Each time I sit down to write a punctuation column, I find myself second-guessing the topic. Do readers really want to read about commas, or dashes, or apostrophes? Shouldn’t I be able to think of something more stimulating to write about?
But I am always pleasantly surprised at the number of readers who contact me to thank me for these punctuation refreshers and to suggest additional punctuation-related topics. Recently, I received a couple of requests for a column covering the proper use of colons and semicolons, and I am happy to oblige.
https://www.ncbarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/semicolon-header.jpg5001140NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2016-01-07 13:46:222016-01-07 13:46:22Putting on ‘Airs and Graces’: The Power of Punctuation To Elevate Your Writing
Learning from the mistakes of others is far better than learning from your own follies. The work of the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Fee Dispute Resolution Committee allows its members to see patterns of conduct which end up in disputes between attorneys and clients. Hopefully, the members use this experience to develop procedures and practices which will help avoid fee disputes. We thought it may be good to share with our associates some of the insights we have learned through our service as members of the Fee Dispute Committee. Read more
https://www.ncbarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fighting-over-money.jpg350835NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2016-01-05 14:00:102016-01-05 14:00:10No New Clients In January and Other Tips for Avoiding Fee Disputes
Almost two months ago, I left my job as head of marketing and business development with a large North Carolina law firm to start my own company. Until recently, my interest within the law practice management and technology world had largely been technology, specifically marketing technologies.
Over the course of these last months, my eyes have been opened to the resilience, hard work, and investment of time it takes to get a business up and running.
Welcome to a new year of Administrative Law Section activities and events. My name is Jennifer Morgan, and I am an attorney at Williams Mullen law firm in Raleigh. My practice includes a focus on alcoholic beverage distribution and regulation, as well as a focus on utilities regulation. I am honored and excited to serve as chair of the section for the 2015-2016 year.
“He likes this more than any present I have ever given him.”
So says my wife of 28 years in regard to the Fitbit activity tracker that my staff gave me for Christmas last year. I didn’t know what to make of the Fitbit One when I opened the package because the only Fitbits I had ever seen were of the wristband variety. Fitbit One proved the perfect choice because I can clip it to my pants pocket and track my steps throughout the day.
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John Connell just knew he had blown the interview. He was suffering from a cold, on medication, and unusually anxious.
“I felt I rushed it.”
That was nearly 30 years ago when he interviewed for the position of assistant clerk of court at the N.C. Court of Appeals. Not only did he get the job, but seven years later when the clerk’s position became open, he landed that job too.
The affable Connell retired Nov. 1, leaving behind a legacy of service and leadership that will permeate the Court of Appeals for years to come. Always quick with a smile and a self-effacing comeback, he covers his emotions well until the conversation turns to his co-workers.
https://www.ncbarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/urb4mpl6f6kpqhujsxegkwcuwiup8tjlspzarvtfeim.jpg5001140NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2015-12-15 15:32:482015-12-15 15:32:48Clerk of Court John Connell Retires From Court of Appeals
Members in focus: Seth A. Blum
Duke University School of Law
Founding Partner of Kurtz & Blum, Raleigh
By Amber Nimocks
For Seth Blum, the works of William Shakespeare offer not just philosophical inspiration but also a means of self-expression, an opportunity for family bonding and a chance to enhance some of the skills he uses in the practice of law. Blum, a founding partner of Kurtz & Blum, is also an actor who frequently brings the Bard’s works to life on the local stage.
He said he doesn’t remember a moment when he decided to pursue involvement in theater, but that he has been acting for as long as he could talk.
https://www.ncbarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/ucqymvdhu02hsmnga2xxfaxpet5_hj8htgrofpobjzg.jpg5001140NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2015-12-15 15:23:172015-12-15 15:23:17NCBA Member Seth Blum on Being an Actor and an Attorney
Professor Muriel Beth Hopkins of Wake Forest University currently serves as chair of the Constitution and Rules Committee of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a role she never could have envisioned growing up in Petersburg, Va.
“In the town I grew up in there were no public tennis courts available for African-Americans,” said Hopkins. “We would have been arrested had we attempted to play on public tennis courts in the 1960s.”
So much has changed since then, and Hopkins was done more than simply witness it. She’s been a part of it.
https://www.ncbarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/wkaxc8lorkukk1dzctro6xflziqhyxgn7mwzjyyjb1u.jpg5001140NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2015-12-15 15:20:442015-12-15 15:20:44Tennis Lessons: WFU Prof’s Life A Study In Sportsmanship, Tenacity And The Law
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the November 2015 edition of North Carolina Lawyer.
By Amber Nimocks
Since Harper Lee breathed Atticus Finch to life in 1960, no other fictional attorney has had such a hold on the American psyche.
