Please make plans to attend the 25th Annual Elder & Special Needs Law Symposium on March 4-5, 2021. The symposium will be a live webcast and will include sessions on special needs planning, NC Medicaid transformation, and ethical considerations for guardianships. Also included are a Technology Hour and an Elder Law Specialization Panel. Hope to see you virtually there!
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00ElderLawhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngElderLaw2021-02-18 10:52:032021-02-18 10:52:03Join Us for the 25th Annual Elder & Special Needs Law Symposium
On February 19 at 6 p.m., Elon Law’s Sports and Entertainment Law Society will host a panel about legal careers in college sports featuring Jeffrey Poulard, Compliance Officer at Rutgers. Poulard has a J.D. from William & Mary School of Law. His career includes work with the University of Maryland, the NCAA and the NFL.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00SportsandEntertainmenthttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngSportsandEntertainment2021-02-18 10:31:492021-02-18 10:31:49Elon Law SELS Presents "Legal Careers in College Sports"
Do you know of someone in our section who goes beyond the call of their duties and embodies the very spirit of what we do? Has a section member provided exemplary service to the profession of family law, as well as their local and broader communities? If so, we encourage you to consider nominating them for the 2021 Family Law Section Distinguished Service Award.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00FamilyLawhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngFamilyLaw2021-02-18 09:15:272021-02-18 09:36:32Calling All Nominations for the 2021 Family Law Section Distinguished Service Award
Due to COVID-19, the NCBA YLD Legal Feeding Frenzy has decided not to host an in-person kickoff event this year. While we are disappointed that we cannot all come together face-to-face, we are excited for the opportunity to bring everyone together virtually for a friendly, competitive kickoff for #LFF2021!
Join us on February 26, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and help us spread the word about food insecurity in North Carolina. Teams that choose to participate will have 12 additional hours to fundraise online and get ahead of their competitors. Throughout the day, Attorney General Josh Stein, FTC Executive Director Mike Darrow, local food banks and members of the NCBA will be livestreaming updates and shoutouts across various social media platforms.
Pro Bono Project: LANC Lawyer on the Line/Legal on the Line
By Sidney Thomas
A paralegal is an advocate, a teacher, an advisor, a valuable team member, and everything else in between. Katie Riddle exemplifies all of these characteristics through her dedication to her profession, her clients, and volunteering with the Legal on the Line Paralegal Partnership (LOTLPP)! Katie enjoys hearing about her clients’ experiences and being able to offer a helping hand.
Katie has served as a paralegal for the Lincoln Financial Group in Greensboro for almost two years. She handles a variety of matters, including, life insurance products, claims, underwriting, and regulatory matters, just to name a few. Her career path began in a law firm which eventually landed her in the corporate environment where she began to miss the fulfillment of public service. This growing need led her to Legal on the Line Paralegal Partnerships!
By Caroline Trautman What makes practicing law more than just a job?
Many attributes come to mind. By its nature, the law is constantly changing, forcing attorneys to constantly learn, adapt, and improve in order to effectively advocate for their clients. Practicing law also requires a high level of attention to detail and client service, demanding that attorneys make their clients’ interests the top priority.
For Chad Archer, it’s the responsibility to give back through pro bono service. “Pro bono service is one of the hallmarks of the practice of law that elevates our work as attorneys to the status of a profession rather than a mere occupation,” Archer said.
Archer already maintains a busy caseload as a litigation associate at Blanco Tackabery & Matamoros, P.A. in Winston-Salem. His practice consists of title curative litigation, corporate and commercial disputes, landlord-tenant litigation, and appeals. But during the year 2020, he took his practice to the next level, maintaining a litigation caseload while handling two major pro bono matters. These were assigned to him through the North Carolina Appellate Pro Bono Program and the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina’s Pro Bono Program.
Cheri Beasley, the first African American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, has joined McGuireWoods’ litigation practice in Raleigh as a partner and member of the firm’s appellate team. She served on the Supreme Court from 2012 through 2020 and was appointed chief justice in March 2019, and previously served on the N.C. Court of Appeals and as a District Court judge. Beasley is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and Douglass College of Rutgers University. She earned a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies from Duke University School of Law.
Ward and Smith Announces Managing Director-Elect
Devon Williams was elected Co-Managing Director-Elect at Ward and Smith. In this role, Williams will serve alongside Brad Evans, who also is a Managing Director with the firm. Williams has practiced with the firm since 2012. She has led the Labor and Employment Section and co-chaired the Raleigh Geographic Team. Upon assuming this position, she will continue to practice labor and employment law. Williams advises employers on a wide range of labor and employment issues and defends employers in employment litigation matters. Williams received a B.S. from the University of Maryland and a J.D., cum laude, from Campbell Law School.
Molly Brewer Joins James Scott Farrin
Molly Brewer has joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. A personal injury attorney, she received a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. Brewer worked as a litigation paralegal prior to completing law school, and is a published scholar with previous experience at North Carolina State University, the District Attorney’s Office and the N.C. Department of Justice. Read more
I want to pass along three things (two of which are related).
