Our News | Events | Student Focus | Alumni Spotlight | Faculty Media, Scholarship, & Research
OUR NEWS
Veterans Legal Clinic Client Honored with Long-Awaited Purple Heart at Wake Forest Football Game
Eighty-nine-year-old James Brown, wounded in battle while fighting behind enemy lines in the Korean War, has waited 70 years to be recognized as a United States veteran.
Law students and professors working with Wake Forest University School of Law’s Veterans Legal Clinic have helped Brown with the long legal battle to correct his military record.
On Saturday, Nov. 12, he was honored during halftime of the Wake Forest football game. The short ceremony celebrated the setting aside of his dishonorable discharge and the restoration of the Purple Heart he earned for injuries sustained in the war
Read more about Mr. Brown’s story and this historic event here.
Wake Forest Law Jurist 2022 Is Available Online
This year's theme, "Ideas to Action," centers on the many ways in which Wake Forest Law transforms ideas to action, making a significant impact on Wake Forest Law and society at large. Read about healthcare reform that seemed a distant dream; the intersection of technology and the law; protecting the environment through litigation; the business underpinnings of the legal profession; local leaders speaking up for community members; and so much more. In addition, catch up with all the goings-on at Wake Forest Law with our "Annual Highlights" and "Class Notes."
Please enjoy the 2022 issue of the Jurist, and find inspiration in how Wake Forest Law turns ideas to action!
Sager Speaker Series Event Hosts Marilyn T. McClure-Demers, Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Nationwide
On November 3, Wake Forest Law students gathered for the second Sager Speaker Series honored guest: Marilyn T. McClure-Demers.
The Sager Speaker Series is named for Wake Forest alumnus Thomas Sager (JD ’76), former vice president and general counsel for DuPont Co. and current partner at Ballard Spahr LLP. Sager was a strong and early proponent of diversity in the legal profession and helped pioneer the DuPont Convergence and Law Firm Partnering Program, or DuPont Legal Model. This industry benchmark has received national acclaim for its innovative approach to practicing law.
Marilyn McClure-Demers is the Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Nationwide. She is responsible for strategic legal leadership of employment, corporate, intellectual property, class action, and financial services litigation. She is also responsible for the corporate e-discovery management center of excellence. In addition, she has led various teams supporting all the business units within Nationwide's Property and Casualty and Financial Services Enterprise.
Over the hour-long event, McClure-Demers advised Wake Forest Law students in many aspects of the legal profession. She offered insight that only someone with an expansive career and wide-ranging experience could share. She spoke candidly about the challenges she has faced, her emotions, and her passion for the law she has carried throughout her career.
Read more about McClure-Demers conversation with Professor Omari Scott Simmons here.
Sign Up For Practice Area Newsletters
Wake Forest University School of Law is pleased to offer the opportunity for alumni to sign up to receive legal practice area related newsletters from your alma mater. These newsletters offer more information in the day-to-day work of our clinic professors and their students.
The Fall 2022 newsletters include Intellectual Property and Technology Law; Environment, Energy, and Sustainability; Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research; and Experiential Education.
Insight Needed from Class of 2019 for Wake Forest Law Alumni Study
Wake Forest Law is participating in NALP and the NALP Foundation’s latest research study assessing employment and career satisfaction for the Class of 2019. The short survey addresses employment status, mobility and career satisfaction, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alumni careers. The results will provide critical insights into curriculum and program development, which will greatly benefit Wake Forest Law and the next generation of law students.
Your responses will remain confidential and go directly to the NALP Foundation, so no individual identifying information is released. The survey will remain open until December 30, 2022.
EVENTS
A Conversation with Cornel West
December 1
Dr. Cornel West, author, activist, philosopher, public intellectual, and civil rights leader, is coming back to Wake Forest. The Program for Leadership and Character has invited him to take part in a moderated discussion about character and education, and we’re expecting a lively and insightful evening. The event will be held today, December 1 at 6:00 p.m. in Wait Chapel. The event is free, open to the public, and requires no advance registration.
Dr. West’s talk will also kick off “Educating Character Across the University,” a conference for educators and administrators from colleges and universities across the nation and the world.
End of Year Giving
Now until December 31
The end of the calendar year is fast approaching and we want to ensure that your gifts to Wake Forest Law are counted by the December 31st deadline! See below for information on ways you can give to support the Law School and its students.
