The diversity of members of corporate boards in North Carolina has not significantly increased in recent years and lags the diversity of Fortune 500 boardrooms, according to data released by the UNC School of Law Director Diversity Initiative (DDI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As of Sept. 30, 2015, only 13.2 percent of board members of the 50 largest publicly traded corporations headquartered in North Carolina were female, up from the 12 percent reported in 2012. Board members of color constituted 9.1 percent of board members in 2015, compared to 7.1 percent in 2012. Twenty-three of the boards had at least 25 percent diverse membership (see table below for a list), up from 13 boards in 2012. Ten companies had no females or minorities on their boards, down from 12 in 2012.

N.C. Corporate Board Diversity Over Time

For Fortune 500 companies in 2015, 16.9 percent of board members were female and 13.3 percent were people of color ¹.

For the first time, the DDI’s diversity study includes named executive officers as reported in the company’s proxy statement. This group includes the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and the next three most highly paid executive officers. At smaller companies, this group includes the CEO and the next two most highly paid executive officers. Females are 10.4 percent and people of color are 5 percent of the named executive officers reported in the proxy statements of the 50 largest NC publicly traded companies. Nine companies exceeded the 25 percent threshold for both diverse directors and diverse named executive officers. The names of those nine companies are bolded in the charts below.

The DDI selected the 50 NC companies from the list of the largest North Carolina companies ranked by market capitalization and reported in the August 2015 issue of Business North Carolina. The data is based on the director and named executive officers from the most recent proxy statement filed as of September 30, 2015. Directors and named executive officers may have changed since that time. The DDI also recognizes that many companies have an executive management team that is larger and more diverse than just the named executive officers reported in the proxy statement. Race and ethnicity were determined from publicly available sources and each company was asked to verify the information the DDI intended to report. The DDI stands ready to correct any errors.

Board diversity is important for a number of reasons, according to Lissa Broome, Wells Fargo Professor of Banking Law at UNC School of Law and director of the DDI.

“It is disappointing that North Carolina–based companies have not made more progress in their board and executive diversity. U.S. corporations used to lead the world in board diversity, but now they are falling behind as other countries such as Norway, France and Spain have imposed quotas to increase board gender diversity,” says Broome. “A diverse group can help avoid groupthink and bring new insights and ideas. Sometimes homogeneous groups get into too much of a comfort zone and would benefit from new thinking and viewpoints.”

Although Broome said she does not believe diversity quotas would be feasible in the United States, she said she hopes U.S. companies will embrace board diversity as strongly as they do employment diversity and voluntarily seek out talented female and minority board candidates.

View the full results of the 2015 survey and compare the results with DDI data from 2006, 2009, and 2012 at http://ddi.law.unc.edu/boarddiversity/.

About the DDI

The DDI conducts training for diverse potential board members, maintains a database of diverse board candidates, and helps companies identify board candidates who meet desired criteria and who would add diversity.

DDI Contact: Lissa Broome, 919.962.7066, lissa_broome@unc.edu
Media Contact: Amy Barefoot, 919.843.7148, abarefoot@unc.edu

Most Diverse N.C. Corporate Boards (as of 9/30/2015)

*Women of color are counted as women and people of color

Most Diverse N.C. Named Executive Officers (as of 9/30/2015)

*Women of color are counted as women and people of color

-June 9, 2016

Civil rights scholars in the United States never lack new, wide-ranging social justice issues and cases to study.

UNC School of Law Assistant Professor Catherine Kim focuses on the role that administrative agencies and courts have in social justice reform, especially for communities of immigrants and people of color.

For her scholarly achievements, Kim has received the Eric K. Yamamoto Emerging Scholar Award, given annually to junior scholars by the Conference of Asian Pacific American Law Faculty (CAPALF). She was presented the award at CAPALF’s national conference, held in April at the University of California-Davis. CAPALF members nominate award recipients.

Yamamoto, who teaches at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is known for his work in civil rights, civil procedure and social justice reform. He was on the legal team that worked to overturn the conviction of Fred Korematsu, who challenged the constitutionality of the World War II internment of Japanese Americans.

At UNC, Kim teaches Immigration & Citizenship Law, Civil Procedure, Administrative Law, and Civil Rights Law. Previously, she litigated civil rights cases with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation’s National Legal Department, focusing on racial justice and education cases.

“My scholarship has examined doctrinal shifts diminishing the ability of federal courts to remedy systemic civil rights violations. More recently, I have focused on the potential for executive-branch actors to address these issues,” Kim says. “For example, I have analyzed the role of administrative agencies in protecting immigrant interests, as well as the role of the president in combating anti-discrimination.

“Through my scholarship, I seek to identify the potential for new and emerging mechanisms of civil rights reform.”

-May 3, 2016

Some analysts expect the recent drop in oil prices to double the number of bankruptcies in the oil and gas industry.

3L Kate Ortbahn’s award-winning paper about issues in such bankruptcies is not only timely but advances her professional goals.

Ortbahn’s paper, “Interests Get Interesting: Overriding Royalty Interests Characterization in Oil & Gas Bankruptcies,” won third place in the American Bankruptcy Institute’s (ABI) annual Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition. She received a $750 prize and a one-year ABI membership.

She will work with Judge Kevin Carey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to prepare her paper for publication in an ABI committee newsletter.

“Oil and gas law is a complicated area of the law, involving many unique types of property and production interests. When an oil and gas company enters bankruptcy, the two layers of law have to work together,” Ortbahn says. “My paper discusses interests unique to oil and gas, overriding royalty interests, and how their characterization in a particular case, ATP Oil & Gas Corporation, provides transactional lessons to practitioners to protect their clients’ interests.”

Ortbahn’s knowledge is particularly relevant in oil-rich Texas, where she will join the real estate section of the Haynes and Boone law firm in Dallas after graduation.

