See the results of the judicial nominee special selection from April 18, 2019.
1. Marcus Allen Shields: 125
2. Brian Tomlin: 88
3. Ronald P. Butler: 86
4. Caroline T. Pemberton: 60
5. Christon Stephanie Halkiotis: 59
6. Tie:
Brenton G. Boyce: 45
Moshera Mills: 45
7. Larry Archie: 23
8. Tab Hunter: 4
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The Young Lawyers Section of the GBA has several exciting events happening this Spring!
Last month YLS partnered with Piedmont Triad Women Attorneys to fill volunteer slots for the 4All Service Day. We provided pizza for the many volunteer attorneys who fielded telephone calls and helped make the annual 4All event a success. YLS also hosted a Lunch & Learn with local attorney and Greensboro City Council Member, Justin Outling. Justin offered unique insight on various current events in Greensboro and led an engaging discussion among the attorneys in attendance. Thanks to Justin for all he does for our community! Last week YLS had a “March Madness” themed happy hour at World of Beer where young lawyers donated school supplies reflecting their favorite NCAA team spirit to benefit Hampton Elementary School.
Connect with Us. Do you want more information about upcoming YLS events or how you can get involved? Check out our website at www.greensboroyls.org. E-mail Grant Sigmon (grant@sklawnc.com) to make sure you are on the listserv.
Higgins Benjamin PLLC, a growing mid-sized Greensboro firm, is looking to add partner-level attorneys that want to develop their own practice with the support and collegiality of a larger firm. Candidates should have 5 or more years of experience with portable business. Please forward your CV and letter of interest in confidence to:
Kacvinsky Daisak Bluni PLLC (KDB) is thrilled to announce the expansion of its IP capacity with the hire of Nick G. Carr as senior associate. Based in the firm’s North Carolina office, Nick works across a broad range of industries including software and computer services, technology, hardware, electronics and financial services. His educational background in computer science is a significant asset for KDB clients, bringing valuable industry perspective.
“KDB is a terrific fit for my practice and clients,” said Nick. “The breadth of IP work, strong roster of clients and workplace culture attracted me to KDB.”
He focuses his practice on matters involving patent counseling, drafting and prosecution as well as opinion work. Prior to joining KDB, Nick was an associate at Patterson + Sheridan. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Supreme Court of North Carolina as the Law Clerk to Chief Justice Sarah Parker providing him with valuable court experience.
KDB is a full-service intellectual property law firm focused on providing clients with the best IP attorneys regardless of their location.
The 21st century law firm is undergoing unprecedented change.
Challenges include increased competition, 21st century clients, and generational differences to name a few.
Let’s look ahead to see what to expect in 2018.
Changing Business Model. What has always worked for law firms is not working as well as it used to. Adapt. Be flexible. Experiment with different options for your clients – try new ways to communicate, bill, and deliver services – and see what your clients like. Many successful businesses experiment with their business model until they find what works best for them. Then they build on the model. Most law firms adopt a model that was built decades ago and they continue to operate the firm the same way, regardless of whether clients like it, employees like it, or associate attorneys like it. When the model ceases to provide results, there is no enthusiasm for building a new model.
The idea of a nimble workplace allows you to seek new ideas, collect input from your lawyers and staff and experiment with your clients. After putting an experiment in place, debrief about the process and results. Ask yourself three questions:
Practice Areas. According to articles and surveys by many of the top legal staffing companies in the U.S., hot practice areas include healthcare, corporate transactional law, intellectual property particularly as pertains to entertainment law and technology law. There continues to be a rise in cyber practices including privacy issues and data breach response. In North Carolina, real estate practices, both residential and commercial continue to be robust.
Legal Jobs. Special Counsel’s 2018 Salary Guide reports increased demand and competition for top legal talent. Firms are looking at creative ways to provide more perks to professionals including signing bonuses, relocation reimbursement and unique benefits
For example:
What does this mean for your firm? Strategic recruiting is important. If you have growth plans for your law firm or if you want to keep the status quo as senior lawyers retire, you need to have a growth plan in place. You should be working with the Career Services Department in our law schools, as well as connecting with legal recruiters. You should have a lawyer in your firm dedicated to strategic recruiting and they should have a list of recruiting tactics that include sponsoring events at law schools, participating in resume drops and student receptions, and offering internship or summer associate positions.
Transitioning Lawyers. As senior lawyers begin to consider their next chapter, the idea of winding down a law practice (for a solo or small firm lawyer) or succession planning (for larger firms) becomes important. A well-developed succession plan should take a few years to work through, at least 18 months. Don’t wait until your best rainmaker announces a retirement date six months away before developing a succession plan.
