Checking In: June 15, 2021

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

Payne Joins Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has announced that 24 attorneys have joined the firm’s offices, including Lissette C. Payne, who has joined the Charlotte office as an attorney in the Banking and Financial Services Practice Group. She is designated as a Certified Information Privacy Professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, with U.S. Private Sector (CIPP/US) and European (CIPP/E) concentrations. Payne received her B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

New Firm, Harkey Litigation, Opens in Winston-Salem

Scott Harkey established Harkey Litigation, located in Winston-Salem. Harkey was the Senior Financial Crimes Prosecutor for the the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. He specializes in white collar defense, investigations, and complex civil litigation. A Board Certified Specialist in North Carolina Criminal Law, Harkey is a member of the North Carolina Bar Foundation Civic Education and Engagement Committee. He holds a B.A. from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from Campbell Law School.

Alexandria Tuttle Joins The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin announced that Alexandria Tuttle is now an associate attorney with the personal injury department. Tuttle obtained a B.A. in political science from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law. During law school, Tuttle worked full-time as a paralegal with The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. As an attorney with the firm, she serves on the Social Services Committee to help local non-profits.

Read more

/by

2021 Distinguished Paralegal Award Winner: Alicia Mitchell-Mercer

Alicia Mitchell-Mercer

Alicia Mitchell-Mercer has been selected to receive the 2021 Distinguished Paralegal Award. The award will be presented at the 2021 NCBA Annual Meeting, which will take place virtually on Thursday and Friday, June 17-18. Mitchell-Mercer will be honored during the Awards & Recognitions Presentation on Thursday, June 17, at 5 p.m.

Mitchell-Mercer received a B.S. in Paralegal Studies from Charter Oak State College and an M.S. in Project Management from Missouri State University. She has earned paralegal certifications from NALA (ACP), NFPA (RP), the South Carolina Bar (SCCP), and the North Carolina State Bar (NCCP).

She holds advanced paralegal certifications in trial practice, contracts administration, e-discovery, and business organizations: incorporated entities from NALA. She is certified by the International Institute of Legal Project Management (IILPM) as a Legal Project Practitioner and by the Scrum Alliance as a Certified ScrumMaster.

Mitchell-Mercer works in Charlotte as a legal project manager and paralegal at Brown & Associates, PLLC and as a legal project manager consultant at Lex Project Management Consulting Group using traditional and Agile methodologies. She is a securities arbitrator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Mitchell-Mercer is very involved in the legal community. She focuses her efforts on causes that advance the proper utilization of paralegals, access to justice, and that support the well-being of children.

She serves as the Communications Chair for the NCBA Paralegal Division, a role she has held for three years. She is the Chair of the division’s Technology Committee and the Publications Committee. She previously served as a member of the Paralegal Division Council (2015) and a participant in the Internet and Regulations Task Force (2016).

Mitchell-Mercer is currently serving on NALA’s Continuing Education Council which is charged with planning conference education sessions; developing, coordinating, and facilitating continuing education programs and certification review courses; and producing Facts & Findings magazine.

She is a Guardian ad Litem for abused and neglected children in the 26th Judicial District and was recently appointed to the North Carolina State Bar’s Subcommittee Studying Regulatory Change.

Mitchell-Mercer teaches CLEs and contributes to legal publications on the topic of legal project management and lives in Charlotte with her husband and son. She enjoys reading, traveling abroad, and time spent by the ocean. She also volunteers with Autism Speaks, Compassion International, and Central Church of God in Charlotte.

Previous recipients of the Distinguished Service Award were (2008) Teresa L. Bowling, (2010) Virginia M. Burrows, (2011) Phyllis M. Hines, (2012) Stephanie C. Crosby, (2013) Kaye H. Summers, (2014) Sarah Hall Kaufman, (2015) Yolanda N. Smith, (2016) Wanda Pitts Nicholson, (2017) Alicia Lewis of Raleigh, (2018) Sarah L. White and (2019) Lakisha Chichester.

/by

Paralegal Spotlight: Laurie Hayden

By the Communications Committee 

Paralegal Spotlight is the division’s monthly publication designed to share division members’ stories with colleagues, inspire present and future paralegal professionals, and strengthen awareness of the profession and association.

Each month we select one amazing paralegal from among our membership and ask them to share a little about their personal and professional life. Join Paralegal Spotlight as we learn more about member talents, skills, personal and professional goals, technology tips, accomplishments, volunteer work, and more.

This month’s Paralegal Spotlight is on Laurie Hayden, a Corporate and Estate Administration Paralegal at Patrick Harper & Dixon L.L.P. in Hickory, North Carolina.

