By Lori Vitale Coleman Cowan – featured speaker! Attorney Coleman Cowan, former Emmy award-winning 60 Minutes producer, and successful personal injury litigator, also just became a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University School of Law. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (undergrad) and Wake Forest University School of […]
By Elysia Prendergast-Jones Welcome to the first DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) blog post. Let’s make a splash by supporting our new DEI Committee with as many members as possible. We want to make the Family Law Section supportive of our racial and ethnic groups, specifically African Americans, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanic […]
By Jennifer S. Tharrington Dear Section Members, As you know, I’ve identified a major goal for my chair year as being the establishment of a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) committee within the Family Law Section. I’ve spoken with Ebony Bryant, who is the director of DEI for the NCBA, and she is excited to […]
By Jennifer S. Tharrington Dear Family Law Section Members, First and most importantly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Family Law Section for the 2024-2025 bar year. I’m honored to be entrusted with this important work. This year, I’m looking forward to continuing down the roads that so […]
By Chelsea E. Gajewski Are you attending the Annual Family Law CLE this year in Asheville? Are you looking for something fun to do that Friday night? Are you interested in meeting other family law attorneys? Do you enjoy good conversation, laughs, and delicious food? Are you curious about who Jonathan McGirt really is? Well, […]
By Kris Hilscher A common challenge attorneys face in a military divorce is how the Frozen Benefit Rule (FBR) will affect pension division.[1] To avoid a call to the malpractice carrier, attorneys must understand the FBR, and when it does – and does not – apply to their case. The Frozen Benefit Rule: Is Your […]
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. […]
By Jennifer S. Tharrington Scope of project: The Uniform Parentage Act, if passed, would revolutionize parentage law in North Carolina and provide our state with a uniform legal framework for establishing a parent-child relationship regardless of how children are conceived. The reason this matters: Currently, there is little or no law in North Carolina that allows […]
By Kristen Sherwood Have you ever had a client ask, “What happens to my inheritance if I decide to separate from my spouse?” “Is this my separate property?” “What if I used this for [insert marital purpose here]?” Clients come in with the often-googled buzzwords “comingling” and “conversion” and think that since these funds were […]
By Barbara Morgenstern To the best of my recollection, the first Family Law Intensive Seminar was held approximately 25 years ago. It was the brainchild of a Rocky Mount family law attorney named J. Edgar Moore. I believe the first seminar was limited to 50 people and to family law specialists or lawyers who had […]