“As a practitioner, I hope to continue publishing pieces that condense a highly complex area of the law into a product that is more accessible for legal readers or even clients,” she says.

Ortbahn wrote the paper for professor Melissa Jacoby’s advanced bankruptcy seminar.

-May 5, 2016

This article originally appeared in the Spring-Summer 2016 issue of Carolina Law.

When a court finds a government has violated a constitutional right, how soon should a remedy be implemented? Right away, conventional thinking holds — instead of giving the government an extended period to address the problem.

But research by Carolina Law professor Holning Lau suggests the best time frame may depend on the particular case. His paper “Remedial Grace Periods as Judicial Strategy” focuses on a 2005 ruling by South Africa’s highest court that depriving same-sex couples of marriage violated constitutional rights. Instead of implementing same-sex marriage immediately, the court delayed it a year. Parliament passed legislation to comply with the ruling in 2006, and South Africa became the world’s fifth country to legalize same-sex marriage.

“The grace period ultimately enhanced the perceived legitimacy of the court and same-sex marriage, thereby mitigating backlash against the court’s decision,” says Lau, who presented his paper at the Association of American Law Schools’ annual meeting in January.

The paper was showcased at the plenary panel of the American Society of Comparative Law’s annual meeting in October 2015. His article was selected by an advisory group of the society’s Younger Comparativists Committee.

In South Africa, Lau talked with human rights activists initially opposed to the grace period as an unnecessary delay of justice. They eventually changed their minds.

“Activists had an opportunity to bring their case to the people and humanize the issue of same-sex marriage by sharing their stories. Prior to the grace period, many activists found it difficult to gain access to the media, so they pursued their causes quietly in courts. The grace period gave activists access to new public forums,” Lau says.

Still, he believes in most cases, delaying remedies for constitutional problems is unwarranted.

“More research and scholarly conversations are necessary to understand how to identify the rare cases in which remedial grace periods are likely to produce favorable results like those in South Africa,” Lau says.

-May 6, 2016

Dean Martin Brinkley, Professor Erika Wilson, Professor Elizabeth Gibson, Professor Mark Weidemaier. Photo by Tom Fuldner.

UNC School of Law presented three awards to distinguished faculty on Thursday, April 21, in a ceremony at the Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center.

The awards presented include:

The Robert G. Byrd Award for Excellence and Creativity in Teaching, awarded to Richard S. Saver , Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law. The Byrd Award is named for Robert G. Byrd, an alumnus of the school who served as a member of the faculty from 1963 until 2004, and as dean from 1974-1979.

The James H. Chadbourn Award for Excellence in Scholarship, awarded to W. Mark C. Weidemaier , Ralph M. Stockton Jr. Distinguished Scholar and Associate Professor of Law. The Chadbourn Award is named for James H. Chadbourn, editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Law Review in 1930-1931, a member of the UNC Law faculty from 1931-1936, and a co-author of leading texts in civil procedure, federal court and evidence. In 1933, while at UNC, Chadbourn bravely authored a controversial work titled "Lynching and the Law." This award honors a faculty member's distinguished law journal article.

The Charles E. Daye Award for Excellence in Service, awarded to Erika K. Wilson , Assistant Professor of Law. This award is conferred annually on the basis of service performed within the two years prior to the year in which the award is given. A faculty member is honored for exemplary public service, measured by the time, effort and creativity devoted to service, as well as the impact on the community.

At Thursday's ceremony, S. Elizabeth Gibson '76, Burton Craige Professor of Law, was also recognized for her 33 years of service to the law school. Gibson retires in May.

Associate Dean Jeff Hirsch and Professor Richard Saver. Photo by Tom Fuldner.

-April 27, 2016

This article originally appeared in the Spring-Summer 2016 issue of Carolina Law.

Frank and Lisa Emory believe in the transformative power of education, and they’re committed to putting their beliefs into action.

In 2015 they committed $120,000 to the UNC School of Law to create The Frank E. and Lisa L. Emory Family Scholarship. This award supports law students who have demonstrated academic achievement and are residents of Eastern North Carolina — Frank is originally from Wilson — or Mecklenburg County, where the Emorys live.

A 1982 graduate of Carolina Law, Frank attended the school on a Morehead Law Fellowship after graduating from Duke University as an Angier B. Duke Scholar — Duke’s most prestigious academic scholarship.

For Frank and Lisa, this gift is a way to share their love of education. “Education was a really big deal in both of our families, something that we also instilled in our children,” Frank says. Their sons, Frank III and Ross Alexander, work as a mechanical engineer and an investment banker, respectively.

“Education is what propelled my parents from their start to a pretty good life,” Frank says.

With the scholarship, the Emorys want to help replicate the opportunities they have had for deserving students.

“Many times [Carolina Law] loses students with great potential — who would put roots down in our great state — because they don’t have the funds to attend,” Frank says. “This scholarship will give talented students the opportunity to go to our great law school.”

Frank credits Carolina Law for the career opportunities he has enjoyed. “Charles Becton, who served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, was my trial advocacy professor at UNC,” he says. “I was lucky enough that he offered me a job as his law clerk coming out of law school.” Frank then went to work alongside Julius Chambers ’62 at the firm of Ferguson, Stein, and Chambers before heading to Hunton & Williams LLP, a national law firm with over 800 lawyers, where he is a partner and co-head of the litigation, intellectual property, competition and labor groups.

Frank says that he knew from a young age that he wanted to be a trial lawyer. “Being a good courtroom advocate is one of the highest callings one can have,” he says. “A sophisticated society needs a good and reliable way for people to resolve their disputes. When it works well, with good ethical people on both sides, it’s a beautiful thing. You might not always like the results, but the process works.”

Frank and Lisa, who is a real estate broker in Charlotte, give back to the community in a wide range of ways. Frank’s community involvement includes serving eight years on the North Carolina Board of Transportation, chairing the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and presiding over the Mecklenburg County Bar — which honored him as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year in 2008 — among many other activities.

