UNC School of Law

First Amendment Law Review Symposium
2024-11-15 08:45 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Carolina Club
First Amendment Law Review Symposium
The Quintessential Marketplace of Ideas?: Current Free Speech Issues on University Campuses
Date: Friday, November 15, 2024
Time: 8:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Carolina Club located at George Watts Hill Alumni Center, 150 Stadium Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514.
LIVESTREAM: https://www.youtube.com/@carolinalaw/streams
CLE Credit: 4.5 General Hours
The First Amendment Law Review at the University of North Carolina is proud to present its 2024 symposium: “The Quintessential Marketplace of Ideas?: Current Free Speech Issues on University Campuses.” In the past year, student protests over the war in Gaza have spread across the country, raising difficult questions about not only how university administrators should respond but also what role, if any, protests should play in the life of a university. At the same time, UNC and other universities have embraced the concept of “institutional neutrality” for the first time since it was proposed in the 1967 Kalven Report; students and professors alike complain that they are “canceled” for expressing unpopular viewpoints in the place traditionally known as the marketplace of ideas; and federal and state lawmakers take aim at elitist universities. Join us Friday, November 15, 2024, at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center at the Carolina Club as we dive into this topic, dissecting contemporary challenges the First Amendment faces at America’s institutions of higher education. We are excited to host several leading First Amendment academics and practitioners, including Professor Mary-Rose Papandrea of the University of North Carolina School of Law, who will deliver the keynote address.
Opening Statements:

Lee H. Roberts, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor

Keynote Address:

Mary-Rose Papandrea, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law, UNC School of Law

Panel 1: Student Speech & Protests
Moderated by Michael J. Gerhardt, Burton Craige Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence, UNC School of Law

Steven T. Collis, Clinical Professor, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
Vikram D. Amar, Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Davis School of Law
Timothy Zick, Robert & Elizabeth Scott Research Professor and John Marshall Professor of Government and Citizenship, William & Mary Law School
Lindsie Rank, Director of Campus Rights Advocacy, The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

Panel 2: Faculty Speech & Academic Freedom
Moderated by William P. Marshall, William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, UNC School of Law

Tyson Langhofer, Senior Counsel and Director of Center for Academic Freedom, Alliance Defending Freedom
Amy Gajda, Jeffrey D. Forchelli Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School
David M. Rabban, Dahr Jamail, Randall Hage Jamail, and Robert Lee Jamail Regents Chair in Law, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
Caroline Mala Corbin, Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law

Panel 3: Institutional Speech & Administrative Challenges
Moderated by Mary-Rose Papandrea, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law, UNC School of Law

Peter Hans, The University of North Carolina System President
Liz Magill, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Keith E. Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School
Christopher Alan Bracey, Provost and Professor of Law, George Washington University

SCHEDULE

8:15 a.m.
Registration

8:50 a.m.
Welcome & Opening Remarks

9:00 a.m.
Keynote Address

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Panel 1: Student Speech & Protests

11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Panel 2: Faculty Speech & Academic Freedom

1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Panel 3: Institutional Speech & Administrative Challenges

JOLT Symposium: Ethics in the Age of Innovation: Navigating Bioethics and Tech Law
2025-02-01 09:00 - 15:30 | Classroom 4004
Join us for an engaging exploration of the ethical challenges at the intersection of biotechnology and the law. This year’s symposium brings together leading scholars to discuss how advancements in technology have shaped our understanding of bioethics and the laws that govern them.
Schedule
9:00 AM–9:30 AM: Arrival and Breakfast
9:30 AM: Introductions from Symposium Editor Alberto Bufalino and Editor-in-Chief Daniel Self
9:40 AM: Introductions from Professor Joan Krause

Joan Krause, Dan K. Moore Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law

10:00 AM–10:30 AM: Regenerative Medicine & Brain Organoids

Christine Coughlin, Professor of Law, Director of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research, Wake Forest University School of Law

10:30 AM–11:00 AM: Pediatric Predisposition Genetic Testing and the Right to Future Privacy

Allison Whelan, Assistant Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law

