Pro Bono Committee Update

Amy, a white soman with short lond hair and glasses, wears a pale grey shirt and plaid grey blazer.Sean, a white man with light brown hair, glasses, and a beard, wears a pale blue shirt and dark blue blazer.By Amy Cox Gruendel and Sean Vitrano

The Pro Bono Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section is one of the most active committees in the section. Its work includes:

•    The Pro Bono Partners (“PBP”) Initiative: A project that identifies organizations with ready-made, quality opportunities for section members to provide pro bono dispute resolution services.

•    The List: A curated list of organizations that often need volunteers with dispute resolution skills. Unlike the more structured opportunities identified in the PBP Initiative, potential opportunities identified on The List occur on a more ad hoc basis and provide a wider range of experience.

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Pro Bono Made Easy!

Nancy, a white woman with white hair, wears a pale grey blouse with cut out sleeves and pink and white embroidery.By Nancy Black Norelli 

Senior Lawyers have several options for pro bono work in North Carolina. Share your knowledge and experience while serving your community in one of the opportunities listed below.

Pro Bono Go

North Carolina’s civil justice community has launched Pro Bono Go, a statewide platform for legal professionals seeking pro bono service that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of North Carolinians in need.

Created by the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center (NCPBRC) in partnership with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of North Carolina, and Pisgah Legal Services, Pro Bono Go is a new online clearinghouse of pro bono opportunities provided by the state’s leading civil legal aid and public-interest legal organizations.

Pro Bono Go allows a Senior Lawyer to visit one website to find pro bono opportunities from the state’s leading civil justice organizations. You can search and filter opportunities by keyword, location, practice area, type, and sponsor organization. This is a great site to find a pro bono opportunity that will work for you!

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Supporting Lawyer Well-being with Animal Assisted Interventions

Brooks, a white woman with long, light brown hair, wears a white shirt and light blue blazer.By Elizabeth “Brooks” Savage 

The legal profession is in the midst of an occupational health crisis — particularly with regard to mental health. In 2016, the American Bar Association founded the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, which subsequently published a report that utilized research from a study of mental health and substance use disorders among lawyers. This report summarized study findings that revealed “approximately 28 percent, 19 percent, and 23 percent [of lawyers] are struggling with some level of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively.” Additionally, “suicide, social alienation, work addiction, sleep deprivation, job dissatisfaction, a ‘diversity crisis,’ complaints of work-life conflict, incivility, a narrowing of values so that profit predominates, and negative public perception” were reported. Psychosocial hazards associated with practicing law are negatively impacting lawyer well-being, and Animal Assisted Interventions (“AAIs”) can help.

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Friendship Agreement with Tokyo Daini Bar Association

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David, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt and black suit. By David Robinson

In October, former section chairs David Robinson and David Garrett visited with the Daini Bar Association in Tokyo, Japan, hand-delivering a five-year Memorandum of Understanding between the North Carolina Bar Association and the Daini Bar. This partnership arose from our attorney exchange program visit to Tokyo and has continued ever since. The preamble to the MOU recites the reasons for our continued cooperation:

  • Recognizing the increasing interdependence of the international community and the global economy, and the challenges we face as organizations of the law profession to establish and deepen the mutual knowledge and understanding of our professions and professional organizations;
  • Recognizing the importance of developing a mutually beneficial relationship based on friendship and cooperation through exchanges between members of both our professional organizations and the exchange of information and materials; and
  • Desiring to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between us as organizations of the law profession through interactive communication.

For more information regarding our partnership with the Daini Bar Association or to become involved in our joint programs in the future, email David Robinson.

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Checking In: November 21, 2023

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

New Partner Joins Phelps

Jonathan, a white man with grey hair, wears a white shirt, blue tie, and grey suit. Jonathan Hall is now a partner with the firm. Hall will lead litigation teams to help companies resolve high-profile, complex commercial litigation. He has supervised more than 100 bench and jury trials in North and South Carolina, Virginia, and across the U.S. He focuses his practice on complex commercial matters and products liability cases. From 2018-19, he served as the chair of the Trial Techniques & Technology Specialized Litigation Group with the Defense Research Institute – Products Liability Section. Since 2017, he has served on the North Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society Board of Trustees. He has significant experience leading trial teams in high-exposure cases. He received his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Poyner Spruill LLP Announces New Attorney

Michele, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a white shirt and pale grey blazer.Michele Livingstone has joined the firm. Her practice is focused on civil and commercial litigation matters. She represents businesses and professionals in state and federal courts, and she has represented governmental entities in litigation in state, federal and appellate courts. She is the recipient of the North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s 2022 Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award. Livingstone serves with the NCBA Young Lawyers Division as the 2023-24 Administrative Division Director. She received her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Santa Clara University.

