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UNCG students heard encouraging words from six local judges yesterday evening during a panel discussion hosted by the African American Studies Program.

The topic was supposed to be "gender and the law," but the discussion turned out to be a little more general than that.

One question was posed about obstacles women face in legal careers. But the composition of the panel -- five female judges and one male -- demonstrated that gender discrimination in the courthouse is pretty much a thing of the past.

As Judge Patrice Hinnant pointed out, 11 of Guilford County's 14 District Court judges are women.

She recently was appointed by Gov. Bev Perdue to fill the term of retired Superior Court Judge Henry Frye Jr. Women are still a minority on the Superior Court bench, in Guilford County and across the state, but their numbers are increasing there, too.

Hinnant related that when she attended law school, some male students would tease her by asking whether she was there to get a law degree or a husband. "I'm still waiting," she said.

Judge Michelle Fletcher noted that she's been mistaken for a clerk -- but it's fair to point out she's only in her 30s and the error probably has as much to do with age as gender.

To a question about domestic violence cases, Judge Sherry Alloway said the biggest impact has been on children. There's been an explosion in DSS cases, she said, often involving a mother and boyfriend, when the issue is the child's welfare. The mother should seek a protective order to keep an abusive boyfriend away from her, for the sake of the children, but won't. That raises questions about her fitness to retain custody.

Asked to advise students thinking about legal careers, the judges appealed to idealism.

"It helps to have as your north star service to people," Hinnant said. "If you want to make money, the money will come, but that's not the most important thing ... You really need to devote yourself to the law."

"Treating the practice of law like a business, if that's your mind-set, I think you should do something else," Judge Lindsay Davis said.

"You have to bring a sense of integrity and honesty and fidelity," Judge Sue Burch said. "It's often said the law is a noble profession, and I believe that."

Judge Avery Crump recalled sitting in courtrooms as a high school student in Statesville, just observing the law at work. She encouraged students to do the same, or seek internship opportunities to learn about the profession.

Attorney Thomas Johnson moderated the panel. He said he had similar experiences as a youngster in Washington, N.C., where he watched the best local trial lawyers in action.

He remembered the theatrical aspects of it -- seeing some lawyers cry as they made their arguments. Some even rolled on the floor.

"It was almost like church," he said. "That's when I knew they loved it."

The students should have gotten a sense that these judges love their jobs and the law.