Directory

Brenda Gibson

Brenda Gibson

Professor of Legal Writing

Brenda D. Gibson is a Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research at Wake Forest University School of Law. Her scholarship examines systemic inequities in legal education and the profession, with particular focus on racial justice, institutional barriers, and professional culture. Her work spans critical areas including post-SFFA diversity frameworks, linguistic bias in the law, generational wealth disparities, and attorney well-being. Prior to her tenure at Wake Law, she dedicated almost 15 years of service to North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law, where she led the legal writing program through a series of developments and … Read more »

Brenda D. Gibson is a Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research at Wake Forest University School of Law. Her scholarship examines systemic inequities in legal education and the profession, with particular focus on racial justice, institutional barriers, and professional culture. Her work spans critical areas including post-SFFA diversity frameworks, linguistic bias in the law, generational wealth disparities, and attorney well-being. Prior to her tenure at Wake Law, she dedicated almost 15 years of service to North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law, where she led the legal writing program through a series of developments and enhancements. Professor Gibson has served the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) in many capacities, including as an elected board member. She is also an active member of the Legal Writing Institute (LWI),having served on the editorial boards of the LWI's Monograph Series and the Second Draft, as well as the LWI Awards Committee and Teaching Resources Committee as co-chair.

Education

  • JD, North Carolina Central University, 1995
  • BA, North Carolina State University, 1991

Courses

Publications

Books

Articles

  • Hierarchy Maintenance Through Constitutional Law: How SFFA Retrenches Unequal Access to Higher Education and Why HBCUs are Essential for Change, 63 Howard L.J. (2026) forthcoming.
  • Lawyers, Trauma, and Professional Well-Being: How the Legal Community Takes Back Its Mental Health, 78 Arkansas L. Rev. 1 (2025).
  • Affirmative Reaction: The Blueprint for Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession After SFFA, 1204 B.U. L. Rev. 123 (2024).
  • (Essay) Teamwork Makes a Dream Work: Collaboration in the Legal Writing Classroom, 68 St. Louis U. L. Rev 431 (2024).
  • We Speak the Queen's English: Linguistic Profiling in the Legal Profession, 88 Brooklyn Law Review (2023).
  • The Heirs' Property Problem: Racial Caste Origins and Systemic Effects in the Black Community, 26 CUNY L. Rev. 172 (2023).
  • (Essay) Teaching in the Midst of Trauma, 27 J. Legal Writing Inst. 251 (2023).
  • The Indelible Mark of Plagiarism: Why is it so Difficult to Make it Stop?, 41 U. Ark. Little Rock L. Rev. 1 (2018).
  • Grading Rubrics: Their Creation and Their Many Benefits to Professors and Students, 38 North Carolina Central Law Review 41 (2014).

Other

  • If Only We Could . . . Make It Stick . . . (Book Review) (April 2017).
  • Upon Considering. . . The Seven Deadly Sins of Legal Writing (Book Review) (April 2014).

Presentations

  • Seizing the Reins of Power: From Classroom to Courtroom
    Howard Law's 22nd Annual Wiley A. Branton Symposium, October 23, 2025
  • Panelist, Seizing the Reins of Power: From Classroom to Courtroom
    Howard Law's 22nd Annual Wiley A. Branton Symposium, October 23, 2025
  • Lunch & Learn Facilitator, Educational Equity After Affirmative Action: The HBCU Imperative
    Howard Law's 22nd Annual Wiley A. Branton Symposium, October 23, 2025
  • Separate but Equal: The Aftermath of SFFA
    ALWD Summer Writing Feedback Circle, July 14, 2025
  • Separate but Equal: The Aftermath of SFFA
    Lutie Lytle Scholars Workshop, June 27, 2025
  • Scholarship for Faculty Teaching LAWR
    2025 AALS New Law Teacher's Workshop, June 7, 2025
  • Course Design and Classroom Implementation for Faculty Teaching LAWR
    2025 AALS New Law Teacher's Workshop, June 6, 2025
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Media

Brenda Gibson
Contact Information
 336.758.3944

Worrell 3305
Expertise
  • Law Teaching
  • Legal Writing & Research