Smith Anderson Welcomes New Attorney

Gerald, a man with dark brown hair, wears a white shirt, pale blue tie, and dark grey suit.Gerald Koinis has joined the regulatory and public policy practice group. He focuses his practice on municipal law, land use and real estate, health care and corporate law. He assists health care providers, businesses, governmental entities and non-profits on issues related to corporate governance, health care regulations, human resources, and more. He also advises clients in the sales and acquisitions of businesses. He holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Thank You, Pro Bono

Elysia, a woman with auburn hair and brown eyes, wears a white shirt and blue and white jacket.By Elysia Prendergast-Jones 

How are you giving thanks? I recently attended the lunch that honored the 2023 Branch Professional Award winner, Brian Beverly. His speech was so inspiring, particularly when he spoke about the importance of pro bono service. He mentioned how pro bono does more for the person doing than receiving. Nothing is truer. “What do I get from doing pro bono?” I asked myself. It is a feeling that I have something that others want and need, which I can freely give away. As attorneys, our most valuable commodity is our time and knowledge. Is that worth giving away for free?

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Mark Your Calendars for This Year’s Giving Tuesday

Justin, a Black man with black hair, wears a white shirt, red tie, and navy suit. By Justin Hill

The Young Lawyers Division and the North Carolina Bar Foundation are teaming up for the third year in a row to coordinate #GivingTuesday on November 28 and make it another one to remember!

For this year, the YLD and NCBF are raising money to fund the NCBF’s civic education and pro bono programs, including Wills for Heroes, 4ALL – Lawyers on Call, Disaster Legal Services, and many other priceless programs. We invite all those who can to make a gift to continue supporting impactful programming across the state.

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Lawrence Duke Appointed Administrative Law Judge

Bain, a white man with white hair, wears a white shirt and black suit.By W. Bain Jones Jr.

In October, Lawrence Duke, formerly Legal Counsel to the North Carolina Rules Commission, was appointed the newest Administrative Law Judge. Judge Duke was with the Rules Commission for one year and nine months. A graduate of the Campbell School of Law in 2015, Judge Duke clerked at the North Carolina Court of Appeals for almost four years before joining the law firm of McDougal and Worrell. He continued his practice with the McDougal Law Firm concentrating on business, financial, complex legal litigation as well as catastrophic personal injury cases. Judge Duke has also worked in legislative relations and policy analysis.

Please welcome Judge Duke to his new appointment.

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A Summer Intern Receives Lessons on How to Be a Good Federal Prosecutor

Zaria, a Black woman, has black hair and is wearing a white blouse and black jacket.By Zaria Graham 

This summer, I had the pleasure of interning at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. To preface, the United States Attorney is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation that involves the United States. In the Western District of North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Dena King leads a number of Assistant United States Attorneys and support staff in both Charlotte and Asheville. I cannot speak highly enough of this experience, which was simultaneously challenging, rewarding, and eye-opening. Despite the serious nature of the work, I am able to say that the ten weeks I spent at the United States Attorney’s Office were also fun. It was hard to go back to school!

As an intern for the office, I was able to work on a number of exciting projects. These projects included writing a sentencing memorandum, a prosecution memorandum in preparation for grand jury, and a brief on a particular issue requested by a judge after trial. I also helped with projects that were more investigative — for example, watching police officer body-worn camera footage to note any possible Fourth Amendment issues that could have occurred during a traffic stop and surveillance footage of a robbery, noting timestamps that may be useful for playback during a hearing.

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Come to Our Section CLE on November 30!

Donald, a white man with blond hair, wears a white shirt, yellow tie with beige squares, and a black suit.By Donald R. Pocock

I am pleased to serve as the chair of the section this year, and I am writing to encourage all of you to take advantage of the benefits the section has to offer.

On November 30, the section will be hosting a CLE called Threading the Needle. The program focuses on a variety of topics that are important for litigators, including deposing expert witnesses and making effective use of your own experts, preparing for and defending Rule 30(b)(6) depositions, and appellate considerations for the trial lawyer. The program will feature a panel including Judge Metcalf from the Western District, Chief Judge Bledsoe from the Business Court, and Judge Rozier from Wake County Superior Court, who will advise litigators about what they can do to improve their effectiveness and advocacy. This is an excellent program and provides five hours of CLE, including two hours of ethics relating to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Please join us live at the Bar Center in Cary starting at 10 am or via Live Webcast. The program’s full agenda is available here. Section members can register for this program at a discounted price.

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