Campbell Law Spotlight: Tia Overway ’23
Tia Overway is a 2023 graduate of Campbell Law School. While at Campbell Law, Overway worked as a summer associate for Young Moore and Henderson PA as well as Poyner Spruill LLP. Outside of internships, she was heavily involved in the Campbell Law community. Overway served as an Honor Court Justice, competed in a mock trial competition and three moot court competitions, including winning the 2021 Old Kivett Moot Court Competition. She was elected secretary for the law school’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and became Senior Editor of the Southern Journal of Policy and Justice her during her second year of law school and then earned her role as Editor-in-Chief her third year. When asked to share some insights into one of her many experiences while in law school, Overway had the following to say about her summer internship at Poyner Spruill.
Q: What responsibilities did you have and what did your summer associate role at Poyner Spruill entail?
A: “My main assignments were researching and writing memoranda on various issues. I was able to dabble into different practice areas with each research assignment. It was a really fast-paced environment, and I loved it. My mentors really wanted to know what I was interested in. Each week the summer associates were able to sit in on section meetings for various practice areas such as employment, litigation and GLUED (government, land use, and education) to learn about how Poyner Spruill operates as a full-service law firm.
“My favorite project involved a riparian rights issue. A partner assigned me to do research and write a memorandum for the issue which involved a lot of state constitutional law and property law (which I love). I really appreciated that experience because I got to work with the partner closely over the entire course of the summer.”
Q: What was your favorite thing about working at Poyner Spruill?
A: “What won me over at the end of the day was that, for a larger firm, Poyner Spruill makes community service a high priority. The summer associates spent a full day at Haven House learning how it assists youth with various obstacles in their lives. Some of the partners at Poyner work closely with Haven House to ensure the organization’s success, and in turn, the success of the youth. As a summer associate, I also participated in Meals on Wheels deliveries. There were four different opportunities to do deliveries over my six weeks there. Lastly, I got the chance to also be involved with some guardian ad litem pro bono work. The fact that Poyner makes time to stay involved in the community by prioritizing social responsibility speaks highly of Poyner Spruill.”
Q: What did you enjoy most about your summer experiences?
A: “Getting to know what practice really looks like. As a law student, you have preconceived notions of what practicing law entails but there’s nothing like getting to really see how successful attorneys operate on a day-to-day basis. I feel fortunate as I was able to learn what practicing law looks like in two very different types of firms.”
Q: What will you be doing after graduation?
A: “After passing the bar exam, I will join Poyner Spruill’s litigation section in the Raleigh office. I’ll also handle some land use and zoning-related matters. I’m so excited and grateful for this next chapter in my legal career.”