Pro Bono Spotlight: Adam Arthur

Adam, a white man with light brow hair, wears a blue suit, white shirt and bright blue tie.

Adam Arthur

By Katherine Asaro

“In general, I am a firm believer in “To whom much is given, much will be required.” I have been blessed with some skills and talents. Fortunately, I have been able to make a career using those skills and talents and I find it important to give back and be of service to others.” Meet Adam Arthur, attorney at Arthur & Kirkman, LLC, and pro bono provider extraordinaire. He volunteers with Court Watch of North Carolina which has recently begun efforts to rebrand itself as Court Support for Families. In addition, he has been involved in the NCBF’s 4ALL Statewide Service Day for a number of years.  He is a frequent participant in the NCBF/ABA Free Legal Answers Project. And since 2012, he has served on every Guilford County District Court Civil Local Rules Committee that has been constituted. Please note this is not a complete list of all Adam’s volunteer contributions.

Read more

/by

Pro Bono Spotlight: Grabowski Law Firm PLLC

Austin, left, is a man with brown hair who wears a grey suit, blue shirt, and plaid tie. He sits on steps outside with , a woman with brown hair, who wears a grey suit, maroon blouse, and glasses. A dog sits between the man and the woman.

Austin Grabowski, left, and practice manager Jessica Conner, right.

By Samantha Gordon

Grabowski Law Firm has an obvious passion for pro bono work. Austin Grabowski graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina then attended Campbell Law School of Law, where he excelled in leadership roles and his pro bono interest took off. When Austin graduated, he held a prestigious position clerking for Superior Court Judge Eric Levinson. After that position, he worked for a national law firm and a boutique law firm. After those experiences, Austin wanted hands-on experience with his clients, and Grabowski Law Firm was born in Charlotte, NC.

Read more

/by

Checking In: July 25, 2023

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

Capital Ready Mix Concrete Adds New Executive Vice President of HR and General Counsel

Zeke, a white man with brown hair, wears a bright blue polo shirt.Zeke Bridges joined Capital Ready Mix Concrete as Executive Vice President of HR and General Counsel. As an Executive Vice President, he develops and implements human resource strategies that align with the overall business objectives that support the company’s success. He is also the chief legal officer at Capital as general counsel. He provides strategic legal advice to the CEO and her leadership team, manages legal risks, ensures compliance, and protects the company’s interests across a broad spectrum of legal matters. Bridges served as Vice Dean at Campbell Law School (2020-2023) and Assistant Dean of Administration (2014-2020). He was an adjunct professor at Campbell (2015-2023). Bridges graduated from Campbell Law School and from the University of Georgia, where he double majored in political science and criminal justice.

Nelson Mullins Announces New Partner

Andrew, a white man with brown hair and a beard, wears a white shirt, blue tie and black jacket. Drew Heath has joined the firm as a partner. He practices with the government relationships team in Raleigh. Heath served with the North Carolina Supreme Court as the chief justice’s director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. He also worked as the state budget director on the North Carolina governor’s senior leadership team and as the secretary for the Council of State and chairman of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He served as a Superior Court judge in Raleigh from 2017 to April 2023. He graduated from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He received an L.L.M. from Nottingham Law School and a B.S. from the University of North Carolina Asheville.

North Carolina Department of Justice Elevates McGhee to Director of the Consumer Protection Division

Jasmine, a Black woman with black hair, wears a grey suit. In April, Jasmine McGhee was promoted to Senior Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Consumer Protection Division at the North Carolina Department of Justice. The division is responsible for consumer protection, antitrust, and economic justice enforcement and litigation, complaint mediation, and related policy issues. Prior to this role, she was Special Deputy Attorney General/Director of the Public Protection Section, where she directed public safety and civil rights policy at NCDOJ and served as lead counsel for the Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, which in 2020, published 125 recommendations to improve fairness in the state’s criminal justice system. McGhee holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School. While in law school, she was a member of the Columbia Law Review and a Paul Robeson Scholar. She received her undergraduate degree in history from UNC, where she graduated with honors and distinction.

Read more

/by

Government & Public Sector Section Awards Four Summer Scholarships

ByKayla, a woman with auburn hair, is pictured in a white shirt and dark blazer in front of a dark background. Kayla Britt

The North Carolina Bar Association’s Government & Public Sector Section annually awards scholarships to law students serving in unpaid summer internships in federal, state, or local government offices throughout North Carolina.

Eligible candidates are currently enrolled in an accredited ABA law school, are working without compensation in a government law office located in North Carolina at least one-half of the summer of 2023. Successful candidates demonstrate a commitment to serving in government or public sector law offices. Each recipient must write an article describing their experience and the benefits of their summer internship. Each article will be considered for publication on the NCBarBlog.

Read more

/by

Statute of Limitations on Assessments

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

Generally, Section 6501(a) prohibits the IRS from auditing a tax return and assessing additional tax after three years from the filing date. Thus, the IRS has only those three years to initiate and conclude an audit and assess additional tax. In some circumstances, however, the statute of limitations extends for longer periods. Moreover, the filing date is not always the starting point for applying the statute of limitations.

Section 6501(b)(1) provides when a tax return is filed before the due date, the return is treated as if it were filed on the due date in applying the statute of limitations. Additionally, Section 6501(b)(2) provides certain employment and withholding tax returns filed before April 15 of the year following the tax year to which they apply are treated as filed on April 15 of such year.

Read more

/by

USPTO First-Time Filer Pilot Program – Patent Pro Bono Program

Jennifer, a white woman with white hair, wears a peach blouse, pearls, and a black blazer. By Jennifer Knight

The USPTO now offers the First-Time Filer Expedited Examination Pilot Program, which is designed to increase accessibility to the patent system for inventors who are new to the patent application process, including those in historically underserved geographic and economic areas. Information on the program and how inventors can apply may be found on the USPTO’s website.

Qualifying inventors for the First-Time Filer Pilot must be filing their first non-provisional application, qualify for micro-entity status, and be reasonably trained on the basics of the USPTO’s patent application process. There is no fee to petition for the First-Time Filer Pilot, which expedites the first office action.

Read more

/by

Volunteer to Prepare Expunction Petitions Remotely

Rachel, a white woman with blond hair, wears a peach blouse. Green foliage is in the background.By Rachel Royal

On September 23, 2023, the Charlotte Expunction Clinic will again be held at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. This project is a partnership of the following organizations: the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy (the “Advocacy Center”), the SelfServe Center, and the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and Public Defender’s Office. During the clinics, volunteer public defenders will offer advice to applicants regarding their eligibility for expunction relief under North Carolina law.

The project has held six (6) prior clinics since 2019. The previous partnership with the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center has now been replaced by the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, and this will be their first time coordinating this clinic. Since August 2021, paralegals have been utilized by this project to review criminal records and attorney analysis forms in order to prepare petitions for attorney review.

Read more

/by