Congratulations to members of the Greensboro Bar Association who became N.C. State Bar Board Certified Specialists on December 8, 2021! The names and specializations are as follows:
Jon Ward; Appellate Practice
Erin Bailey; Estate Planning and Probate Law
Adam Kerr; Estate Planning and Probate Law
Hilary Hux; Family Law
Martha Massie; Family Law
Jacalyn Ackerman; Workers’ Compensation Law
March 10, 2022The Greensboro Bar Association is pleased to present Session 2 of The Equity Paradigm’s diversity training.
Last year, Session 1 – Foundations in Racial Equity focused on building social, political, historical, and economic context around the construction of race and racism through an analysis of our systems, institutions, interpersonal relationships, and internalized norms
On March 10, 2022 we’ll participate in Session 2 – Foundations in Internalized Racism.
This workshop pushes participants to examine their own socialization and the unconscious norms, assumptions and biases that have been ingrained in us, that perpetuate racism and uphold the system as it was designed. We will interrogate our own lived experiences and identities, build community and devise strategies for deconstructing Internalized Racial Superiority and Internalized Racial Oppression through racial identity caucusing, all while building our capacity to work towards racial equity in the spaces we occupy.
All members are invited to include your colleagues and staff members, particularly from small and solo firms where such training may not otherwise be available. Please no more than 5 individuals from the same office/firm.
Register Today! The deadline is February 1, 2022.
James C. Adams, II Michael J. Allen Larry L. Archie J. Alexander S. Barrett Vance Barron June L. Basden Jack B. Bayliss, Jr. Marc D. Bishop Stacey A. Brady W. Scott Brannan Doris R. Bray Andrew H. R. Brown Mark T. Cain Barbara R. Christy Andrew C. Clifford Sally B. Cone William O. Cooke, Jr. John M. Cross, Jr. Kearns Davis Rachel S. Decker Paul M. Dennis Daniel L. Deuterman M. Jay DeVaney J. Scott Dillon Jeri K. D’Lugin Robert D. Douglas, III Robert H. Edmunds, Jr. James R. Faucher Edgar B. Fisher, Jr. K. Michelle Fletcher John M. Flynn Jamie Lisa Forbes W. Erwin Fuller, Jr. Richard W. Gabriel James L. Gale Tomakio S. Gause Michael H. Godwin Garland G. Graham Kenneth M. Greene Charles T. Hagan, III
Carrie A. Hanger Jonathan R. Harkavy Daniel Allen Harris Eloise Hassell Marcus Hayes J. Patrick Haywood Richard H. Hicks, Jr. John T. Higgins, Jr. Thomas P. Hockman George W. House Ronald P. Johnson Sharon O. Johnston Paul L. Jones Kenneth L. Jones Kenneth R. Keller April E. Kight Amy H. Kincaid Anita Jo Kinlaw-Troxler Robert O. Klepfer, Jr. Norman Klick Jennifer L. J. Koenig Kenneth Kyre, Jr. D. Beth Langley Kathryn S. Lindley Paul H. Livingston, Jr. Anne B. Lupton Howard Arthur MacCord, Jr. Martha C. Massie Jonathan V. Maxwell Charles F. McCoy Davis McDonald Thomas E. Medlin, Jr. Emily J. Meister David F. Meschan Larry I. Moore, III John R. Morgan Maureen Demarest Murray Jeffrey E. Oleynik Justin N. Outling Seldon E. Patty
Christina Freeman Pearsall Jeffrey K. Peraldo Ryen Johnson Perry Galina “Allie” Petrova Jim W. Phillips, Jr. Richard L. Pinto A. Nicholas Purrington John P. Reilly Crystal Richardson Sarah H. Roane James M. Roane III Russell M. Robinson, III Stanley L. Rodenbough, IV E. Steve Schlosser, Jr. Kurt A. Seeber Devon Rose Senges John H. Small Donald K. Speckhard Stanley E. Speckhard Sidney J. Stern III Scott K. Tippett Dennis Toman William S. Trivette Joseph E. Turner Melanie Samson Tuttle Randall A. Underwood Richard L. Vanore Christopher J. Vaughn Thomas C. Watkins Robert A. Wicker Howard L. Williams Gregory S. Williams Charles H. Winfree Edward C. Winslow III Keith A. Wood Carolyn J. Woodruff S. Kyle Woosley Charles P. Younce Elizabeth Zook
The North Carolina State Bar is preparing to make appointments to the various boards and commissions. If interested in serving, please send a letter of interest indicating the position(s) of interest AND attach your vitae to support the letter. A brief description of each is included—see the website and Journal for more information.
Ms. Alice Mine
P.O. Box 25908
Raleigh, NC 27611
and also email to: amine@ncbar.gov
NOTE: Appointments may vary based upon unexpected changes in the status of appointees (e.g., resignation, death, or disqualification).
