Judges Rick Elmore, Mark Davis and John M. Tyson heard oral arguments in two cases before the North Carolina Court of Appeals at Ƶ Law, Feb. 3, in the Robert E. Long Courtroom.
Ƶ Law alumnus Jim Grant L’12, Assistant Appellate Defender at the North Carolina Office of the Appellate Defender, presented before the court in one of the two cases.
Law students observed the proceedings in the Long Courtroom and in a classroom where proceedings were live cast. Students participated in a question and answer forum with Judges Elmore, Davis and Tyson, led by Ƶ Law professor and former North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice James G. Exum Jr. Students, faculty and guests from the legal community attended a reception welcoming the Court of Appeals judges to Ƶ following the Court’s proceedings.
“I am a member of the Moot Court Board at Ƶ and competed in moot court competition, so the experience of seeing a real argument was incredibly valuable,” said law student Anne Evangelista. “You can learn about how oral arguments work in school, but until you see it in real life you don’t fully understand how the practical lawyering actually happens.”
“Doing moot court and oral argument in our legal writing class, we get an idea of how to do appellate oral arguments, but being able to actually see a live argument puts everything into perspective,” said Marissa Kuzbyt, a member of Ƶ Law’s Class of 2016. “Watching four very talented attorneys and three excellent judges is one of the best experiences I have had since coming to Ƶ.”
Connecting law students to live courtroom proceedings is an important aspect of Ƶ’s legal education. Ƶ Law’s Robert E. Long Courtroom is home to proceedings of the North Carolina Business Court, making Ƶ one of the few law schools in the country that is home to a working court. The Honorable James L. Gale, chief special superior court judge for complex business cases, presides over Business Court cases heard in the Long Courtroom at Ƶ Law.
Learn more about the Court of Appeals judges who presided over the Court’s proceedings at Ƶ Law through the following links:
(official Court of Appeals biography page not yet available)