Civics, Civility, and Collaboration: The Cornerstone of our Democracy – Law Day 2023

Sidney, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white blouse, black jacket and glasses.By Sidney A. Thomas

The American Bar Association hosts Law Day each year on the first Friday in May to celebrate the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession. Law Day 2023 will focus on “reminding us that together, we can collaborate to overcome our differences, resolve our disputes, and preserve our democracy and republic.” The North Carolina Bar Association’s Law Week and Liberty Bell Committee host several competitions to recognize students and legal professionals throughout the State that have dedicated their time to pursuing justice and being a voice for all. The committee is excited to announce that we will be hosting this year’s celebration on Friday, May 5, 2023. Please see a list of competitions for students and legal professionals below.

 

2022 Law Day photo shows four students, two girls and two boys, seated with four judges standing.

Law Day 2022

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Searching for Volunteers for the Grab-a-Coffee Program – Spring 2023

Matt Meinel, a white man with light brown hair, wears a blue shirt and black jacket.Alex Gwynn, Black woman with black hair, wears a red shirt, black glasses, and dark jacket.By Matt Meinel and Alex Gwynn

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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Even Small Gifts Make a Big Impact

Jonathan, a Black man with black hair, wears a blue shirt, yellow and blue tie, and navy suit.By Jonathan Bogues

The North Carolina Bar Foundation’s (“NCBF”) chief objective is to unite the talent and generosity of the legal profession to be a power of greater good for North Carolinians. Much of the NCBF’s success depends on the commitment of donors and volunteers whose leadership inspires pro bono and public service programs that further the values of access to justice, service, civic education, and professionalism. Even further, the NCBF’s Endowment Committee convenes a few times a year to decide on which well-deserved organization to make site visits and provide grants to North Carolina organizations that are engaged in programming or projects that advance the Foundation’s chief objective.

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A Pronouns Primer for Practitioners

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Collins, a person with short brown hair and glasses, wears a pale blue shirt and navy blue jacket.Brooks, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a black blouse and tan suit.By Collins Saint and Elizabeth “Brooks” Savage

Lawyers are increasingly exposed to gender identity, sexual orientation, and other LGBTQ+ related topics as awareness, acceptance, and open expression of such identities continues to increase in modern society. To honor International Pronouns Day, which was October 19, 2022, we have created a five-step primer to help guide legal practitioners through understanding gender identity, using proper personal pronouns, and acting with best etiquette practices for interacting with LGBTQ+ clients and colleagues.

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Mark Your Calendars for This Year’s Giving Tuesday

Sarah, a white woman with long golden brown hair, wears a peach blouse and navy suit.By Sarah Clark

The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and the North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF) are teaming up for the second year in a row to make November 29 a #GivingTuesday to remember!

For this year, the YLD is raising money to fund the NCBF’s civic education and pro bono programs. By donating on November 29, you will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win one of our many exciting prizes! Prize drawings will be held throughout the day among donors who have made their contribution to the #GivingTuesday campaign, and your opportunity to win increases as your gift amount increases.

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If You Can’t Find a Path to Follow, Make It

Collins, a person with short brown hair and glasses, wears a pale blue shirt and navy blue jacket.Drew, a white man with brown hair and a beard, wears a white shirt, plaid tie, and black suit.By Collins Saint and Drew Culler

We met on the first day of orientation in law school at Wake Forest when we were welcomed into Professor Garland’s 1B Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research (LAWR) course with talks of ducks and rabbits and the mysterious duck-rabbit. From there, we quickly became involved in OUTLaw, Wake’s LGBTQ+ law student group. By our 3L year, we were co-presidents and excited to continue working together as practitioners. We researched as best we could LGBTQ+ legal professional organizations and found a whopping zero options for us. That would not do. Read more

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Dear July Bar Examinee

Sarah, a white woman with dark brown hair, wears a white shirt and black jacket.By Sarah Spangenburg 

Dear July Bar Examinee,

You’re in the sweet spot . . . kind of. Law school graduation is quickly approaching, and the bar exam is still eight months away. Before you get too comfy though, we suggest you get started on the North Carolina Bar Application.

This application, which opened November 2, is unlike any you’ve completed before, and once you complete it, you may feel that the person reviewing your application will know you better than your own mother.

Fear not: the Bar Exam Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division is here to help you with this process! Read more

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Pro Bono Is Worth My Time

By Janelle ClineJanelle, a white woman with red hair, wears a white shirt and dark green jacket.

As lawyers, our time has value. I don’t mean just the indefinite notion that our time is valuable but a specific dollar amount attached to every six minute increment of our day.

When I started billing by the hour, normal tasks took on a new significance. That traffic jam – $65; my kid’s trip to the dentist – $225; laundry . . . I have a family of five, so I don’t even want to think about that cost. The paradigm shift forced me to answer, “Is it worth my time?” before adding anything to my schedule, and more often than ever before, the answer was “No.” Read more

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NC College Admission and Congressional Maps Take Center Stage at SCOTUS This Fall

By Dan Gibson Dan, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt, orange tie, and navy jacket.

October and December will be big months for North Carolina at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Justices will hear two cases involving North Carolina in upcoming months.

On Halloween, the Court will face the specter of race-conscious university admissions. Some justices may be spooked by the ghosts of Bakker, Grutter and Fisher, the Court’s earlier decisions on considering race when deciding which undergrads to admit. The challengers in Students for Fair Admissions v. Chapel Hill directly ask the Court to exorcise Grutter because it has had “significant negative consequences” and is “a jurisdictional outlier.” “[E]xplicit racial preferences” always violate the equal protection clause, it argues, regardless of their results. UNC responds that it “needs race-conscious admissions to achieve diversity,” which is “critical to its mission.” Read more

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Pro Bono Month Spotlight: Be a Hero to a Hero

By Samantha Gordon

As attorneys, we have a unique superpower. We have the power to practice the law. Through Wills for Heroes, you can use that superpower for the greater good and be a hero to the heroes in your community.

When you were in law school, Wills for Heroes may have been a pro bono project that interested you, and you may have even participated in a clinic. Now, as a young lawyer, you can participate in these clinics as an attorney volunteer and provide a service to those who risk their lives for your community every day. Wills for Heroes is a unique program that provides free estate planning documents to the individuals who we call when we are hurt or in need of help: first responders. Through NCBF Wills for Heroes, you can provide a first responder with the help they need, an estate plan. Read more

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