As a solo lawyer, you should consider the idea that your law practice has value and there may be a market to sell your practice. Attend a “selling your law practice” program or talk with Tom Lenfestey with the Law Practice Exchange (www.thelawpracticeexchange.com) about buying or selling a law practice.
Importance of Data. Managing your law firm requires you to know and use your data. Your accounting and billing software probably collects more data than you use. Use digital products to help you master the analytics that make your firm run. Keeping track and analyzing everything from hours on projects to costs of doing business will help you see the big picture of how healthy your law firm really is.
Artificial Intelligence. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made big strides. Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking called AI “the biggest event in human history”. AI will impact the profession for years to come not only through enhanced technology tools, but as lawyers sort the many legal issues that will arise over time.
Alternative Legal Service Providers. While Legal Zoom might be the name we know best, Avvo has also launched their version of online legal services. There is more to say about online legal services than the scope of this article will allow. For some insight, visit Bob Ambrogi’s blog post, “Avvo CEO Says New Legal Forms Offering Will Help Steer Self-Help Consumers to Lawyers” – http://www.lawsitesblog.com/2016/04/avvo-ceo-discusses-new-legal-forms-offering.html. The post includes links to earlier posts, as well as comments by Avvo’s chief legal officer, Josh King.
The North Carolina State Bar Ethics Committee has established a sub-committee studying online legal platforms. The sub-committee has released two proposed ethics opinions. 2018 FEO 1 discusses an online rating directory such as Avvo, and 2017 FEO 6 discusses whether a lawyer can participate in an online legal platform such as Avvo Legal Services.
In response to the changes in the marketplace, Lawyers Mutual is hosting the first NC Managing Partners Summit, a program designed to help lawyers cope with the tremendous challenges facing firms. The Summit will promote learning opportunities for law firm leaders to build more profitable and sustainable law firms.
Our keynote speaker is Jordan Furlong, lawyer and leading analyst of the global legal market and forecaster of its future development. Jordan is the author of the Law21 blog, Evolutionary Road: A Strategic Guide to Your Law Firm’s Future, and Law is a Buyer’s Market.
Our agenda will include panel discussions on succession planning, transition and law firm growth; stories from law firms innovators; and strategies for law firms in combating lawyer impairment. For more information, contact Lawyers Mutual.
Camille Stell is the Vice President of Client Services for Lawyers Mutual. Continue this conversation by contacting Camille at camille@lawyersmutualnc.com or 800.662.8843.
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP has chosen Kimberly Bullock Gatling to be a member of the 2018 class of Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows, a landmark program created by the LCLD to identify, train and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession.
According to LCLD President Robert J. Grey Jr., the LCLD Fellows Program offers participants “a year-long, in-depth program devoted to relationship-building, in-person training, peer-group projects, and extensive contact with LCLD’s top leadership and the best teachers in the business.”
Gatling concentrates her practice at Smith Moore Leatherwood in intellectual property prosecution, licensing and litigation. She serves as the firm’s technology industry group co-leader, working with a group of attorneys who draw upon the firm’s intellectual property, litigation and corporate experience to advise clients on a variety of issues that arise in today’s electronic marketplace. Additionally, Gatling has served as chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee since 2009.
In her community, Gatling serves on the boards of the United Way of Greater Greensboro, Cone Health Foundation and the Gateway Research Park. She was recently appointed chair of the North Carolina A&T State University board of visitors.
Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 285 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are personally committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. The LCLD Fellows Program, which has trained more than a thousand mid-career attorneys since 2011, is one of LCLD’s most important initiatives. For more information, visit www.lcldnet.org.
The Greensboro Bar Association’s Legal Aid Fundraiser, held on Saturday, February 17 at the Greensboro Science Center’s Aquarium, was a great success! We hosted 126 guests, which included GBA members, many of our sponsors, friends and family.
Guests enjoyed an amazing array of Mediterranean-style food provided by Catering by Bakatsias, locally brewed craft beer from Four Saints Brewing Company, Gibbs Hundred Brewing Company, Joymongers Brewing Company, Pig Pounder Brewery, and Preyer Brewing Company, as well as a selection of red and white wine from Rioja! A Wine Bar.
We raffled off over 10 great prizes donated by local businesses and organizations, including Whole Foods, Chakras Spa, Parizade, Little Brother Brewing, Beer Co., Natty Greene’s, Bottle & Can, beerthirty, and Matt Logan, Inc.
