Message from the President, April 2018

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!