Alumni Festival of Legal Learning Returns with Powerhouse Lineup for 2025

This exclusive alumni-only event is back! The Festival of Legal Learning, the University of North Carolina School of Law’s premier annual event, returns on February 7, 2025, with a lineup of legal luminaries ready to tackle today’s most pressing issues. This day-long CLE extravaganza promises to be an unforgettable experience for Carolina Law graduates seeking to stay ahead of the curve and earn six CLE credits.

Professor Donald T. Hornstein, the Thomas F. Taft Distinguished professor and director of the Center on Climate, Energy, Environment & Economics (CE3), will kick off the festival, where he will discuss the hot topic of “Climate and the Insurance-Resilience Link: North Carolina Hits the National News,” drawing on his experience as a member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association. 

Next up, Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law Rick Su will deliver a timely update on recent developments in immigration law. Su’s session will cover executive orders, regulatory changes, proposed legislation, and legal challenges, offering a comprehensive analysis of these changes’ legality, constitutionality, and political ramifications. 

A perennial festival highlight, the Annual U.S. Supreme Court Roundup, will feature an all-star panel of Professors Maxine Eichner, Andy Hessick, Mary-Rose Papandrea, and North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park. Attendees will gain valuable insights as the panel reviews significant decisions from the Court’s last term and previews notable cases in the current term. 

Shifting gears to focus on attorney well-being, David Kouba ’02, Counsel at Arnold & Porter, will guide attendees through the evolving strategies for addressing mental health and substance abuse challenges in the legal profession. Kouba’s session will help attendees navigate these issues while upholding ethical obligations. 

Alison Grounds ’01, Partner at Troutman Pepper, will take attendees on a deep dive into artificial intelligence and its implications for the practice of law. Grounds will explore practical applications, ethical considerations, and the potential impact of AI on the profession’s future. 

Capping off the festival is a special lecture by Dean Martin H. Brinkley ’92 titled “Dragging the Law School Forward: Lucius Polk McGehee and Harry Woodburn Chase, 1910-1924.” Brinkley will transport attendees back in time and recount how these two visionary leaders modernized the law school in the face of opposition, securing its place in the annals of American legal education. 

The 2025 Festival of Legal Learning will be held from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Carolina Club in Chapel Hill. With a registration fee of just $100 and the opportunity to earn six CLE credits, including one hour of mental health/substance abuse credit, this is an event no legal professional will want to miss.  

Questions? Contact the Office of Advancement at 919-962-5106 or law_alumni@unc.edu.