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 […]
By Elysia Prendergast-Jones Attorneys hold a unique power to transform the lives of many. It is often funny how lawyers are one of the top hated professions, yet most people will need an attorney at least once in their lives. We have an opportunity to show the softer and more caring side of attorneys through […]
By Chris Graebe Full disclosure at the outset: I’m not a family law practitioner. My practice involves a wide array of business litigation matters, including so-called “business divorce,” but never actual divorce. I will retire happily never having represented a spouse in an equitable distribution matter. However, I have represented business clients who have been […]
By Ketan Soni Your new chair, Jill Jackson, comes on board next week! Here’s where I started last July. Introduction After reading this post, ask yourself: “What have I done to make things better?” The answer, partially, is: “Helping clients endure through one of the most difficult times in their lives.”
By David C. Herring Understanding the role of a guardian (or even a durable power-of-attorney) over an incompetent ward is an invaluable tool for our family law clients. One could justify a whole CLE devoted to its usefulness in this context alone. Despite the value of a guardian’s role, the establishment of the guardianship relationship […]
By Ketan Soni A. We had a Council meeting on March 23, 2023. It was gloriously held over Zoom. The next (and final) meeting for this bar year is on May 18, 2023, in Cary. Did you know that you can attend Council meetings remotely, thus eliminating travel? Well, now you know how easy it […]
By Chelsea Gajewski The John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award honors current and retired members of the North Carolina State Bar throughout the state who have demonstrated exemplary service to the legal profession. Members of the Bar nominate colleagues who they feel have demonstrated service to the profession. The criteria to be selected for this […]