In fact, he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his long career as a public servant. Humble about his contributions, he says, “Public service is the tithe you owe when you have been blessed to do well; I owe that to my community and my state to contribute where I can.”

Lisa’s passion for education is evidenced in the time that she gives to her community. She tutors elementary, middle and high school students. She helped raise money to start a Freedom School Partners program, which provides quality summer programming for students in grades K-8, at the church the family attends.

“Lisa believes that it’s important that someone reaches out to kids, particularly those who come from stressed backgrounds, to say, ‘You’re important to me.’”

Lisa was the impetus behind the gift to the law school as well as the Emory Family Scholarship, which Frank and Lisa created for Duke undergraduates.

“Lisa and I decided that what we wanted to do with our lives now is to support financially our undergraduate and professional schools,” Frank says. “And with her time, she helps kids who are coming along in elementary, middle and high school. She feels strongly, and I agree, that providing educational opportunities to all students, and particularly those from at-risk communities, is something where it’s hard to have too many hands helping.”

-May 6, 2016

For the first time in the history of UNC School of Law, the Carolina Law Annual Fund exceeded $1 million for the 2016 fiscal year. This historic milestone represents more than a 20% increase over the previous best-ever annual giving total.

Because of the generous gifts of alumni, faculty, staff and friends, Carolina Law is able to provide scholarships that bring outstanding law students to the school, retain nationally-recognized faculty, support programs that produce public spirited lawyers and continue to keep Carolina Law both great and truly public.

“Gifts to the annual fund feed the law school’s most basic needs,” says Dean Martin H. Brinkley ’92. “We are grateful for the support and are more energized than ever to tackle the ambitious goals we’ve set for the school over the next fiscal year.”

-July 1, 2016

Erika K. Wilson

With many Southern school districts no longer supervised by federal courts regarding desegregation, some suburban districts are essentially re-segregating by withdrawing from county school systems and creating independent systems.

“The New School Segregation,” a paper on the issue by UNC School of Law assistant professor Erika Wilson, has received attention from two prestigious sources. The paper was among those chosen for discussion at the Yale/Stanford/Harvard Junior Faculty Forum at Yale Law School June 28-29. Papers are selected by a jury of scholars.

Wilson’s paper notes, “The secessions almost always result in the seceding municipality having a predominately white…and affluent school system, while the remaining county-based school district has a higher percentage of minority and poor students,” she says.

Her article will also be published in the Cornell Law Review.

“I hope the paper shines a light on the ways in which certain local government structures and policies, though facially race-neutral, exacerbate racial segregation in schools,” Wilson says. “I also hope the paper can be used to help change the way we think about the benefits and burdens of municipal control of schools, particularly in the South, given the South’s sordid history with racially segregated and unequal schools.”

Wilson’s areas of expertise include civil litigation, civil rights, education and school reform, public policy and race discrimination. Her research focuses on issues connected to education law and policy.

She has had additional recent publishing success.

“Reverse Passing,” an article she co-authored with professor Khaled Beydoun, now at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School, will be published in the UCLA Law Review. The article examines aspects of affirmative action.

Regarding Wilson’s invitation to the forum at Yale, Carolina Law professor and associate dean for faculty development Holning Lau says, “Being selected to participate is a highly prestigious honor… It’s also a great accomplishment for Erika to have two articles accepted for publication by top journals within a few weeks of each other this past semester.”

Lau notes, “Erika is part of a very strong cohort of junior faculty at Carolina Law. Many of our junior colleagues have recently been recognized for their scholarly achievements.”

-May 31, 2016

The 118th North Carolina Bar Association Annual Meeting was held in Charlotte, June 23-26, 2016. Eight Carolina Law alumni were recognized.

Kearns Davis ’95 Sworn in as NCBA President

On June 25, Kearns Davis ’95, a partner with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, was installed as the 122nd president of the NCBA. Previously, Davis served as the chair of the NCBA’s Young Lawyers Division from 2004-05 and was honored as the first recipient of the organization’s Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award in 2010. He chaired the NCBA’s criminal justice section from 2007-08, served as a member of the NCBA Board of Governors from 2011-12, and chaired the audit and finance committee of the NCBA and the NCBA Foundation while acting as the president-elect over the past year.

“The North Carolina Bar Association’s mission is to pursue liberty and justice for the people of North Carolina,” says Davis. “I’m humbled by the privilege of working with lawyers and judges across the state to strengthen and support our legal system.”

Thomas W. Ross ’75 Receives the Judge John J. Parker Award

The highest award bestowed by the NCBA, the Judge John J. Parker Award was presented to Thomas W. Ross ’75, former president of Davidson College and the University of North Carolina system. Prior to his work in higher education, Ross acted as the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, served as a Superior Court judge for 17 years, and directed North Carolina’s Administrative Office of the Courts. In February, Ross became the first Terry Sanford Distinguished Fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. In July, Ross began his role as president of the Volcker Alliance, a nonpartisan organization formed “to address the challenges of effective execution of public policies and to help rebuild public trust in government.” Additional honors received by Ross include the William Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Governing Magazine’s National Public Official of the Year, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. The Judge John J. Parker Memorial Award is not given every year, and honors the memory of Judge Parker by encouraging deep devotion to the law.

Willis P. Whichard ’65 Receives the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award

Willis P. Whichard ’65, the only individual to serve in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly and both divisions of the appellate courts, was the 2016 recipient of the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award. Whichard graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC School of Law. A native of Durham, Whichard served in the N.C. House of Representatives from 1970-74 and the N.C. Senate from 1974-80. He served on the N.C. Court of Appeals from 1980-86 and the N.C. Supreme Court from 1986-98. Additionally, Whichard was a member of the N.C. General Statutes Commission from 1969-73, the Dean of the Campbell Law School from 1986-98, and an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Law from 1986-99. The H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award seeks to recognize North Carolina attorneys who inspire others with their trustworthiness, respect, and courteous treatment of all people.

