2026 Real Property Section Annual Meeting Preview: AI for Attorneys

Andrea, a white woman with auburn hair, wears a green blouse and black blazer.By Andrea Davis

AI is everywhere right now — but what does it actually look like in real property practice?

Join the NCBA Real Property Section in Asheville, May 15-16, for a practical session on AI in real property practice with Andrea Davis, Vice President and State Counsel with Chicago Title.

Register for the Annual Meeting. 

What You’ll Learn

AI is already embedded in many of the tools attorneys use every day — from title software to document management systems — and is improving efficiency in tasks like document review, contract analysis and research.

Andrea’s session focuses on simple, practical applications, including:

  • Contract review and drafting
  • Summarizing documents
  • Closing package organization
  • Issue-spotting and double-checking work

She demonstrates how AI can assist with reviewing a commercial lease by generating a concise summary, flagging risks and negotiation points, and creating an attorney issue checklist. The key is structured prompting with guardrails, allowing attorneys to gain efficiency while maintaining control.

A central theme of the session is keeping a “human in the loop.” Attorneys must use AI in a way that aligns with professional obligations, including competence and supervision, confidentiality and clear client communication.

Takeaway

This session will give you practical tools you can use immediately, including sample prompts and real workflows, while reinforcing a critical principle: AI supports, but does not replace, attorney judgment.

Resources

We hope to see you in Asheville!

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2026 Real Property Section Annual Meeting Preview: FIRPTA With Nena Mills

Nena, a white woman with grey hair, wears a black dress with white and beige print. By Nena Mills

Compliance with the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker; it just requires early attention and the right approach.

In this Annual Meeting preview video, Nena Mills, National Education Director with FIRPTA Solutions, shares what to expect from her upcoming CLE session, “FIRPTA Fun: Nothing Says “Fun” Like Tax Withholding,” and offers insight into how attorneys can approach FIRPTA transactions with greater clarity and confidence.

Join us in Asheville on May 15-16.

Early registration is available at a reduced rate through April 26.

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2026 Real Property Section Annual Meeting Preview: Liens and Judgments with Natasha Branch

By Natasha Branch

Even the cleanest title can hide problems.

At this year’s 2026 NCBA Real Property Section Annual Meeting in Asheville, Natasha Branch, Vice President of Education and Underwriting Counsel at Title Resources Group, will walk through how to spot lien and judgment issues early and handle them efficiently before they disrupt your closing.

Join us in Asheville on May 15-16: register online. 

 

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2026 Real Property Section Annual Meeting Preview: Commercial Leases with Jeff Benson

By Jeff Benson

We hope you’ll join us in Asheville for the 2026 NCBA Real Property Section Annual Meeting. We’re looking forward to a helpful and practical program and are excited to share a preview of one of the CLE sessions focused on commercial leases.

In the preview video below, Jeff Benson, Executive Vice President at Investors Title, shares a brief overview of his presentation, titled Mission (Not) Impossible: Commercial Lease Edition, and highlights several key issues he will cover at the Annual Meeting.

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Why Being Together Matters: Reflections on the NCBA Real Property Section Annual Meeting and Scholarship Opportunities to Attend

Mary, a white woman with brown hair, wears a brown and white button down blouse and a brown jacket.By Sarah Dorr and Mary Gallimore Walker

Each year, the North Carolina Bar Association Real Property Section’s Annual Meeting brings attorneys from across our State together for learning and connection. While the CLE content is always helpful, many attorneys say the true value of the Annual Meeting comes from being there in person. The conversations between sessions, the relationships built over meals and the opportunity to engage directly with colleagues who understand our work and practice make the experience especially meaningful.

Recognizing that cost can be a barrier to in-person attendance, the Real Property Section is introducing scholarships to attend the Annual Meeting, making the experience more accessible. The reflections below highlight the value of being together at the Annual Meeting and the Section’s commitment to encouraging broader participation.

