By Will Quick Our section membership has a strong tradition of supporting and participating in pro bono and community service activities—both those planned and sponsored by the NCBA and those that you undertake on your own or with other organizations. We are in unprecedented times with COVID-19 (Coronavirus), and I am confident that each of […]
By Martha J. Efird Litigation Section members should pay particular attention to today’s announcement by Chief Justice Beasley regarding the operation of the North Carolina court system during the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus). For your convenience, a link to the announcement is here. In summary, the Chief Justice’s Order states the following: EFFECTIVE MONDAY, MARCH […]
By J. Blakely Kiefer Imagine this scenario: You are an employee who uses your personal cell phone for company purposes to send and receive business-related text messages. Litigation ensues and you, as part of your employment, receive from the company a preservation notice or litigation hold notifying you to preserve and not delete communications relevant […]
By Marilyn Forbes While the ubiquitous use of our cellphones allows us to make efficient use of travel time to talk with clients or about client matters, there is a new reason to be “uber” careful when conducting business while using ride services. A fundamental rule of client representation is that we must keep our […]
By Stephen Feldman North Carolina law prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices, but not if those practices concern securities transactions. The state supreme court announced this exemption in 1985 in Skinner v. E.F. Hutton & Co. The court expanded on the exemption’s reach in a 1991 decision called HAJMM Co. v. House of Raeford Farms, […]
By Rick Conner The North Carolina Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“NCSCRA”), which took effect on October 1, 2019, expanded the rights of servicemembers and their dependents living in North Carolina. The new law is codified in Article 4 of Chapter 127B, and can be found here. The NCSCRA incorporates the federal SCRA (codified in Chapter […]
By Alan Parry Dear Members of the Litigation Section: Our year is off to a great start, with enjoyable networking events in August (Chapel Hill) and September (Raleigh) that gave Section members an opportunity to catch up and socialize with other litigators, judges, and court staff. We plan to sponsor similar events in communities around […]
By Alan Parry Welcome to a new year for the North Carolina Bar Association’s Litigation Section! We have a lot in store for Section members this year, with a focus on social events around the state to give members an opportunity to network with other litigators, judges, and court staff. We will, of course, continue […]
By Amy Richardson, Hilary Gerzhoy, and Lauren Snyder In recent years, clients have begun to insist that their corporate counsel sign Outside Counsel Guidelines (“OCGs”) that restrict a lawyer from providing services to competitors of the client, even if the work is unrelated to the work being performed for […]
By T. Cullen Stafford On April 22, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in three cases involving the issue of whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The Supreme Court’s decisions in these […]