Campbell Law Alumni CLE 2024 provides practical advice for attorneys

October 25, 2024

RALEIGH- Practical tips for going to court, what's new in employment law, fostering diversity, Title IX, mental health and the importance of mentoring were all topics covered in the Campbell Law School Alumni Association annual Campbell Community Continuing Legal Education (CLE) on Friday, Oct. 25.

More than 100 attorneys were welcomed by Kristen Beightol '01, chair of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and Mark Scruggs '86, Senior Claims Counsel for Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of N.C.,who attended the daylong event at the law school to learn from Campbell Law alumni and earn up to six hours of CLE credit from the North Carolina State Bar.

"We are so thankful for our alumni presenters and attendees who make this annual event possible," said Assistant Dean of External Relations Megan Sherron '10, who organized the event with the help of Campbell Law Events Coordinator Sharon Sparks.

TowneBank sponsored breakfast.

Among this year's dozen alumni speakers were:

Special Superior Court Judge Hoyt Tessener '88presented "Practical Tips from an Old Litigator and a New Judge."

"Little things matter when you are in court," he said. "Remember this isn't TV. You don't get a retake. How you conduct yourself, in and out of court, is important. "Never, ever overreach. If you do, it will come back to get you. In this law school, back in Buies Creek, founding Dean Leary Davis said good ethics is good strategy and that has always been the case. One of the main things I took out of law school was to learn what you don't know. If you don't know it, learn it."

Zack Anstett '18, an attorney at Parker Poe, presented "Employment Law Evolution: What's New in 2024."

Anstett talked about new cases in employment law, including ones involving the Chevron Doctrine, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), attorneys' fees under N.C. Wage and Hour Act, noncompetes and several accommodation cases. One was "Groff v. DeJoy - The Mailman," in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled employers must provide religious accommodation unless doing so creates an undue hardship.

"This case is a big one when you get that religious accommodation because the Court rejected the prior 'more than a de minimis cost' standard," he explained. "The most risk-averse strategy is to use that same interactive process and standard as the ADA undue hardship analysis. We want to show we were friendly and we were trying to be accommodating."

Mary Ann Matney '17moderated a panel discussion with Kalyn Simmons '21, Terrie Nelson '18, Derek Dittmar '19 and Justin Hill '20 regarding "Fostering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion."

Dittmar, who is legally blind, said he has been fortunate to have great bosses and mentors but it is not always the case. "My current boss is so good about giving me cases that help me expand my skills," he said. "This is forward thinking development. My boss has said he wants to create a future leadership position for me at the firm. That is not common."

All of the panelists agreed that finding mentors at work as well as outside the office is crucial to success in the legal field.

When asked if diversity would ever be valued over the bottomline, Nelson responded, "Making money seems to be the focus and diversity falls by the wayside. I don't think making money will ever not be a priority but I think diversity helps with that. If you incorporate diversity in your firm you are able to appeal to clients and your work force and your colleagues will benefit from having a diverse workforce."

Simmons and Hill added they have also seen more clients at their respective firms requesting more diversity on their legal teams.

Matney added, "I think it is important we have these conversations and I am thankful for our panelists today for sharing their insights."

Brandon McPherson '11of Poyner Spruill presented an update on education law including school religion cases in Oklahoma and Washington going to the U.S. Supreme Court, the ever-evolving Title IX landscape, book bans and the N.C. Parents' Bill of Rights.

"The lemon test has been abandoned," he explained. "The soil around us is completely shifting and changing right now. Our best guess is you are going to be, more likely than not, adversely affected if you don't let an individual pray any time and to any one they want. A potential issue is kids being influenced at school about religion."

Ruth Cooper '18, ​​who is a licensed clinical mental health counselor at the law school, presented "Two Sides of Mental Health in Law." She explored a number of areas to help improve mental health involving mind, body and spirit and provided several ways to lower anxiety. She also discussed how to handle vicarious trauma attorneys may experience from clients.

"You need to pay attention to what you are putting in your mind, what kind of music or books are you listening to?," she asked. "Sleep is very important and nutrition is very important to your mental health. Are we feeding ourselves and taking care of ourselves? Exercise is also very important to your mental health. Yoga is a wonderful way to find an emotional release and swimming also allows you to release emotions."

The final presentation by Sherron focused on why "Mentoring Matters."

"The concept of mentoring did not come around until the 1970s and was not in Webster's Dictionary until the 1980s," she explained. "But mentoring in law has been around a lot longer it started with Inns of Courts in England and people originally learned the law through an apprenticeship model. Legal education isn't come around until after the Civil War, which was a wonderful thing thanks to a standardized curriculum, but some missed the apprenticeship aspect of legal education."

Mentoring is important work, Sherron said, adding that her mentor, Hoyt Tessener, helped her bridge the gap between what she learned in law school and the actual practice of law. While several states mandate their young attorneys to participate in a mentoring program, including South Carolina, North Carolina does not at this time. "While there have been numerous discussions about starting a mentoring program across the state, North Carloina hasn't quite figured it out yet."

Sherron, who leads the award-winning mentoring program at Campbell Law, gave tips on how to become a mentor and broke down the four functions of a mentor: career, psychosocial, role modeling and professionalism. She added mentoring can help raise productivity, promotes diversity and longevity as well as improve a law firm's culture.

During the lunch break, members of the Campbell Law Alumni Association held their annual meeting at which they voted on a slate of new Board of Director members, who will take office on Jan. 1, 2025, with their terms expiring in 2027. They are Jim Morgan '82, Adrienne Blocker '98, Stu Smith '01, Jenifer Wolfe '13, Casey Peaden '17 and Grant Simpkins '19.

Association members have the opportunity to attend events offering up to 10 CLE credits per year at zero cost. Interested in joining? 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.

Contributors

Leading & ServingAlumniLaw