The figure of an altruistic Southern lawyer standing up for what’s right in the face of a deeply unjust society in “To Kill A Mockingbird” has inspired millions as a model of dedication to justice, patience and paternal wisdom. But this summer’s publication of Lee’s “Go Set A Watchman,” which presented a new, more difficult view of the character, left us wondering what members of the N.C. Bar Association make of this hero revisited.
https://www.ncbarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/qmjru73vyfsjymd8q1lnrlw3xhmlyox2dhv663hbdiu.jpg5001140NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2015-12-15 15:16:232024-03-19 15:04:46Still Atticus: An old hero persists despite a new portrayal
I am excited to be writing my initial column as chair of the Business Law Section, having succeeded Ken Carroll on July 1. I look forward to serving as chair of the section and invite you to contact me at any time with any questions, ideas, concerns or advice. We have an outstanding section and an active, engaged leadership team.
Putting on ‘Airs and Graces’: The Power of Punctuation To Elevate Your Writing
Featured Posts, UncategorizedBy Laura Graham
Each time I sit down to write a punctuation column, I find myself second-guessing the topic. Do readers really want to read about commas, or dashes, or apostrophes? Shouldn’t I be able to think of something more stimulating to write about?
But I am always pleasantly surprised at the number of readers who contact me to thank me for these punctuation refreshers and to suggest additional punctuation-related topics. Recently, I received a couple of requests for a column covering the proper use of colons and semicolons, and I am happy to oblige.
Read more
No New Clients In January and Other Tips for Avoiding Fee Disputes
Featured Posts, UncategorizedBy Ken Raynor
Learning from the mistakes of others is far better than learning from your own follies. The work of the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Fee Dispute Resolution Committee allows its members to see patterns of conduct which end up in disputes between attorneys and clients. Hopefully, the members use this experience to develop procedures and practices which will help avoid fee disputes. We thought it may be good to share with our associates some of the insights we have learned through our service as members of the Fee Dispute Committee. Read more
The Chair’s Comments
Featured PostsBy Ginny Allen
Over the course of these last months, my eyes have been opened to the resilience, hard work, and investment of time it takes to get a business up and running.
Read more
The Chair’s Comments
UncategorizedBy Jennifer Morgan
Welcome to a new year of Administrative Law Section activities and events. My name is Jennifer Morgan, and I am an attorney at Williams Mullen law firm in Raleigh. My practice includes a focus on alcoholic beverage distribution and regulation, as well as a focus on utilities regulation. I am honored and excited to serve as chair of the section for the 2015-2016 year.
Read more
A Gift for Those Who Walk the Extra Mile: A FitBit Review
Featured PostsRead more
Clerk of Court John Connell Retires From Court of Appeals
Featured PostsBy Russell Rawlings
John Connell just knew he had blown the interview. He was suffering from a cold, on medication, and unusually anxious.
“I felt I rushed it.”
That was nearly 30 years ago when he interviewed for the position of assistant clerk of court at the N.C. Court of Appeals. Not only did he get the job, but seven years later when the clerk’s position became open, he landed that job too.
The affable Connell retired Nov. 1, leaving behind a legacy of service and leadership that will permeate the Court of Appeals for years to come. Always quick with a smile and a self-effacing comeback, he covers his emotions well until the conversation turns to his co-workers.
Read more
NCBA Member Seth Blum on Being an Actor and an Attorney
Featured PostsMembers in focus: Seth A. Blum
Duke University School of Law
Founding Partner of Kurtz & Blum, Raleigh
By Amber Nimocks
For Seth Blum, the works of William Shakespeare offer not just philosophical inspiration but also a means of self-expression, an opportunity for family bonding and a chance to enhance some of the skills he uses in the practice of law. Blum, a founding partner of Kurtz & Blum, is also an actor who frequently brings the Bard’s works to life on the local stage.
He said he doesn’t remember a moment when he decided to pursue involvement in theater, but that he has been acting for as long as he could talk.
Read more
Tennis Lessons: WFU Prof’s Life A Study In Sportsmanship, Tenacity And The Law
Featured PostsBy Russell Rawlings
Professor Muriel Beth Hopkins of Wake Forest University currently serves as chair of the Constitution and Rules Committee of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a role she never could have envisioned growing up in Petersburg, Va.
“In the town I grew up in there were no public tennis courts available for African-Americans,” said Hopkins. “We would have been arrested had we attempted to play on public tennis courts in the 1960s.”
So much has changed since then, and Hopkins was done more than simply witness it. She’s been a part of it.
Read more
Still Atticus: An old hero persists despite a new portrayal
Featured PostsEditor’s note: This article was originally published in the November 2015 edition of North Carolina Lawyer.
By Amber Nimocks
Since Harper Lee breathed Atticus Finch to life in 1960, no other fictional attorney has had such a hold on the American psyche.
The figure of an altruistic Southern lawyer standing up for what’s right in the face of a deeply unjust society in “To Kill A Mockingbird” has inspired millions as a model of dedication to justice, patience and paternal wisdom. But this summer’s publication of Lee’s “Go Set A Watchman,” which presented a new, more difficult view of the character, left us wondering what members of the N.C. Bar Association make of this hero revisited.
Read more
The Chair’s Comments
UncategorizedI am excited to be writing my initial column as chair of the Business Law Section, having succeeded Ken Carroll on July 1. I look forward to serving as chair of the section and invite you to contact me at any time with any questions, ideas, concerns or advice. We have an outstanding section and an active, engaged leadership team.
Read more