Rachel Blunk ’11 Receives the Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Award

An active pro bono volunteer with the Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Pittsboro office, Rachel Blunk ’11 is the 2016 recipient of the Younger Lawyers Pro Bono Award, an honor presented annually by the Young Lawyer’s Division. In addition to preparing wills, power of attorneys and health care power of attorneys in collaboration with the NCCU School of Law and the Alamance County Bar, Blunk has participated in numerous pro bono projects, including NC LEAP, Ash-A-Lawyer, Wills for Heroes, Project Grace, and Will for Equality. Blunk has served in various roles with the NCBA, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys and the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties, where she focused on anti-bullying initiatives. Currently, she is treasurer of the Alamance Partnership for Children.

Anna S. Mills ’97 Named as New Member of the NCBA Board of Governors and NCBA Foundation Board of Directors

Anna S. Mills ’97 will serve a three-year term on the NCBA Board of Governors and NCBA Foundation Board of Directors. She is the former chair of the North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program, a program that provides legal assistance to low-wealth entrepreneurs, and she is the current chair of the NCBA’s Business Law Section.

Frank D. Whitney ’87 Elected as Vice President on the NCBA Foundation Board of Directors

Frank D. Whitney ’87 was one of four individuals elected to serve a one-year term as vice president on the NCBA Foundation Board of Directors. Whitney has served on the U.S. District Court since 2006 and as chief judge since 2013. Previously, he was a U.S. attorney for North Carolina’s Eastern District and an assistant U.S. attorney for North Carolina’s Western District.

Two Alumni Inducted into N.C. General Practice Hall of Fame

The N.C. General Practice Hall of Fame seeks to recognize exemplary service and high ethical and professional standards as a general legal practitioner in North Carolina.

• Charles Palmer Brown ’66

Throughout his career, Charles Palmer Brown ’66 has practiced in all state courts and in federal courts. After earning a B.S. in Business as a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, Brown went on to attend UNC School of Law and practice at his family’s law firm in Stanly County. At 25, Brown represented an indigent, teenage client before the Supreme Court, and he ultimately helped the teenager avoid a life sentence. “Folks have been good, mighty good to our family and our firm for over a hundred years,” said Brown. “I hope I have done something to earn their respect during the years I have practiced and to prepare the way for those who follow.”

• Ralph “Bo” McDonald ’64

Ralph “Bo” McDonald ’64 has spent the entirety of his career at Baily & Dixon, LLP, where he has been a managing partner for most of his tenure. For 40 years, McDonald has served as principal counsel to the State Employees Credit Union. He also served as Board Counsel for state licensing boards, sat on the board of the Raleigh Rescue Mission, spent decades on the criminal indigent list before the introduction of Wake County’s public defender system, actively participated in the Volunteer Lawyers Program, acted as the founding chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Administrative Law Section in 1989 and served on the NCBA Free Dispute Committee.

-July 8, 2016

This article originally appeared in the Spring-Summer 2016 issue of Carolina Law.

A tree-lined street in Raleigh, now flanked by restaurants and stores, was originally a quiet road built by a father to honor his daughter. He called it Memory Lane.

Today it is called Memory Road, and its namesake just turned 92 years old.

Fannie Memory Farmer Mitchell is a woman who walks two miles a day and hasn’t slowed down very much since graduating from UNC School of Law in 1946.

For Mitchell, education has been a constant in her life. It was modeled for her from a very early age: Her mother received a bachelor’s degree in 1907 from what is now Meredith College. Following graduation, she taught students in elementary and high schools as well as in the preparatory department of Meredith College. In 1911, Mitchell’s mother moved to Japan, continuing her passion for teaching classes in English and cooking while doing missionary work. She later was a trustee of Shaw University and Meredith College.

But her mother wasn’t the only strong influence in her life. Her father served as the business manager and the editor of the Biblical Recorder. “I’ve been very blessed,” says Mitchell. “I had parents who were literate and saw to it that I had a good education.”

At 16, Mitchell graduated from high school and went to Meredith College, where she studied history and minored in English.

Having spent her life in North Carolina, Mitchell longed to experience life in another part of the country. Before graduation from Meredith College, she heard that she had been accepted by the University of Pennsylvania Law School to enter its summer session. At the last minute she received a telegram informing her that there would be no summer school, but the dean hoped she would enter the fall term in October. Having considered several other schools, she wired three of them. The dean of Cornell Law School replied and asked that she send the transcript by air mail. The next telegram notified her she had been accepted.

Mitchell graduated from Meredith in May 1944 and started law school at Cornell in June.

She actually attended her first torts class before she formally applied to Cornell. Mitchell rented a room in the home of the law librarian and quickly forged friendships with members of her small study group.

“I was extremely homesick. It was such a complete change. The case method of studying was different from anything I had known,” Mitchell says.

In her agency class, Mitchell found she was called on every day. After noticing that her fellow students weren’t called on as often, she asked why. “They told me to watch the professor’s expression when he called on me because he liked to hear my southern accent,” says Mitchell.

But because she missed her home in the South and found she didn’t care for the cold northern weather, Mitchell decided to transfer to UNC School of Law in 1945. She took her last Cornell exam early in order to make it to Chapel Hill for summer school.

Mitchell attended Carolina Law during World War II. Parts of the school were used by the military, so classroom space was limited. As more men returned home from war, they resumed their studies at the law school.

“Part of the time, I was the only woman in the entire law school,” Mitchell says. She recalls that Professor Frederick B. McCall would often begin his classes with, “Welcome, lady and gentlemen.”

Toward the end of her time at UNC, Mitchell and two other students needed the Conflict of Laws course in order to graduate — but it wasn’t offered. Upon hearing this, Professor Herbert R. Baer invited the three students to his office once a week for three hours and taught the course so they could graduate on time.

