Charlotte`s Top Prosecutor Retires After 35 Years

Transcription

November 2010
A publication of the Mecklenburg County Bar /26th Judicial District
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Vol. 37 No. 5
© 2010 Mecklenburg County Bar
President’s Letter
End of An Era
Lawyers in the News
Charlotte’s Top Prosecutor
Retires After 35 Years
Practical Skills for Young
Lawyers
4
New Lawyers and the Job
Market
5
Nominations Sought for
Diversity Champion Award
5
6
7
Court Communiqués
7
McMillan Fellowship
Fundraising Dinner
7
MCB Annual Golf
Tournament
VLP Spotlight
Ayscue Professionalism
Award
8
8
10
Young Lawyers Division
11
12
MCB Holiday Party
Coffee Connections
Fall 2010 Swearing-In
Ceremony
Bar Foundation Fund
By John Parke (JP) Davis
“I never thought I would
practice law,” says Peter
Gilchrist, an odd statement
from the man who has
occupied one of Charlotte’s
most important legal positions
for the past 35 years. Now,
after more than three decades
as Mecklenburg County’s
elected District Attorney, Peter
Gilchrist is retiring.
Peter Gilchrist
Gilchrist meets with me in
his “other office,” the “clean” one—that is, the
one he doesn’t actually work in. Even this
show office is simple and unostentatious;
except for the corner location, it could belong
to any young lawyer.
The office is emblematic of Gilchrist
himself: humble, gracious, almost boisterous
in his warmth, and not at all the stern
caricature of a prosecutor drawn in fiction and
literature. He smiles often and speaks with an
open, unaffected manner more befitting a
country grandfather receiving guests than one
of Charlotte’s most important elected officials.
“When I came in with the hubris of youth,
an accounting background and four years in
Superior Court, I thought I could solve the
problems and be done in two years,” says
Gilchrist, now 71. So why then did he stay for
35? “It’s a really interesting job,” he says with
earnest sincerity.
He describes the prosecutor’s role as
“Trying to do justice in individual cases. Your
view of justice varies depending on your
vantage point. The job is to do the right thing.
That’s not always to get a
conviction and the maximum
sentence. Sometimes it’s to
incapacitate someone for as
long as we can, or to take an
individual who is such a
danger that we must ask the
jury to take his life. Sometimes,
it’s not to prosecute. You have
to be even-handed, whether
the defendant lives in Myer’s
Park with a retained lawyer or
in the projects with a public
defender.”
Without question, however, Gilchrist is
proudest of the people who have populated
his office over the years, past and present. He
is ebullient when he talks about them. Despite
the years of work he has done and all he has
accomplished in his tenure, it is difficult to get
him to take personal credit for anything—the
first word out of his mouth when speaking of
his achievements is usually “we.”
“We’ve had a number of outstanding
folks,” Gilchrist says, beaming like a proud
father as he lists the judges, United States
Attorneys, preachers, college professors and
prominent attorneys from all walks of practice
who got their start in his office.“The bar and
the bench are peopled with our alumni.”
“The challenge we’ve always had was a
difficulty in retaining people long term,
because of the salaries and workload.” This
constant tension pervades Gilchrist’s
narrative—his overwhelming pride in his
office and the people he works with strained
continued on page 9
From The President
Preserving a Strong and
Independent Judiciary
The November 2 elections are over. We
have either incumbents or newly elected
judges commencing their public service in
Mecklenburg County, the 26th Judicial
District. It is essential, therefore, that we
send a clear and unambiguous message
that we support the preservation of a
strong and independent judiciary, and that
A. Todd Brown
we will scrutinize the tactics which erode
MCB President
the impartiality of the judiciary and the
public’s perception of that impartiality.
Our federal and state constitutions establish a system of three
separate branches of government. That system remains a model for the
rest of the world. An indispensable element of our system is an
independent judiciary. One free of political influence. One free of
improper influence by litigants or their counsel. One reflective of the
society in which we live. One intent on protecting individual liberties.
An independent judiciary is not one that is free to decide matters based
on whim or prejudice, but rather one that is capable of adjudicating
cases based on the facts and the rule of law. It must exist without
political pressure, retribution, or fear of attack or concern for personal
safety. Increasingly, however, such ideals are subject to erosion.
More than 80 percent of the judges in the states are elected. It is an
unfortunate truth that our legal system, and frequently our elected
judicial officers, has been subjected to frequent and inappropriate
attacks. Nationally and locally, we have seen judges become the subject
of political rhetoric and ridicule, investigation by politically motivated
individuals or groups, and confrontation by former litigants oftentimes
merely because of disagreement with judicial rulings. We have
witnessed verbal attacks, threats, and intimidation against judicial
personnel and their families. Reportedly, interest groups have spent
large sums on advertising targeting judicial candidates, in an attempt to
influence voters and outspend the candidates themselves. And it
remains to be seen whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opened the
door for corporations and unions to spend large amounts of their own
funds (as opposed to forming a PAC) on broadcast endorsements, will
have a positive, negative, or neutral effect on judicial elections.
As lawyers, we have an obligation to speak out against wholly
unwarranted criticism of judges and our system of justice, irrespective
of the source. As lawyers, we are uniquely situated, and perhaps the best
equipped, to help defend our system of justice. The MCB’s mission
focuses in part on improving and preserving the administration of
justice. Our leadership has endorsed maintaining a strong and
independent judiciary, and we have made it a part of our strategic
objectives. The MCB, as appropriate, will register its disagreement over
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mistreatment of judges and disrespect for the rule of law.
Practicing lawyers can be in the vanguard by modeling the
exemplary conduct and respect that the judiciary deserves. At the recent
new lawyer CLE and orientation sponsored by the MCB’s Young
Lawyers Division, Senior Resident Superior Judge Richard D. Boner and
Chief District Court Judge Lisa C. Bell addressed new lawyers on the
importance of deference and professionalism toward the judiciary. Judge
Boner regaled the new lawyers with a tale about a young lawyer utterly
confounded by his inability to find in the law books any reference to
that mysterious yet obviously well settled “85/40” rule cited by the
judge. Judge Boner explained that reference to the “85/40” rule is his
standard retort to lawyers who openly exhibit dissatisfaction with one of
his court rulings -- take Interstate 85 north, then take Interstate 40 east,
then stop on Morgan Street in Raleigh and file a notice of appeal with
the North Carolina Court of Appeals. That’s sage advice for all lawyers!
Let me be clear: I am not advocating the curtailment of free speech
rights. Judges are not, and should not be, immune from criticism where
appropriate or disagreement where civil. Freedom of speech is an
equally fundamental hallmark of our constitutional protections. We are,
and should remain, free to disagree with judicial decisions. But such
disagreement must not rise to a vindictive or unlawful level. Yet many
often cross that line to target judges, not because of some illegal or
ethical behavior by a judge, but merely because they would have
preferred a different outcome. Threats, ridicule, or attempts to
intimidate judicial officials based on improper motivations undermine
our legal system. They diminish trust and confidence in the rule of law.
