Regent University Names Distinguished North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin as Dean of Law School Effective March 1, 2019
Regent University and its Board of Trustees have named North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin as its new School of Law dean effective March 1. Dr. M. G. “Pat” Robertson, CEO and chancellor of Regent University, made the announcement today.
“Chief Justice Mark Martin is a distinguished leader who has served North Carolina for more than two decades,” said Robertson. “We are delighted to welcome this public servant whose vast experience and Constitutional advocacy will infuse a standard of excellence by every measure into our law program. Chief Justice Martin has set records throughout his career and he represents the intellect, skill, integrity and vision that we want our students and graduates to emulate.”
“On behalf of the Regent University Board of Trustees, I welcome Chief Justice Martin to the Regent University School of Law,” said Phil Walker, Regent University Chairman of the Board. “His career and legal abilities are extraordinary. I have known Chief Justice Martin for many years and know the Regent community will greatly benefit from this outstanding leader.”
Judge Martin has served for more than 26 years as a North Carolina judge, and more than 20 years on the N.C. Supreme Court. During his tenure, Judge Martin worked tirelessly to improve the administration of justice and the rule of law. In 1992, at age 29, Martin became the youngest superior court judge in the modern era, and in 1994, at 31 years old, Martin became the youngest judge in the history of the N.C. Court of Appeals. In 1998, as a 35-year-old, Martin was elected as the youngest Justice in the history of the North Carolina Supreme Court. He has served as Chief Justice since September 1, 2014. In 2015, Martin initiated a multidisciplinary citizens’ commission to strengthen the courts in North Carolina to meet 21st century public expectations.
Extensive Career Highlights include:
(1) service on the U.S. Judicial Conference Federal/State Jurisdiction Committee (appointed by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts); (2) Chair of the Conference of Chief Justices Professionalism and Competence of the Bar Committee; (3) Chair of the Board of Directors of the Appellate Judges Education Institute; (4) service on the Board of Directors of the Bolch Judicial Institute (located at Duke University); (5) service as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina, Duke, and North Carolina Central law schools; (6) Chair of the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Future of the Business Court; and (7) Chair of the ABA Judicial Division. In recognition of his lifetime of service to the courts, the National Center for State Courts inducted Martin into the Warren Burger Society in 2011.
Chief Justice Martin will assume his new duties at Regent on March 1, 2019.
“It has been the highest of honors to serve the people of North Carolina as their Chief Justice,” Martin stated. “I will forever cherish the memories of serving with so many amazing and capable people. It is now time to direct my focus to helping prepare the next generation of leaders.”
The Regent School of Law opened in 1986 and is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Regent Law’s more than 3,300 graduates practice law in 49 states and over 20 countries, and include 38 currently sitting judges. The School of Law currently ranks in the top 25 percent of all law schools for obtaining judicial clerkships and achieved the highest overall passage rate on the Virginia bar exam (July ’17 and February ’18). The school offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) in three-year and part-time formats, an online M.A. in Law, an online M.A. in Financial Planning & Law, an on-campus LL.M. in Human Rights and an on-campus and online LL.M. in American Legal Studies.
“Regent University is committed to providing excellence in education, and we could not have chosen a more qualified legal professional than Chief Justice Mark Martin to lead our law school,” said Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riano, executive vice president for academic affairs at Regent. “Judge Martin’s decades-long distinguished career on the North Carolina Supreme Court bench will be invaluable to our students, alumni and the Regent community.”
ABOUT REGENT UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1977, Regent University has 11,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Va., and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in more than 130 program areas including business, communication and the arts, cybersecurity and technology, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing and healthcare, and psychology. Currently, Regent University tops the list of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs in Virginia and is listed among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report.
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