Join us at the Pro Bono Table on February 3!

Mallory Lidaka

Samantha Aktug

By Mallory Lidaka and Samantha Aktug

Hello section members!

We are looking forward to the upcoming NCBA conference at the Grandover next week, the first to be held in person for the past two years! On behalf of the Pro Bono Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Section, we wanted to make you aware of an exciting Pro Bono opportunity for our section members at the 2022 conference. Our section is partnering once again with the North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF) and NC Free Legal Answers Pro Bono Program, which allows Bar Association members to provide answers to civil legal questions from financially eligible citizens through a website – not by phone. Attorneys may choose from 25 available legal categories and anonymously respond to a question that fits their legal interests.

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2022 Antitrust & Complex Business Disputes Law Section Program

John P. MarshallBy John P. Marshall

The Antitrust & Complex Business Disputes Law Section invites you to register for its annual program on February 3, 2022. The program promises a full agenda and plenty of CLE credit through timely presentations designed for the active and aspiring business litigator. We will also have the very popular View From the Bench featuring the current North Carolina Business Court Judges. You may attend virtually or in person. For additional information and details, register here.

Hope to see you there.

Equal Justice Works Career Fair

Julia ZabinskyBy Julia Zabinski

The job search can be incredibly stressful, and it is easy to let this stress consume much of one’s mental capacity. One thing that I have learned in law school is that career fairs are a beautiful thing. Plenty of networking and job opportunities are all in one location. Moreover, career fairs are great spaces to practice many different skills from networking to interviewing and cover letter writing!

If you have the slightest interest in a career in public interest, I highly recommend checking out Equal Justice Works. Every year Equal Justice Works hosts a career fair where more than two hundred public interest employers come together and recruit. Before COVID-19, the career fair was in person. I did not have the luxury of attending the career fair in person, so I cannot speak to that specific experience. However, I have done Equal Justice Works two years in a row now and have thoroughly enjoyed the online experience. Even if you do not secure an internship or postgraduate job, the interview process with Equal Justice Works is great practice. Interviews are 20 minutes long and jumping from one Zoom call to the next with different employers tests many different skill sets. I highly recommend checking out the list of employers which is published every year prior to the event. There are employers who practice various kinds of law, and you can apply for any experience that interests you. There is no limit on the number of employers that you can apply to, so do not be afraid to put yourself out there.

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Divorce From Bed and Board: Multiple Choice

Ketan Soni

Ketan Soni

Carolynn Krueger-Andes

Carolyn Krueger-Andes

By Ketan Soni and Carolyn Krueger-Andes

Being Special(ist)

Here are the results from our last post (22 responses):

 

Question # % Correct Answers

1

41%

2

47%

3

28.6%

4

38%

5

33%

6

28.6%

7

76.2%

8

23.8%

9

90.5%

10

81%

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Embracing Creativity in the Law

By Tiqeece Brown

The legal profession has an antiquated pedagogical style of existence, from court proceedings to the Socratic teaching method. Many lawyers can be conservative and are opposed to taking risks. Therefore, one may speculate this could be the reason why the law is lethargic with advancing particular initiatives. Many feel that creativity should be left outside the law; however, that perspective is erroneous. As society changes, demand for change also increases to meet current needs. As law school has taught many of us, learning the law is not enough; the beauty is applying the law as it comports with the facts of a case. “Making the law dance with the facts” is advocacy, a creative skill set. Creativity and advocacy are inextricably intertwined within the law and should be embraced by the legal profession.

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Embracing Creativity in the Law

By Tiqeece Brown

The legal profession has an antiquated pedagogical style of existence, from court proceedings to the Socratic teaching method. Many lawyers can be conservative and are opposed to taking risks. Therefore, one may speculate this could be the reason why the law is lethargic with advancing particular initiatives. Many feel that creativity should be left outside the law; however, that perspective is erroneous. As society changes, demand for change also increases to meet current needs. As law school has taught many of us, learning the law is not enough; the beauty is applying the law as it comports with the facts of a case. “Making the law dance with the facts” is advocacy, a creative skill set. Creativity and advocacy are inextricably intertwined within the law and should be embraced by the legal profession.

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2022 Family Law Intensive: Expert Level Information

Meredith Parker

Meredith Parker

Ryan Schultz

Ryan Schultz

By Meredith Parker and Ryan Schultz

Introducing:

Isn’t There an Expert for That? (2022 Family Law Intensive Program)

Thursday and Friday, January 27-28, 2022

Attention all Family Law Specialists and Family Law Practitioners with 8+ years of practice! Your deadline to register for the 2022 Family Law Intensive Program is fast approaching – register today to secure your spot for the program.

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Searching for Volunteers for the Grab-a-Coffee Program – Spring 2022 Launch

Kayla Britt

Kayla Britt

Matt Meinel

Matt Meinel

By Kayla Britt and Matt Meinel

The YLD’s Law Student Outreach Committee is continuing its flagship Grab-a-Coffee Program (“GaC”) during the spring academic semester. GaC is a statewide program that pairs law students with practicing attorneys based on their practice area(s) of interest. Discussion topics may include the attorney’s path to their current employment, what the practice is like in the attorney’s current areas of law, and any general advice the attorney may have for the student.

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Pro Bono Reporting Information

Sylvia NovinskyBy Sylvia Novinsky

Our Supreme Court notes “Equal Justice Under Law” on its building. Yet, access to this justice only truly exists when it is available to all members of our state, regardless of ability to pay. A failure to provide adequate legal services to those of modest means affects both the economic and social fabric of our society and does not adequately represent the principles of the profession to which we have been called.

Pro bono is one way for attorneys to help narrow the access to justice gap. We would like to capture your service and celebrate your pro bono work! We especially look forward to hearing about your pro bono legal services in 2021, including those provided through the North Carolina Bar Association and Foundation projects like Free Legal Answers, Wills for Heroes, and NC LEAP.

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Nominate a Colleague for an NCBA Pro Bono Award

By Karsin Williard

Each year, the North Carolina Bar Association recognizes members for their substantial contributions to pro bono service in North Carolina. The nomination deadline for 2021-22 NCBA Pro Bono Award recognition is February 18. Please consider nominating a colleague for pro bono recognition.

You can find more information and a nomination form here. These are the award categories:

William Thorp Pro Bono Service Award: Presented to an NCBA member attorney who practices in North Carolina and has provided substantial legal services, in excess of the aspirational goals of Rule 6.1, with no expectation of receiving a fee, to a client or client group that could not otherwise afford legal counsel. The nominee should have engaged in the direct delivery of legal services to clients or a client group over an extended period of time and those efforts should be ongoing. Nominees must not be employed on a full-time basis by an organization that has as its primary purpose the provision of free legal services to the poor.

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