Nor does judicial independence mean a lack of accountability. All
judges, elected or appointed, should be answerable for their actions.
Fortunately, our legal system has several built-in mechanisms for
holding judges responsible for both their legal decisions and extrajudicial activities. The appellate process, the judicial selection process,
the electoral process, the disciplinary process, the peer review and
evaluation process, and a legislature’s authority to change laws are but a
few examples of procedures designed to hold judges accountable.
We spent years in law school and endured the rigors of a bar exam to
become a part of the greatest judicial system in the world. It is
incumbent upon us to stand up to inspire confidence in that system,
rather than sit idly in the face of misguided attacks against it or the
court personnel essential to its proper operation. As my partner and
former ABA President Robert J. Grey, Jr. once observed, an attack on our
judges is equivalent to an attack on our democracy. We should not
ignore or excuse unjust criticism of our judges or the judicial system.
Rather, we should respond to correct misinformation and to speak out
in support of the judiciary and the rule of law. To adopt any other
approach is perhaps to concede, at least tacitly, the gradual
disintegration of our judiciary’s independence.
The MCB remains committed to safeguarding the independence and
integrity of the judiciary. I urge you to do your part as well.
November 2010
www.MeckBar.org
Lawyers
in the News
Vincent Appointed to
Advisory Committee by
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Angelique R.
Vincent, of
Robinson Bradshaw
& Hinson, P.A., has
been appointed to
the South Carolina
State Advisory
Committee by the
United States
Commission on
Angelique R. Vincent
Civil Rights.
Vincent was nominated to serve on the
committee by U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C.
The United States Commission on Civil
Rights is a bipartisan, independent
commission of the federal government
charged with the responsibility of
investigating, reporting on and making
recommendations concerning civil rights
issues that face the nation. The Commission
has 51 State Advisory Committees composed
of citizens familiar with civil rights issues.
Vincent is a member of the firm’s Litigation
Department and Employment & Labor
Practice Group. She concentrates her practice
on employment counseling, litigation
prevention and active litigation, including a
wide range of work relating to Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act, the Americans with
Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act.
“I think we all have a personal
responsibility to ensure that civil rights and
equality are granted to everyone in society,
regardless of differences, such as race, color,
sex, age, disability, religion, national origin or
socio-economic class,” Vincent said.
“However, based on my background, I have a
particular interest in ensuring equal
opportunity and inclusion for minorities and
women within the education system, their
communities and the workplace.”
Vincent earned her law degree from
Harvard Law School and completed her
undergraduate work at Duke University, where
she graduated summa cum laude.
www.MeckBar.org
Practical Skills for Young Lawyers
The Nuts & Bolts of
Networking
By Robert E. Harrington, Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson
“Networking” fills the life of the successful lawyer. There’s no mystery to it. Networking is
simply meeting people and, at its most effective, meeting people in places that show you at
your best – that showcase your talent, commitment, creativity and leadership. Looking at
networking this way makes the questions “why” and “how” to network easy to answer.
Why do we network? Ours is not a solitary life. The practice of law is built on
relationships – relationships with clients, other lawyers and the community. The importance
of clients is self-evident. Sound relationships with other lawyers allow the practice of law with
mutual respect and provide a foundation for referrals. A firm grounding in the community
gives the chance to add meaning to career.
Which leads to “how.” How do lawyers build networks? To some extent, networking
happens without conscious effort. Your reputation for honesty, integrity, diligence and respect
– or their absence – will precede you. Beyond that, networking requires participation in the
public and professional spheres. That participation bears the greatest fruit when it’s spent in
areas of real interest. Don’t participate merely for participation’s sake. Certainly, it’s sensible to
focus energy on activities that provide opportunities to interact with lawyers and clients, but
those opportunities abound – from bar activities to charitable organizations to public service
to youth sports. Here are some keys:
• Engage in activities that really matter to you, where you have passion.
• Don’t over-commit.
• Devote the same quality of effort to the activity as that you give to your law practice
• Lead; don’t just show up. (But be sure to show up.)
• Apply the same integrity that you apply to your practice. Your peers are watching.
• And most of all, enjoy yourself. It’s a long career; make it meaningful.
When it comes to choosing a bank to help turn your possibilities into realities,
you want a partner you can trust – someone who takes the time to know you,
someone with the knowledge to offer sound advice,
someone who can give you the confidence to create your path forward.
That partner is RBC Bank.
Ben Chambers
Commercial Banker
200 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28207
(704) 686-1912 | ben.chambers@rbc.com
® RBC Bank (USA) 2010. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Employer. ® Registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under license. RBC Bank is a trade name of
RBC Bank (USA) and its branch offices operate under this trade name.
November 2010
3
Second installment of New Lawyers and the Job Market
Opportunities to Gain Experience
By Ben Austrin-Willis
A survey of career services offices at three
of North Carolina’s seven law schools
indicates that from 2008 forward, an
increasing number of recent law grads who
received permanent job offers were laid off or
had job offers rescinded or deferred within
their first year out of school. Couple these
individuals with those new lawyers who did
not receive a permanent job offer out of
school and there is a glut of new attorneys
looking for work.
Broadly speaking, career services offices
recommend gaining as much legal experience
as possible. They suggest being open to
various opportunities that may arise, even if
they may not be the new lawyer’s ideal job.
New law school graduates may gain
experience by taking temporary jobs as
contract attorneys with small firms or temp
agencies. Typical projects include document
review, short-term research projects and
preparing tax returns.
Authoring articles in legal newsletters or
other industry-related journals is a great way
to circulate the new lawyer’s name and
credentials. It can be easy to rework an old
law school paper or pitch an idea to a Bar
newsletter. Of course, maintaining contact
with the career services office at the new
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lawyer’s law school could also be very helpful
– they can continue to offer help even after
graduation.
Career services offices also suggest new
lawyers may be able to find satisfying work by
taking advantage of opportunities at local legal
associations. The Mecklenburg County Bar
and the North Carolina Bar Association offer
numerous volunteer and networking
opportunities. New lawyers can join
committees and practice sections to meet and
work with other lawyers. Legal aid offices,
public defenders and district attorney’s offices
often need volunteer lawyer help – and the
Mecklenburg County offices are some of the
largest in the state.
I have found the Mecklenburg County Bar
to be a very friendly, active Bar. Throughout
my first year as a lawyer, I was able to meet
area lawyers by making phone calls and
sending e-mails. I also took part in both
Mecklenburg County Bar and NC Bar
Association committees. Now that I’m
pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M.), I’m
staying in touch with many of the contacts I
made through these activities. In the
meantime, my LL.M. will help me gain
expertise in the areas of law I want to practice.
There are many ways to launch a legal
career - even in a down economy. With more
new lawyers in Mecklenburg County than
ever before, it’s important to keep an open
mind and be creative to find ways to get
involved. One great thing about having so
many new lawyers in Mecklenburg County is
that there are lots of people available to offer
support and help.
