Carolina to attend the annual hooding and graduation ceremony of Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and this year was no exception.

The unique collaboration between Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Law School in England and Campbell Law School, which began back in 2017, provides an opportunity for Juris Doctor (JD) students to develop high-level research and writing skills through the completion of an LL.M. in International Legal Studies that they can complete alongside their JD degree. This year, following the commencement speaker North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, Deputy Dean Homewood delivered a speech congratulating the graduates and highlighting the shared values of the two schools. He then had the honor of bestowing six LL.M. degrees and hooding the graduates as part of the historic ceremony at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.

This summer two Campbell Law students - Maria Alzate '23 and Christopher Hamby '23 - flipped the script and instead of receiving their LL.M. degrees in the annual May graduation ceremony in Raleigh, they took the opportunity to make the trip to Nottingham to join the NTU graduation ceremony in July alongside their Nottingham Law School cohort. Alzate is a principal at White Pearl Ventures in Greenville, South Carolina, and Hamby is a Commercial Contracts attorney for PSPDFKit in Raleigh.

"We had a wonderful tie at our graduation, which was attended by Maria and Chris," Homewood said. "It is the first time we've graduated Campbell students at NLS. I met with both of them and their families for photos and a chat and they both said what a lovely time they'd had."

Alzate explained, "The Master of Laws program at NTU, in my mind, is what one would call a 'hidden gem' as it is still small with big dreams of growth. I stumbled upon the program by mere chance when one of my colleagues at Campbell Law asked if I wanted to join them for an info session. During the session, we learned you could earn your Master of Laws at NLS while also working to earn your JD at Campbell, and graduate with both at the same time. This completely sold me because traditionally one works to earn a Master of Laws after completing their Juris Doctor, adding two more years of schooling after the initial three. The program itself begins 2L year with the first semester dedicated to learning the ropes of the program and doing the in-depth research about a niche topic about which the student chooses to write. Students have a chance to travel to Nottingham to meet their NLS advisors, the course administrator and the Dean, and to present and defend their thesis."

The collaborative LL.M. program provided Alzate with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write about a topic she was passionate about with the guidance of both Campbell's program professors and her assigned NLS advisor, who helped mold her topic and develop the discourse.

"After presenting in-person or remotely, students work on their own time to complete their article or dissertation within a year or using both years allotted," she continued. "Usually, students graduate with both degrees at Campbell's graduation ceremony. However, my colleague and I set our sights on graduating at Nottingham in person. We each planned big trips with our families, signed up for graduation at NTU and flew across the world - again -to attend the ceremony. The ceremony itself was incredibly special to me and my loved ones because we were embedded with all NTU students, who also had been working to complete their LL.M.s, and their families. The highlight for me was being present for the ceremonial process in the historical buildings I'd had the honor of visiting just two years prior and closing a chapter of rewarding hard work."

Alzate added, "I hope future Campbell Law students choose this LL.M. program and consider the possibility of attending graduation in person to experience all that NTU has to offer while making memories that last a lifetime."

For more information about this unique degree program, which is also available for judges and attorneys, visit this link.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

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 nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.

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