The Fundraiser Committee, consisting of Johnna Herron (chair), Brennan Aberle, Nick Bakatsias, Jennifer Gibert Mencarini, Katherine Reynolds, Alicia Edwards, Alex Eiffe and Andrew Evans is grateful for the incredible support of our sponsors and extends its thanks to the following companies and individuals:
Platinum ($2,000): Brooks Pierce, Lincoln Financial Group;
Gold ($1,000): Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of North Carolina, Barbara Morgenstern;
Silver ($500): Black, Slaughter & Black, Cone Health, Connors Morgan, Johnson Peddrick & McDonald, Nexsen Pruet, Smith Moore Leatherwood, Turning Point Litigation, Whole Foods;
Bronze ($250): Capital City Law, Carruthers & Roth, Elon University School of Law, Garrett Walker Aycoth & Olson, Isaacson Isaacson Sheridan, Jill Wilson & Marc Isaacson, Logan Financial, Sally Cone, Schell Bray, The Nelson Law Firm.
Thanks to the hard work of the committee, ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations (including an incredible anonymous donation of $5,000 and $2,500 from the GBA Foundation), the GBA raised an amazing total of $21,218.46 (with $2,500 donated directly to Legal Aid). At the March 15th member meeting, Johnna Herron presented Janet McAuley-Blue, Managing Attorney of our local Greensboro Legal Aid office, and all Legal Aid attorneys and staff in attendance, with a check for $18,718.46.
April is upon us, and winter, which has seemed especially tenacious this year, is finally making its exit. March Madness is also coming to a close, and I hope you have fared better than my UVA-is-going-to-win-it-all bracket!
Please save the date of Sunday, May 20th! Our annual picnic at the Hoppers’ Stadium will be a joint occasion with the High Point Bar Association! The fun begins at 2 p.m.
As my year as President nears its end, I would like to highlight a few important events on the horizon:
Recently, Judge Avery Crump announced her resignation from the District Court bench in order to pursue her candidacy for the office of District Attorney. Pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-142, Judicial Districts 18 (Greensboro) and 18H (High Point) are required to schedule a joint special meeting to nominate five attorneys to Governor Cooper to fill Judge Crump’s vacancy. Our Judicial District’s By-Laws provide that the responsibility to determine the location of the special meeting will alternate between Greensboro and High Point. As Greensboro presided over the last special meeting, High Point will host this meeting. The special meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at the High Point Country Club, 800 Country Club Drive, High Point, North Carolina 27262, with registration and ballot distribution beginning at 3:00 p.m., and candidate speeches starting at 3:30 p.m. You will receive an official written notice of the special meeting at least 15 days in advance via your email or mailing address on file. If you are interested in being considered for the nomination, you must be a resident of either Judicial District 18 or 18H, and must notify either me (sarahroane@gmail.com) or Quin Schoch (schochlaw5@northstate.net), the President of District 18H, in writing no later than 5 days before the meeting, as nominations from the floor are not permitted. Your notice should include a brief resume and a statement of qualifications. At the special meeting, each candidate will have up to three minutes to speak. Although Governor Cooper is not bound by our recommendations, we have a unique opportunity as lawyers to have our voices heard as to deserving judicial candidates. I hope you will all attend and vote at this important meeting.
Our final member meeting of the year will take place on Thursday, April 19th at Starmount Forest Country Club, with cocktails at 5:30 pm and the call to order at 6:15 pm. This meeting also serves as our annual joint meeting of the GBA and Judicial District 18, where we will approve our budgets for the 2018-19 year and formally vote on the proposed slate of officers and directors for 2018-19. Additionally, Jason Hensley, Executive Director of the North Carolina Bar Association, will be our featured speaker, our Awards and Recognitions Committee will present the GBA’s Distinguished Service Award, and incoming President Judge Teresa Vincent will be distributing sign-up sheets for participation on GBA committees next year. This year has been truly remarkable from the standpoint of committee participation, and I hope that we can continue that momentum into Judge Vincent’s year. Finally, I am also putting together a PowerPoint to show at the meeting which will feature highlights of the past year. If you have any memorabilia, photographs, or funny stories from a GBA event, please send them to me at sarahroane@gmail.com.
Please save the date of Sunday, May 20th! Our annual picnic at the Hoppers’ Stadium will be a joint occasion with the High Point Bar Association! The fun begins at 2 p.m.
Hope to see you at all of these great events!
Carruthers & Roth, P.A. is pleased to announce that Messrs. Greene and Genheimer are the co-authors of the chapter on North Carolina receiverships in the state-by-state treatise published most recently in 2018 by Thomson/Reuters/West entitled Strategic Alternatives For and Against Distressed Businesses.
Kenneth Greene
Christopher Genheimer
Their chapter provides a thorough analysis of the current North Carolina laws that apply to receiverships, details the powers and authority of a court appointed receiver and the procedures applicable to the creation, administration, liquidation and distribution of a receivership estate.
For more information on the publication, please click here.
