Dionne Gonder

Dionne R. Gonder-Stanley is a clinical associate professor and the supervising attorney of the Criminal Defense Clinic. She joined the School of Law’s faculty in 2007.

Professor Gonder-Stanley earned her B.A. in Sociology from Duke University and her J.D. magna cum laude from New York University School of Law. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable James A. Beaty, Jr. at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of N.C. and then practiced as a criminal defense lawyer. She has advocated for clients through her work at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, the Durham Public Defender’s Office, and the firm of Edwards & Trenkle, PLLC.

Along with supervising students in the Criminal Defense Clinic-Field course, Professor Gonder-Stanley teaches Criminal Law, Trial Practice, and the Criminal Defense Clinic-Classroom preparation course. She also produces scholarship on topics related to her teaching and client work such as a presentations on trial advocacy, articles on North Carolina’s criminal law and procedure, and presentations about best practices for teaching law students.

Professor Gonder-Stanley’s community service over the years has included working on the Board of Directors for the NC Prisoners Legal Services and the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, providing legal services to individuals through expungement advice clinics and the Legal Aid of NC’s Lawyer on the Line program, volunteering with the NC Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System, teaching practicing lawyers for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and serving on the first Advisory Board for the Durham Expunction and Restoration Program. Her professional memberships have included the NC Bar Association, the NC Advocates for Justice, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the George H. White Bar Association, and the Clinical Legal Education Association.

One of Professor Gonder-Stanley’s favorite quotes is by motivational speaker Les Brown: “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”