Mitchell was the only woman in her 1946 graduating class and was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1947. Mitchell was recruited by Albert Coates, the founder of the Institute of Government and a former Carolina Law professor, to do research for $125 a month. He wanted her to pursue a library science degree or take a secretarial course so as to be either the law librarian or legal secretary for the Institute of Government. Neither option was appealing to her so she decided to return to UNC for a master’s in history. She stopped to accept an offer to work in a Raleigh lawyer’s office, doing secretarial and legal work but soon realized the former had priority over the latter, so she returned and completed her degree in 1949.

Mitchell went on to become the administrative assistant and eventually a hearing officer for the North Carolina State Board of Public Welfare in 1950. She heard cases for people who had been turned down for welfare or who were involved with a complaint that couldn’t be resolved.

After four years, she was referred by friends and colleagues to the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners and became the first female judge of a domestic relations court in North Carolina, where she served for two years.

Mitchell knew that being a young, female judge with little experience made her an outsider. She was paid a salary while other judges’ compensation was fee-based and their caseloads shifted.

She had her work cut out for her.

One of her first cases involved extraditing a man from Georgia for nonsupport. “I had no more idea how to extradite someone than my young grandson does, but I did it,” Mitchell says.

During her time on the bench, the domestic court was a success, but Mitchell eventually chose to leave. She became the state records center supervisor in 1956 and five years later was promoted as the head of the publications section at the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, where she spent 25 years. She is the author of Legal Aspects of Conscription and Exemption in North Carolina, 1861-1865 (UNC Press), and numerous articles in professional journals.

While at the Office of Archives and History, Mitchell worked with the office’s director, Christopher Crittenden, and his successor, H.G. Jones. Her friendship with Jones has extended into their 90s — they have sent each other the same birthday card, now well-worn and stained, for the past 50 years. Jones is also responsible for introducing Mitchell to her late husband, well-known records manager and archivist Thornton “Mitch” Mitchell, in 1959 at a Society of American Archivists conference. The two were married in 1963 and had twin boys in 1965. Her sons still live in North Carolina with her four grandchildren.

Mitchell is grateful for her time at Carolina Law. “It really served me well. It helped me in many ways in my later jobs,” says Mitchell. “In most everything I’ve done, I’ve used my legal background. It gave me a level of determination to do the best I could do.”

Mitchell is an active 92-year-old who lives independently at a retirement community in Raleigh. She is involved with her church and still accepts speaking engagement opportunities occasionally. Her advice to others: “Have a positive outlook and don’t worry about how things will turn out if you have done your best.”

After living a life driven by education, Mitchell has no intention of slowing down. “I only have a few little touches of old age,” she says.

-May 23, 2016

Mackenzie Willow-Johnson

Originally from Raleigh, Willow-Johnson returned to North Carolina to attend UNC School of Law after graduating from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of arts. In 2015, she was selected as president of UNC Women in Law, an organization that seeks to build professional relationships between female students at Carolina Law and the surrounding legal community. Furthering her interest in business and intellectual property litigation, Willow-Johnson has clerked at Troutman Sanders LLP in Charlotte for two summers and, prior to starting law school, assisted the business litigation and patent prosecution practice groups at Alston & Bird LLP in Raleigh.

Established to honor Sarah Parker ’69, retired chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, the award grants $500 scholarships to female students from each of North Carolina’s law schools. Recipients exhibit valuable leadership skills at their respective schools and in their local communities. Ready to take on old and new challenges faced by women in the legal profession, these students represent the overarching goals of NCAWA, including the encouragement of female participation in the judicial system and public offices, the promotion of women’s rights under the law, and the improvement of administering justice.

-July 19, 2016

The 118th North Carolina Bar Association Annual Meeting was held in Charlotte, June 23-26, 2016. Six Carolina Law alumni were recognized.

Kearns Davis ’95 Sworn in as NCBA President

On June 25, Kearns Davis ’95, a partner with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, was installed as the 122nd president of the NCBA. Previously, Davis served as the chair of the NCBA’s Young Lawyers Division from 2004-05 and was honored as the first recipient of the organization’s Robinson O. Everett Professionalism Award in 2010. He chaired the NCBA’s criminal justice section from 2007-08, served as a member of the NCBA Board of Governors from 2011-12, and chaired the audit and finance committee of the NCBA and the NCBA Foundation while acting as the president-elect over the past year.

“The North Carolina Bar Association’s mission is to pursue liberty and justice for the people of North Carolina,” says Davis. “I’m humbled by the privilege of working with lawyers and judges across the state to strengthen and support our legal system.”

Thomas W. Ross ’75 Receives the Judge John J. Parker Award

The highest award bestowed by the NCBA, the Judge John J. Parker Award was presented to Thomas W. Ross ’75, former president of Davidson College and the University of North Carolina system. Prior to his work in higher education, Ross acted as the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, served as a Superior Court judge for 17 years, and directed North Carolina’s Administrative Office of the Courts. In February, Ross became the first Terry Sanford Distinguished Fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. In July, Ross began his role as president of the Volcker Alliance, a nonpartisan organization formed “to address the challenges of effective execution of public policies and to help rebuild public trust in government.” Additional honors received by Ross include the William Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Governing Magazine’s National Public Official of the Year, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. The Judge John J. Parker Memorial Award is not given every year, and honors the memory of Judge Parker by encouraging deep devotion to the law.

Willis P. Whichard ’65 Receives the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award

Willis P. Whichard ’65, the only individual to serve in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly and both divisions of the appellate courts, was the 2016 recipient of the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award. Whichard graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC School of Law. A native of Durham, Whichard served in the N.C. House of Representatives from 1970-74 and the N.C. Senate from 1974-80. He served on the N.C. Court of Appeals from 1980-86 and the N.C. Supreme Court from 1986-98. Additionally, Whichard was a member of the N.C. General Statutes Commission from 1969-73, the Dean of the Campbell Law School from 1986-98, and an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Law from 1986-99. The H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award seeks to recognize North Carolina attorneys who inspire others with their trustworthiness, respect, and courteous treatment of all people.

