Campbell Law Spotlight: Aryana Ainolhayat ’22

During her freshman and sophomore years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Aryana Ainolhayat ’22 was science major, but quickly realized it was not the right fit for her. As she began to consider which direction she wanted to take, she decided to enroll in a course on the Supreme Court through the political science department. This class prompted Ainolhayat to switch her major to political science and set her on a course to attend law school. Ainolhayat graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in three years with a degree in political science and a minor in Hispanic studies. During her gap-year between undergraduate and law school, she worked at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center which she recalls was excellent for her professional growth.
 
While a student at Campbell Law School, Ainolhayat was on Law Review, served as a teaching scholar and research assistant for Professor Bobbi Jo Boyd’s Criminal Law course, was involved in the Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA) and volunteered with a U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services non-profit.
 
Ainolhayat’s legal journey was significantly impacted by the Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship (CLDC). During her first year of law school, Ainolhayat fondly remembers being pushed by the Career Center to apply for this program where she interviewed and was selected. The CLDC places students with firms and in-house counsel internships. The CLDC additionally hosts events every week with a range of attorneys and judges from all areas of the legal field to discuss their paths to the law and what their careers look like. As a first-generation American and first-generation law student in her family, Ainolhayat was unfamiliar with the legal field and the CLDC Program was an eye-opening process that exposed her to private practice and significantly influenced her career. 
 
Through the CLDC, Ainolhayat spent the first half of her 1L summer at Robinson Bradshaw and the second half in-house at Novant Health. Following the successful completion of her 1L summer at Robinson Bradshaw, she was offered the opportunity to return for half of her 2L summer. For the second half of her 2L summer, Ainolhayat secured a position with Judge Frank Whitney in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina through Symplicity. This experience piqued Ainolhayat’s interest as she was considering clerking after graduation and provided her valuable exposure to the clerkship environment.
 
Upon graduating from Campbell Law and successful completion of the bar, Ainolhayat was offered a one-year clerkship with Chief Judge Catherine Eagles in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina in Greensboro. Ainolhayat also accepted a position as an associate attorney at Robinson Bradshaw after the completion of her clerkship.
 
Ainolhayat states her clerkship with Chief Judge Eagles enhanced her professional journey in two big ways. First, she honed her research and writing skills through constant drafting experience and feedback. Second, through exposure to a range of court proceedings, she was able to experience how attorneys pull cases together, argue before a jury, and interact with a judge. These experiences allowed her to take the abstract topics learned in law school and see how they are applicable in real world situations.
 
As a first-year associate attorney at Robinson Bradshaw, Ainolhayat works in various areas of law. Ainolhayat notes how this is similar to the summer program and states that Robinson Bradshaw does an excellent job making their summer associate program reflective of the first-year associate attorney role. Through her work in various legal areas, Ainolhayat enjoys the collaborative environment of Robinson Bradshaw where she can reach out to attorneys in the practice areas that she is interested in.
 
As one-half Ecuadorian and one-half Iranian, Ainolhayat is passionate about aiding representation matters. She encourages students to push themselves and apply for the CLDC, as it guided the direction of her professional journey.