Editorial Policy
The Mecklenburg Bar News accepts editorial
and advertising material of general legal
interest to the practicing Bar of the 26th
Judicial District. The implicit purposes of the
newsletter, website, and related methods of
communication are to educate members of the
Mecklenburg County Bar and to create and
maintain shared communication with its
members. The Communications Committee
reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit all
material.
DISCLAIMER Efforts will be made to provide
information of interest that is timely, accurate,
and relevant to the legal community. The
Mecklenburg County Bar is not responsible
for misprints, typographical errors, or
misinformation in The Mecklenburg Bar News.
The views and opinions are not necessarily
those of the 26th Judicial District Bar.
Communications Committee: J.P. Davis,
Chair, Justin Carpenter, Tricia Derr, Alan
Edmonds, Bob Johnston, Charles Keller,
Rhea Kelley, Hannah Little, Carrie
Mansfield, Chara Moore, Phillip Lewis,
Nancy Roberson, Michael Shor, Rob Wick
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November 2010
www.MeckBar.org
Nominations Court Communiqués
Sought for 26th Judicial District
Hosts North African
2011
Court Officials
Diversity
Champion
Award
By Charles Keller, Jr., Community Access & Outreach Administrator
The Mecklenburg County Bar Special
Committee on Diversity is accepting
nominations for the 2011 Julius L. Chambers
Diversity Champion Award through Nov. 30,
2011. The annual Award is presented to an
individual who embodies high ethical
standards, unquestioned integrity, consistent
competence and who champions diversity in
the legal profession. The Award will be
presented to the selected recipient at the
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation McMillian Fund
Dinner on February 24, 2011.
Award candidates will be evaluated based
on one or more of the following criteria:
• She/he facilitates recruitment, hiring,
retention, and promotion of diverse
individuals in the legal profession.
• She/he provides outstanding service and
education to the community at large by
unifying and uplifting diverse people of all
backgrounds.
• She/he promotes ideals of diversity in the
legal profession.
The Award is named after its first honoree,
the distinguished civil rights attorney Julius L.
Chambers. Mr. Chambers represented the
plaintiffs in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school
desegregation case Swann v. Charlotte
Mecklenburg Board of Education. Additional
recipients of the Julius L. Chambers Diversity
Champion Award include George V. Hanna of
Moore & Van Allen P.L.L.C., and The
Honorable Clifton E. Johnson.
Applications may be addressed to members
of the MCB Special Committee on Diversity
and are due before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
November 30, 2010 to Stephanie A. Marella at
smarella@meckbar.org or 438 Queens Rd.,
Charlotte, NC 28207.
www.MeckBar.org
On September 13, the 26th
Judicial District hosted a group of
judges and court officials from
several North African countries.
The 13 participants, comprised of
10 men and three women,
represented Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,
Morocco, Oman, Syria, Yemen, and
the Palestinian Territories. Their
visit was arranged by the U.S.
Department of State through the
International Visitor Leadership
Program, and coordinated locally
through International House and
the Institute of International
Education. The purpose of this visit
Mecklenburg County Public Defender Kevin Tully addresses the delegation.
was to promote the rule of law and
Mayor, a legislative analyst and legal consul to
judicial reform in the represented countries.
the Arab Bank. The areas of law in which they
The visitors were particularly interested in
worked included family law, employment law,
learning about the concept of court-appointed
politics, legal training, financial law, women’s
counsel, the structure of our court system and
rights, and the prevention of terrorism,
observing a jury trial. Mecklenburg County
organized crime and child labor. The group
Public Defender Kevin Tully spoke to the
was accompanied by a journalist and a team of
group about the role of the public defender,
four State Department interpreters.
Trial Court Administrator Todd Nuccio spoke
The Department of State’s International
about the structure of North Carolina courts,
Visitor Leadership Program aims to familiarize
and Mecklenburg County Bar President-Elect
the participants with the principles of judicial
Robert C. Dortch Jr. and Grievance
independence, the federal court system and
Committee Chair Marc Gentile explained how
the structure of state and municipal courts.
ethical complaints against attorneys are
Participants learn about the judiciary’s role in
addressed through the grievance process.
preserving and strengthening democratic
The 26th Judicial District was one of only
concepts such as government accountability
four districts visited during the group’s 2½
and individual rights. They discuss court
week visit to the United States. Other stops
management, case management, advanced
along the trip included Washington, D.C.,
legal education, the criminal justice system
Texas and Utah. Eleven of the 13
and law enforcement in the United States. The
representatives had never traveled in the U.S.
Program also promotes the understanding of
before, and the two that had visited previously
current trends in the administration of courts
had only been to Washington, D.C. and
in the United States and examines various
Virginia. Their diverse legal positions included
forms of dispute resolution.
law enforcement, attorneys, judges, a Deputy
November 2010
5
Volunteer Lawyer Program SPOTLIGHT
Kimberly E. Zirkle
step.
Kimberly E. Zirkle volunteered through
the MCB Volunteer Lawyer Program to take a
family law case that, although seemingly
simple on paper, was logistically quite
challenging. A language barrier and a closeknit community led to difficulties finding
non-conflict-ridden translators. Through Ms.
Zirkle’s guidance and expertise, the family law
case was resolved with child support and
custody being granted to the client.
MCB VLP: How many of
these type of pro bono cases
do you typically handle at one
time?
KZ: This is the first such case
KZ: Moore & Van Allen PLLC / 4 years
that I have handled. Going
forward, I feel that I would
Kimberly E. Zirkle
want to handle only one active
case at a time; this will give me the ability to
give each case my full attention, while also
fulfilling my responsibilities to my financial
services clients.
MCB VLP: Area of Practice / Expertise?
MCB VLP: How do you prepare for handling
KZ: Financial Services
a pro bono family law case?
MCB VLP: Current Employer / number of
years with current employer?
KZ: I was very fortunate to be able to call
MCB VLP: Law School / Law School
upon a number of attorneys who practice
regularly in the area of family law and who
were very generous with their time and
resources. I added that knowledge to my own
research of family law and experience with the
SelfServe Center.
Graduation Year?
KZ: University of North Carolina Class of 2006
MCB VLP: How did you get involved with
this family law case?
KZ: I have been serving in the SelfServe
MCB VLP: How can the Mecklenburg County
Center for several years now, consulting with
pro se clients on custody and divorce issues taking an actual case in which the litigant
needed representation seemed like the next
legal community help with similar cases?
KZ: Attorneys shouldn’t be afraid to take cases
outside of their comfort zone. Additionally, it
Your specialist for court and probate bonds.
received during your legal career?
KZ: Prepare a document as though you are
the last person who will be reading it before it
goes to the partner, client or judge. I admit
that I am still working on this, but this level of
attention to detail is a quality to be admired
and one that I hope to achieve.
MCB VLP: What advice would you give
others?
KZ: With respect to work/life in general, I
would say, “You can have it all, just not all at
the same time.” Regarding pro bono, I would
say, “It’s called a privilege license for a reason.”
It’s a privilege to be able to practice law and
have inside access to our judicial system. With
this privilege, there is a responsibility to help
those who cannot help themselves navigate
this system.
