Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall grew up a Carolina fan in the small Johnston County town of Princeton. He rooted for Phil Ford on the hardwood and Don McCauley on the gridiron.
He received his bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC, and learned criminal defense work from former UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour’s brother, Phil. Today, Woodall, 55, handles cases before Dick Baddour’s son, state Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour.
When The News & Observer reported in May 2012 that the UNC African studies department chairman, Julius Nyang’oro, was paid $12,000 to teach a class that never met, Woodall jumped into the case without hesitation.