Campbell Law School welcomes Class of 2029

RALEIGH - Campbell Law School welcomed 211 first-year law students entering the 2026 academic year over the past week.

"Fourteen years ago, I walked away from a federal judgeship that was mine for the rest of my working life to become the Dean here," Dean J. Rich Leonard told the students in his welcome remarks on Friday, Aug. 7.

"I did it because I believe in the school, I believe in its faculty, in its mission and I believe in the training we give all of you. I hope you come to feel that way and I think you will. This is a collection of great teachers. We do not have weak professors. We write, we perform public service, we're involved in the community, but first and foremost, we teach. You will be exposed to a level of pedagogy here that you have never experienced before."

Members of the Class of 2029 come from more than 75 different undergraduate institutions and from 20 different states, including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.

One hundred percent of the class was awarded a merit scholarship. It's also one of the most diverse classes to enter the law school with 22 percent of its members identifying as students of color.

In his welcome remarks, Leonard talked about the law school's award-winning trial advocacy program, dual degrees, its extensive externship and internship opportunities, its growing pro bono clinics and student-led projects, dual degrees and international opportunities.

"We are woven into the legal culture of this city and state in more ways than you can imagine," he explained. "Through our 250 approved externships, our seven clinics, our dozen pro bono initiatives and our fabulous mentorship program … you will come to know and interact with the leading lawyers and judges in this state."

The evening of Aug. 7, the new students and their families enjoyed a social BBQ dinner hosted by the Dean and his family at historic Haywood Hall. Find photos from the dinner at this link.

Professor Lisa Lukasik, speaking on behalf of the faculty, welcomed the new students, saying, "We genuinely look forward to partnering with you on your journey to becoming a lawyer … you bring an abundance of energy!"

Lukasik gave guidance for what lies ahead. "You've heard during Campbell Advantage that law school is going to ask a lot of you," she said. "There is more reading in one week than a whole month in undergrad and it's dense, you may be asked a question in class that doesn't make sense. The dense reading and unrelenting ambiguity leaves some students feeling doubt. Just remember you are not alone."

She added, "Campbell Law chose you because you can do hard things … You are here to learn how to think like a lawyer."

She also encouraged the students to stay connected to their professors long after graduation. "And finally, you should be proud and you should celebrate every day because this path of becoming an attorney is a powerful one."

During Orientation, the incoming law students met their peer mentors, attended instructional meetings with faculty and staff and participated in the Campbell Advantage program. They also heard presentations throughout the week from representatives of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), N.C. Lawyer Assistance Program (NCLAP) and Chris Mumma, executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence.

On Friday, Aug. 14, Assistant Dean of Career and Professional Development Mallory Underwood and her team introduced themselves, the services their department provides and hosted an alumni panel entitled, "Why and How to Engage with the Career Center," with recent graduates Reese Dickerhoff '26 and Ellie Martin '26.

The new law students took the Professionalism Oath delivered by Judge Beth Tanner '08, a North Carolina District Court judge for District 29, Seat 2, covering Moore and Hoke counties. She was first elected in a 2022 retention election and has served since January 2023.

Judge Tanner told the new students, "What lawyers do is take people's broken pieces and help them fix them. Remember, you're lawyers, you're not Jesus, you're not responsible for cleaning up everybody's mess all the time."

She added the law is the business of the people. "Everything you do will stop at someone's kitchen table. You need to remember that because you can get really caught up in the details of a case. Just remember, what matters is how it impacts the folks around that kitchen table and how you are going to impact people's lives … Popular isn't always right, right is always right."

In the afternoon, the new students participated in the Dean's annual Campbell Law Court Crawl - a tour of all of the local, state and federal courts in downtown Raleigh.

Here's the Class of 2029 by the numbers:

• 64 percent are women
• 9 served in military
• 15 have post-graduate degrees
• 58 are from out-of-state (the prize for the student who came from furthest away went to the one who hails from Oregon)
• 15 Campbell FLEX students

The majority of incoming students call North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Appalachian State University, UNC-Wilmington, Campbell University and Eastern Carolina University their alma maters in that order.

Leonard wrapped up his remarks saying, "Remember, you belong here. We chose you from more than 1,500 qualified applicants. There are 400 people on the wait list today hoping that none of you showed up and I was going to call them," Leonard added. "That's not to say it is going to be easy. Studying law is not soft and it is rigorous … You will be put on the spot here and you will be intensively interrogated as part of our pedagogy probably more than any other law school. We do that not to be cruel, we do that because that is what will happen in courtrooms when you leave here … we have to make sure you are ready. But again, we do all of this with civility and respect."

Orientation photos can be found at thislink.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law School 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 more than 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of educating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.

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