1970s
Jake Wicker, David Lawrence and other Institute faculty work on city-county consolidation studies in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s for Wilmington and New Hanover County, the City of Durham and Durham County, Asheville and Buncombe County, and Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. None of these consolidation efforts are successful.

Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice supports a six-year Mecklenburg Criminal Justice Pilot Project under the direction of Douglas R. Gill. Institute faculty Steve Clarke and Gloria Grizzle focus efforts on providing analytical tools and methodologies for criminal justice administration in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and generate 50 reports of their activities and analyses from 1970 to 1975.

School Law Bulletin is launched in October 1970 by Robert Phay to keep North Carolina attorneys and school administrators better informed about issues and trends in school law.

The first set of Pattern Jury Instructions is compiled and issued by the Institute and the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions.

With the Triangle J Council of Government, faculty Jake Wicker and Heath work on a study on alternative regional wastewater disposal options.

Faculty member Dexter Watts establishes and coordinates prosecutor training programs for 20 years. Bob Farb now provides this training and reaches prosecutors and others through the Institute’s Criminal Law web site (http://www.iogcriminal.unc.edu/) and listserv, which sends subscribers information on new criminal cases and legislation.

A significant amount of legislation relating to water and other environmental issues is passed in the `70s. Milton Heath works with numerous legislation committees to draft proposed legislation.

1971
John Sanders serves as general counsel to commissions established by the General Assembly to rewrite the constitution. A revision of the state constitution is approved by North Carolina voters in 1971.

Ben Loeb serves as legal counsel for the Alcohol Beverage Control Law Study Commission in 1970-1971, which results in a new ABC law.

1973
Henry W. Lewis becomes director, after twenty-seven years of service on the faculty. John Sanders becomes vice-president for planning of the UNC system after eleven years as director.

The Institute Library moves into expanded quarters in the Auditorium basement, which had been used previously as a visitors’ lounge.

Faculty member Ben Loeb serves as legal counsel for the Motor Vehicle Law Study Commission, which is chaired by legislator Bill Whichard in 1973-1974. The commission’s work results in a major revision of the state’s motor vehicle laws.

Consulting for Local Government Study Commissions by faculty members Ferrell, Lawrence, Sanders, and others leads to statute revisions and consolidations of city laws and county laws and local finance laws in 1971 and 1973.

1974
David Lawrence continues the longstanding tradition of issuing the series of annual calendars of finance-related duties of North Carolina local government officials.

1975
Steve Clarke issues the first Administration of Justice Memorandum. Still published today by Bob Farb and others, the Bulletin discusses current legal issues of interest to North Carolina judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, law enforcement officers, magistrates, and other court officials.

The Local Government Law Bulletin also gets its start in 1975 and continues to be published. Edited by David Lawrence, each bulletin discusses legislative actions, recent court cases or a current issue of concern for North Carolina local government officials including personnel directors, solid waste management directors, and city and county managers and attorneys.

Faculty member Anne Dellinger provides research assistance to the Commission to Revise the Public School Laws 1975-1977.

1976
A conference for attorneys and administrators of the community college system and a course in school law for presidents of community colleges and technical institutes are provided under the leadership of Robert Phay.

Faculty members Rutherford Turnbull and Patrice Solberg teach a series of eighteen regional six-hour seminars on public health and mental health law. The seminars are cosponsored by the UNC School of Public Health.

Sixteen three-day programs in management are conducted by Institute faculty members Ron Lynch and Dick McMahon for the State Department of Correction.

Faculty Steve Clarke and Jim Drennan serve as staff for the Commission on Correctional Programs, 1976-1981. The Commission’s work results in passage of the Fair Sentencing Act in 1981.

1977
Although schools for magistrates have been offered by Institute faculty since the 1960s, the first Magistrates Basic School mandated by NC law is conducted in 1977 by Joan Brannon.

Faculty member Dexter Watts works with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to revise and consolidate the laws of North Carolina relating to the conservation of wildlife resources.

1978
Consulting by faculty member David Lawrence for the Open Meetings Study Commission in 1978-1979 results in legislation in 1979.

1979
John Sanders becomes director again when Henry Lewis retires in 1979 after 33 years of service, including six years as director.

The first issue of Land Records Bulletin is issued by Bill Campbell in June 1979 to keep registers of deeds, county attorneys, and other county and municipal officials informed about statutory changes and court decisions, and special topics of interest to them. The series continues today under the editorship of Chuck Szypszak.