Meeting to be held on January 20, 2022
LAWYER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BOARD (3-year terms) – one position available for appointment.
Description – The LAP Board establishes policy related to the execution of the LAP mission and is responsible for oversight of the operation of the Lawyer Assistance Program. The LAP Board meets during the regularly scheduled quarterly State Bar Council meetings.
DISCIPLINARY HEARING COMMISSION (3-year terms) – one available position for appointment.
Description – The Disciplinary Hearing Commission (DHC) is an independent court adjudicatory body that hears all contested disciplinary cases. It is composed of twelve lawyers appointed by the State Bar Council and eight public members appointed by the Governor and the General Assembly. In addition to disciplinary cases, the DHC hears cases involving contested allegations that a lawyer is disabled and petitions from disbarred and suspended lawyers seeking reinstatement.
BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION (3-year terms) – one position available for appointment.
Description- The Board of Legal Specialization is a 9-member board comprised of six lawyers (at least one of whom cannot be a board-certified specialist) and three public members. The board establishes policy related to the program’s mission and is responsible for oversight of the operation of the program. The board meets four times a year.
BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION (3-year terms) – one position available for appointment.
Description- The Board of Legal Specialization is a 9-member board comprised of six lawyers (at least one of whom cannot be a board-certified specialist) and three public members. The board establishes policy related to the execution of the program’s mission and is responsible for oversight of the operation of the program. The specialization board meets four times a year.
IOLTA BOARD OF TRUSTEES (3-year terms) – one position available for appointment.
Description- The IOLTA Board of Trustees is a 9-member board comprised of at least six North Carolina lawyers. The board establishes policy related to the execution of IOLTA’s mission and is responsible for oversight of the operation of the program.
NC IOLTA assists with collection of net interest income generated from lawyers’ general, pooled trust accounts for the purpose of funding grants to providers of civil legal services for the indigent and programs that further the administration of justice.
BOARD OF LAW EXAMINERS (3-year terms)- one position available for appointment.
Description – The North Carolina Board of Law Examiners examines applicants and establishes rules and regulations for admission to the North Carolina State Bar. Board members review bar examination questions; conduct character and fitness and comity hearings; supervise the bar examinations; and grade the examinations. Additionally, the Board engages in periodic review of methods utilized in the examination and grading process. A board member donates an average of 35-45 days to service each year.
BOARD OF CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION (3-year terms) – three positions available for appointment.
Description- The Board of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) is a nine-member board composed of North Carolina licensed attorneys. The board establishes policy related to the execution of CLE program’s mission and is responsible for oversight of the operation of the program. The board meets four times a year.
Alan D. Woodlief, Jr.
Senior Associate Dean Alan D. Woodlief, Jr., a founding member of the Elon Law administration and faculty, will serve as interim dean through May 31, 2022, as Elon University recruits a successor to current Elon Law Dean Luke Bierman.
Woodlief takes over for Bierman, who will return to the faculty effective January 1 after serving as dean since 2014 and overseeing the successful adoption of Elon Law’s curriculum into a 2.5-year, seven-trimester program.
With assistance from the global executive search firm WittKieffer, Elon University is now conducting a national search with the goal of identifying Elon Law’s fourth dean by early spring.
Woodlief brings 26 years of legal education experience to the role of interim dean. He joined Elon Law in May 2005, serving as an associate professor and associate dean for admissions and administration. He currently oversees the law school’s admissions efforts, facilities, budget, and other administrative functions.
Woodlief has directed a variety of administrative and academic roles and developed knowledge about all facets of the law school’s operations, including student life, career services, academic support, and the law library. He has chaired or served on numerous law school and university committees, including strategic planning and American Bar Association accreditation committees.
He established Elon Law’s nationally recognized Moot Court Program in 2008, coaching numerous award-winning teams and guiding the Moot Court Board in hosting the annual Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition, one of the nation’s largest competitions.
In 2015, Woodlief founded the school’s Guardian Ad Litem Appellate Advocacy Clinic, through which Elon Law students represent the interests of abused and neglected children in the North Carolina appellate courts. He is a scholar on damages, civil trial practice and appellate practice, authoring treatises that are widely used by North Carolina practitioners and judges and frequently cited by the state’s appellate courts.
Woodlief has been active in the North Carolina Bar Association, serving on its Appellate Rules Study Committee. In the past, he has served on the editorial board to the North Carolina State Bar Journal.
