James G. Exum Jr., former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, has been named Distinguished Jurist in Residence at the Elon University School of Law. Details...
Exum is also among the charter members of the law school’s board of advisors.
Exum, an attorney at Smith Moore LLP in Greensboro, served on the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1974 to 1994, and was Chief Justice from 1986 to 1994. He currently leads his firm’s appellate practice group, supervising and assisting lawyers with all aspects of appeals in state and federal courts. He also writes briefs and makes oral arguments before appellate and trial courts on legal issues.
“Jim Exum brings to the law school his perspective as a chief justice, a teacher, a great lawyer and an excellent law student himself,” says Leary Davis, founding dean of the Elon law school. “He has an amazing amount of credibility, he identifies with the Bar, and has taught courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.”
As Distinguished Jurist in Residence, Exum will be a resource for students and faculty. He will help structure the appellate practice instruction and teach courses such as legal skills, professional responsibility and legal ethics.
“The Elon Law School is off to a great start – I have already met a number of the students in the first class, and they are outstanding,” Exum said. “I am pleased that my law firm, Smith Moore, has made it possible for me to work part-time with the school’s students, faculty and the administration and to help them however I can to achieve their goals. I will continue my law practice at Smith Moore, dividing my time between the firm and the law school.”
Exum has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and a law degree from New York University. He began his career in Greensboro in 1961 with Smith Moore Smith Schell & Hunter. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1967 and that same year began service as Resident Superior Court Judge of Guilford County, holding that position until being elected to the state Supreme Court in 1974.
During his service with the Supreme Court, Exum wrote 402 opinions for the court and 208 concurring or dissenting opinions. As a lawyer, he has participated in more than 40 appeals in state and federal appellate courts.
Smith Moore Managing Partner Steve Earp said his firm is delighted that Exum will be working with students. “They will learn so much from him by absorbing the accumulated wisdom and experience he has gained from many years in private practice, as a trial judge and as chief justice,” Earp said.
The Elon University School of Law opened in August 2006, enrolling a charter class of 115 students. The school is located in downtown Greensboro, N.C., about 20 miles west of the main Elon University campus. The Elon Law School also serves as the home of the North Carolina Business Court, which handles complex business cases in the school’s state-of-the-art courtroom.