Councilor’s Corner

A Historical Perspective of the North Carolina State Bar District 24

The North Carolina State Bar was created by the legislature in 1933. The allocation of Council seats depends on the number of active members and is subject to review every six years. Our representatives include the following:

Past presidents from Greensboro according to the information available:

1935-1936—Julius C Smith

1940-1941—LP McClendon

1950-1951—Armistead W Sapp

1988-1989—Robert G Baynes

1992-1993—Robert A Wicker

2020-2021—Barbara R Christy

Councilors from Greensboro & High Point:

TWELFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT BAR – one seat allocated as a mutli-county district

Charles A. Hines, Greensboro, NC—1933-1936

Don A. Walser, Lexington, NC—1936-1939

Charles W. McAnally, High Point, NC—1939-1942

H. R. Kyser, Thomasville, NC—1942-1944

Armistead W. Sapp, Greensboro, NC—1944-1947

J. F. Spruill, Lexington, NC—1947-1950

Arch K. Schoch, High Point, NC—1950-1955

Robert H. Dye, Fayetteville, NC—1955-1958

In 1955 Guilford County was moved to District Bar 18.

JUDICIAL DISTRICT BAR 18 – one seat allocated as a single county district

J. E. Shipman, Hendersonville, NC—1933-1939

Dover R. Fouts, Burnsville, NC—1939-1940

Fred D. Hamrick, Sr., Rutherfordton, NC—1940-1946

Charles Hutchins, Burnsville, NC—1946-1948

R.W. Proctor, Marion, NC—1948-1953

Paul J. Story, Marion, NC—1953-1955

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Charles T. Hagan, Jr., Greensboro, NC—1955-1957

J. W. Clontz, High Point, NC—1958-1960

Thomas Turner, Greensboro, NC—1961-1963

Louis J. Fisher, Sr., High Point, NC—1963-1967

Rufus W. Reynolds, Greensboro, NC—1967-1967

Richard L. Wharton, Greensboro, NC—1967-1969

Arch K. Schoch, IV, High Point, NC—1969-1972

Harold C. Mahler, Greensboro, NC—1972-1975

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Beginning 1980, four seats were allocated to the district.

1. Louis J. Fisher, Jr., High Point, NC—1975-1982

C. Richard Tate, High Point, NC—1982-1990

 Walter W. Baker, Jr., High Point, NC—1991-1999

Jan H. Samet, High Point, NC—2000-2008

Richard S. Towers, High Point*—2009-2011

 

2. Harold C. Mahler, Greensboro, NC—1980-1988

William L. Osteen, Greensboro, NC—1989-1991

R. Walton McNairy, Greensboro, NC—1992-1993

Daniel W. Fouts, Greensboro, NC—1994-1997

Betty J. Pearce, Greensboro, NC—1998-2003

Margaret Burnham, Greensboro, NC—2004-2006

Nancy S. Ferguson, Greensboro, NC—2006-2009

Barbara Christy, Greensboro, NC—2010-2018

Patrice A. Hinnant, Greensboro, NC—2019-Present

 

3. John L. Rendleman, Greensboro, NC—1980-1983

Robert A. Wicker, Greensboro, NC—1983-1990

William R. Hoyle, Greensboro, NC—1991-1997

William O. Cooke, Jr., Greensboro, NC—1998-2000

G. Stevenson Crihfield, Greensboro, NC—2001-2009

Robert C. Cone, Greensboro, NC—2010-2016 (Resigned Jan 2016)

Stephen E. Robertson, Greensboro, NC—2016-2021 (Elected to finish unexpired term of Cone)

Manisha P. Patel, Greensboro, NC—2022-Present

 

4. Robert G. Baynes, Greensboro, NC—1980-1986

W. Erwin Fuller, Jr., Greensboro, NC**—1987-1994

 

JUDICIAL DISTRICT BAR 18HP/24HP

Richard S. Towers, High Point, NC—2011-2017

Raymond Bretzmann, High Point, NC—2018-2021

Kathleen Nix,  High Point, NC—2021-Present

The current allocation for Greensboro is two seats. Guilford County is the only county in the state with two courthouses and districts. So, it is—“The tale of two cities.”

* 2011 LEGISLATION SPLIT JUDICIAL DISTRICT 18 INTO 18 AND 18HP EFFECTIVE  2011.  THE DISTRICT WAS RENUMBERED TO DISTRICT 24 IN 2019.

** AS A RESULT OF REALLOCATION IN 1993, THE 18TH DISTRICT WILL HAVE ONE LESS COUNCILOR. THE POSITION HELD BY W. ERWIN FULLER, JR., WILL NOT BE FILLED WHEN HIS TERM EXPIRES IN 1994.