The following members have been nominated to serve as officers and directors of the Greensboro Bar Association for June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019:
GBA President-elect (18th JD VP): Eric A. Richardson
GBA/18th JD Secretary: Chelsea E. Anderson
GBA/18th JD Treasurer: Desmond G. Sheridan
GBA Director (3) for 3-year term starting June 1, 2018 and ending in May 31, 2021:
Abigail E. Peoples
J. Grant Sigmon
Allie Petrova
GBA Director (1) for 2-year term starting June 1, 2018 and ending in May 31, 2020 (fill unexpired term of Eric Richardson):
Kimberly B. Gatling
The nominations were submitted by the 2018 Nominating Committee:
Jim Bryan, Damon Duncan, Ken Keller (chair), Nicole Patino, Camille Payton, Sarah Roane, Judge Teresa Vincent and Gerald Walden
GBA/18 JD President Elect/VP
Eric Richardson – Eric has served as the Chair of the GBA Herb Falk Society, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors. Eric is the managing partner of the personal injury practice and family law practice for Oxner + Permar, PLLC. Since graduating from law school, he has built a litigation practice by handling a wide variety of cases before North Carolina District and Superior Courts, Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts, as well as the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Although Eric has represented a number of business interests and other entities during his legal career, he now focuses his practice on the representation of people who need assistance in maneuvering through the maze of civil litigation.
Born in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eric graduated from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Government. He worked for two years as a Federal Budget Analyst in Bethesda, Maryland before attending law school. Eric graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law where he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Wake Forest Law Review. He is a published author and contributes a significant amount of his time to community service, including serving as the General Chairman for the 2009 Wyndham Championship PGA tour event and coaching East Forsyth High School’s trial team in the NCAJ Mock Trial Competition. He is a member of the NC Advocates for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and the Multi Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum. He has served on the NC Bar Association’s Medico-Legal Committee, the NC Bar Association’s Family Law Section Committee, and as President of the Guilford County Family Law Section. He has also served as CLE co-chair for the auto torts section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and has been recognized in multiple years by the Greensboro Bar Association as a member of the Herb Falk society. Eric is certified to practice in the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of North Carolina’s Federal Courts as well as the United States Supreme Court.
GBA/JD 18 Secretary
Chelsea Anderson – Chelsea has served faithfully and efficiently as the GBA Secretary for two years and chaired the very successful 2015 and 2016 GBA benefits for Legal Aid. She was an active member of the Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors in 2014-2016. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Elon University and received her Juris Doctor from Elon University School of Law. She has been practicing in the area of family law since 2013, and currently practices with Cordell and Cordell, handling domestic matters, helping individuals in matters relating to separation, divorce, spousal support (post-separation support and alimony), child custody, child support, adoptions, guardianships, name changes, and legitimations.
GBA/18 JD Treasurer
Desmond Sheridan – Desmond is currently completing his second year as Treasurer of the GBA, having also served as Treasurer previously. Desmond completed his undergraduate work at the University of Florida and his law degree from UNC Chapel Hill, where he graduated with High Honors and was on the Law Review. He has practiced in Greensboro since 1986, and formed the law firm of Isaacson Isaacson & Sheridan, LLP with Henry Isaacson and Marc Isaacson in 2000. Desmond is a certified public accountant and, before law school, practiced public accounting in Washington, DC. After beginning his legal career in the tax area, he has expanded his practice to include business transactions, corporations, limited liability companies and commercial real estate. Desmond is active in Temple Emanuel and other community organizations. He has authored a number of articles on tax and legal topics and has given numerous continuing education presentations to CPAs and attorneys. Most recently, Desmond presented a program on S corporations to over 200 CPAs at the North Carolina Association of CPA’s annual Symposium.
GBA Board of Directors (2020 – unexpired term of Eric Richardson)
Kim Gatling – Kim previously served on the GBA Board in 2006, was Treasurer in 2008-09 and chaired several committees including the Legal Aid Benefit and Law Day. Kim is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, cum laude and George Washington University Law School. Kim is a Partner at Smith Moore Leatherwood, and concentrates her practice in intellectual property prosecution, licensing, and litigation. She is also a member of the firm’s cybersecurity and data breach group, which assists clients with the management and protection of sensitive business and personal information. Kim is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Trademarks. In addition to her business savvy, Kim works to help community members achieve a better quality of life. She serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Greensboro, the Board of the Cone Health Foundation, and is a strong supporter of her alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University, where she serves as Chair of the Board of Visitors.
