After 33 years in the small town of Buies Creek, N.C., Campbell University Law School has relocated to the heart of downtown Raleigh. The move gives Campbell students the chance to study law in the dynamic political environment of the state capitol, and also gives NCSU students considering law school a new option to consider considerably close to home.
Thomas Harper, a third year Campbell Law student who majored in political science at NCSU, went to school in Buies Creek for his first two years, but said he has already found many advantages in the move to Raleigh.
“It’s hard to replicate the small-town atmosphere of Buies Creek,” Harper said. “But it is amazing to walk around town and see North Carolina Supreme Court justices living and working in the capitol. It is great seeing how excited the legal community is to have us here.”
Harper said in his moot court trial session at Campbell, two out of the three judges were from the N.C. Supreme Court. The N.C. Business Court also meets inside the law school.
The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law is encompassed in one building located at 225 Hillsborough Street.
Campbell Director of Development Britt Davis said the new building gives the law school about 40 percent more space than it had in Buies Creek.
“The move was great for the law school from a business and visibility perspective,” Davis said. “It also allowed more space in Buies Creek for our new PA program to expand.”
Last year the law school had 1525 applicants, a 25 percent increase over the previous year. 161 students were accepted and enrolled, 21 of those students coming from N.C. State.
Assistant Dean of Admissions for Campbell Law School Lewis Hutchison said he wants to dispel the myth that there is a preferred major or activity for acceptance to law school.
“We know that you are getting a great education at N.C. State, no matter what your major,” Hutchison said. “We look for students that were active and involved, took on leadership roles, and excelled in their chosen course of study.”
Harper said he also encourages students to pursue various degrees for acceptance into law school.
“Undergraduate students think they need to shape their four years around the law school application, but they may turn out weaker in the end,” Harper said. “The admissions board can tell if you pandered to a certain image.”
Harper said the transition from undergraduate school to law school was hard because of the significant increase in coursework. “I didn’t have to try that much while earning my undergraduate degree,” Harper said. “In law school, you have to start studying for exams weeks ahead of time.”
Hutchison said Campbell Law School plans to partner with the Pre-Law Society at NCSU. “We can offer lectures, speakers and functions to give State students the chance to tour our facilities and learn more about our school,” Hutchison said.
Campbell Law School has a 90.7 percent passage rate on the BAR Exam, the test students with a completed Juris Doctorate must take in order to obtain a law license. This is the highest passage rate for test-takers in the state.
According to the 2008-09 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the United States Department of Labor, the employment of lawyers is expected to grow 11 percent from 2006 to 2016. The report also said job openings should continue to be competitive because of the large number of students graduating from law school each year.
Hutchison said law students should not have a problem finding a job as long as they work hard in school and care about what they are doing.