MCB VLP: What is your favorite part of your
current job?
KZ: I get to come to work every day and apply
communities we serve. We’re experts at providing
my skills in an interesting practice area, with a
group of intelligent and motivated colleagues
and clients. That, combined with the personal
satisfaction that comes from taking the
occasional pro bono case or counseling pro se
litigants, is the reason I went to law school.

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November 2010
If you are interested in receiving similar
cases or would like to assist pro bono
attorneys as a mentor in specific areas of law,
please contact Mary Jordan Mullinax at
mjmullinax@meckbar.org.
www.MeckBar.org
Ayscue Professionalism
Award
Nominations are being sought for the
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation’s 2011
Ayscue Professionalism Award.
The purpose of the award is to
recognize exemplary professionalism, as
broadly defined. Criteria may include one
or more of the following:
• Outstanding service through or on
behalf of the Mecklenburg County Bar
or the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation for
the benefit of the legal community or
the community at large.
• Substantial and significant service to
the community, to the Bar, or to the
justice system, whether on the basis of
lifetime contributions or a specific
project.
• Embodiment of the traits to which all
attorneys should aspire: high ethical
standards, model conduct,
unquestioned integrity, and consistent
competence.
Nominations should be submitted by
December 3, 2010, to Nancy Roberson,
Executive Director, Mecklenburg Bar
Foundation, 438 Queens Road, Charlotte,
NC 28207. The Award will be presented at
the Law and Society Luncheon.
Save the Date
James B. McMillan
McMillan Fellowship
Fundraising Dinner &
Fourth Annual Presentation of the
Julius Chambers Diversity
Champion Award
February 24, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.
Byron’s South End
(101 W. Worthington Ave.)
Questions:
Please contact Leah Campbell at
lcampbell@meckbar.org.
2010 MCB Annual Golf Tournament
By Russell J. Andrew, Co-Chair, Social Sports Committee
Mother Nature offered perfect scoring conditions for the 23rd
annual MCB Golf Tournament held on Wednesday, September 22 at
Raintree Country Club. Under sunny skies and steamy temperatures,
many teams went low in this year’s captain’s choice event featuring a
field of nearly 60 players. In the end, the team of Christian Staples,
Daniel Roberts, David Grassi and Marc Towler brought Raintree’s North
Course to its knees with a score of 54 to take home the 2010 title.
They weren’t the only winners on the day however. Two MCB
members each won an all expense paid vacation to a select
destination of their choice by conquering a putting challenge on the
practice putting green presented by SEU Promotions. NOVA Office
Strategies sponsored a challenge of their own on the par 3 ninth hole
offering generous prizes from Capital Grille.
The Social Sports Committee would like to thank the following
supporting sponsors for making this such a great event: Brock Scott,
Proshred, Lawyers Mutual, Consolidated Planning, Gilsbar, NOVA
Office Strategies and The Dunhill. In addition, thanks to these
sponsors for donating the following door prizes: a Nike putter and
gift certificates, courtesy of Edwin Watts; and free passes to Charlotte
Athletic Club courtesy of Charlotte Athletic Club.
Our biggest thanks, however, goes to all participants for making
this one of the most successful MCB golf tournaments to date. We
hope to see you all again at next year’s tournament!
www.MeckBar.org
The MCB Annual Golf Tournament returned to the Raintree Country Club for another
successful year.
Christian Staples, David Grassi, Daniel Roberts and Marc Towler were the 2010 MCB
Golf Tournament winners.
November 2010
7
Young Lawyers Division
Focus on a YLD Committee:
Membership
The backbone of the Mecklenburg County
Bar Young Lawyers Division is its Membership
Committee. The Membership Committee’s
broad goal is to increase young lawyer
membership and involvement in the YLD.
Libby James, an associate at Horack Talley, has
overseen a substantial increase in YLD
membership during her tenure as
Membership Committee chair.
In addition to marketing efforts aimed at
increasing young lawyers’ awareness of the
benefits and opportunities available through
the MCB YLD, the Membership Committee
also organizes and runs some of the YLD’s
most high-profile events. For example, the
Membership Committee, in conjunction with
the MCB staff, operates the semi-annual MCB
Swearing-In ceremonies. This past September
30, the Membership Committee emceed and
oversaw the swearing-in of 81 new lawyers to
the Mecklenburg County Bar. The Committee
coordinated attorney sponsors for those
admittees who requested this and offered
information about the YLD to all new lawyers.
The Membership Committee also
organizes nominations for and selection of the
MCB YLD Young Lawyer of the Year. This
award has been in existence since 2004.
The Membership Committee is an
excellent way to meet members of the YLD
and reach out to other attorneys who are
considering getting involved. The Committee
is now accepting additional members. If you
are interested in participating, please contact
Libby James at james@horacktalley.com or
704/377-2500.
On a related note, a highly successful event
that involved effort from many YLD members
was the Young Lawyers Division’s Fall Ask-ALawyer Day. On September 25, 2010,
approximately 20 lawyers volunteered part of
their Saturday to offer free legal assistance at
the West Boulevard Public Library to those in
our community who needed legal help but
could not necessarily afford it. The event was
a great success due in large part to the work of
YLD Legal Assistance Committee Chair,
Taylor Stukes with Nexsen Pruet. We assisted
more than 70 members of our community
with their legal issues and built collegiality
among YLD members at the same time.
Special thanks to all who volunteered for this
event and to Taylor for organizing it. Our next
Ask-A-Lawyer Day will be on February 5,
2011. We hope to see you there!
Meet Lawyers Mutual.
GRAY WILSON, LAWYERS MUTUAL BOARD MEMBER,
WILSON HELMS & CARTLEDGE, LLP, WINSTON-SALEM
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LQVXUDQFHLVWKHRQO\W\SHRI FRYHUDJHZHRIIHUDQGZHGR
WKDWRQHWKLQJZHOO:HDUH lawyers helping lawyers.
919.677.8900 | 800.662.8843 | www.lawyersmutualnc.com
8
November 2010
Coffee
Connections
November 9, 2010
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
MCB Center
Free networking event for attorneys in
solo/small firms – whether you are just
opening, considering expanding, or
looking for an opportunity to mingle.
Gather informally with colleagues and
gain resources in the following areas:
• Mentoring – At different stages of your
career, you may benefit from either
having a mentor or being one. Learn
about the mentor/mentee options that
exist through the new Linking
Lawyers mentoring initiative.
• Suggested Client Agreements – Setting
out clear expectations while
establishing an attorney/client
relationship can help start the
representation on a positive note and
may even avoid disputes over fees and
scope of representation in the future.
• Vendors catering to solo/small firms –
Learn about some of the different
services and software programs that
make it easier to manage a solo/small
firm.
Visit www.MeckBar.org for updated
information.
Professional
Office Space
1057 East Morehead Street
1057 East Morehead Street is a newly
constructed full service office building
with full and partial floors available.
Customize your space to fit your needs
with a generous upfit allowance.
Surface parking included.
