2023
Caroline Leadmon
WVU College of Law Class of 2023
Photo by WVU College of Law .
MAGGIE HATFIELD
ORIGINALLY FROM HURRICANE , WV , Caroline Leadmon grew up in a family of Mountaineers .
“ Both my parents are West Virginia University ( WVU ) alumni , and because they fostered Mountaineer values in me , attending WVU was a family tradition that I was proud to carry on ,” Leadmon says . “ I ultimately chose WVU for my undergraduate studies because of the support of the WVU Foundation Scholarship , but I chose to stay for my legal education because Morgantown and WVU were home .”
In 2020 , Leadmon graduated from WVU as a member of the Order of Augusta with bachelor ’ s degrees in both biochemistry and animal and nutritional sciences . Because of her technical background , she found an interest in intellectual property law . Even though Leadmon couldn ’ t imagine obtaining her legal degree anywhere else , she realized that law school comes with its own set of challenges , such as the harsh grading curve and appellate briefs .
“ Despite the various struggles I have had during my law school education , I wouldn ’ t trade it for the world ,” she says . “ Every opportunity to cheer on the Mountaineers or to sing Country Roads with my classmates has truly been a highlight of my time at WVU .”
Leadmon ’ s class entered law school at the height of the COVID pandemic , so the experience was not typical .
“ Starting law school in fall 2020 was no easy time — the school was on lockdown , and it was incredibly hard to form connections with your classmates . However , the WVU College of Law class of 2023 rallied , and we ended up supporting each other in ways I didn ’ t know were possible ,” says Leadmon .
During her time at WVU College of Law , Leadmon served as both president and fundraising chair of the Student Bar Association ; vice president and event planner of the Women ’ s Leadership Council ; and executive alumni , development editor and associate editor for the West Virginia Law Review .
Leadmon credits her success and drive to her family . Without them , she wouldn ’ t have been able to accomplish all she did over the last three years .
“ The most influential people in my life during law school were without a doubt my family . I am so thankful for their daily calls , their willingness to help me move from location to location as I worked around the southeast and their constant encouragement ,” she says .
During law school , Leadmon won the 2L Emerging Leader Award . She was also awarded the CALI Awards in six courses , including Torts I ; Legal Analysis , Research and Writing II ; Patent Law ; Copyright ; Appellate Advocacy ; and American Constitutional History Seminar .
Even though her studies were demanding , Leadmon was able to give her time to other organizations outside of WVU .
She was a member of the U . S . Supreme Court Litigation Clinic , where she was afforded the opportunity to attend arguments at the U . S . Supreme Court .
“ For me , the opportunity to have attended arguments at the U . S . Supreme Court is likely once-in-a-lifetime , so my time as a clinician at WVU College of Law was incredibly transformative on my career ,” she says .
Leadmon was also involved with the WVU Alumni Association and served as the co-chair for the Mountaineer Advisory Council . A figure skater herself , she worked as a figure skating coach at Morgantown Ice Arena .
Leadmon graduated with honors , including as a member of the Order of the Coif . After the bar exam , she plans to start her career as an associate attorney at Dority & Manning , P . A . in Greenville , SC .
“ West Virginians are fiercely resilient and always fight for what is right , which are traits I hope to only build upon in my legal career ,” Leadmon says . “ I am incredibly proud to be a WVU alumna , and my time at WVU has forever left a mark on me . I will forever bleed gold and blue .” •
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