By Sadie Pruett 

After previously interning with the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives and with the Department of Defense, I have actively sought internships involving advocacy for veterans since 2020. Four years later and in my 1L year at Wake Forest Law, I took advantage of the opportunity to intern in the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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By Emily Jacobson

I looked forward to my first summer for my entire 1L year. I frequently heard older students and mentors describe their first summers as the moment when all the pieces fell together. Heading into their second year of law school, they felt a deeper understanding and appreciation for the work they do while in school. Now, at the conclusion of my first summer and the early stages of my 2L year, I echo those sentiments.

I spent this summer interning with the North Carolina Department of Justice Medicaid Investigations Division. MID represents the interests of the citizens of North Carolina, particularly as they relate to the health care industry. The bulk of MID’s work involves investigating and prosecuting Medicaid fraud; they also handle patient abuse cases in Medicaid-funded facilities across North Carolina. MID’s work is critical for protecting the integrity of the Medicaid system and guarding state and federal funds from bad actors.

I was eager to work with MID and explore what I now know is an interesting, and often overlooked, area of law. My experience was enriching, and it allowed me to practice the skills I developed during my first year at Campbell Law. More importantly, however, this summer was the first chance I have had to engage in meaningful legal work for the benefit of my community. Since beginning law school, I have been eager to apply my developing legal skills in a practical and useful way. My internship with MID was an excellent opportunity to do so, and I am grateful I could spend my summer in this way.

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By Kayla Britt

Driving along the interstate, or within your county, you will notice construction projects from the installation of new bridges, widening roads, and more. Have you ever stopped to consider that those construction projects require attorneys – specifically, government and public sector attorneys?

The North Carolina General Assembly grants the Department of Transportation the power to acquire private land to create transportation infrastructure. This includes acquiring easements or fee simple title to land, and land improvements, as necessary for road construction, maintenance, and repair, or other transportation projects deemed appropriate. An acquisition of land by the state is most commonly known as eminent domain.

The North Carolina Department of Justice’s Condemnation Section represents the North Carolina Department of Transportation in such matters before North Carolina Superior Courts. Condemnation proceedings are instituted by the Department of Transportation’s filing of a Complaint and Declaration of Taking. Upon those filings, along with filing a “deposit,” which is a sum estimated by the Department of Transportation to be just compensation, title to the property and the right to immediate possession vests in the Department of Transportation. The landowner has twelve months to file an Answer. If they do not, then the deposit is deemed to have been accepted as just compensation and a final judgment may be entered. If an Answer is filed, then the deposit amount is in dispute, and the case may be negotiated, mediated, and/or litigated.

You can learn more about the condemnation powers granted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Understand the Right of Way Process by accessing this guide.

By Kayla Britt

During the 2023-2024 bar year, North Carolina Bar Association’s Past President Patti Ramseur designated the theme of the bar year as “Professionalism and Civility.” In honor of this theme, I created the #FairyLawMother Reflective Series where I collected and shared responses from various professionals within the North Carolina Bar on what “Professionalism and Civility” means to them. Below is a compilation of those responses.

This bar year, North Carolina Bar Association President Kim Stogner continues the challenge for us all to engage in “Professionalism and Civility.”

What does “professionalism and civility” mean to you as a lawyer?

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By Karen Richards

I have always had an interest in public service. My journey to the New Hanover County Attorney’s Office started as a staff attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina. From there, I served stints as an assistant district attorney and as a staff attorney for New Hanover County Department of Social Services (DSS) before joining the County Attorney’s Office.

I have been a litigator for my entire career. My path crossed with former New Hanover Deputy County Attorney Sharon Huffman while I was with DSS, and I was intrigued. I was not sure what a county attorney’s role entailed, so I made a cold call to New Hanover County Attorney Wanda Copley, who spent forty years in that position.

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