For many years, he has also served on the Board of Directors for the Legal Education Assistance Foundation, and since 1999 has served as the Reporter to the Criminal Subcommittee of the Pattern Jury Instruction Committee of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges, assisting the trial courts with jury instructions that are used in criminal trials throughout the State of North Carolina
“Alan will build on Luke’s remarkable legacy since Elon Law adopted its pioneering, highly experiential 2.5-year curriculum in 2014,” said Elon University Provost Aswani Volety. “This includes a 50 percent increase in enrollment; a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, with students of color accounting for one third of the student body; a nearly 30 percent reduction in average student loan debt at graduation; and successful bar exam passage and career placement rates, which have hovered at 90 percent in recent years.”
Volety praised Bierman for Elon Law’s achievements through a disruptive period in American legal education and described Bierman as “an effective and enthusiastic teacher, a knowledgeable scholar, a helpful colleague and a successful law practitioner.”
“His distinctive credentials, experiences and accomplishments over the past 40 years made him the right leader at the right time, and Elon Law is better for it,” Volety said. “As the school awaits its full reaccreditation by the American Bar Association in the coming days, members of the Elon Law community — including its upcoming dean — can expect continued success in the next decade.”
On December 14, 2021, GBA Elementary School Project Co-Chair Erin Reis delivered a set of more than 200 well-wrapped books from the Greensboro Bar Association to David D. Jones Elementary School. Even though the pandemic meant that, for the 2nd year, GBA members did not get to personally put the books in the hands of every K-5 student in the Traditional English program, we continued to keep as much of our holiday tradition intact as possible.
GBA members generously donated more than $2,700, which allowed the GBA to purchase books for the holiday program as well as 5th grade “graduation,” and donate about $1,250 to the Jones Elementary Food Bank.
Although we were not able to wrap books together at the holiday party, several volunteers stepped up and offered to wrap books at work or home, including:
Eloise Hassell
Corinne Jones (and staff at Syngenta)
Margaret Kantlehner
Lauren Quaas (and staff at the Elder Law Firm)
Elizabeth A. Ray (and staff at Crumley Roberts)
Sarah Roane
Josh Saliba
Theodora Vaporis (and staff at Tuggle Duggins)
A special thanks to those who donated this year, who include:
Abigail Peoples
Adam Kerr
Agustin Martinez
Alan Duncan
Alicia Edwards
Anita Troxler
Barbara Christy
Barbara Morgenstern
Bill Davis
Christopher Avery
Corinne Jones
David Puryear
Deborah Mergner
Dena Langley
Diane Lowe
Donald Speckhard
Elizabeth Ray Enyonam Williams Erin Reis Erwin Fuller Henry Mangum Jr. Jennifer Mencarini Jennifer Van Zant Jeri Whitfield Julie Wall Lisa Arthur Marc Trigilio Margaret Kantlehner Mark Cain Mary Miller Melanie Hamilton Michael R. Abel
Nancy Ferguson Patrice Hinnant Petrova Law PLLC Rebecca Cage Richard Hicks Sabrina Clark Sarah Roane Sharon Johnston Sharon K. Allen Sigmon Klein PLLC Stephen Russell Susan Liemer Terrill Harris Theodora Vaporis
Thanks to all for another successful GBA Jones Elementary School Project!
-Adam Kerr and Erin Reis
WHEN: February 17, 2022
WHERE: Zoom
TIME: Afternoon (before the GBA Member Meeting)
Nicole Scallon is President of the Greensboro Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and is an attorney with Henson & Talley LLP.
On January 28, 2022, YLS is hosting a free CLE opportunity for GBA members. The CLE will be presented by Lawyers Mutual and will be a technology program. As always, we encourage all members of YLS and the GBA to join us for this CLE opportunity. More detailed information on the program will be posted after the New Year. If you would like to attend the CLE, please RSVP by sending an email to info@greensboroyls.com.
YLS is organizing a Kickoff Party to take place in January, 2022. Keep a lookout for an e-mail blast and Facebook post regarding this event. We encourage all members of YLS to come out and join us for an opportunity to connect and celebrate the New Year!
New connections events are also being planned, and more information will be shared via YLS e-mail blasts and Facebook posts in the near future. We hope you can join us soon for one of our upcoming events!
Do you have any ideas for future YLS events, service projects, and/or socially distant activities? Please share by emailing Nicole Scallon at nscallon@hensonlawyers.com.
Do you want more information about upcoming YLS events or to find out how you can get involved? Check out our website at www.greensboroyls.org. Also follow us on Facebook @GreensboroBarYLS.
If you would like to be added to the YLS email list, please email Nicole Scallon at nscallon@hensonlawyers.com.
YLS would like to celebrate life’s milestones with our members. Email info@greensboroyls.org to share personal and professional updates about yourself that you would like celebrated on the YLS Facebook page.
Manisha P. Patel, Esq. is one of two North Carolina State Bar Councilors elected to represent the 24th Judicial District and founder of The Law Office of Manisha P.Patel, PLLC.
