HPU Law is a pleased to announce that Robert (“Bob”) Edmunds has been appointed to serve on the full-time faculty as the school’s first Jurist-in-Residence and Lecturer on Law.
Justice Edmunds has a storied career in the legal profession, serving in esteemed positions in both the federal and state governments and in private practice. Following service as a line officer in the United States Navy, he began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Guilford County, North Carolina. He was later named an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina and was then appointed in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the United States Attorney for that district. President George H.W. Bush retained Justice Edmunds as United States Attorney until he left to enter private practice in 1993.
While in private practice, Justice Edmunds practiced criminal and appellate law with a firm in Greensboro, and he became board certified as a specialist in state and federal criminal law and in appellate practice. In 1998 Justice Edmunds was elected to the North Carolina bench. He first served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and then served for sixteen years—from 2001 to 2016—as a Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. After his judicial service, Justice Edmunds reentered private practice, working in the appellate practice section of the Greensboro office of Fox Rothschild, LLP.
Throughout his career, Justice Edmunds has exemplified a heart of service. He has served as President of the Appellate Judges Education Institute and as a member of the Education Committee of the National Judicial College. He is the past Chair of both the American Bar Association’s Appellate Judges Conference and the North Carolina Bar Association’s Judicial Independence and Integrity Committee. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and has served as an adjunct professor at multiple law schools. He also contributes his time to community service and has donated blood more than 100 times since college.
Justice Edmunds received his A.B. from Vassar College and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. While on the Supreme Court, he earned a Master of Law in the Judicial Process at the University of Virginia School of Law. In his role as HPU Law’s first Jurist-in-Residence, Justice Edmunds will mentor HPU Law students, co-teach Criminal Law, and assist with law school program development and outreach to the bench and bar.
In reflecting on Justice Edmunds’ appointment, Founding Dean and Professor of Law Mark Martin shared, “I had the privilege to serve alongside Bob Edmunds for many years on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Without question, he is one of the finest individuals I know. His sharp intellect, kind spirit, and impeccable character combine to make him an outstanding lawyer, jurist, legal scholar, and person. Plus, his dry wit simply makes him fun to be around! I so look forward to how he will bless and inspire our faculty, staff, and students by his service here at HPU Law.”
Justice Edmunds also expressed, “After having watched the amazing transformation of High Point University under the leadership of Dr. Nido Qubein, I was delighted to be invited to join the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law faculty. I have worked with Dean Mark Martin for many years and know that his talents will guarantee the school’s success. He is bringing aboard a strong and committed faculty while recruiting the bright and inquiring students that every teacher covets. Everyone wins! I cannot wait to be part of it.”
