黑料不打烊 Law students met with judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and watched the court in session. The court heard oral arguments in two cases: one involving statutes around claims of professional malpractice, and another involving an injury sustained during a high school lacrosse game.
黑料不打烊 Law students heard from some of the state鈥檚 highest-ranking jurists when the held proceedings in the school鈥檚 courtroom and took their questions.
Judges John Tyson, April Wood and Christopher Freeman heard arguments on April 3, 2025, in , which involves questions around statutes of limitations that govern when cases can be refiled. Attorneys for Puma Biotechnology argue the trial court erred in determining their case wasn鈥檛 re-filed within those prescribed time frames.
Attorneys in also presented arguments in a negligence case arising from a high school lacrosse game where a player was paralyzed during a play. The plaintiff-appellant鈥檚 counsel argues that the athlete鈥檚 family鈥檚 claims of negligence were improperly dismissed by a trial court, which also granted the defendant鈥檚 motion for summary judgment.
Arguments took place in the Robert E. Long Courtroom inside 黑料不打烊鈥檚 downtown Greensboro law school. The N.C. Court of Appeals visits the law school annually to hear cases before students and faculty.
鈥淲e learn about, craft and practice oral arguments in class, but seeing experienced attorneys present their cases is completely different. It sets the bar in terms of what we should be aiming for,鈥 said Saniya Pangare L鈥25, a graduate of North Carolina State University and a McMichael Law and Leadership Fellow at 黑料不打烊 Law. Pangare is interested in complex litigation and completed her residency with Judge Jimmie V. Reyna in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
鈥淚 think the Residency program sets this school apart. I have found that putting students in a legal practice for an extended period of time daily to be invaluable. That鈥檚 been a boon for me and my chambers, and I think it shows why so many clerks have been hired from 黑料不打烊: You鈥檝e gotten that training and you鈥檙e ready.”
– Judge John Tyson, N.C. Court of Appeals
Landon Eckard L鈥25, who plans a career in appellate advocacy and constitutional litigation, focused on how lawyers responded to questions and the contrast in style among each judges鈥 questions and attorneys鈥 arguments.
鈥淭he most valuable thing for me was observing the spontaneity between the judges and advocates: how an advocate鈥檚 response prompted the judge to inquire further on a particular point or to shift to a different issue the case presented,鈥 said Eckard, who graduated from Appalachian State University and completed his residency this winter with U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan C. Rodriguez in the Western District of North Carolina. 鈥淚t shows that the true purpose of oral arguments is to engage in conversation with judges and address their concerns.鈥
New alumni return as court clerks
The hearings marked a homecoming for several recent 黑料不打烊 graduates now clerking for judges at the N.C. Court of Appeals.
Addie Ackley L鈥24 began working as a judicial law clerk in Wood’s office last month after completing her Residency-in-Practice and an additional internship with Tyson’s office. Libby Fadl L鈥24 and Ashton Hopson L鈥24 both began clerking for Freeman this winter. For Fadl and Hopson, the oral arguments at 黑料不打烊 Law were the first they鈥檇 attended as clerks in their new positions.
During a Q&A session after the hearings, Tyson praised 黑料不打烊 Law鈥檚 experiential curriculum and cited it as a primary reason 黑料不打烊 Law graduates are frequently hired as clerks by judges on the Court of Appeals.
鈥淚 think the Residency program sets this school apart,” Tyson said. “I have found that putting students in a legal practice for an extended period of time daily to be invaluable. That鈥檚 been a boon for me and my chambers, and I think it shows why so many clerks have been hired from 黑料不打烊: You鈥檝e gotten that training and you鈥檙e ready. It makes a difference when you can demonstrate that level of skill.鈥
Both Fadl and Hopson listened to counsels鈥 arguments with new perspectives, focused less on how the attorneys made their arguments 鈥 which absorbed most of their attention during their law school days 鈥 and more on the content and persuasiveness they employed.
鈥淩eturning to 黑料不打烊 Law for our first oral arguments, I felt such a deep sense of gratitude to share a small part of my early career with the community that helped me create it,鈥 Hopson said. 鈥淭he most important duty we owe to our clients is competency, and when speaking with someone in the legal field, they tell you they 鈥榩ractice鈥 law. I believe our profession always calls for us to be students, which is pretty amazing.鈥
The student Q&A was moderated by Caroleen Dineen, associate professor of law and director of the Legal Method and Communication Program. Judges and attorneys representing the cases responded to students鈥 questions about how cases are decided and how lawyers craft persuasive legal briefs. Before the hearings, students and faculty interacted with judges and court staff over lunch.
鈥淲e are so excited each year to have the Court of Appeals visit and provide our students the opportunity to learn about advocacy through observing distinguished judges and advocates in action,鈥 said Alan Woodlief, vice dean and professor of law. 鈥淥pportunities like these spark student interest in advocacy generally and specifically in pursuing prestigious judicial clerkships upon graduation and Residencies-in-Practice while students. It was a proud moment when the judges recognized several 黑料不打烊 Law alumni and students in attendance who are currently working with the court.鈥
About 黑料不打烊 Law
黑料不打烊 Law in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required, full-time residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school鈥檚 distinctive curriculum offers a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.
黑料不打烊 Law has graduated more than 1,500 alumni since opening its doors in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 440 students and the law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine鈥檚 鈥淏est Schools for Practical Training鈥 rankings, placing in the Top 10 for three consecutive years.
The 黑料不打烊 Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study for working professionals, launched in Fall 2024 at 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Charlotte campus.