Even though my term as one of the two North Carolina State Bar Councilors does not begin until January 1st, 2022, I wanted to share information with our Bar about the North Carolina State Bar Council and the role the Council represents for the lawyers of North Carolina.
So, what does the N.C. State Bar Council do anyways???
The North Carolina State Bar Council (NCSB Council) is vested with the governance of the North Carolina State Bar (N.C.G.S. §84, Article 4). Article 4 of Chapter 84 outlines the purpose, structure, and governance of Attorneys-At-Law in North Carolina, which we so commonly refer to the ‘State Bar.’ Simply put, the NCSB Council governs the State Bar, which in turn regulates the legal profession. Additionally, the NCSB is subject to Title 27 of the North Carolina Administrative Code (NCAC), in particular Chapter 1, which sets forth the Rules and Regulations of the North Carolina State Bar. The NCAC is pretty lengthy but breaks down the organization of the NCSB and further sets forth the term lengths and election of the Councilor(s) from each Judicial District (JD) in North Carolina in addition to the High Point Superior Court division (commonly known as the 24H Judicial District).
The NCSB Council is comprised of one elected Councilor from each Judicial District plus sixteen (16) additional Councilors. Where do the remaining sixteen Councilors come from you may ask? Every six years, the additional Councilors are allocated to each of the 44 JDs based on the actual population of lawyers in each district as that number relates to the total active NCSB members. Another interesting point is that the NCSB Council also includes three non-lawyer members who are appointed by the Governor.
N.C.G.S. §84-23 describes the governing powers of the Council- in essence, the Council regulates the professional conduct of licensed lawyers and North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegals. More specifically, the Council has the following responsibilities that are shared amongst a number of committees:
A ‘catch-all’ provision is included within this particular statute to allow the Council to act in a manner necessary to further the purpose of Article 4 that is not otherwise illegal.
In the next installment of Councilor’s Corner in February 2022, look out for an update from the 2022 First Quarter State Bar Council meeting held from January 19th through 21st, 2022 as well as a breakdown of the role of the elected Councilor in their particular district and on the Council. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions at manisha.p.patel@gmail.com in the meantime!
BarCARES is a confidential, short-term intervention program provided cost-free to members of participating judicial district bars, voluntary bar associations and law schools. To learn more about BarCARES visit https://www.ncbar.org/members/barcares/
HRC Behavioral Health & Psychiatry, P. A. is the practice that manages the delivery of BarCARES services.
BarCARES program services have always been and continue to be available via telephone or telehealth delivery and in person as possible.
HRC Behavioral Health & Psychiatry, P. A. has operated without pause during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Clinicians within HRC and clinicians across the state to whom BarCARES referrals are made may provide services by telephone or telehealth (video + audio.)
As of this 12.15.2021 update some providers offer in person services with covid precautions (mask.)
To request a referral to a provider please contact the BarCARES coordinator at 919-929-1227 or 1-800-640-0735
For urgent concerns: to speak to someone immediately, call 919-929-1227 or 1-800-640-0735. The HRC answering service will place after business hours calls with our on-call provider
January 12 – Board Meeting, 4:00 PM, Zoom
January 19 – YLS Board Meeting, 12:00 PM, Zoom
January 20 – Submission Deadline for February Newsletter
January 20 – Member Meeting, 12:30 PM, Zoom
January 28 – YLS CLE, TBA
Desmond Sheridan, President of the Greensboro Bar Association
As I’ve written a number of times, one of my goals for the year was to get us back to live meetings in 2022. I thought the COVID thing would be over by June (of 2020 that is) but here we are still dealing with it (and I have quit making predictions). Anyway, after consultation with the GBA board, we’ve decided our next membership meeting (January 20) will be virtual.
Meanwhile, Rosetta Davis pulled off another virtual holiday party. I missed last year’s but this one was really fun, with a terrific musical guest. Given the limitations imposed on us, it worked great. Thanks again to Rosetta for the good work on this.
As noted, out next meeting is January 20 and our guest speaker will be NC Attorney General Josh Stein. It will be a good one and a little more “legal” than our last few meetings which have focused more on business and politics (everyone’s favorite topics). It’s virtual but we’ll make the best of it and I hope to see you there.
Congratulations to Manisha Patel on her election as Bar Councilor. She starts her (not easy) duties next month. I have to admit I didn’t know much about what the Bar Councilors do before doing a little research for this election – it’s really kind of a big deal. Anyway, Manisha’s column appears in this newsletter so it’s worth a read.
On a personal note, best wishes to our membership, staff and friends for a great 2022. We’ll get past this COVID thing sooner or later but either way, GBA will be there to serve our membership.
Desmond Sheridan
GBA President, 2021-2022
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