October 13-15, 2011
Honoring the Classes of 61, 66, 71, 76, 81, 86, 91, 96, 01, 06 and the Golden Tar Heels
Congratulations to our Law Alumni Leadership Award Winners
Wade H. Hargrove Jr. '65
Wade Hargrove's practice is concentrated in communications, antitrust, corporate, media, Internet, copyright, public utility law and Congressional representation. He has been asked to testify before numerous Congressional and legislative committees on issues involving corporate law, copyright law, the Internet, satellite broadcasting, open government, libel and slander, political broadcasting, broadcast license renewal, cable television, and public utility law. He regularly advises clients in mergers and acquisitions and has served as counsel in some of the nation's largest media transactions.
He appears regularly before the Federal Communications Commission and other government agencies, as well as federal and state courts, and he counsels clients on Congressional and state legislative matters. New technologies and associated issues of intellectual property, licensing and contractual negotiations, and mergers and acquisitions are significant components of his practice. His regular clients include radio and television broadcast stations, cable television companies, newspapers, Internet and new technology companies, telephone companies, public utilities, financial institutions, and trade associations.
William D. Johnson '82
Bill Johnson is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy, Inc. He became chairman and CEO on October 12, 2007. He served as president and chief operating officer from January 2005 until October 2007. Johnson has been with Progress Energy (previously CP&L) in a number of roles since 1992, including group president for Energy Delivery, president and chief executive officer for Progress Energy Service Company, and general counsel and secretary for Progress Energy, Inc.
On January 10, 2011, Progress Energy and Duke Energy announced a merger. When the transaction closes, Bill Johnson will serve as a director on the board and in the role of president and chief executive officer for the newly combined company. The new company will be the largest regulated utility holding company in the United States.
Before joining Progress Energy, Johnson was a partner with the Raleigh office of Hunton & Williams, where he specialized in the representation of utilities. He previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable J. Dickson Phillips Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Outstanding Recent Graduate Award Recipient
Ashley H. Campbell '03
Ashley Campbell is an associate attorney at Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, where she practices in the areas of civil litigation and legislative and executive representation. Prior to joining Ragsdale Liggett, Ashley was tax counsel to the North Carolina General Assembly and served as committee counsel to the House Finance Committee. Ashley is admitted to practice in all North Carolina state and federal courts, as well as the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Ashley handles a variety of litigation matters at Ragsdale Liggett, including business litigation, appellate advocacy and insurance defense. Ashley also represents client interests before the North Carolina General Assembly and various government agencies. Ashley was named to Thomson Reuter's 2009 and 2010 North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, which is comprised of the State's up-and-coming attorneys.