First: An enthusiastic word of gratitude to Ritchie Taylor, who planned and organized (and was also a presenter for) this year’s Business Law Section annual CLE program, which was held last week. Thanks to the pandemic, the program was a deviation from the norm (what isn’t these days, after all?), in that it was of course all online and consisted of a single day program, as opposed to the customary day-and-a-half affair. But the course topics were very much on point for a large percentage of our membership, and the speakers were also high caliber.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00Businesshttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngBusiness2021-02-15 09:39:082021-02-15 09:39:08A Message from the Chair of the NCBA Business Law Section
We are pleased to invite nominations for the Evelyn M. Coman Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Construction Law. The award recognizes a lawyer in North Carolina who has made a significant contribution in the field of construction law – through case law or other professional achievement, exhibited a strong record of volunteerism, and has consistently upheld the highest ideals of their profession through a dedicated career in construction.
This can be a lifetime achievement award if that is the criteria matching with someone you wish to nominate. But, it can also be in recognition of a significant contribution to the construction industry or to the construction law community by ways such as scholarship, legislative accomplishment, significant case law or other well-known contribution which advances the industry or legal community. For those who knew Evelyn Coman, the award reflects her efforts (along with others) to bring the Construction Law Section to life and her commitment to excellence in the practice of construction law. Evelyn’s life was unfortunately relatively short, but her gifts to the foundation and legacy of the Section were great.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00Constructionhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngConstruction2021-02-12 16:08:152022-10-25 13:24:49Please Submit Your Coman Award Nominations!
In 2019, North Carolina raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 16 to 18. This law, which was in effect for a hundred years, addressed the maximum age at which a person would be charged in juvenile court rather than adult court. Much attention was paid to the fact that North Carolina was one of the last states to automatically criminalize 16- and 17-year-olds for any offense. But did you know that North Carolina is currently the only state in the country to charge youth as young as six years old?
The minimum age of jurisdiction is the youngest age a child may be charged with a crime. Though many (29) states have no minimum age, North Carolina has the distinction of being the state with the youngest minimum age. There doesn’t appear to exist any legislative history on why this age was set, so it’s difficult to determine the policy rationale behind setting the age of six.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00CriminalJusticehttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngCriminalJustice2021-02-12 09:51:372021-02-12 09:51:37Reconsidering North Carolina’s Minimum Age of Jurisdiction
Join Us for the 25th Annual Elder & Special Needs Law Symposium
Elder & Special Needs LawPlease make plans to attend the 25th Annual Elder & Special Needs Law Symposium on March 4-5, 2021. The symposium will be a live webcast and will include sessions on special needs planning, NC Medicaid transformation, and ethical considerations for guardianships. Also included are a Technology Hour and an Elder Law Specialization Panel. Hope to see you virtually there!
For more information and to register, click here: https://cle.ncbar.org/courses/27400.
Elon Law SELS Presents “Legal Careers in College Sports”
Sports & Entertainment Law SectionOn February 19 at 6 p.m., Elon Law’s Sports and Entertainment Law Society will host a panel about legal careers in college sports featuring Jeffrey Poulard, Compliance Officer at Rutgers. Poulard has a J.D. from William & Mary School of Law. His career includes work with the University of Maryland, the NCAA and the NFL.
Please see below for more information.
Calling All Nominations for the 2021 Family Law Section Distinguished Service Award
Family Law SectionLarissa Mervin
Afi Johnson-Parris
By Larissa Mervin and Afi Johnson-Parris
Do you know of someone in our section who goes beyond the call of their duties and embodies the very spirit of what we do? Has a section member provided exemplary service to the profession of family law, as well as their local and broader communities? If so, we encourage you to consider nominating them for the 2021 Family Law Section Distinguished Service Award.
Read more
The 2021 Legal Feeding Frenzy is Almost Here!
Young Lawyers DivisionBy Erin Ball
Due to COVID-19, the NCBA YLD Legal Feeding Frenzy has decided not to host an in-person kickoff event this year. While we are disappointed that we cannot all come together face-to-face, we are excited for the opportunity to bring everyone together virtually for a friendly, competitive kickoff for #LFF2021!
Join us on February 26, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and help us spread the word about food insecurity in North Carolina. Teams that choose to participate will have 12 additional hours to fundraise online and get ahead of their competitors. Throughout the day, Attorney General Josh Stein, FTC Executive Director Mike Darrow, local food banks and members of the NCBA will be livestreaming updates and shoutouts across various social media platforms.
Read more
Pro Bono Volunteer Spotlight: Katie Riddle
Pro Bono CommitteePro Bono Project: LANC Lawyer on the Line/Legal on the Line
A paralegal is an advocate, a teacher, an advisor, a valuable team member, and everything else in between. Katie Riddle exemplifies all of these characteristics through her dedication to her profession, her clients, and volunteering with the Legal on the Line Paralegal Partnership (LOTLPP)! Katie enjoys hearing about her clients’ experiences and being able to offer a helping hand.
