Professor Russell Gold found his path within the law by combining his criminal law interests and his experiences within civil litigation. As Wake Forest Law’s newest Legal Analysis, Writing and Research (LAWR) faculty member, Professor Gold says he hopes to mentor law students to help them find their own specialty within the law.
Beginning in fall 2016, Professor Gold will teach a section of LAWR to first-year students as well as Litigation Drafting to upper-level students. Professor Gold plans to incorporate his past teaching experiences as well as his knowledge of class-action issues to the courses.
Having taught first-year students at New York University School of Law, Professor Gold says he looks forward to continue teaching students early on in their legal studies. He described unhappy lawyers as those who never found their passion within the field. “I want to help my students find a path in the law where they will be happy and successful,” he says.
Professor Gold joined Wake Forest Law in June 2016 from New York University School of Law, where he was the associate director of the Lawyering Program, a basic skills program for first-year students focused on legal analysis, research and negotiation. During his time spent teaching at New York University School of Law, he was awarded the Albert Podell Distinguished Teaching Award.
Prior to New York University School of Law, Professor Gold served as a law clerk in the United States Court of Appeals and practiced litigation at Gibson Dunn, where he focused on class action issues.
Professor Gold spent his undergraduate years at Arizona State University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a double major in political science and economics. He then studied in the nation’s capital at George Washington University Law School, where he graduated with highest honors.
While in law school, Professor Gold published his first legal article which addressed search and seize issues in shared living arrangements.
Professor Gold says his experience in litigation enabled him to find similarities within his class actions cases and his knowledge of criminal matters. As a result of his findings, he has recently analyzed civil and criminal procedure in relation to one another.
Professor Gold is currently researching the duty of prosecutors and their actions within the field. This summer, he will have an article published about the importance of compensating victims in class actions. Within the next year, Professor Gold will have two additional articles published, both discussing similarities between class counsel and prosecutors, highlighting ways to increase accountability in legal practices. These articles will be published in the Notre Dame Law Review, Washington Law Review and the Georgia Law Review.
After living in New York City for the past four years, Professor Gold described the Wake Forest and Winston-Salem community as welcome and timely change.
“I have received a warm embrace from the faculty,” he said, beginning with his interview and continuing onto his move into his new office. After meeting a few students over the summer, Professor Gold described them as “engaging, smart and thoughtful.”