11:00 AM–11:30 AM: Assisted Reproductive Justice

Seema Mohapatra, M.D. Anderson Foundation Endowed Professor in Health Law and Professor of Law, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law

11:30 AM–12:00 PM: Lunch
12:00 PM–12:30 PM: The Bioethics of Patents & Licensing

Tabrez Ebrahim, Associate Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School

12:30 PM–1:00 PM: “How to Be Pro-Life”

Christopher Robertson, N. Neal Pike Scholar and Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Boston University School of Law, Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University School of Public Health

1:00 PM–1:30 PM: Organ Procurement & The Dead Donor Rule

Lois Shepherd, Peter A. Wallenborn, Jr. and Dolly F. Wallenborn Professor of Biomedical Ethics, Professor of Public Health Sciences, Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law

1:30 PM–2:00 PM: Closing Remarks

Oral Arguments United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
2025-02-04 09:00 - 12:00 | Courtroom 4081
Join us for a special session of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where a panel of three distinguished judges will hear oral arguments for multiple cases. This event offers a unique opportunity for students and the public to witness the appellate process firsthand.
Event Details
Schedule

Oral Arguments: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Educational Q&A session to follow
Case schedule pending release (expected within 7-10 days)

Attendance Information

Open to law students and the general public
Limited seating available in Courtroom 4081
Livestream available via Zoom for students
No registration required

Panel Information
The three-judge panel from the NC Court of Appeals will be announced with the upcoming calendar. The court traditionally features judges with UNC connections.
Note: Specific case information, including names, numbers, and argument order, will be updated upon release of the official court calendar. Check the NC Court of Appeals website for updates.

Carolina Law Festival of Legal Learning
2025-02-07 08:00 - 18:00 | Carolina Club
Join Carolina Law alumni and students for a day of legal education and receive six hours of CLE credits, with sessions instructed by members of our community.
Stay and enjoy a reception following the CLE sessions with Carolina Law alumni and students.
CLE sessions include:

Climate and the Insurance-Resilience Link: North Carolina Hits the National News
Donald Hornstein, Thomas F. Taft Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center on Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics (CE3)

Recent Developments in Immigration Law
Rick Su, Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law

Annual U.S. Supreme Court Roundup: 2024-25 Edition
Maxine Eichner, Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Law
F. Andrew Hessick, Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law
Mary-Rose Papandrea, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law
Ryan Park, Solicitor General, North Carolina Department of Justice

Evolving Strategies for Attorney Mental Health
David Kouba ’02, Arnold & Porter

AI and You
Alison Grounds ’01, Troutman Pepper

Dragging the Law School Forward: Lucius Polk McGehee and Harry Woodburn Chase, 1910-1924
Martin H. Brinkley ’92, Dean and William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law

Important program information:

Registration Fee: $100
Six hours of CLE have been approved by the North Carolina State Bar.
Carolina Law will file CLE credits in North Carolina and will provide attendance certification for out of state attendees.
Parking is available at Rams Head Parking Deck for $15.75 (104 Ridge Road Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514). Access to the Carolina Club is on level three of the garage. Remember to keep your ticket and you will pay for parking as you leave Rams Head Parking Deck.

Festival Schedule

8-9 a.m.
Check in & Continental Breakfast

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
CLE Sessions (lunch provided)

5-6:30 p.m.
Alumni and Student Reception

Student Festival of Legal Learning
2025-02-07 14:30 - 17:00 | Classroom 5046
More information coming soon