Credit Cards
To guarantee your donation by credit card will be processed by December 31, 2022, use the School of Law’s online giving form, and make your gift early. Credit card gifts that are mailed must reach our office in time to be processed prior to 12/31.
Checks
To be receipted for a 2022 tax deduction, checks sent via US Mail must be postmarked by December 31, 2022. Checks sent via FedEx, UPS, or other non-federally sponsored mail services must be received by December 31, 2022 to be receipted as a 2022 contribution.
University Advancement Gifts, Wake Forest University: PO Box 7227, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
IRA
If you are 70 ½ or older, you can give any amount (up to $100,000) per year from your IRA directly to Wake Forest School of Law to reduce your taxable income. If you wish for your IRA gift to be receipted during 2022, contact lawalum@wfu.edu as soon as possible to get started on this gift.
For other ways to give, including stocks and cryptocurrency, please click here or email lawalum@wfu.edu. Thank you for supporting Wake Forest School of Law!
STUDENT FOCUS
Anonymous Donor Gives Historic Gift to PILO For 2022-23 Academic Year
The Law School is pleased to announce that the Public Interest Law Organization (PILO) has received a generous anonymous gift, helping to fund its activities for the entire 2022-23 academic year.
Wake Forest University School of Law’s Public Interest Law Organization (PILO) is a student-run organization that focuses on educating students about public interest jobs and opportunities, and supports students who are seeking public interest careers. Public interest law is defined as anything affecting the well-being, rights, health, or finances of the public at large.
“Without a PILO grant, it would have been financially impossible for me to take my dream internship advocating for marginalized communities, and I know that is a similar story for all of our amazing grant recipients,” said Amanda Spriggs Reid (JD ’23), PILO Executive Director.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
David Furr (‘80, JD ‘82)
While attending a Boys' State program in high school, David Furr (‘80, JD ‘82) decided he would attend Wake Forest University. Since then, he has been a Demon Deacon through and through. Furr credits his successes to the education he received at Wake Forest University. In 2013, Furr committed to the transformation of Worrell Professional Center by renovating the building’s common space. As a result, the Furr Commons now serves as a central hub of Wake Forest Law.
In 2014, Furr was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma and eventually was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). He underwent intense chemotherapy and was in remission within seven months. However, his cancer came back, and Furr had to go through numerous surgeries, more intense chemotherapy, and long recovery stretches for years.
Fortunately, Furr found an effective treatment through Kite Pharmaceuticals, and he is now cancer free. In a special video about Furr, Kite Pharmaceuticals calls his story one of hope and endurance. Furr was appointed to a two-year term with Atrium Healthcare PMRC as the Independent Patient Advocate, where he joined a team that oversees new and existing trials for cancer treatment.
Kite Pharmaceuticals released a video about Furr’s cancer journey that you can watch here.
Those who meet Furr for even a few minutes immediately learn of his passion for wine. When asked for a holiday wine recommendation, he had this to say: “With all the turkey, a good Pinot from Oregon—Beaux Freres is my choice. But if you have a good bottle of Cabernet, skip the meal and enjoy the wine!”
FACULTY MEDIA, SCHOLARSHIP, & RESEARCH
Meghan Boone
- Media Appearance; Getting Common Podcast - VoiceAmerica, "Who Owns the Body?"
Timothy Davis
- Book Release; Carolina Academic Press, "Understanding Sports Law"
Eleanor Morales
- Media Article; Wake Forest University, "Recognition takes 70 years for NC man who fought in Korea"
- Media Appearance; WXII News, "Man honored for military service thanks to WFU's Veterans Legal Clinic"
- Media Appearance; WFMY News 2, "I jumped for joy' | 89-year-old Triad veteran finally recognized for his service decades later"
- Media Article; Winston-Salem Journal, "Wake Forest law clinic helps correct veteran's military record after nearly 70 years of injustice"
- Media Appearance; WWAY 3, "89-year-old Triad veteran finally recognized for his service decades later"
Audra Savage
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The mission of Wake Forest Law is to advance the cause of justice by creating knowledge and educating students to meet the legal needs of the world with confidence, character, and creativity. We instill in students a respect for the law, a devotion to the ideal of service, and a commitment to professional values. We educate students from around the world in a richly diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
Legal Briefs is a publication of Wake Forest University School of Law.