GBA Board of Directors (2021)
Abigail Peoples – Abigail Peoples – Abigail has been active on the GBA Board for a number of years, having chaired the CLE committee and served a full term as a member of the Board of Directors. She earned her J.D. from The College of William and Mary, Marshall Wythe Law School, along with a Masters in Counseling from Regent University and a Bachelor of Arts from UNC Chapel Hill. She started her law firm right out of law school in 2009 and focuses her practice on estate planning/administration, wills/trusts, adoptions, and guardianships. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Elon School of Law, Guilford College, and GTCC.
Grant Sigmon – Grant has served on the GBA Board of Directors as an ex officio member as President of the Greensboro Young Lawyers Section. Grant is a graduate of East Carolina University and received his law degree from Elon University School of Law. He founded Sigmon Klein, PLLC in 2016, where the majority of his practice focuses on personal injury, family law, and business disputes at the State Court level, although he is also experienced in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and in Federal Court. In addition to his law practice, Grant maintains consistent involvement in the Greensboro community. He is currently President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Greensboro Bar Association and is an active member of the Greensboro Rotary Club.
Allie Petrova – Allie has been very active in the GBA Bar, serving as liaison with the High Point Bar and organizing the Battle of the Bars trivia event. She received her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, her advanced tax law studies with an LL.M. in Taxation degree also from Georgetown Law, and an LL.M. in International Economic Law degree from a bilingual program at The Sorbonne in Paris. She received her B.S. degree in Business Administration and Economics with a Finance concentration, magna cum laude, with departmental honors from Greensboro College.
Allie focuses exclusively on business and taxation matters. Allie developed her tax and transactional expertise as a senior M&A tax consultant at Ernst & Young in New York City. Before founding Petrova Law, she practiced corporate and tax law with Schell Bray PLLC in downtown Greensboro. She has worked at the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C. Allie is an active member of the Greensboro Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. She serves on the Tax Council of the North Carolina Bar Association and as a Vice Chair of the Closely Held Business Committee of the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association.
18th Judicial District Bar 18-H Judicial District Bar
March 27, 2018
TO: Members of the Bar, 18th Judicial District and 18-H Judicial District
FROM: Quin Schoch, President of the 18-H Judicial District Bar, Sarah H. Roane, President of the 18th Judicial District Bar
RE: Notice of Special Joint Meeting for the Selection of Nominees for the District Court Judicial Vacancy Occasioned by the Resignation of the Honorable Avery M. Crump
Notice: Pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-142 and the Bylaws of the 18th and 18-H Judicial District Bars, notice hereby is given that a SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE 18th and 18-H JUDICIAL DISTRICT BARS will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the High Point Country Club, located at 800 Country Club Drive, High Point, North Carolina 27262,1 for the sole purpose of selecting nominees to submit to Governor Roy A. Cooper III to fill the District Court judicial vacancy occasioned by the resignation of the Honorable Avery M. Crump on or about February 27, 2018. Member check-in and ballot distribution will begin at 3:00 p.m.
Candidates: Any member of the 18th Judicial District Bar or the 18-H Judicial District Bar who wishes to be a candidate for the judicial seat and who is a resident in either district must notify us of his or her intention in writing, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 13, 2018, five (5) days in advance of the meeting. The notification shall state that he or she is duly authorized to practice law in the 18th and 18-H Judicial District Bars, and that his or her residence address is located within either district. Notification should be delivered or mailed to Quin Schoch, 500 East Green Drive, Suite 100, High Point, NC 27260, or e-mailed to schochlaw5@northstate.net, or delivered or mailed to Sarah H. Roane, 324 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401, or e-mailed to sarahroane@gmail.com. If you send notice by e-mail, please request confirmation that the e-mail has been received.
Each candidate is requested to submit a brief resume and a statement as to the candidate’s qualifications for the judicial seat. Such information will be posted on the Greensboro Bar Association’s website, www.greensborobar.org, prior to the special meeting to assist members of the 18th and 18-H Judicial District Bars in evaluating the candidates. Participation by candidates in this evaluation is voluntary.
1 Pursuant to Article XI, Section 1 of the By-Laws of the 18th and 18-H Judicial District Bars, the officers of the two district bars are alternatively responsible for determining the location of the joint special meetings. As 18th Judicial District Bar presided over the last joint special meeting in Greensboro, the 18-H Judicial District Bar will preside over this joint special meeting in High Point.
Speeches by Candidates: Beginning at approximately 3:30 p.m., each candidate will be allowed three minutes to address the members present. To accommodate our members’ varying schedules, voting will be allowed before, during, and after the speeches. We encourage you, however, to listen to the presentations of the candidates prior to voting.
Voting: Voting shall be limited to those attorneys licensed to practice in North Carolina who are in attendance at the joint special meeting and are residents and members in good standing of either the 18th Judicial District Bar or the 18-H Judicial District Bar. An attorney is not authorized to vote if he or she practices in, but does not reside in, either district, although such individuals are still encouraged to attend the joint special meeting.2 Proxy voting is prohibited.
