By PJ Puryear and Kellie Myers Good morning, everyone! There are three important new developments that we want to ensure you know. 1. Chief Justice Beasley’s Newest Order As most of you know by now, last Friday Chief Justice Beasley issued a new Order regarding the administration of justice during COVID-19. Every part of that […]
By Jacob Morse On March 19, 2020, Chief Justice Beasley of the Supreme Court of North Carolina entered an order extending deadlines for filings and actions to be done in North Carolina trial courts which were set to be filed or done between March 16, 2020 and April 17, 2020. This blog summarized that order […]
By Kevin Stanfield and PJ Puryear A few days ago, we provided the section an update on extensions and closures due to COVID-19. With another week comes yet another update, this by way of an Order from Chief Justice Beasley. Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7A-39(b)(2), Chief Justice Beasley has issued seven emergency directives which we have summarized […]
By Jacob Morse and PJ Puryear Last week, NCBA Litigation Section members provided an overview of court closures and deadline extensions due to COVID-19. This post is to provide an update, as well as to highlight resources that have become available to practitioners and the public. Trial Courts On Friday March 13, 2020, Chief Justice […]
By Martha J. Efird and Jonah Garson Effective immediately and by Order of Chief Justice Beasley, all court documents due to be filed in any non-appellate state court on or after March 16, 2020 and by April 17, 2020 will be deemed timely if filed by the close of business on April 17, 2020. You […]
By Amy Richardson and Marilyn Forbes COVID-19 (coronavirus) has created uncertainty in all areas including in our professional lives. The following are a few ethical considerations that litigators should keep in mind during this time. COMMUNICATION: Make sure to update and timely respond to your clients. North Carolina Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4 governs communications […]
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 […]