For more information call
704-331-0030 or visit
www.eastmorehead1057.com.
www.MeckBar.org
Gilchrist
continued from page 1
against the Sisyphean task of running a large
prosecutor’s office on what is, for the size of
the need, a shoe-string budget. He lists
“having an office that functions well
considering the resources and the
environment that we operate in,” as the top
accomplishment of his tenure.
“We operate this office like in the 1950s,
with paper files. Nothing for electronic
document management. Our people are
dealing with a lot of paper rather than doing
what they could do to be effective. It’s going to
continue for a long time because the state
doesn’t have the money. At one point, the
County was spending more on the dog pound
than the state was spending on the jail.”
Tight resources have led to better
efficiencies, however, including programs that,
while occasionally controversial, have greatly
benefited the community. “We established a
number of cutting edge programs,” Gilchrist
says. “The defensive driving school and
deferred prosecution is one. We had to
engineer them; we didn’t have a model. We
came up with a way to have a contract with
the defendant and if the defendant completed
the contract, we would dismiss the charges.
Folks end up without criminal records, and it
got them to address a problem they had,
getting drug treatment, staying on mental
health drugs, going to high school, getting a
job.” A small percentage of defendants who go
www.MeckBar.org
through deferred prosecution come back. The
vast majority don’t. “It’s a good management
of limited resources,” Gilchrist concludes.
“Peter has brought that office from 15 to
20 assistants to 85, a real big city district
attorney’s office,” says Larry Hewitt, a criminal
defense attorney with Guthrie, Davis,
Henderson and Staton, who has known
Gilchrist since the two were assistant district
attorneys under Gilchrist’s predecessor, Tom
Moore. Hewitt has watched the district
attorney’s office grow and flourish under
Gilchrist’s leadership. “The public doesn’t
appreciate or understand the magnitude of
that job, and he has done a very good job with
it over the years. He is a very decent and hard
working public servant.”
Judge Phil Howerton, who started as an
assistant district attorney under Gilchrist and
is now the veteran of more than twenty years
on the district court bench, echoes Hewitt’s
sentiment. “Peter has been a courageous and
totally honest public servant, as our district
attorney, for these many years. Some things
just will not seem the same when he retires.”
“I’m 71,” Gilchrist says. Frustration creeps
into his voice as he talks of the two projects he
set out to accomplish this term, increasing
judicial salaries and implementing an
electronic management system, both of which
ended up stymied at the state level on the
brink of passage. “I felt like I was standing
still. I put a lot of time and energy in both
projects. I had the office in about as good a
shape as I could, and it was time for someone
November 2010
else to come along.”
His advice for his would-be successors: “I
describe the operation as 25 college students
in a Volkswagon. It’s in a sort of balance, and
it’s very difficult. When someone comes and
says they’re going to emphasize whatever,
question— what are you going to stop doing?
Where are the resources going to come from
and where are you going to back off from?”
As for his own plans after retirement,
Gilchrist once again keeps it simple. “I’m
going to do some things I haven’t had time to
do. I have no intent to practice law. We plan to
do some interesting travel, listen to music,
read some books, listen to smart people talk,
hunt and bird watch.”
Finally, after 35 years of service, Gilchrist
has one last message to the members of the
Bar: “I want to thank them. When I think of
the Bar, I think of the men and women who
are active in Bar activities and have been a
great group of people to be around, and I see
what they’ve done to honestly improve the
profession. There are a lot of lawyers who
make great contributions, and they truly
inspire all of us.”
And with that, without knowing it, Peter
Gilchrist might well have been describing
himself.
A reception will be held in Peter Gilchrist’s
honor on November 10, 2010. See
www.MeckBar.org for more details.
9
Fall 2010 Swearing-In Ceremony
Congratulations to the 81 new attorneys who were sworn-in on September 30, 2010 at the Blake Hotel! Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Richard
D. Boner presided over the state portion of the ceremonial court session, and United States Court Judge Richard L. Voorhees presided over the federal
portion of the ceremonial court session. Young Lawyers Division Chair Daniel A. Merlin and Mecklenburg County Bar President A. Todd Brown helped
congratulate the newly sworn-in. The Young Lawyers Division thanks its sponsors for this event; United States Western District of North Carolina,
Consolidated Planning, Lawyers Insurance, LexisNexis, Special Counsel, Center City Realty, Suntrust Mortgage, Charlotte School of Law and West Law.
Please welcome the following attorneys to the North Carolina State Bar:
Michael Leon Martinez
Grier Furr & Crisp, PA
University of North Carolina School of Law
Keith Douglas Allen
Charlotte School of Law
Jennifer Lynn Blair-Smith
Charles John Boardman
Wake Forest University School of Law
William Thomas Bozin
University of Georgia School of Law
John. R. Brickley
James, McElroy & Diehl, PA
University of South Carolina School of Law
Adrianne B. Caldwell
University of Cincinnati College of Law
Sherry Cavanagh Cantrell
Andresen & Arronte, PLLC
University of Florida College of Law
Kelly Marie Case
Wells Fargo
John Pinckney Causey, IV
Morgan Stanley
Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Brian Lee Church
Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, PA
University of Alabama School of Law
Andrea McAfee Covington
Wells Fargo
Elizabeth Carlene Dantism
Lancaster & Trotter, Attorneys at Law
Ashley Nicole Davis
Nicolas P. DeCastro
University of Arkansas School of Law
Kelly Ireland Dees
Elon University School of Law
Yasmin Farahi
New York University School of Law
Ashley Marie Ferrell
Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP
Maria Del Pilar Floren
10
Elizabeth Ann Freeman
Alston & Bird LLP
Seth Andrew Glazer
Law Office of Laura H. Budd, PLLC
John Curtis Griner
McGuireWoods LLP
Duke University School of Law
Courtney Gene Groesnick
Alston & Bird LLP
Christopher Rajohn Hall
The Emory Law Firm, PC
Alexandria Edith Harris
University of Richmond School of Law
Kristen Nicole Higbee
Alston & Bird LLP
Tanea K. Hines
Elizabeth A. Hinshaw
McGuireWoods LLP
University of Virginia School of Law
Carol Hitselberger
Mayer Brown LLP
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Christopher Thomas Hood
Horack Talley
Campbell University School of Law
Randall Stephen Hoose, Jr.
