Professor Andy Haile and Assistant Professor Rosa Newman-Ruffin will join with other law professors, attorneys, and legislators to draft bills and offer advice to the North Carolina General Assembly on proposals currently before lawmakers.
Two Elon Law faculty members will contribute their expertise and guidance to elected leaders over the next few years through service on a state commission that evaluates and drafts legislation for the North Carolina General Assembly.
Professor Andy Haile and Assistant Professor Rosa Newman-Ruffin were appointed in September to roles with the North Carolina General Statutes Commission, which reviews the proposed adoption and amendment of uniform state laws put forward by the Uniform Law Commission.
Haile will serve as a member of the General Statutes Commission and Newman-Ruffin as a member of the commission’s Trusts Drafting Committee.
The North Carolina General Statutes Commission is comprised of professors representing each of the state’s six law schools, practicing attorneys, and legislators. It conducts meetings on a monthly basis and, in addition to its advisory role, drafts legislation on issues of public concern brought to the commission by members of the General Assembly, commission members, practicing attorneys, and the public.
“I have tried to integrate my work on the Commission with student learning by having students attend Commission meetings with me,” said Haile, who first served on the Commission from 2009 to 2020. “I enjoy working on matters of public interest with exceptionally capable and smart people who are motivated by a desire to improve the laws of the state and not by partisan considerations.”
Haile said he thinks his students’ attendance at commission meetings offers a sense of the law outside of a classroom. Students witness discussions and see how legislation is drafted on a wide range of legal matters.
Aside from its general membership, the General Statutes Commission also has committees of experts to assist in work on major projects. The Trusts Drafting Committee provides the General Statues Commission with expertise in the areas of estates, trusts, and property. It prepares legislative proposals for consideration relating to these topics.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the larger North Carolina community with my knowledge and expertise in this way,” Newman-Ruffin said. “I think the mixture of practical experience, familiarity with current issues, and knowledge about the most recent scholarship on the topics of estates, trusts, and property will allow us to contribute a great breadth of insight on the matters that are presented to us.”
Newman-Ruffin joined the Elon Law faculty over the summer after concluding her service as a Louis Westerfield Fellow at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Her legal research and teaching are focused primarily on property, land use, and business transactional law, with additional interest in affordable housing development.
Newman-Ruffin previously worked in the commercial real estate development field for several firms both in her hometown of Miami and in Charlotte, specializing in multilayered financing for mixed-income, multifamily housing developments in four states. She also has experience working for a Florida elder care law firm where she handled wills, trusts, and estate matters.
Haile joined the Elon Law faculty as a full-time member in June 2008. He previously was a partner with the law firm of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, L.L.P, in the firm’s Greensboro office. While in practice, Haile represented clients in mergers and acquisitions as well as matters involving complex tax planning and tax litigation.
Haile teaches business and tax law classes. His primary areas of research include tax policy and state and local tax issues.