Campbell University Law School Review
Campbell University, located in Buies Creek, North Carolina, is tucked away in the cotton fields of Central North Carolina, about 45 minutes outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1976, the law school admitted 97 students as their charter class. Since then, Campbell has built upon the excellence and tradition started three decades ago. Today, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law continues to provide a solid legal education, graduating approximately 100 students per year.
The Baptist affiliated law school, from the start, had as its mission to remain a small school where the students could interact with the faculty while studying law. As well, the focus of the school was to provide a quality legal education that would prepare them to practice in the rural areas of the state. The school, located in the rural community of Buies Creek, provides a perfect backdrop for the study of law. If it is an established and readily available social scene you are looking for, you won’t find anything that even looks like this in Buies Creek. There are no bars, no restaurants or really anything other than convenience stores in the small town. In fact, the town is dry with there being no where to even buy alcohol which leaves plenty of time to devote to your studies.
The most recent statistics set out by the school show that 1,194 students applied and 147 were offered admissions. The school did note that this was approximately 18% higher than normal, with a typically incoming class of around 120 being admitted each year. The median LSAT score was 156 and the median GPA was 3.35. As with most law schools, Campbell gives great weight to the LSAT score and the GPA; however,Campbell also conducts interviews of applicants and gives weight to this process in selecting from among the candidates.
Campbell also offers a unique program for applicants not offered outright admission. While a large portion of the incoming class will be offered direct admission, certain applicants, sometimes more than 100 students, will be extended an invitation to participate in a Performance Based Admission Program, or PBAP. For applicants who accept this invitation, they attend approximately 7 weeks of summer classes where they receive instructions in two law school level classes. Pursuant to American Bar Association rules, law school credit cannot be given for these classes, but from the students who successfully complete the classes, a certain number, determined by class ranking, are extended invitations to become members of the incoming class. PBAP is offered each summer prior to the fall start date for the incoming class. Of the students who completed the PBAP program and became members of the incoming class, the median LSAT score was 152 and the median GPA was 3.16. While tuition is charged for the PBAP program and not all students that attend PBAP are extended invitations to join the fall incoming class, it offers an excellent opportunity for students on the border of acceptance to show that they can perform as law students.
As with all law schools across the country, Campbell’s curriculum for the first year is rigid, previously determined and has no electives. Basic classes, Property, Contracts, Torts, and Civil Procedure are taught. As well, agency and partnership is taught along with legal writing, trial advocacy and jurisprudence. Overall, this makes for a busy and stressful first year. If you are considering going to law school, you already know, or should know, that law school is taught using the Socratic Method and that there are no quizzes or midterm examinations. One exam determines a student’s grade. As well, first year grades determine membership on the school’s law review and provide other opportunities within the school as well as with summer employment opportunities.
After the first year at many other schools, there are suggested classes, but few schools have required courses. However, at Campbell, even after the first year, there are required classes. Some of these classes are Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Wills, Trusts and Estates, Taxation, Corporations, several Constitution Law classes, Uniform Commercial Code classes and a number of classes in trial advocacy. At the end of a student’s time at Campbell, there will have been few opportunities for elective classes, but some never the less. One of Campbell’s strengths is that in addition to their excellent full time faculty, they have a devoted and outstanding group of adjunct professors who are experts in their field and take time to travel to Campbell to instruct in their area of expertise.
Frequently people, when examining the required courses, are at a loss as to why there are so many required classes; however, given that the required courses mirror the subjects that are tested on the North Carolina bar exam, the reason becomes clear. The result of the students being exposed to the bar subjects is that the North Carolina bar passage rate for Campbell students is traditionally very high.Campbell prepares their students for the bar exam, plain and simple.
Campbell is a private law school so expect to pay more than you would at a state supported school. However, Campbell
is not as expensive as many other private law schools. One benefit that Campbell does offer is that, being so rural, there are not a lot of places to spend money without having to travel. Given the rural nature of the school, rent is quite affordable, commutes are frequently short, and traffic is a non-issue which all helps keep the stress level down. However, given the isolation, cabin fever can sometimes be a problem so out of town trips are not uncommon. There is a limited number of on campus options for housing, but most students live in the surrounding area or travel to Raleigh and beyond.
Campbell, though only having a 30 year history, has a strong faculty and many resources. There is a strong alumni network and the school has a great reputation in the state that is expanding beyond to the surrounding states and slowly beyond. Many graduates take state judicial clerkships, public positions or go into private practice. Many graduates even go so far to open their own practice taking advantage of many programs Campbell offers to recent graduates in this area. This is one aspect of the law school that makes it unique. Each year, a large percentage of Campbell’s graduates go to work in the more rural areas of the state thereby providing quality legal representation for people all across the state who otherwise would not have access to the caliber of legal representation that Campbell’s graduates provides.
In addition to the strong background of academics, Campbell has a strong law review, a student written legal newspaper, a number of legal organizations and a very active Student Bar Association that provides regular activities for the students.
Accepting only 10% of the applicants, Campbell cannot and should not be viewed as a law school that will accept anyone. It is not a simple process to get in Campbell as they place a great deal of pride in their standards and adhering to them. However, if you are a qualified student who wants a hands-on, focused legal education that will prepare them for real world problems and experiences, few law schools offer a program as does Campbell.