Bryan David Hopp
Michigan State University College of Law
Patrick B. Horne
Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
University of Tennessee School of Law
John Ethan Hufham
Bank of America
Consuela Ann Jenkins
Dickie McCamey & Chilcote, PC
Mason William John
Kathryn Elizabeth Johnson
King & Spaulding LLP
November 2010
Meagan Ivanov Kiser
Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP
Morgan Kathleen Laurie
New England University School of Law
Eddy Virgilio Leal, III
Wombly Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC
Duke University School of Law
Katharine Minta MacKenzie
Pennsylvania State University School of Law
Alexander Thomas Mason
Kimberly Rene McAuley
North Carolina Central University School of
Law
Bret William McNabb
Saint Louis University School of Law
Kristen Leatrice McNeal
School of Law – University of Richmond
Thomas Richmond McPherson, III
The Honorable Richard L. Voorhees
Matthew Edward Meany
Wilson Jones Carter & Baxley, PA
Jonathan Eugene Meek
Meek Law Firm, PC
John Christopher Mickler
Huron Consulting Group
Anisa Mohanty
School of Law – University of Richmond
Kevin Patrick Murphy
Osayimwense Osar-Emokpae
Synergy Legal
Drexel University School of Law
Paige Loralea Pahlke
University of Iowa College of Law
Leslie A. Pedernales
Moore & Van Allen PLLC
Daniel E. Peterson
City of Charlotte Attorney’s Office
Christa Engel Pletcher
Florida State University College of Law
www.MeckBar.org
Rose Giovannina Proto
The Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo
Maria Magdalena Pruszynska
Emory University School of Law
Sayera Iqbal Qasim
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
University of Memphis School of Law
Amanda Raflo
Legal Aid of North Carolina
Nader Saeed Raja
Rayburn Cooper & Durham, PA
James Michael Richardson
Law
Lila Jeannine Riley
Elon University School of Law
Brandon Rice Roseman
Law
Kristen Lynn Schneider
North Carolina Business Court
Gary Evan Schuler
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Rutgers School of Law – Newark
Christine Marie Schwartz
Hatcher Law Group
Jessica Virginia Shaddock
John W. Taylor, PC
New England School of Law
Brett Michael Shockley
McGuireWoods LLP
Washington and Lee University School of Law
New attorneys raise their right hands as the oath is administered.
Jerri Janiee Simmons
Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP
Brandie Nicole Smith
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC
Erin Cathleen Socha
University of Wisconsin Law School
Christina Marie Stapp
Katherine Colleen Stille
James, McElroy & Diehl, PA
Patrick Thomas Strubbe
McGuireWoods LLP
Vanderbilt University Law School
Michael Jennings Trotter
Kevin Edwin Vidunas
Lewis Andrew Watson
Butler Pappas
Francis James Warmoth, Jr.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
Claude Roberson Wilson, III
Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP
David Christopher Wilson
Monica Wilson
Smith, Currie & Hancock, LLP
You’re Invited to the 2010 MCB Holiday Party
Join us for the annual Bar Holiday Party on
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at Byron’s
South End, 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. The $20
admittance fee includes two drink tickets,
heavy appetizers and a ticket for a prize
drawing. Spouses, children and friends are all
welcome. Deadline to register is December 2,
2010. For more information, visit
www.MeckBar.org, e-mail
events@meckbar.org or call 704/375-8624.
Register online, or complete and return
this registration form.
2010 MCB Holiday Party Registration
Cost is $20 per person
Name ____________________________________________________________________________________
Company name _________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone _______________________________________Fax__________________________________________
I am enclosing a check payable to Mecklenburg County Bar TOTALING ______________________________________
Please mail your registration form and check by 12/2/10 to
MCB Holiday Party, 438 Queens Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28207
www.MeckBar.org
November 2010
11
BFF 2010: A Chance for Lawyers
to Make a Collective Impact
The Mecklenburg Bar Foundation’s Bar Foundation Fund was created, in part, to provide members of the Mecklenburg County Bar a chance to
give back to the community as a group—a chance to contribute to the greater good through collective giving. While the Foundation is pleased to
announce that we have already reached $176,000 of our $200,000 goal (as of October 6) for the 2010 BFF campaign, we need your help to
successfully reach the finish line by December 31.
This campaign is by far the most ambitious campaign the Foundation has ever undertaken. We are confident that members of the Mecklenburg
County Bar will help us reach our goal so that we may extend even more support to those agencies and projects in our community that need our
help. Don’t miss this chance to join your colleagues in helping others. If you have not yet sent in your pledge, please remit the enclosed envelope at
your earliest convenience.
Thanks to all those firms and individuals that have supported the BFF. Be A Foundation Friend! Support Your BFF! Visit www.MeckBar.org to
learn about Mecklenburg Bar Foundation tribute gifts.
Firm/Business Sponsors
Platinum ($7,500–$9,999)
Alston & Bird LLP+
Hunton & Williams+
James, McElroy & Diehl, P.A.+
K & L Gates+
McGuireWoods LLP+
Moore & Van Allen PLLC+
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP+
Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.+
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC+
Gold ($5,000–$7,499)
Johnston, Allison & Hord, P.A.+
Poyner & Spruill, LLP+
Silver ($2,500–$4,999)
Foundation for Judicial Reform
In Honor of Mark R. Bernstein
Hamilton Moon Stephens Steele & Martin,
PLLC+
Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, L.L.P.+
Horack Talley PA+
King & Spalding LLP+
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP+
Nexsen Pruet, PLLC+
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP+
Bronze (Up to $2,499)
Adams Intellectual Property Law
Bank of America Legal Department
Baucom, Claytor, Benton, Morgan & Wood,
P.A.
Bernhardt and Strawser, PA
Consolidated Planning
In Honor of Bryan Sanchez & Jessie Nelson
Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, LLP
Culp Elliott & Carpenter. P.L.L.C.
Duke Energy Law Department
Ferguson, Stein, Chambers, Gresham &
Sumter, P.A.
Gach & Nolen, PLLC
Knox, Brotherton, Knox & Godfrey
In Memory of Charles E. Knox
12
Ruff, Bond, Cobb, Wade & Bethune, L.L.P.
Shapiro & Ingle, L.L.P.
The Law Offices of Swindell & Jones
Weaver, Bennett & Bland, P.A.
In Memory of Nick J. Miller
Wells Daisley Rabon, P.A.
Wells Fargo Legal Department
Wishart Norris Henninger & Pittman, PA
+Multiyear Pledge to Bar History Book Project
Individual Sponsors
Patron ($2,500 & Up)
Nancy & Peter Covington
Hon. Robert P. Johnston
Benefactor ($1,000 - $2,499)
Dianne Chipps Bailey
Francis J. Blanchfield
A. Todd Brown Sr.
Peter C. Buck
Mark T. Calloway
T. Hal Clarke Jr.
Steven N. Cohen
Michael A. DeMayo
William K. Diehl Jr.
Robert C. Dortch
Douglas R. Edwards
Ray S. Farris
John C. Fennebresque
Anthony A. Fox
Peter S. Gilchrist
Gary S. Hemric
Rebecca S. Henderson
Katherine S. Holliday
H. Bryan Ives III
Douglas M. Jarrell
Patrick E. Kelly
Haynes P. Lea
DeWitt F. McCarley
Alice K. Moore
Bradley E. Pearce
Randel E. Phillips
Claire J. Rauscher
November 2010
Nancy & David Roberson
In Honor of Patrick E. Kelly,
In Memory of Marion Templeton Johnston and
In Memory & Honor of the Past Presidents of
the Mecklenburg County Bar & Mecklenburg
Bar Foundation
Russell M. Robinson II
Raleigh A. Shoemaker
Robert C. Stephens
John N. Suhr Jr.
Richard M. Thigpen
Christopher M. Vann
David B. Whelpley Jr.
