Professor Timothy Davis: A career reflection

For Professor Timothy Davis, the path to the law began with the morning delivery of the Los Angeles Times. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Davis recalls reading the newspaper from front to back, fascinated by the stories of attorneys and the impact they had as influential figures in his community. This early curiosity sparked a lifelong goal: he wanted to be a lawyer, and he never wavered from that mission.

Since joining the Wake Law faculty in 1998, Davis—the Bess and Walter Williams Professor of Law—has become a cornerstone of the university’s legal community. He was originally a tenured professor at another institution when he interviewed at Wake Forest in 1997, but he was so moved by the vibrant, supportive “community of learners” that he accepted the offer outright. Decades later, he notes that this first impression has remained true throughout his entire tenure