Invitation to Attend “What About the Children?” – 2025 Family Law Fall Program
By Susan Simos
It’s that time of year again, time for foliage, football, tailgating, and of course, the Family Law Fall Program. This year’s program will take place in Winston-Salem, home of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Reynolds America, Krispy Kreme, and Texas Pete. Winston-Salem is also a great place to find fantastic restaurants, unique bars, historic sites and local art, all within walking distance of our host hotel. As a resident of Winston-Salem for 17 years (when did that happen), I write to personally invite you to join us on September 12, 2025, to explore the city, to engage in interesting and insightful CLE topics, and to network and catch up with new and old friends.
We all know the practice of family law can be daunting. I often find myself describing days in court, mediations, or depositions as a slog: fraught with disgruntled parties, contentious opposing counsel, and too much information to be addressed in too little time. And while a positive outcome or a satisfied client certainly goes a long way toward making it all worthwhile, I find the things that keep me engaged are the friendships and camaraderie I have built along the way. I am grateful for the groups of colleagues both close by and across the state who can relate, who can share war stories, who provide insight and suggestions, and who understand the unique challenges of this work. Those relationships, for me, have been forged at annual meetings, fall programs, and intensive seminars. And those relationships – fashioned from that time spent outside of cases and courtrooms with colleagues – make the difficult and adversarial work we do that much more palatable. For those reasons, I encourage you and your colleagues to attend the Family Law Fall Program, in person, in Winston-Salem.
For those of you who do come to town, I promise a great social to be held at Incendiary Brewing Co. (486 N. Patterson Ave., Winston-Salem, NC 27101) from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. the night before our program, and an opportunity to network and build connections. For anyone who is new to family law or feels like they haven’t made those connections yet, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly, and I will be happy to either connect with you myself while you are in town or connect you with other local attorneys who can either make a restaurant recommendation or help you brainstorm about a case. I look forward to seeing you all!
For those of you who are attending, here is a short list of restaurants, bars, and activities to check out:
- Restaurants: The Downtown Grille, Cibo Trattoria, Mission Pizza, Oh Calcutta, Quanto Basta, The Spring House, Young Cardinal Café, West End Café, Di Lisio’s, Mozelle’s, Betty’s on Burke, Sage and Salt, Spotted Cow Steakhouse, Barcelona Burger Bar, Sushi Rose, Cugino Forno
- Bars: The Dutch Light, Fair Witness, Joyner’s, Vintage Sofa Lounge, The Trophy Room, Little Pep, Single Brothers, Incendiary Brewing
- Things to Do: Wake Forest v. NC State – September 11 at 7:30 p.m., Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Old Salem, NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA), Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery and other galleries along Trade and Liberty