Upcoming Pro Bono Opportunities

Cordon, a white man with brown hair, wears a blue suit, white shirt and blue tie.By Cordon Smart

Greetings Section Members,

Anne Harvey, Mona O’Bryant and I serve as the co-chairs of the Environment, Energy, & Natural Resources Law Section Pro Bono Committee. We wanted to provide information about some upcoming pro-bono opportunities.

Updates to EENR Environmental Law Fact Sheets

In 2009, the EENR Section prepared a series of Environmental Law Fact Sheets as part of a series intended to provide an introduction to someone living or working in North Carolina who is confronted with an issue of environmental law. We are looking for volunteers to help update the existing fact sheets and, if there is sufficient interest, create new fact sheets. A link to the current version of the fact sheets is available.

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Administrative Law in the News – Recent Articles

By the Communications Committee

This post links to a wide variety of articles reflecting the breadth and depth of administrative law: a North Carolina entity’s administrative law-related legislative agenda; a new governor’s rule-repeal executive order; AI and regulation; the little-known role of contractors in federal rulemaking; and a Wall Street Journal article about a recent Ohio Supreme Court case eliminating judicial deference to agency interpretations.

For each article, we have provided a link, the title and author, and the opening paragraph or sentence to help you decide if you want to read the article. Note that for some of these articles, a subscription may be required. And, thanks to everyone who suggested articles to include in this post.

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Family Law Section Update: January

Ketan, a man with black hair, wears a white shirt and black jacket. The photo is in black and white.By Ketan Soni

A. We had a Council meeting on January 12, 2023. The next meeting is on March 23, 2023, in Cary, NC.

You might ask: “Why wasn’t I invited?”

The answer is: “You’re not signed up to volunteer as a committee chair or a council member.”

Then, you might say: “Well, how can I get more involved?”

My response would be: “Have you not read any of the previous blog posts where I tell you exactly how to do this? Are you so stinking busy that you can’t take the 15 seconds to email me or Cheyenne Merrigan to get signed up?”

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Checking In: January 24, 2023

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Selects New Counsel

Leah, a white woman with curly brown hair, wears a black jacket and pale blue shirt.Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP announced that Leah M. Campbell has been elevated to counsel with the firm. Campbell practices in the Charlotte office. She specializes in the intersection of technology, regulation, securities law and financial services. She has represented financial services and insurance company clients in federal and state courts and before state regulators. She has provided intellectual property guidance in mergers and acquisitions and corporate structuring matters. Campbell holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Tulane University Law School and a B.A. from The Evergreen State College.

Carruthers & Roth, P.A. Welcomes New Director

Britton, a white man with black hair and a beard, wears a black suit, green tie and blue shirt.The firm announced that attorney Britton Lewis has been selected as a director. Lewis practices in the Commercial Real Estate and Banking and Finance groups. He represents both developers and business owners and supports traditional and asset-based lenders. He is admitted to appear in federal courts in the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina. Before joining the firm, Lewis was a clerk for the Honorable Patrick Flatley in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Lewis earned a J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and he holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Cranfill Sumner LLP Names New Partners

Robert, a man with black hair and black glasses, wears a black suit, white shirt and navy tie.Robert El-Jaouhari is now a partner with the firm. Based in Raleigh, El-Jaouhair focuses on real estate litigation and governmental regulation. He has experience working with clients on complex environmental regulatory matters related to new questions under federal and state law. He earned his J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, and he also holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Duquesne University and a B.A. in philosophy and history from North Carolina State University.

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Pro Bono and Nominating Committee Updates

Salim, a Black man with black hair, wears a white shirt, yellow tie and navy jacket.By Salim Uqdah

We hope everyone’s 2023 is off to a great start! The Dispute Resolution Section asks all mediators, arbitrators, collaboratively trained practitioners/neutrals, paralegals, and attorneys to please complete this Pro Bono Survey.

The survey measures pro bono work in the field of dispute resolution (including but not limited to mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law cases). Your responses will help determine nominees for the NCBA Pro Bono Awards and the inaugural Harmony Award.

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Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs

John, a white man with brown hair and blue eyes, wears a blue jacket, white shirt, and blue tie. By John G. Hodnette

Section 401(a)(9) requires annual minimum distributions from traditional IRAs beginning in the year the owner of the account attains age 72 or, if later, the year in which the person retires. These minimum distributions trigger income taxes at ordinary income rates where otherwise the recipient may wish not to receive distributions. Fortunately, for those who are charitably minded, the Code provides a mechanism whereby retired individuals can support charities of their choice and also minimize the income taxes caused by required minimum distributions.

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A Brand New Year: Looking Back at 2022 While Stepping Into 2023

Yazmeen Gadalla, a woman with dark brown curly hair and teal glasses, wears a teal blouse and black sweater.By Yazmeen O. Gadalla

Welcome, Paralegal Division members, to the new year! As we transition into a brand new calendar year, I would like to take a moment to thank you for being a part of our division and engaging with us. Our council and committee chairs have worked hard to bring quality endeavors to you thus far, and as we continue into 2023, we would like to continue to do so.

With that being said, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what our division has already managed to accomplish this bar year:

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Searching for Volunteers for the Grab-a-Coffee Program – Spring 2023

Matt Meinel, a white man with light brown hair, wears a blue shirt and black jacket.Alex Gwynn, Black woman with black hair, wears a red shirt, black glasses, and dark jacket.By Matt Meinel and Alex Gwynn

Do you have time to grab a cup of coffee? Instead of taking this one to go, how about spending thirty meaningful minutes with a future lawyer?

A half hour of your time is all we need to make this program a success! We are seeking attorney volunteers to connect with a law student and pass on the valuable insights you have about succeeding in law school and entering the practice of law. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this attorney sign-up form (law students can sign up with this student sign-up form). If you have signed up during a previous GaC session, you will need to sign-up again.

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“Parental Alienation”: Too Often a Red Herring in Child Custody Cases

Suzanne, a white woman with curly brown hair, wears a white and blank sleeveless blouse and dark circular glasses. She smiles outside.By Suzanne Chester

In October 2020, I wrote about the weaponization of the charge of parental alienation in family court, and how it obscures the multiple legitimate reasons children have for rejecting contact with a parent.

In 2022, three influential organizations took a public position on this issue of parent-child contact problems. The American Professional Society Against Child Abuse (APSAC) is the leading national organization supporting professionals who serve children and families affected by child maltreatment and violence. Over the years, APSAC has repeatedly opposed the harmful presumption among many family court professionals that parental alienation is the reason for a child refusing contact with the other parent. In its most recent position statement, APSAC warns that a rush to blame one parent for the child’s aversion to contact with the other parent results in professionals failing to investigate allegations of abuse or mistreatment and making recommendations that are detrimental to the child’s best interests.

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Beyond Court-Ordered Mediation: Creating a Task Force to Evaluate Future Dispute Resolution Needs of North Carolinians

Jim, a white man with white hair, wears a white shirt and black jacket.By Jim Cooley

We move forward.

The Council of the Dispute Resolution Section met on December 7, 2022, with 37 Council members, committee chairs and past section chairs in attendance. Up for discussion were seven possible task force topics and the results of a survey of Council members and other section leaders about those topics. The survey included questions about whether participants would actively participate in a task force and, if so, which of the topics would be their first or second choice. Here is a summary of the survey results:

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