Supporter ($300 - $999)
Hon. Paige McThenia & T. Jonathan Adams
David N. Allen
In Memory of Francis I. Parker
James W. Allison
John S. Arrowood
G. Michael Barnhill
Jonathan A. Barrett
In Memory of George Covington
George E. Battle III
David L. Batty
Louise & Mark Bernstein
R. A. Bigger Jr.
In Memory of Maurice A. Weinstein & In
Honor of George J. Miller
Louis A. Bledsoe Jr.
Robert C. Bowers
William P. Bray
Jo Ann Brighton
Jefferson W. Brown
N. Deane Brunson
James R. Bryant III
Jonathan E. Buchan Jr.
James P. Carroll
Julie C. Chiu
John H. Cobb
Woody Connette
James P. Cooney III
Heather & Chris Culp
George Daly
www.MeckBar.org
Tricia M. Derr
Hon. Albert Diaz
Jill Elyse Dinerman
Ann T. Dorsett
Hon. Karen Eady-Williams
Jason D. Evans
Mary Lindsay Evans
Richard L. Farley
William P. Farthing Jr.
Jonathan H. Ferry
Amy & Joey Foxhall
Camille M. Davidson & Trevor M. Fuller
Thomas D. Garlitz
Kodwo P. Ghartey-Tagoe
Alan S. Gordon
Joseph W. Grier III
Alton L. Gwaltney III
Irvin W. Hankins III
George V. Hanna III
Averill C. Harkey
Henry A. Harkey
Hon. Jane V. Harper
In Honor of Geraldine Sumter
Robert E. Harrington
Michael S. Hawley
J. Richard Hazlett
H. Parks Helms
Edward T. Hinson Jr.
Robert C. Hord Jr.
Carl Horn III
Steve C. Horowitz
Michael A. Hudson
Meredith S. Jeffries
Amy K. Johnson
Charles E. Johnson
Cyrus M. Johnson
David H. Jones
Max E. Justice
Michael S. Kennedy
David Meade Kern
Hannah H. Kim
Frances & Edward Knox
Nicole Bourget & Mark Kutny
John W. Lassiter
Scott Leo
Hal A. Levinson
Brandon M. Lofton
Timothy Patrick Logan
E. Lynwood Mallard
Harrison L. Marshall Jr.
Patti & Steve Mayo*
Mrs. & Mr. Neill G. McBryde
Valecia M. McDowell
Pender R. McElroy
C. Wayne McKinzie
Kiran H. Mehta
Daniel A. Merlin
Mark W. Merritt
www.MeckBar.org
Mark A. Michael
Roy H. Michaux Jr.
Hon. Calvin E. Murphy
Deborah A. Nance
In Memory of John Sinclair Leary Sr., John
Thomas Sanders, Jesse Simpson Bowser, Leon
Peter Harris, Ruffin Paige Boulding, Thomas
Henry Wyche, Robert Davis Glass, Charles
Vincent Bell & Walter Brewer Nivens
Gretchen Nelli
Frank C. Newton
John H. Northey III
Kimberly & Todd Owens
Sally Higgins & Ray Owens
Hon. Sarah E. Parker
Angela G. Parrott
Bailey Patrick Jr.
Sean F. Perrin
Kathy L. Pilkington
Eugene C. Pridgen
J. Norfleet Pruden III
Charles H. Rabon Jr.
Ernest W. Reigel
David M. Schilli
Jeffrey J. Schwartz
Jane Whitt Sellers
S. Mujeeb Shah-Khan
Claire & Edward Shapack
Nina Shor
Bob Simmons
George W. Sistrunk III
Allen C. Smith
Mary Kaczmarek & William Soukup
Richard E. Thigpen Jr.
Sydnor Thompson
In Memory of Francis I. Parker
Brent A. Torstrick
Donald P. Ubell
Angelique R. Vincent
Hamlin L. Wade
H. Landis Wade Jr.
Clarence W. Walker
Henry B. Ward III
John R. Wester
Contributor (Up to $299)
Karen J. Adams
Norris A. Adams II
A. Mark Adcock
F. Eugene Allison
Marcus L. Andersoon
Michael F. Anderson
Russell J. Andrew
Allain C. Andry
Carrington M. Angel
Anonymous
Anonymous
In Honor of Nancy Roberson
Carla N. Archie
Matthew R. Arnold
E. Osborne Ayscue Jr.
Martha G. Barber
Samuel E. Barker
Locke Beatty
John W. Beddow
Hon. Kimberly Best-Staton
Beverly H. Binner
Aretha V. Blake
In Honor of Bob King
Mike Boggs
W. Leslie Boswell III
Alicia & John Bowers
Karla L. Boyd
Hon. Selina M. Brooks
Allen C. Brotherton
Hon. Charlotte D. Brown
L. Stanley Brown
Herbert H. Browne Jr.
Robert L. Burchette
David S. Burkholder
Kelli A. Burns
Norman Butler
Scott A. Cammarn
Boyd C. Campbell Jr.
Hon. Hugh B. Campbell Jr.
Leah & Thomas Campbell
Hon. Daphene L. Cantrell
Mary V. Carrigan
James R. Cass
Elizabeth J. Caviness
Rebecca S. Chaffin
Julius L. Chambers
Robert G. Chambers
Sherry & James Champion
Hon. Ronald L. Chapman
Rebecca K. Cheney
Christian P. Cherry
Adrianne Chillemi
Christopher Bradley Clare
Dumont Clarke IV
William M. Claytor
Kenneth S. Coe
Jon Coffin
Howard M. Cohen
John D. Cole
Robert K. Corbett III
Marion A. Cowell Jr.
Anne Lafferty Crotty
John R. Cunningham III
Clayton S. Curry Jr.
John F. Curry
John T. Daniel
William Dannelly
Jeff A. Davis
John P. Davis
Jeremy M. Deese
continued on page 14
November 2010
13
BFF
continued from page 13
Sharon Elizabeth Dent
Alan G. Dexter
Lope Max Diaz II
Derek E. Dittner
Miriam Ann Dixon
Kathleen H. Dooley
J. D. DuPuy
Allison & Jonathan Edgar
Catherine El-Khouri
Maya & Wes Engle
Nicole A. Epstein
Margaret Errington
Lex M. Erwin
Kenneth F. Essex
Hon. Yvonne Mims Evans
Doug Ey
Charity Babington Falls
Jami Jackson Farris
Theodore O. Fillette
Rob Fisher
Walter D. Fisher Jr.
Patrick H. Flanagan
John W. Fletcher III
Lisa Flowers
Debra L. Foster
Mark P. Foster
Hon. Linwood O. Foust
R. Harcourt Fulton
Sarah A. Fulton
Holly Gambill
Steven H. Garfinkel
Mel Garofalo
Stephen P. Gennett II
Marc S. Gentile
Ronald L. Gibson
M. Heath Gilbert Jr.
Karen A. Gledhill
Lisa G. Godfrey
Rakesh Gopalan
Melissa L. Gray
John W. Gresham
Ted A. Greve
Eugene S. Griggs
Toni Kaneklides Grove
In Memory of Judge Brent McKnight
Stephen E. Gruendel
Albert E. Guarnieri
Robert J. Hahn
Lisa & John Hairr
William F. Hamel
David B. Hamilton
Hon. Tyyawdi M. Hands
J. Hayden Harrell
Ben Hawfield Jr.