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Title, Trusts, Transfers and Terrorists: Legislation That Could Affect Your Practice

Nancy, a white woman with light brown hair and brown round glasses, wears a black turtleneck and red plaid blazer. By Nancy Short Ferguson

Attorneys in substantially all practice areas handle or review deeds, leases and contracts or clients in distress about matters (family law, trespassers, condemnations, estates, etc.) involving real estate from time to time. The 2025-2026 Legislative Session (still in process) has much to consider.

See program recording from Return to the Vault (March 4, 2026), “What’s New, What’s Next:  NC Legislation Every Real Estate Attorney Should Know” and related PowerPoint slides for details, legislation, and resources.

To access the recording, navigate to this link, log in to your NCBA account and click the + next to “RTTV Series.” Then click on “What’s New, What’s Next, NC Legislation Every Real Estate Attorney Should Know 3.4.26.”

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Return to the Vault: On Demand — Why All Attorneys Should Pay Attention to FinCEN’s Reporting Rule

By Mary Gallimore Walker, Andrea Davis, Natasha Branch, Malia Williams, Amy Zeko and Nancy Ferguson

Purpose of Return to the Vault

Return to the Vault (“RTTV”) exists to provide practical, timely education and connection for Real Property Section members. It’s inspired by the collaborative learning that once happened in the “vault” at Register of Deeds offices across North Carolina, where attorneys could ask questions, exchange ideas and learn from each other in real time.

While technology has made modern practice more efficient, it has also reduced those natural opportunities for conversation and shared problem-solving. RTTV is the Real Property Section’s way of creating that space again, intentionally bringing members together to connect and learn from each other.

Our monthly live RTTV programs remain the foundation of this effort. RTTV: On Demand extends that work by giving us a flexible way to share timely updates and focused guidance when issues arise between live programs.

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NC Reforms Intestacy Laws for Children Born to Unwed Fathers

Andrew, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt, maroon tie with a blue paisley pattern and a black suit. By Andrew Brower

Background

North Carolina has rather archaic laws regarding paternity and legitimization. In estate and probate matters, these issues arise when a father dies without a will (i.e., intestate) and leaves behind children born out of wedlock, where the father did not subsequently marry the mother or otherwise legitimate the child through the courts. In such cases, N.C.G.S. § 29-19(b) governs whether the child is considered an heir of the father and eligible to inherit via intestate succession.

This is significant for real estate attorneys and title searchers in determining who has title to real property owned by the intestate father. Not all biological children are intestate heirs under North Carolina law. In fact, the general rule is that children born out of wedlock, who are not subsequently legitimated, are not heirs and do not inherit from their father via intestate succession. However, there are three ways by which a child born out of wedlock can overcome this bar to inheritance, provided timely notice is given to the personal representative of the father’s estate.

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A Welcome Message From the Chair

Peter, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt, bright green tie with white polka dots, and blue suit with light brown plaid.By Peter Moeller

Thank you for entrusting me to serve as Chair of the NCBA Real Property Section Council for the 2025-2026 year. I am Peter Moeller, and I practice at Moeller & Smith, PA in my hometown of New Bern. I am a graduate of NC State University (undergraduate) and the University of Miami (law school).

Joining me on the Executive Committee this year are Vice Chair David Neill (Fox Rothschild in Raleigh), Secretary/Treasurer Kyle Smalling (Capital City Law in Raleigh), and Immediate Past Chair David Martin (Murchison, Taylor & Gibson in Wilmington). We are looking forward to serving the needs of our section and its members. If you have any questions, needs or requests related to real property matters in North Carolina, please feel free to reach out to us.

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Real Property, Real People, Real Loss: Restoring The Communities We Call Home

Malia a white woman with blond hair, wears a white blouse and grey jacket.By Malia Williams 

Home is a simple yet altogether complicated topic for many.

Home may be where we were born and raised. It also may be discovered, unexpectedly, in a place we visited – one that, while we may have left it, never truly left us. Sometimes, it may even be found in the eyes of another person. If we are lucky, we may be able to call multiple places and people home. While the term carries with it varied meanings, the pursuit and care for it is ultimately a shared experience for us all.

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