Simons

Philip A. Simons of Salisbury has graduated from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law.

Simons was among the 183 graduates the law school conferred juris doctor degrees on May 9 during its 47th hooding and graduation ceremony at the Martin Marietta Center in downtown Raleigh. According to Dean J. Rich Leonard, the Class of 2025 marks the largest graduating class in the law school’s history.

“Standing here in my 12th year as your dean, I have enormous confidence in the superb quality of our legal education program,” Leonard said. “In my final words to this class I love, we have taught you to analyze an issue thoroughly, write persuasively and stand on your feet and comfortably defend your position … Hopefully we have taught you to follow your own moral compass. And we have put you out in this community, in externships, clinics, pro bono initiatives and mentorships to learn how the practice of law works. You are ready. And your skills are desperately needed.”

North Carolina’s Attorney General Jeff Jackson in his first commencement address in his new role told the graduates his mission was to help them feel a little less anxious about their future including the upcoming bar exam and subsequent job hunt.

“Campbell does the best job of preparing students for the bar exam of any school in the state,” Jackson said. “You are in such a stronger position than I was walking into that test. You are going to be OK…for those of you who don’t have something lined up, if you are applying anywhere in North Carolina, you have an advantage because Campbell Law is widely known and … it’s well regarded.

“You just ran a three-year long marathon that fewer than half a percent of anyone in our country has ever run. You don’t need to worry about your place in this world, the world needs to worry about you. You’re going to crush it.”