Katie has served as a paralegal for the Lincoln Financial Group in Greensboro for almost two years. She handles a variety of matters, including, life insurance products, claims, underwriting, and regulatory matters, just to name a few. Her career path began in a law firm which eventually landed her in the corporate environment where she began to miss the fulfillment of public service. This growing need led her to Legal on the Line Paralegal Partnerships!
Read more
Pro Bono Volunteer Spotlight: Chad Archer
Pro Bono CommitteePro Bono Project: NC Appellate Pro Bono Program
What makes practicing law more than just a job?
Many attributes come to mind. By its nature, the law is constantly changing, forcing attorneys to constantly learn, adapt, and improve in order to effectively advocate for their clients. Practicing law also requires a high level of attention to detail and client service, demanding that attorneys make their clients’ interests the top priority.
For Chad Archer, it’s the responsibility to give back through pro bono service. “Pro bono service is one of the hallmarks of the practice of law that elevates our work as attorneys to the status of a profession rather than a mere occupation,” Archer said.
Archer already maintains a busy caseload as a litigation associate at Blanco Tackabery & Matamoros, P.A. in Winston-Salem. His practice consists of title curative litigation, corporate and commercial disputes, landlord-tenant litigation, and appeals. But during the year 2020, he took his practice to the next level, maintaining a litigation caseload while handling two major pro bono matters. These were assigned to him through the North Carolina Appellate Pro Bono Program and the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina’s Pro Bono Program.
Read more
Checking In: Feb. 16, 2021
Checking InFormer Chief Justice Joins McGuireWoods
Cheri Beasley, the first African American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, has joined McGuireWoods’ litigation practice in Raleigh as a partner and member of the firm’s appellate team. She served on the Supreme Court from 2012 through 2020 and was appointed chief justice in March 2019, and previously served on the N.C. Court of Appeals and as a District Court judge. Beasley is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and Douglass College of Rutgers University. She earned a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies from Duke University School of Law.
Ward and Smith Announces Managing Director-Elect
Devon Williams was elected Co-Managing Director-Elect at Ward and Smith. In this role, Williams will serve alongside Brad Evans, who also is a Managing Director with the firm. Williams has practiced with the firm since 2012. She has led the Labor and Employment Section and co-chaired the Raleigh Geographic Team. Upon assuming this position, she will continue to practice labor and employment law. Williams advises employers on a wide range of labor and employment issues and defends employers in employment litigation matters. Williams received a B.S. from the University of Maryland and a J.D., cum laude, from Campbell Law School.
Molly Brewer Joins James Scott Farrin
A Message from the Chair of the NCBA Business Law Section
Business LawHello, fellow Business Law Section members.
I want to pass along three things (two of which are related).
First: An enthusiastic word of gratitude to Ritchie Taylor, who planned and organized (and was also a presenter for) this year’s Business Law Section annual CLE program, which was held last week. Thanks to the pandemic, the program was a deviation from the norm (what isn’t these days, after all?), in that it was of course all online and consisted of a single day program, as opposed to the customary day-and-a-half affair. But the course topics were very much on point for a large percentage of our membership, and the speakers were also high caliber.
Read more
Please Submit Your Coman Award Nominations!
Construction Law SectionWe are pleased to invite nominations for the Evelyn M. Coman Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Construction Law. The award recognizes a lawyer in North Carolina who has made a significant contribution in the field of construction law – through case law or other professional achievement, exhibited a strong record of volunteerism, and has consistently upheld the highest ideals of their profession through a dedicated career in construction.
This can be a lifetime achievement award if that is the criteria matching with someone you wish to nominate. But, it can also be in recognition of a significant contribution to the construction industry or to the construction law community by ways such as scholarship, legislative accomplishment, significant case law or other well-known contribution which advances the industry or legal community. For those who knew Evelyn Coman, the award reflects her efforts (along with others) to bring the Construction Law Section to life and her commitment to excellence in the practice of construction law. Evelyn’s life was unfortunately relatively short, but her gifts to the foundation and legacy of the Section were great.
Read more
Reconsidering North Carolina’s Minimum Age of Jurisdiction
Criminal JusticeIn 2019, North Carolina raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 16 to 18. This law, which was in effect for a hundred years, addressed the maximum age at which a person would be charged in juvenile court rather than adult court. Much attention was paid to the fact that North Carolina was one of the last states to automatically criminalize 16- and 17-year-olds for any offense. But did you know that North Carolina is currently the only state in the country to charge youth as young as six years old?
The minimum age of jurisdiction is the youngest age a child may be charged with a crime. Though many (29) states have no minimum age, North Carolina has the distinction of being the state with the youngest minimum age. There doesn’t appear to exist any legislative history on why this age was set, so it’s difficult to determine the policy rationale behind setting the age of six.
Read more