RALEIGH, N.C. – On September 21, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law hosted a talk by Michael Dreeben, Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, Department of Justice. In attendance were more than 80 attorneys from the North Carolina Attorney General’s office, Judge Allyson Duncan and her clerks from the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and Campbell Law School faculty and students.

 

Mr. Dreeben is a Deputy Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice with responsibility for criminal appellate cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served in the United States Department of Justice for 20 years and has argued 89 cases before the Supreme Court.

 

Mr. Dreeben spoke about three main topics:

·         The office of the Solicitor General

·         The special responsibilities of government lawyers

·         The workings of the Supreme Court and cases being heard this term

 

Throughout his talk, Mr. Dreeben spoke of successes and failures throughout his career and his extensive experience in front of the Supreme Court. “My preparation for an appeal in front of the Supreme Court is not that different from any other appellate court,” he said. “It comes down to simplification, clarity and candor.” He went on to describe the process from reviewing briefs, to discussions with colleagues to several moot court trials.

 

When asked what tips he had for students who wanted to get into appellate practice, he offered the following advice:

·         Do as well as you can in law school.

·         Enhance your understanding of the appellate process with jobs in that area such as clerking.

·         Learn from those who are good at appellate law.

·         Write continually to find your own voice.

·         Credibility is your most important asset.

 

Mr. Dreeben received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, M.A. from the University of Chicago and J.D. from Duke University. Mr. Dreeben served as law clerk to Judge Jerre S. Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. From 1988 to 1995, he was an Assistant to the Solicitor General. In 1998, Professor Dreeben received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service for his representation of the government in criminal cases in the Supreme Court.

 

About Campbell Law School: Since its founding in 1976, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. The School has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 3,200 alumni, including 2,200 who reside and work in North Carolina. For 21 years, Campbell Law’s record of success on the North Carolina Bar Exam has been unsurpassed by any other North Carolina law school. In September 2009, Campbell Law relocated to a new state-of-the-art building in downtown Raleigh. For more information, visit law.campbell.edu.