Read more

/by

Network Segmentation – Perhaps the Only Piece of Good News From the Colonial Pipeline Hack

By Eva Lorenz

Introduction

Now that the situation at the pump seems to have recovered and returned to normal, it is time to figure out what actually happened in the Colonial pipeline attack and what lessons, if any, we can learn from yet another high profile cyberattack involving ransomware.

First, a few introductory words and some background on ransomware: ransomware is a common form of cyberattack in our time, and it involves attackers deploying code onto the victim’s network that results in encrypting files and folders throughout the network. According to the FBI, the best way to contain the attack is to block the code from moving across the network. For recovery from the attack, companies often rely on sound backup practices that allow them to restore encrypted files and folders without losing too much data. Of course, victims of ransomware attacks can also pay ransom, but that practice is still discouraged by the FBI and in some cases actually forbidden since the groups behind the attack are deemed sanctioned foreign entities.

Read more

/by

No Ordinary Soldier, No Ordinary Judge – An Interview with Judge Donald W. Overby

By Melissa Lassiter

This second piece in a series of interviews with recently retired administrative law experts and practitioners will give you insights from the perspective of a recently retired administrative law judge.

In 2016, after three years of pecking at the computer, Donald Wayne Overby finished and published his book, “Just Ordinary Soldiers – Recollections of a Cold War Vet.” From being drafted, “I’ve been drafted! . . . Well, dammit!”[1], to being inducted and trained as an infantry Army soldier, Overby details the experiences he and his fellow Army buddies lived and pays homage to those with whom he served and developed lifelong relationships. Overby achieved the rank of sergeant in just 18 months.

Read more

/by

A Former General Assembly Insider’s Viewpoint – An Interview with Recently Retired NCGA Division Director Karen Cochrane-Brown

By Nahale Freeland Kalfas

There are times when administrative lawyers wish they could get the “scoop” from General Assembly insiders – to help them understand how to improve why things happen and what can be done. This interview with recently retired General Assembly attorney Karen Cochrane-Brown may offer practitioners some of those wished-for, useful insights.

Karen Cochrane-Brown retired from the North Carolina General Assembly on August 1, 2020. This article is based on an interview conducted earlier this year. As Cochrane-Brown was one of the first legal leaders I met when coming into the practice of Administrative Law, I was particularly excited to spend some time chatting with her.

Read more

/by

MIP’s Diverse Perspectives: Gerald L. Walden Jr.

By Gerald L. Walden Jr.

MIP’s Diverse Perspectives is a monthly blog feature to spotlight a member from North Carolina’s community of diverse attorneys and legal professionals. Members have the opportunity to share a personal perspective through a brief set of interview questions.

This month’s perspective is courtesy of Gerald L. Walden Jr., VP – Deputy General Counsel & Head of Diversity, The Fresh Market, Inc., Greensboro.

What law school did you attend and what was your graduation year?

North Carolina Central University School of Law; spring 2001.

Read more

/by

The Benefits of a Temporary Position

By Kayla Britt

The last thing a lawyer may want to hear when they first pass the bar, or when they are between jobs, is to accept a temporary position. The uncertainty surrounding the length of employment, the lack of benefits, and the difference in pay structure are factors that may lead one to decline a temporary position. However, temporary positions have the potential to lead to greater opportunities.

Attorney Hugh Harris provided me with one of the best pieces of advice I have received as a young lawyer. He told me to consider a temporary offer as the chance to audition for the permanent role. At the time, I did not realize that this advice would soon directly impact my career. When my clerkship ended, I began searching for jobs in the middle of a pandemic. I was faced with a market hesitant to hire permanent, full-time employees but received several opportunities to accept temporary positions or “as needed” work. I was tempted to refuse temporary offers until I recalled the advice above. I accepted a temporary job placement, soaked in the opportunity to learn as much as possible and soon after, I received a permanent, full-time offer.

Read more

/by

Now Available On-Demand: 2021 Health Law Section Annual CLE Program

Greetings, Health Law Section Members! For those of you who were not available to join us for our annual CLE program on April 23, 2021, we have great news – the program is now available to watch on-demand! Watch sessions on your lunch hour, on the weekend, or even from the beach.

You can purchase the entire CLE program (6.25 credit hours, including 1 hour of technology credit), or just the individual sessions of interest to you. This year’s program, “The New Normal is That Nothing is Normal,” is a fantastic program covering changes to Stark and Anti-Kickback, telehealth opportunities, health care internal investigations, best practices for effective compliance programs, and health care policy. Please follow this link to learn more and register: 2021 Health Law Section Annual CLE Program On-Demand.

/by