UNC School of Law presented three faculty awards on Wednesday, April 30, 2026.

The awards presented include:

The Robert G. Byrd Award for Excellence and Creativity in Teaching, awarded to Annie Scardulla, clinical associate professor of law. The Byrd Award is named for Robert G. Byrd, an alumnus of the school who served as a member of the faculty from 1963 until 2004, and as dean from 1974-1979.

The James H. Chadbourn Award for Excellence in Scholarship, awarded to Kate Sablosky Elengold, associate professor of law and director of the Economic Justice Clinic, for her article “Debt, Work, and the State,” published in the Minnesota Law Review. The article examines how state and local governments use occupational licensing restrictions as a debt collection tool, a practice that exists in every state but has largely escaped scholarly scrutiny, and proposes a framework for how governments should weigh the moral and public interest costs of such policies. The Chadbourn Award is named for James H. Chadbourn, editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Law Review in 1930-1931, a member of the Carolina Law faculty from 1931-1936, and a co-author of leading texts in civil procedure, federal court and evidence. In 1933, while at UNC, Chadbourn bravely authored a controversial work titled “Lynching and the Law.” This award honors a faculty member’s distinguished law journal article.

The Charles E. Daye Award for Excellence in Service, awarded to Alexa Z. Chew, George R. Ward Term Professor and clinical professor of law. This award is conferred annually based on service performed within the two years prior to the year in which the award is given. A faculty member is honored for exemplary public service, measured by the time, effort and creativity devoted to service, as well as the impact on the community.