Imagine you are standing in front of a judge wearing a jumpsuit issued by the local county jail. You are standing alone, even though the judge told you at your first appearance that she was appointing an attorney to represent you.
Imagine hearing the judge now tell you that no one has been assigned to represent you, and that she doesn’t know when an attorney will be assigned.
Then imagine returning to your jail cell with no assurance that an attorney will be available on your next court date.
This is a reality for some criminal defendants in North Carolina.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00professionalismcommitteehttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngprofessionalismcommittee2026-01-21 14:23:042026-01-21 14:23:04Bringing Water to the Desert (on a Horse With No Name)
Few moments test the professionalism of lawyers and law firms more than a lawyer’s departure. While the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct — and recent ethics opinions like 2025 FEO 1 and 2021 FEO 6 — provide clear direction on what lawyers must do when a departure occurs, professionalism asks a bigger question: what should law firms and departing lawyers do to serve clients, colleagues, and the public during this transition? As a lawyer who has helped lawyers and law firms deal with departures, there are best practices that firms and lawyers should consider.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00professionalismcommitteehttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngprofessionalismcommittee2026-01-07 11:42:182026-01-07 11:42:18Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Professionalism in Attorney Departures
Each year, beginning in January, the North Carolina Bar Association Professionalism Committee reviews nominations for the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award and recommends an awardee to the Board of Governors. The award is announced publicly and given to the awardee at the North Carolina Bar Association annual meeting in June.
The NCBA H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award was established by the North Carolina Bar Association in honor of United States District Court Judge for the Western District of North Carolina H. Brent McKnight’s contributions to professionalism and the practice of law in North Carolina, and in recognition of his enduring influence, high ideals, and example as a jurist whose life and career demonstrated the full, accomplished life of a “Renaissance Lawyer.” Judge McKnight was born in Mooresville, North Carolina, in 1952. He received a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1974, a master’s degree from Magdalen College at Oxford University in 1976, where he attended as a Rhodes Scholar, and a law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1980.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00professionalismcommitteehttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngprofessionalismcommittee2025-12-18 16:01:132025-12-18 16:01:13The Annual H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award
I started practicing law the same year that the iPhone 3G came out, and everyone thought the economy was just taking a long weekend. A lot has changed — Zoom hearings, e-filing, the fact that associates now ask for “mental health days” instead of pretending they have the flu, just to name a few. One thing hasn’t changed: if we want the privilege of calling ourselves lawyers, we have to earn it every morning.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00professionalismcommitteehttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngprofessionalismcommittee2025-12-01 12:05:202025-12-01 12:29:3216 Years in the Trenches: Reflections From a 2009-Vintage Family Law Lawyer
Goal: “Always leave your campsite better than you found it.” — Allan Head
I am excited to serve as Chair of the NCBA Professionalism Committee. The Professionalism Committee has 40 members this year. Each member is committed to promoting professionalism and civility across the state and leaving our profession better than we found it. Committee members are involved with subcommittees as reflected in this post. In order to accommodate our 19 members who practice west of the Triangle, we will be holding an in-person meeting at the Charlotte offices of Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. on January 27, 2026. Other quarterly meetings will be held at the North Carolina Bar Center. A Zoom meeting option will be provided.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00professionalismcommitteehttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngprofessionalismcommittee2025-11-06 16:16:392025-11-07 10:19:49NCBA Professionalism Committee Strategic Plan for 2025-2026
A few years ago, I ran into a law school classmate in the courthouse elevator. In discussing where we were headed, I let her know I was on my way to a hearing on a motion to dismiss. She wished me good luck as we reached her floor, and I responded, “Oh, I’m just local counsel,” while smiling in recognition of the stress-free afternoon ahead.
Fast forward one year, after learning a lot more about the underlying facts of the case, I found myself questioning whether I had satisfied my professional obligations in permitting my signature to appear on the initial pleading. To say the least, it was no longer a stress-free endeavor.
By Judge Debra Sasser
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