Rachel Blunk ’11 Receives the Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Award

An active pro bono volunteer with the Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Pittsboro office, Rachel Blunk ’11 is the 2016 recipient of the Younger Lawyers Pro Bono Award, an honor presented annually by the Young Lawyer’s Division. In addition to preparing wills, power of attorneys and health care power of attorneys in collaboration with the NCCU School of Law and the Alamance County Bar, Blunk has participated in numerous pro bono projects, including NC LEAP, Ash-A-Lawyer, Wills for Heroes, Project Grace, and Will for Equality. Blunk has served in various roles with the NCBA, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys and the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties, where she focused on anti-bullying initiatives. Currently, she is treasurer of the Alamance Partnership for Children.

Two Alumni Inducted into N.C. General Practice Hall of Fame

The N.C. General Practice Hall of Fame seeks to recognize exemplary service and high ethical and professional standards as a general legal practitioner in North Carolina.

• Charles Palmer Brown ’66

Throughout his career, Charles Palmer Brown ’66 has practiced in all state courts and in federal courts. After earning a B.S. in Business as a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, Brown went on to attend UNC School of Law and practice at his family’s law firm in Stanly County. At 25, Brown represented an indigent, teenage client before the Supreme Court, and he ultimately helped the teenager avoid a life sentence. “Folks have been good, mighty good to our family and our firm for over a hundred years,” said Brown. “I hope I have done something to earn their respect during the years I have practiced and to prepare the way for those who follow.”

• Ralph “Bo” McDonald ’64

Ralph “Bo” McDonald ’64 has spent the entirety of his career at Baily & Dixon, LLP, where he has been a managing partner for most of his tenure. For 40 years, McDonald has served as principal counsel to the State Employees Credit Union. He also served as Board Counsel for state licensing boards, sat on the board of the Raleigh Rescue Mission, spent decades on the criminal indigent list before the introduction of Wake County’s public defender system, actively participated in the Volunteer Lawyers Program, acted as the founding chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Administrative Law Section in 1989 and served on the NCBA Free Dispute Committee.

-July 8, 2016

Alumni, faculty and friends are invited to submit nominations for the UNC School of Law alumni awards. Nominations for 2017 will be accepted until August 25, 2016. Recipients will be announced at the Fall Law Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting and be honored at the Spring Leadership and Awards Dinner. Any nominee previously submitted for 2016 will automatically be considered for 2017 and will not need to be re-nominated.

Questions? Contact Susan McLean, director of alumni and donor relations, at 919.445.0169 or susanmclean@unc.edu.

Nomination Form

-July 22, 2016

“Jason Hensley is an experienced, proven leader in both his company and the Bar Association,” said NCBA President Kearns Davis ’95. “Allan Head has devoted his career to the NCBA’s mission—seeking liberty and justice in North Carolina’s legal system—and Jason has the skill, judgment, and dedication to pursue those aims into the future.”

In addition to his work at Bernhardt, Hensley is a former chair of the NCBA Corporate Counsel Section and a current member of the NCBA Board of Governors. He did not participate in the board’s consideration of his candidacy.

Elizabeth Quick ’74 of Winston-Salem, a past president of the NCBA, chaired the search committee which unanimously recommended Hensley. “The search committee received applications from all over the country, and personally interviewed nine impressive candidates,” Quick said. “Our committee is confident that we chose the right person to lead the NCBA after Allan’s retirement.”

Hensley graduated in 2002 from UNC School of Law, where he served as class president from 1999-2001 and as president of the Student Bar Association in 2001-02. In 2014 he received an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill and earned the UNC Kenan-Flagler Leadership Initiative Designation.

He has served on numerous NCBA committees, including the Open Courts Initiative, the Legislative Advisory Committee and the Continuing Legal Education Committee. He is also a member of the North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice and for 12 years has served on the board of Communities in Schools of Caldwell County, chairing its bylaws, policy and procedure and audit committees.

"I’m excited to have this opportunity to serve the members of the NCBA and to support the important work of the NCBA’s leadership, volunteers and talented staff in advancing the legal profession and serving the public,” Hensley said. “It’s a true honor to be chosen to serve in this capacity for an organization in which so many individuals freely give their time and abilities to improve the profession and the lives of others."

The North Carolina Bar Association, founded in 1899, is the oldest and largest voluntary organization of legal professionals in the state. Its headquarters are located at the N.C. Bar Center in Cary.

-July 25, 2016

Seven UNC School of Law alumni were recently honored with the Citizen Lawyer Award. The award was created in 2007 by the North Carolina Bar Association to recognize lawyers who show dedication to their local communities through public service. Across North Carolina, 133 individuals have received this recognition.

Ashley H. Campbell ‘03, Raleigh

Ashley Campbell ’83 of Ragsdale Liggett PLLC is president-elect of the Wake County Bar Association and board chair of StepUp Ministry, where she works to provide opportunities that help lift individuals from poverty. Campbell also provides volunteer leadership to Legal Aid of North Carolina, the Women’s Center of Wake County Board, and the Junior League of Raleigh.

Arnita M. Dula ’01, Hickory

Arnita Dula ’01 has served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Hickory for ten years, while also working to provide volunteer leadership to the Rape Crisis Center of Catawba County Board of Directors, the Frye Regional Medical Center Board of Directors, and the Children’s Advocacy & Protection Center Board of Directors. Dula also serves as president of the board at the Women’s Resource Center of Hickory, where she mentors the “Women to Work” program.