A. Myles Haynes Jr.
14
Michael P. Hebert
David L. Henderson
Robert E. Henderson
Joseph B. Henninger
Tracy Hewett
Henderson Hill
Michael J. Hoefling
Ryan P. Hoffman
Ashley L. Hogewood Jr.
Cory Hohnbaum
Hon. Donnie Hoover
Stephen D. Hope
Adam L. Horner
Andrew T. Houston
Amy P. Hunt
Hon. Robert C. Hunter
Benne C. Hutson
William C. Isenhour
Marsha & Fincher Jarrell
Grady Jessup
Megan V. Johnson
H. Morrison Johnston Jr.
Matthew R. Joyner
Jeff Kadis
Peggy Kane
Marshall H. Karro
Lori R. Keeton
Joseph Nicholas Kendall
Hatcher B. Kincheloe
Ann & Robert King
Irene P. King
William B. Kirk Jr.
Stacie C. Knight
Naho Kobayashi
Paul A. Kohut
C. Andrew Konia III
Jonathan C. Krisko
Sarah J. Kromer
Bradley R. Kutrow
Howard M. Labiner
S. Luke Largess
Anthony T. Lathrop
Kenneth T. Lautenschlager
M. Aaron Lay
John S. Leary Association of Black Attorneys
Louis L. Lesesne Jr.
David L. Levy
David T. Lewis
Hon. Hugh B. Lewis
Francisco J. Linares
Rebecca & Erik Lindahl
Robert G. Lindauer Jr.
John C. Lindley III
Raymond O. Linker Jr.
Maria G. B. Long
Harrison A. Lord
Kathleen K. Lucchesi
Craig T. Lynch
Laura C. Manfreda
November 2010
Bentford E. Martin
Peter McArdle
Christopher M. McDermott
A. Ward McKeithen
Hon. Rickye McKoy-Mitchell
Shawn A. McMillan
Ann E. McMillin
Mecklenburg County Bar
In Memory of Charles B. Elderkin, Joseph J.
Estwanik IV, Patrick V. Ford, Hon. William T.
Grist, David H. Henderson, Hon. Clifton E.
Johnson, Edgar Love III, Neil M. Miller, Nick J.
Miller, Leon Olive, & Robert G. Sanders
Lina James & Steven Meier
Keith J. Merritt
Shannon Metcalf
Brent M. Milgrom Jr.
George N. Miller
In Memory of Nick J. Miller
Katie Miller
Leslie H. Miller
Hon. Regan A. Miller
Scott R. Miller
Maria Blue Minsker
Thomas L. Mitchell
Victor C. Mitchener
Eric A. Montgomery
Linda K. Montgomery
Travis W. Moon
Luther T. Moore
John A. Morrice
John F. Morris
Daniel V. Mumford
John M. Murchison Jr.
Jeffrey A. Nagle
Rajsekhar Natarajan
Michael Nedzbala
John C. Nipp
Hon. Theo X. Nixon
Nancy Black Norelli
In Honor of Judge Robert P. Johnston
Holly B. Norvell
Matthew J. Osman
H. William Palmer Jr.
Annemarie Pantazis
John J. Parker III
In Memory of John J. Parker &
Francis I. Parker
Ross H. Parr
Jennifer McKay Patterson
Sue Paty
Allison Christy Pauls
Richard A. Peniston
Sonya Pfeiffer
Henry N. Pharr II
Shalanna L. Pirtle
W. Edward Poe Jr.
In Memory of William E. Poe Sr.
www.MeckBar.org
Samuel H. Poole Jr.
Henry H. Ralston
Martha L. Ramsay
Donald Rawlins
C. Richard Rayburn Jr.
Vaughn K. Reynolds
William L. Rikard Jr.
Allen K. Robertson
Michelle D. Robinson
Virginia B. Rolfes
Erik M. Rosenwood
Richard J. Rossitch
Heidi E. Royal
Benjamin M. Royster
David S. Rudolf
D. Blaine Sanders
In Memory of Neil M. Miller
Chase B. Saunders
Karl S. Sawyer Jr.
Anna F. Schleunes
Brian J. Schoeck
Kenneth L. Schorr
Benjamin F. Sidbury
N. Lucille Siler
Pamela K. Silverman
Robert C. Sink
Russell F. Sizemore
Roy L. Smart III
In Honor of Mark R. Bernstein
James C. Smith
Joshua M. Smith
Nathan W. Spanheimer
R.G. Spratt
Judith A. Starrett
Harry J. Stathopoulos
Cheryl D. Steele
Jackson N. Steele
J. Christian Stevenson
Andrew Stienecker
Keith Stroud
www.MeckBar.org
William H. Sturges
John L. Sullivan Jr.
Geraldine Sumter
Jacob Sussman
Julie K. Szeker
James M. Talley Jr.
Andrew D. Taylor Jr.
Daniel L. Tedrick
Bradley J. Thomas
Kelly S. Thomas
Glenn Thompson
Laura Thompson
Nicole Thompson
Lauren Thurmond
Beverly Bertram Timm
R. Susanne Todd
Wanda C. Townsend
Kerry L. Traynum
Deepa P. Tungare
Bob Turner
Scott M. Tyler
Sally & William Van Allen
Bradley T. Van Hoy
Lauren M. Vaughn
Melinda L. Vervais
Jonathan A. Vogel
Nancy E. Walker
William B. Wallace
Andrew M. Walsh
Kristi & Jerry Walters
Cameron Todd Ware
S. Rogers Warner Jr.
Gary J. Welch
Allen L. West
Cynthia L. White
Martin L. White
Michael Wielechowski
Sam Williams
Catherine C. Williamson
Michael L. Wilson
November 2010
Elizabeth G. Wren
Cameron & Richard Wright
Julian H. Wright Jr.
Melanie J. Wright
Joshua J. Yablonski
Constance L. Young
Laura Zhao
* Thank you to our Donors who utilize their
Matching Organizations
Bank of America
The BFF
Honor Roll
The BFF Honor Roll recognizes those
firms and organizations that have
100% attorney participation in donating
to the Bar Foundation Fund.
Special Thanks to:
Hamilton Moon Stephens Steele &
Martin, PLLC
Kirk, Palmer & Thigpen, P.A.
Knox, Brotherton, Knox & Godfrey –
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation
Board of Directors
Mecklenburg County Bar
Board of Directors
Do you want your firm to receive
special recognition on the BFF Honor
Roll? Contact Development Committee
Chair Doug Jarrell at djarrell@rbh.com
or
Director of Foundation Development
Leah Reed Campbell at
lcampbell@meckbar.org or
704/375-8624 for more information.
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