Each voting member of the 18th and 18-H Judicial District Bars shall be entitled to vote for up to five candidates for the judicial seat by secret, written ballot. Ballots containing votes for more than five candidates will be disqualified, and cumulative voting is prohibited.3 The ballots will be counted promptly after completion of the candidates’ speeches. The five candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast will be the nominees to fill the District Court judicial vacancy. In the event of a tie for fifth place, the names of the candidates involved in the tie shall be transmitted to Governor Cooper, together with the names of the four other candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
Results of the Election: The results of the election will be announced at the joint special meeting. Following the meeting, we will transmit to Governor Cooper the names of the five candidates (six if there is a tie for 5th place) receiving the most votes, along with the number of votes for each. The 18th Judicial District Bar and the 18-H Judicial District Bar will be notified by e-mail of the results of the election, and the results will also be listed on the Greensboro Bar Association’s web site, www.greensborobar.org, and in the newsletters of the Greensboro Bar Association and High Point Bar Association.
Please attend and vote at this important joint special meeting. Thank you.
Quin Schoch
President, 18-H Judicial District Bar
500 East Green Drive, Suite 100
High Point, NC 27260
Sarah H. Roane
President, 18th Judicial District Bar
324 West Market Street,
Greensboro, NC 27401
2 A current membership roster will be obtained from the North Carolina State Bar prior to the joint special meeting. If you recently transferred into either the 18th Judicial District or the 18-H Judicial District, please contact the North Carolina State Bar to make sure your information is current.
3 Cumulative voting consists of a member casting more than one vote for a single candidate.
Joseph William Moss
Joseph William Moss, born April 6, 1941, died peacefully at Beacon Place in Greensboro on January 31, 2018, surrounded by family. Joe moved to his beloved hometown of St. Simons Island, Georgia, in the first grade and never lost his love of the marsh, sand and sea. He left St. Simons to attend Duke University on a football scholarship. Joe was elected president of Kappa Alpha fraternity at Duke. He graduated from Duke in 1963 with a B.A. in economics. He attended Mercer University Law School for one year and transferred to Wake Forest University School of Law, earning JD/LLB degree in 1966. Joe served as a law clerk to Justice Carlisle Higgins of the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1966-67.
Joe practiced law in Greensboro for over forty years as a partner in Adams, Kleemeier, Hagan, Hanna & Fouts (1967-1999), Moss & Eudy, and Moss & Mason. Joe was a trial lawyer – he loved trying cases and was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, where he served as chair of the Young Lawyers Division and was among those who initially organized the Construction Law Section. Joe served as general chairman of the Greater Greensboro Open in 1976, was a member of the Greensboro Jaycees, and served as president of the Greensboro Sports Council.
Joe was predeceased by his parents, Henry Parks Moss and Sarah Elizabeth Eberhardt Moss, and his brothers Henry Parks Moss, Jr. and Frank M. Moss, and his cousin Andrew L. Eberhardt. Joe is survived by his sister Elizabeth Moss Mrachek of West Palm Beach, Florida, and his children Joseph W. Moss, Jr. and his wife Beth of Charlotte, Priscilla (Polly) Moss Wierda and her husband Greg of Greensboro, Gregory Moss Bowman and her husband Greg of Greensboro, and nine grandchildren: Will Moss, Katherine Moss, Virginia Moss, Carter Wierda, Jackson Wierda, Mason Wierda, Scott Bowman, Daniel Bowman and Henry Bowman. Joe’s most loyal and loving companions in recent years were his dogs Beau and Bigi, who predeceased him.
Arnold Terry Wood
Arnold Terry Wood, 81, passed away peacefully at his home in Greensboro on December 20, 2017, after a courageous battle with cancer. Terry was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 3, 1936. He was raised in Charlotte, where he graduated from Myers Park High School. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1958, he joined the United States Navy and served as an officer on the USS Moale, a destroyer. While serving in the Navy, Terry met and married the love of his life, Ann Turner Wood.
Following his time in the Navy, Terry was admitted to the UNC School of law where he again graduated with Honors. In the mid-1960’s he moved his family to Hickory, North Carolina, where he opened a law office. During his time in Hickory he also served as the attorney for the local school board. In the 1980’s Terry and Ann relocated to Greensboro where he began work in the City Attorney’s Office. Terry was later named the City Attorney of Greensboro and he served in that capacity until his retirement. He came out of retirement at the request of the Greensboro City Council and served as the City Attorney for a second time, until he retired once again.