Debra L. Foster ’82, Charlotte

Debra Foster ’82 of Foster Royal P.A. has served on the Board of Professional Advisors for the Foundation for the Carolinas, served on the Planned Giving Advisory Council for Queens College, and was a founding director and treasurer for Charlotte’s Women’s Impact Fund. Foster is also a member of Good Friends and has provided board leadership to Loaves and Fishes, Florence Crittenton Services, Children’s Theatre, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Jackie Grant ’95, Asheville

Jackie Grant ’95 of Roberts & Stevens, P.A., has served as president and chair of the Nominating Committee for the 28^th Judicial District Bar. Grant has provided board leadership for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Western North Carolina, Mountain Area Child & Family Center, and Mountain Area Hospice Foundation. She has also served on the YMCA of Western North Carolina Executive Committee.

Pam McAfee ’94, Raleigh

Pam McAfee ’94 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina has provided volunteer leadership to the Credit Abuse Resistance Education Program, the Wake County Bar Association’s Lawyers Support Committee, and the United States District Court’s EDNC Local Rules Committee. McAfee has also served as president of Hopeline, a community organization dedicated to providing support and suicide prevention through crisis lines, teen chat lines, and senior reassurance calls. McAfee has also served as coach of Campbell Law School’s ABA National Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Competition teams.

Judge Rickye McKoy-Mitchell ’84, Charlotte

Judge Rickye McKoy-Mitchell ’84 currently serves as the District Court judge in the 26^th Judicial District of Mecklenburg County. Previously, McKoy-Mitchell served as co-chair of the 26^th Judicial District and Community Building Initiative Partnership Project, and she provided volunteer leadership to the Children’s Law Center’s Board of Directors, Courthouse Childcare Center, Devonshire School Lawyer Partnership, the Lawyers Involved in Schools Taskforce, and the board of the Foundation for Carolinas Civic Leadership. McKoy-Mitchell also chaired the Mental Health Committee on the Smart Start Board, served on the Executive Committee of the YMCA Board of Directors, and acted as co-chair of the Advisory Panel at the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Troy Smith Jr. ’67, New Bern

Troy Smith Jr. ’67 of Ward and Smith has served on the UNC Health Care System Board of Directors and the UNC Lineberger Board of Visitors, acted as president of the Craven County Bar Association, and chaired the NCBA Committee on Recodification of the General Statues. Among Smith’s volunteer leadership experience is his effort to establish Boys and Girls Clubs in New Bern, where, thanks to his drive, the organization now serves the city’s youth.

-July 27, 2016

Eight students of the Class of 2016 were selected to become members of one of the most prestigious societies at UNC School of Law. The James E. and Carolyn B. Davis Society recognizes eight third-year students possessing both academic and personal excellence and a willingness to serve for the betterment of the School of Law and its faculty and students. In making its selections, the Davis Society selection committee considers the qualities of leadership ability, integrity, dedication, and character as exemplified by extracurricular activities and academic achievement.

This year’s inductees, pictured with Dean Martin Brinkley '92, from left: Joseph Kim, Jesse Ramos, Travis Hinman, Hillary Dawe, Jared Smith, Nana Asante, Jamie Rudd, Joseph Bishop. Sylvia K. Novinsky, former assistant dean for public service, was also inducted as an honorary member of the Davis Society.

Joseph Kim, Dean Martin Brinkley '92, Jesse Ramos, Travis Hinman, Hillary Dawe, Jared Smith, Nana Asante, Jamie Rudd, Joseph Bishop.

-May 6, 2016

The International Jurist magazine has included UNC School of Law’s LL.M. for International Lawyers degree program on its lists for best LL.M. programs for academics and law school experience for attorneys outside the United States.

That’s no surprise.

For a small program, UNC’s LL.M. degree offers a big package that includes personalized course advising and hands-on opportunities on the academic side, as well as assistance with housing options, a “Magic Room” of household items for loan and social events.

The program, which began five years ago, is for students who earned a law degree in another country. Most students finish in two semesters.

UNC’s is the smallest of the 11 LL.M. programs that the magazine cites for academics. Carolina Law students may take graduate classes for free and may pursue one of certain add-on graduate certificates at no extra charge in addition to their LL.M. degree.

LL.M. students are integrated with J.D. students in courses, conferences, presentations and trainings. Students may join the LL.M. moot court team and participate in the law journal’s symposium and conferences.

The program’s biggest strengths are “the caring for, and care of, students by the involved staff, faculty and administrators of Carolina Law, who work to ensure that the students’ LL.M. period of study and life is the best it can be. The potential for experience working in our pro-bono and externship law programs is another major draw,” says Beverly Sizemore, Director of International and LL.M. Programs.

UNC’s program is among 14 the magazine cites for overall law school experience.

The program “offers very individualized attention to students,” says Sizemore, whom the magazine interviewed.

That attention ranges from airport pickup at arrival and a thorough orientation process to help with looking for employment opportunities inside and outside the U.S. Most students come from other countries and return to their home country when they finish.

Carolina Law offered merit-based scholarships for the 2016-17 LL.M. class—which will have 10-15 students—and Sizemore expects to offer some scholarships for the 2017-18 cohort.

-June 8, 2016

UNC School of Law is pleased to welcome six new full-time faculty members this semester. The new faculty include:

Kevin Bennardo
Clinical Associate Professor of Law (RRWA/WLRC)
Kevin Bennardo teaches Research, Reasoning, Writing and Advocacy at UNC School of Law. Before his appointment at UNC, he held faculty positions at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and the University of Richmond School of Law. He has taught courses in the areas of legal analysis, research, and communication, criminal sentencing, and trusts & estates. In 2016, the students at IU-McKinney Law voted Bennardo the recipient of the Red Cane Award. The award is presented to the most outstanding professor who has been with the law school for three or fewer years. Bennardo’s scholarship has been cited in case books, treatises, and judicial opinions of federal courts of appeals, state supreme courts, and lower courts. In 2016, he received an LWI-ALWD-LexisNexis Scholarship Grant for his ongoing work on precedent. He regularly presents his research at conferences and also serves as an assistant editor for Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute. Before his academic career, Bennardo worked as a staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, as court counsel for the Supreme Court of the Republic of Palau, and as a law clerk to the Honorable Milton I. Shadur of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also practiced intellectual property litigation with the firm of Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago. During law school, he served as executive editor of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law.