Well-Being Day (Carolina Law Only)—no classes
2025-02-11

Korematsu v. United States: Is My Father's Case Still Relevant? - Murphy Lecture
2025-03-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Classroom 5042
Korematsu v. United States: Is My Father’s Case Still Relevant?
In 2018, the Supreme Court overruled its notorious World War II decision upholding the removal of Fred Korematsu and tens of thousands of other innocent Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Or so it said. It announced this in Trump v. Hawaii, a case upholding what the president called a “Muslim ban,” so some remain doubtful that the danger of the Korematsu decision has truly passed.
This year’s Murphy Distinguished Lecture features Dr. Karen Korematsu on the continued relevance of her father’s legendary fight for his constitutional rights during one of the most challenging moments in U.S. history. His remarkable story of courage, resilience, and commitment to civil rights for all will echo loudly in the law school’s rotunda at a time when constitutional rights and values are once again challenged.
About the speaker:
Dr. Karen Korematsu is the Founder and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute
and the daughter of the late civil rights icon, Fred Korematsu. Since her father’s passing in 2005,
Karen has carried on his legacy as a national public speaker and educator, traveling throughout
the country advocating for civil liberties, social justice, civics, and ethnic studies education.
Her message encompasses Fred’s story, legal history, the relevance of his case to today’s issues
and the promotion of Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on January 30th
in perpetuity for all fifty states.
She has presented to K-12 schools, colleges, universities, law schools, national and state
conferences, including the National Judicial College, Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and
the South Carolina State Judicial Conference. She has signed on to amicus briefs in several cases
opposing violations of constitutional rights arising after 9/11, including Odah v. United
States, Turkman v. Ashcroft, Hedges v. Obama, and Hassan v. City of New York and Trump v.
Hawaii.
In 2015, Karen was inducted as the first non-lawyer member of the National Asian Pacific
American Bar Association. She serves on the board of directors of Advancing Justice-AAJC. She
serves on the National Advisory Board of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at
the University of California, Irvine, School of Law.
She has been interviewed on radio, podcasts and TV. Her Op/Ed’s have appeared in the NY
Times and the Washington Post. Karen has received numerous awards and honors including
GMNY 2015 Isidore Starr Award, Muslim Advocates-Voice of Freedom Award,
the ACLU Chief Justice Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award, and in 2017 was a recipient of the
Key to the City of Dearborn, Michigan by the Mayor of Dearborn.
Karen received her first honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from St. Michael’s College in
Burlington, Vermont, May 2019. She received her second honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, May 2022.

Meet the Tar Heels Program and Reception
2025-04-10 | The Dean E. Smith Center

Commencement
2025-05-09 12:30 - 15:00 | Carmichael Arena, 310 South Road, Chapel Hill, 27514, United States

Dean Brinkley's State of the School Address
2025-05-16 12:00 - 12:50 | Virtual

Virtual Briefing on Recent SCOTUS Decisions
2025-09-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Virtual Briefing on Recent SCOTUS Decisions
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
12-1 p.m.
Register by September 9
Join UNC School of Law faculty members Andy Hessick and Osamudia James for a virtual and interactive legal discussion on two timely U.S. Supreme Court decisions: Trump vs. CASA and Ames v. Ohio.
This session will offer practitioner-focused analysis of these two impactful rulings from the most recent SCOTUS term.
Kindly register by 5 pm on September 11 to receive the Zoom link. We hope you will join us for this timely and substantive conversation.
Interim Dean Andy Hessick, Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Strategy & Planning, teaches and researches on topics including federal courts, administrative law, remedies, and criminal sentencing.
Osamudia James, Henry P. Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law, teaches and writes on topics including education law, race and the law, administrative law, and torts.
Questions? Contact Brian Stern

Constitution Day
2025-09-17 12:00 - 12:50 | Classroom 5048
Each year, UNC School of Law organizes the campus-wide Constitution Day celebration to commemorate September 17, the day on which the Constitution of the United States was signed. Constitution Day allows schools and colleges across the country to reflect on United States history, the deeper meanings within the Constitution, and the hopes it represents for the future.
The law school will celebrate the federal observance this year on September 17 with a presentation by Associate Professor of Law Marcus Gadson exploring themes from his book Sedition: How America’s Constitutional Order Emerged From Violent Crisis in Room 5048 at 12:00 p.m. The talk will examine how moments of constitutional crisis shaped the framework of American constitutionalism, tracing episodes when dissent and disorder threatened to destabilize the young republic and how leaders responded—sometimes repressively, sometimes with reform—in ways that forged the institutions and norms we now take for granted.
This will be a free and open-to-the-public event recorded by C-SPAN.