Terry was a selfless and loving man who always put his family first. He was extremely humble, and many enjoyed his quick witted, self-deprecating personality. Among his passions over the years were coaching little league football, playing golf with his sons or friends, training for and completing more than 20 marathons, and spending frequent stretches of time in Banner Elk where he truly enjoyed gazing endlessly from his front porch at the mountains around him.
Terry was extremely proud not only of his own time in the military, but the service that others gave in each branch of the military. Whenever he was out, he always took time to thank those he could identify as veterans for the service and sacrifices they have made to keep our nation safe.
Terry was preceded in death by his father, William Arnold Wood, and his mother, Clyde Gunnels Wood. He is survived by a large family who he said gave him his greatest pleasure in life. They are his wife of 58 years, Ann Turner Wood; son William (Bill) Wood and his wife Cindy Farmer Wood of Greensboro and their children Kylie and Abby; son John Wood and his wife Renee of Hickory and their children Paul and Elizabeth; son Warren Wood and his wife Amy of Hickory and their children Gracyn, Isabelle and Turner; son Allen Wood and his wife Amy Marie of Canton and their children Ella and Eva.
Robert Preston Worth
Robert Preston Worth died peacefully on February 21, 2018, at Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro. He was born in Greensboro on April 3, 1950, to the late Anne Preston Worth and Alexander McAlister Worth, Jr. After graduating from Page High School, he served in the National Guard and graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1972.
Following graduation from the University of North Carolina School of Law, Robert practiced law in Greensboro independently for two years before he became an assistant district attorney in 1978. From 1981 until 1985, he practiced with the law firm of Spence, Harrison, Benson, Worth and Wannamaker in Greensboro. He then joined his family’s business, Shamrock Corporation, a leading supplier of printed and converted wrapping papers for the retail packaging, poultry and cigarette industries, and became vice president, secretary and treasurer of the company. He also served of counsel to the law firm of Douglas, Ravenel, Hardy, Crihfield & Hoyle. In 2001, Robert was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
Robert served on the local advisory board of BB & T for many years, and was active in numerous community and charitable organizations, including the PTA’s at his children’s schools. He was a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.
Robert shared his warm, happy and generous spirit with people from all walks of life and all ages and personalities. He so easily noticed the best in others and brought it out through conversation. Robert related to others with authentic attention and focus and helped others to feel confident about themselves. He was talented in art, making all of his children’s birthday cards well into their adulthood. He loved walks on the beach to find sand dollars, and whenever he found them he thought they were sent by a loved one. He and his family met many times a year at the family’s beach home built by his father. Robert lived with consistent, strong and grateful faith all of his life and always reflected a warm spirit in his workday and in his home life. A business associate of Robert’s once remarked that “Robert was a kind, gracious, generous man with a great sense of humor and a big laugh. He made a huge impact on everyone he met, both at our company … as well as throughout the Greensboro business community.”
Robert is survived by his beloved wife, Ellen Alsup Worth and their three children, son David Alsup Worth and his wife Erica Gooden Worth and their children Elsa Anne, Fitzsimmons, and Percy; daughter Martha Worth Whelan and her husband Robert William Whelan and their children Carolyn Preston Whelan and Robert Worth Whelan; and son Jonathan McRae Worth and his wife Catherine Collins Worth (Charlie). Robert is also survived by his twin brother David McAlister Worth and his wife Lauren Jones Worth, his older brother Alexander Walker Worth and his wife Drena Worth, and members of his extended family.
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP is pleased to announce that Terri Harris has been selected by Triad Business Journal as a 2018 Outstanding Women in Business award winner.
Harris is the partner-in-charge of Smith Moore Leatherwood’s Greensboro office and is a member of the firm’s management committee. With more than 27 years of experience, Harris has worked with all types of health care providers in navigating the risks and challenges of the rapidly changing industry. She regularly advises clients on various aspects of health care operations, including Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, certificate of need and facility licensure, HIPAA, medical staff and peer review, risk management, operational policies, and contracting.
Harris is also active in her community and currently serves as chair of the Friends Homes, Inc. board of trustees. She also volunteers on the attorney hotline for the Women’s Resource Center providing pro bono legal advice to women on health care related legal issues.
For 19 years, Triad Business Journal has recognized extraordinary women through these awards, and recent years have continued to reveal how women are leading across a diverse array of industries and sectors. The judges selected these honorees from an extraordinarily strong pool of nominees based upon their accomplishments in their industries and communities, including philanthropic leadership.
Winners will be recognized in a special publication and at an awards luncheon on Friday, April 27, 2018 at the Greensboro/High Point Airport Marriott.
Joint Event with the High Point Bar Association! Save the Date!
Bring your family (kids too!) for an afternoon
of food, fun, and BASEBALL!!!
Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Lakewood BlueClaws
Sunday, May 20
Gametime: 2:00
First National Bank Field
Sunbrella Shade Zone (Field & Terrace Levels)
All-You-Can-Eat Picnic Buffet from 1:30 to 3:00 as the
The Young Lawyers Section will be collecting donations for
the Book Buddies program at Hampton Elementary School.
YLS will use all donations to purchase books so that our Book Buddies
will have a new book to take home for the summer—our goal is $500!
Save The Date!
Continental Tire recently resolved 151 workers’ compensation cases involving asbestosis claims. The cases have spanned nearly a decade and were spurred on by the North Carolina Industrial Commission Deputy Commissioner James C. Gillen’s 2016 opinion citing the lack of exposure to any employee of asbestos or talc at the Continental Tire plant. The matter was appealed to the full North Carolina Industrial Commission, which recently came to the same conclusion as Deputy Commissioner Gillen. These opinions will be applied to each of the 151 matters.
Continental Tire was represented by Smith Moore Leatherwood attorneys Jeri L. Whitfield and Lisa Kaminski Shortt.
Continental Tire was facing a plethora of workers’ compensation cases, all claiming asbestosis from working in a tire plant with insulated steam pipes. The company offered to submit to a full trial using the five Bellwether plaintiffs selected by Plaintiff’s counsel, allowing the opinion in the Bellwether cases to apply to the remaining claims. The trial began in February 2011 and involved a mini trial involving Vermont talc allegations. The trial focused on scientific and medical evidence to prove that employees at Continental Tire were not exposed to levels of asbestos capable of causing disease. In 2015, the original Deputy Commissioner overseeing the case retired prior to issuing an opinion, and once in front of the newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Gillen, Smith Moore Leatherwood distilled 37 days of trial and more than 70 depositions into a two day closing argument on behalf of Continental.
“Defending an asbestosis workers’ compensation matter is not an easy task in North Carolina,” said Whitfield. “We were initially contacted by Continental Tire in 2009. After a long road and facing a few challenges along the way, we are pleased to receive these opinions from the Commission.”
Whitfield has extensive experience in litigating complex occupational disease claims before the North Carolina Industrial Commission and appellate courts. Her civil practice includes handling toxic tort and asbestos-related litigation and premises liability claims before the trial and appellate courts.
In addition to her workers’ compensation practice, Shortt handles a variety of cases before the trial and appellate courts. Shortt is a partner in the Smith Moore Leatherwood Health Care and Litigation Practice Groups. She formerly practiced as a registered nurse and has five years of experience in cardiac surgery intensive care nursing. She works with hospitals and other health care providers to identify, respond to, and resolve compliance issues and keep their businesses running.
Each result depends on a variety of factors unique to each case. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future legal representation.
The Herb Falk Society honors those members of the Greensboro Bar Association who contribute at least 75 hours of pro bono service annually. The fourteen individuals inducted into the HFS Class of 2017 are listed below. Please join us in congratulating:
Herb Falk Society 2017 Inductees
Lisa W. Arthur – 129.2 Hours
Locke T. Clifford – 90.6 Hours
W. Erwin Fuller, Jr. – 170 Hours
Richard W. Gabriel – 77.8 Hours
Andrew J. Haile – 120 Hours
Eloise Robinson Hassel – 82.45
Adam G. Kerr – 85 Hours
Jennifer L.J. Koenig – 133.9 Hours
Phyllis Lile-King – 94.8
Patrick Lineberry – 82.25
Karen McKeithen Schaede – 78
Kristen M. Redman – 81.3
D. Clark Smith, Jr. – 376.4 Hours
Gerald L. Walden, Jr. – 330.5 Hours
Volunteers are needed to serve food to the less fortunate at the Urban Ministry’s Potter’s House.
Shifts are from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.
This is a great opportunity to give back to the community in the company of fellow members of the bar. We need help on the following Sundays:
April 15 & May 20
Please email Melissa Duncan at mduncan6@elon.edu if you are able to help. Write POTTER’S HOUSE in the subject line.
Elizabeth M. Lamb
Endorsed by Kristen M. Redman
Caroline T. Pemberton
Administrative Office of the Court/ADA
Endorsed by James L. Swisher
Stephanie Reese
Guilford County District Attorney’s Office
Endorsed by Marcus Allen Shields
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by the Greensboro Bar Association and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, members, legal professions featured or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Physical Address:
Greensboro Bar Association
24th Judicial District Bar
122 North Elm Street, Suite 805
Greensboro, NC 27402
(336) 378-0300
Mailing Address:
Greensboro Bar Association
24th Judicial District Bar
PO Box 1825
Greensboro, NC 27402