Kate Elengold
Clinical Associate Professor of Law (Consumer Financial Transactions Clinic)
Kate Elengold is a clinical associate professor of law and director of the Consumer Financial Transactions Clinic. Her research interests lie at the intersection of race, gender and poverty. Her most recent scholarship focuses on issues related to racialized sexual harassment in housing. Prior to joining the Carolina Law faculty, Elengold taught the Women and the Law Clinic and Legal Ethics at American University Washington College of Law. Before transitioning to academia, Elengold was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. She litigated cases under the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Housing and Community Development Act. She acted as lead counsel on several pattern or practice cases, including complex litigation resulting in a year-long federal district court bench trial. Elengold also clerked in the Northern District of Illinois for the Honorable James B. Moran. She graduated from New York University School of Law, where she was a student article development editor on the NYU Review of Law and Social Change, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

Andy Hessick teaches Evidence, Federal Jurisdiction and Remedies, and his research interests include federal courts, administrative law, remedies and criminal sentencing. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC School of Law, Hessick was a professor at the University of Utah and Arizona State University and was a visiting assistant professor at Boston University. Before beginning teaching, he served as a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Solicitor General’s office and practiced litigation at Kellogg Huber Hansen Todd Evans & Figel PLLC in Washington, D.C. He also clerked for Judge Reena Raggi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge A. Raymond Randolph on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. His work has appeared in the California Law Review, the Cornell Law Review, the Northwestern University Law Review, the Notre Dame Law Review, and the William and Mary Law Review. His work has been cited by the Supreme Courts of Connecticut, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah; various federal district courts; the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Sixth, and Eleventh circuits; and the U.S. Supreme Court. Hessick received his J.D. from Yale Law School, at which he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal. He received his B.A. in mathematics and classical archaeology from Dartmouth.

Hessick teaches Criminal Law, Professional Responsibility, and Current Topics in Criminal Justice. Before joining the faculty at Carolina Law, Hessick taught on the faculties at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. She also spent two years as a Climenko Fellow at Harvard Law School. While at Arizona State, Hessick won the Outstanding Teacher Award, which is awarded based on a vote of the graduating class. After graduating from law school, she clerked for Judge Barbara S. Jones on the Southern District of New York and for Judge A. Raymond Randolph on the D.C. Circuit. She also worked as a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City. Hessick received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University and her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and winner of the Potter Stewart Prize for the Morris Tyler Moot Court of Appeals.

Eisha Jain teaches Criminal Law and Criminal Law as Civil Regulation. Her research focuses on the blurring boundaries between civil and criminal law. Her most recent publications are Arrests as Regulation, published by the Stanford Law Review and Prosecuting Collateral Consequences, published by the Georgetown Law Journal. Jain previously practiced for several years as a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer. She also previously clerked on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Jain joins Carolina Law from Georgetown University Law Center, where she held a law research fellowship. She earned her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was awarded the Michael Egger Prize for the best student note published in the Yale Law Journal on a current social problem.

Jonas Monast is the inaugural C. Boyden Gray Distinguished Fellow at Carolina Law and co-directs the Center on Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics (CE3). He teaches Energy Law and Natural Resources Law. Monast’s work focuses on the interaction of federal and state energy policies, aligning energy and environmental policy goals, and regulatory options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to joining the Carolina Law faculty, he directed the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and taught courses on energy and environmental issues at Duke University’s School of Law and Nicholas School of the Environment. Monast has also worked as an attorney in the Corporate Social Responsibility Practice at Foley Hoag LLP, as a congressional fellow for the late Senator Paul Wellstone, and as legislative counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending. Monast earned his law degree from Georgetown University and his B.A. from Appalachian State University.

In addition to the new faculty members, UNC School of Law also recently named the following new chair appointments:

• Patricia L. Bryan , Henry P. Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law
• Maxine Eichner , Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Law
• Holning Lau , Reef C. Ivey, II Distinguished Professor of Law

-August 24, 2016

On September 29 in Washington, D.C, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) will present the Kutak-Dodds Prize to National Health Law (NHeLP) Legal Director Jane Perkins ’81.

Established in 1989, the Kutak-Dodds award is jointly sponsored by NLADA and the Robert J Kutak Foundation and includes a $10,000 cash prize. The Kutak-Dodds Prize honors an “equal justice advocate who, through the practice of law, has contributed in a significant way to the enhancement of the human dignity and quality of life of those persons unable to afford legal representation.”

NLADA is the nation’s oldest nonprofit group dedicated to providing legal services to those who cannot afford counsel.

According to NLADA, Perkins was chosen, in part, “for engaging in litigation and advocacy on behalf of low-income people with disabilities, and children in all 50 states.”

Perkins has served as counsel in more than 30 high-profile lawsuits across the county to protect and advance the health rights of low-income and underserved individuals. She is also a senior attorney with the Network for Public Health Law-Southeastern Region. Perkins has taught health law and policy at Carolina Law and served as a clinical associate professor in health policy at the UNC School of Social Work.

-August 29, 2016

The North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys (NCAWA) will recognize a Carolina Law professor and two alumni at its 38^th annual conference in Asheville on Sept. 22-24.

Beth S. Posner ‘97 , Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, Christopher Brook ‘05, Legal Director of the ACLU of North Carolina, and Julie Klipp Nicholson ‘06, coordinator of the Buncombe County Family Justice Center, are the 2016 recipients of the Gwyneth B. Davis Award.

Named for a past president and board member of NCAWA, the Gwyneth B. Davis Award is a public service award given to valuable members of the North Carolina legal community who promote the participation of women attorneys in the legal profession and the rights of women under the law.

-August 30, 2016