Crime and Punishment in the Statehouse: New Data and a Conversation with Experts
2025-10-01 12:00 - 13:15
Listen to the results of a new report analyzing over 11,000 bills proposed across all 50 states about how state legislatures have attempted to expand or contract laws on crime and punishment. Then, an esteemed panel of experts will provide context and insight on the utility of these efforts.
Panelists:

Robert Hamill, Project Manager, Council of State Governments Justice Center

Gary Daniels, Legislative Director, ACLU of Ohio

Vikrant Reddy, Senior Fellow, Stand Together Trust

John Roman, Senior Fellow & Director, Center on Public Safety and Justice, University of Chicago NORC

The event will be moderated by:
Carissa Byrne Hessick
Anne Shea Ransdell and William Garland “Buck” Ransdell, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law
Director of the Prosecutors and Politics Project

2025 UNC Law Alumni Association Awards Ceremony
2025-10-03 17:30 - 21:00 | Carolina Club
The 2025 UNC Law Alumni Association awards ceremony will take place on October 3, 2025, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Carolina Club. Registration is required by September 25.
Read more about the 2025 award winners:
– Henry E. Frye ’59
– Charles P. Brown ’66
– David B. Sentelle ’68
– Richard E. Myers ’98
– Alison A. Grounds ’01
– Carl R. Fox ’78
– Isabelle R. Stevens ’21
– Professor Thomas Lee Hazen

Carolina Law Connections: New York City Reception
2025-10-16 17:30 - 19:00 | ArentFox Schiff LLP, 1301 Avenue of the Americas, Floor 42, New York, NY, 10019, United States
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 5:30-7 p.m.
ArentFox Schiff LLP
1301 Avenue of the Americas, Floor 42
New York, NY 10019
Reconnect with fellow alumni and meet Interim Dean Andy Hessick and Professor Lissa Broome, who will be attending with 1L students visiting the city as part of the Center for Banking & Finance Career Trek during fall break.
Enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and conversation while hearing updates from Carolina Law and supporting our students as they explore legal careers.
Business attire is encouraged.
Register by October 9
Questions? Contact Brian Stern.

AI vs. Human Mock Criminal Trial
2025-10-24 10:00 - 11:30 | UNC School of Law Graham Kenan Courtroom, 160 RIDGE RD CB 3380 CB 3380, CHAPEL HILL, NC, 27514-4387, United States
A Jury of your AI Peers? The Trial of Henry Justus
The year is 2036, and Henry Justus, an African American high school senior, stands trial on a charge of robbery of Victor Fehler, a white high school sophomore, before a jury of widely used artificial intelligence programs under the imaginary AI Criminal Justice Act of 2035. This trial simulation imagines that generative artificial intelligence models will be used in the future as jurors to reduce the operation of human bias and other cognitive errors by judges. This exercise will use present day technology to simulate such a trial with human actors playing the roles of prosecutor, defense lawyer, victim and defendant before a jury of three generative AI programs. This trial will be simulated but not scripted, so all participants will learn the verdicts of the three large language models serving as jurors along with the audience. This simulation will be followed by brief commentary from a panel of experts composed of legal scholars, a philosopher and a data librarian.
This simulated trial—one of the first of its kind–is being conducted by the University of North Carolina School of Law as part of Converge-Con), a large AI Festival taking place at UNC-Chapel Hill from October 22nd through 24th.
The trial of Henry Justus is intended to provoke discussion about the proper scope of artificial intelligence in criminal justice by highlighting the issues of accuracy, efficiency, bias and legitimacy raised by such use. Whether the trial serves as a cautionary tale about a possible dystopian future or a roadmap to a better one will remain to be seen.
The event is available on live stream.

First Amendment Law Review Symposium
2025-11-14

2025 Dan K. Moore Program: Sea Changes in Business Law
2025-11-14 09:30 - 15:00
Sea Changes in Business Law
Friday, November 14, 2025
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST
Cost: $99 | Virtual CLE

Business law is changing. Statutory and market-driven changes are upending long-held assumptions, and developments in artificial intelligence are increasingly impacting the way firms and in-house practitioners provide legal services. What do business lawyers need to know about these significant statutory and technological developments?
This four-hour online CLE will feature experienced practitioners, in-house counsel, thought leaders, and scholars discussing these and other topics, including the following:

Current Topics in Artificial Intelligence and Legal Practice
Corporate Charter Competition & Delaware’s Statutory Changes
Challengers to Delaware’s Dominance — Texas & Nevada
Top Ethics Issues for Corporate and In-House Attorneys

The 2025 Dan K. Moore Program will be held online. Information regarding how to access the webinar and materials will be sent prior to the start.
This program is dedicated to the exemplary legacy of professional ethics left to us by the distinguished life and work of Dan K. Moore, former governor of North Carolina and 1929 graduate of the UNC School of Law.

