Breaking Barriers: A Conversation with Judge Tia Hudgins Taylor

Taylor, a Black woman with black hair, wears a blue and white blouse and black jacket.Tia, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white blousea nd black jacket.By Taylor Gibbs and Tia Overway

The NCBA Young Lawyers Division’s DEI Committee is proud to celebrate Black History Month. Black History Month is a time to honor the legacy, contributions and excellence of Black lawyers and judges who continue to shape our profession. This moment of reflection also calls us to examine the current landscape of representation within the legal field in North Carolina.

In North Carolina, voluntary demographic data from the North Carolina State Bar shows that African American attorneys make up just over 9% of active survey respondents. While higher than the national average, the number still reflects the ongoing need to support and retain Black legal professionals across the state.[1]

Against this backdrop, the NCBA YLD DEI Committee is honored to shine a spotlight on leaders who are breaking barriers and strengthening the credibility, inclusiveness and fairness of our legal system. This year, we are proud to feature Judge Hudgins Taylor, a devoted public servant and trailblazer whose path to the bench embodies resilience, representation and purpose.

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Resolutions With Results: Kick Off 2026 with YLD’s Legal Feeding Frenzy

Melissa, a white woman with brown hair, wears a green blouse and black blazer. Alex, a white woman with brown hair, wears a white blouse and black blazer. By Marissa Barbalato and Alexandria Tuttle

Each March, the NCBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) partners with Feeding the Carolinas to host the North Carolina Legal Feeding Frenzy, a statewide initiative dedicated to fighting hunger. This friendly competition invites law firms, law schools, sections and legal organizations to collect food and raise funds for local food banks across the state.

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Breaking Barriers Through Connection: How NCBA YLD’s Grab-A-Coffee Program Brings Mentorship to Life

Anna, a white woman with brown hair, wears a black dress and black blazer.Courtney, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a dress with a black and white checkered pattern and a black blazer.By Anna-Jamieson Beck and Courtney Latourrette

For many law students, building a professional network can feel daunting, especially when starting out in a new city or navigating the demanding early years of law school. The North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Grab-A-Coffee program is helping change that, one conversation at a time.

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Searching for Volunteers for the Grab-a-Coffee Program — Spring 2026

Anna, a white woman with brown hair, wears a black dress and black blazer.Courtney, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a dress with a black and white checkered pattern and a black blazer.Matt, a white man with brown hair, wears a pale blue shirt, grey suit, and mint green tie.By Anna-Jamieson Beck, Courtney Latourrette and Matt Meinel

Do you have time to grab a cup of coffee? Instead of taking this one to-go, how about spending thirty meaningful minutes with a future lawyer?

A half hour of your time is all we need to make this program a success! We are seeking attorney volunteers to connect with a law student and pass on the valuable insights you have about succeeding in law school and entering the practice of law. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this attorney sign-up form (law students can sign up with this student sign-up form). If you have signed up during a previous GaC session, you will need to sign up again.

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Volunteer With the Law Week and Liberty Bell Committee in 2026!

Nicholas, a white man with brown hair, wears a grey shirt, grey and white striped tie, and black blazer.By Nicholas Sorensen

Each year, the Law Week and Liberty Bell Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association leads the state’s celebration of Law Day with a series of competitions and awards meant to exemplify a particular theme promoting the benefits of the rule of law.

This coming year, Law Day will be celebrated on May 1, 2026, and the chosen theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” Students are encouraged to participate in a number of competitions to explain and express what this theme means to them. This includes a poster competition for elementary school students, a moot court competition for high school students, and an essay competition for middle and high school students. Additionally, the Law Week and Liberty Bell committee partners with the McIntyre Youth Leadership Challenge, a program dedicated to encouraging students to embrace and practice good citizenship.

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Right on Brand: A Conversation With the Honorable Allegra Collins

Tiqeece, a Black man with black hair, wears a blue shirt, plaid blue tie, and grey blazer. He is smiling and holding a book.By Tiqeece Brown

When you see a check mark, you think? Nike.

Four interlocked rings? Audi.

A big yellow M? McDonalds.

Branding speaks before words do.

In the legal profession, branding works the same way. With the emergence of social media, a few North Carolina Attorneys have mastered and capitalized their art of branding: Fairy Law Mother, The NCDWI Guy, and AsktheAppellateLawyer.

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Lean In, Link Up: The Young Lawyer’s Guide to Leadership

By Alex, a Black woman with black hair, wears a black blouse and a blazer with black and white checks.Alex Gwynn

Back on September 13, 2025, I found myself in a lively conversation with community leaders in Durham at a Meet and Greet with the City of Durham’s Human Relations Commission (DHRC). We were deep in discussion about the Commission’s priorities, affordable housing advocacy, environmental justice, public safety, community engagement and improving race and ethnic relations.

As we talked about how the Commission could better collaborate with local organizations and leaders already doing this work, one community leader paused, looked at me and said, “What you’re doing is leaning in.”

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Breaking Barriers: A Fresh Start for North Carolinians

By Butch Segal

Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs come from the smallest changes.

Session Law 2025-54 might not make the evening news, but for thousands of North Carolinians, it’s a game-changer. Officially titled “An Act To Modify Provisions Affecting The Courts of North Carolina and The Administrative Office of the Courts,” this law quietly dismantles a barrier that has stood for decades: the public notice requirement for legal name changes.

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On The Horizon: The Young Lawyers Division’s Upcoming DEI Programming

Taylor, a Black woman with black hair, wears a blue and white blouse and black jacket.Tia, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white blousea nd black jacket.By Taylor Gibbs and Tia Overway

Hi everyone!

As we step into December, Tia and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the DEI Committee’s first event: Bridging the Gap: Wisdom from the Bench and Bar. The panel featured an incredible range of legal professionals who provided great advice on how young lawyers can successfully transition into their careers. We are grateful to all who joined us and look forward to the many events we have planned in the future.

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From the Workplace to 1L: Your Guide for Going Back to Law School

By Sydney, a white woman with brown hair, wears a pink dress.Sydney Basden

So, you think you want to go to law school — congrats! But, you are nervous to go back to school after time in the “real world.” Whether you’ve spent one year or 12 since undergrad, I promise you can succeed in law school! That said, your unique experiences may make your law school application process and time at school look somewhat different from your KJD counterparts (Kindergarten through Juris Doctor — law students who took no time off).

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