UNC School of Law Festival of Legal Learning 2026
2026-02-13 08:00 - 18:30 | UNC School of Government
This event is sold out. To join the waitlist, please email mann@unc.edu.

Presented by the UNC Law Alumni Association
February 13, 2026 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
UNC School of Government Chapel Hill, N.C.
Register by February 5, 2026 Join UNC School of Law alumni and students for a day of legal education and receive five hours of CLE credit and one hour of ethics, with sessions instructed by members of our community. CLE sessions include:

CLE sessions include:

Updates from Carolina Law’s Supreme Court Program
Elizabeth Fisher ’19, Wiley Rein F. Andrew Hessick, Interim Dean and Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law Rick Simpson ’77, Wiley Rein Materials: Handout, Slides

The Front-Line Legal Response to Natural Disasters: Two Mayors’ Perspectives Post-Helene
Rebecca Badgett, Teaching Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government, UNC School of Government Hon. Esther Manheimer ’98, Mayor, Asheville, N.C. Hon. Zeb Smathers ’08, Mayor, Canton, N.C.

Merchant Cash Advances (MCA): Fast Cash, Flexible Terms, and the Law Behind Them
Kara Bruce, Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Law Materials: Slides, The Murky Process of Characterizing Merchant Cash Advance Agreements, Revenue-Based Finance in Bankruptcy and Beyond

Jefferson, Adams and Tacitus: Perspectives on the Framers and the Classics
Martin H. Brinkley ’92, Dean Emeritus and William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law Materials: Handout, Tacitus’ Annals, Slides

The Changing First Amendment
Mark Storslee, Associate Professor and C. Boyden Gray Distinguished Scholar Materials: Slides

AI Panel

Patricia Brown ’86, Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, SAS Wab Kadaba ’97, Chair, Kilpatrick John Sieman ’07, Patent Counsel, SASMaterials: Slide

Important program information:

Registration Fee: $100.
Five hours of general CLE and one hour of ethics are approved by the North Carolina State Bar.
Carolina Law will file CLE credits in North Carolina and will provide attendance certification for out of state attendees.

Festival Schedule

8-9 a.m.
Check in & Continental Breakfast

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
CLE Sessions (lunch provided)

5-6:30 p.m.
Alumni and Student Reception

Register by February 5, 2026

ABCs of Banking Law
2026-03-25 08:00 | Chapman and Cutler LLP, Charlotte, NC
Save the Date
UNC School of Law Center for Banking and Finance sponsors the continuing legal education program focused on the basics of banking law for lawyers.

The Banking Institute
2026-03-26 - 2026-03-27 | Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, 201 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Save the Date
UNC School of Law Center for Banking and Finance sponsors the Banking Institute, a continuing legal education program that focuses on important issues for bankers and their lawyers. The Institute is designed to provide the highest quality CLE on cutting-edge issues related to banking law.

Wade H. Hargrove Media Law and Policy Colloquium
2026-04-06 19:00 - 20:45
The colloquium brings together leaders from law, media, and technology for a dynamic conversation at the intersection of policy and practice. This year’s event features Meta Vice President of Global Public Policy Kevin Martin.

UNC Law Tax Day
2026-04-15 11:45 - 13:00 | Law School Rotunda
Tax Day 2026 Flyer

Commencement
2026-05-08 12:30
Can’t make it? Commencement will be available via livestream.

State of the School Address
2026-05-15 12:00 - 13:00
Carolina Law State of the School Address
Join UNC School of Law leaders for an update on the happenings in the halls of Carolina Law, including our second-consecutive No. 18 best law schools ranking. The virtual event outlines our successes, our future, and the path forward.
