In Memoriam: J. Donald Cowan, Jr.
1943-2019
It is with great sadness to share that fellow NCADA member and trial lawyer Don Cowan passed away on April 1st. Don joined the NCADA as a Charter member in 1977 and delivered his first the Recent Case Law Update to the membership at the 1979 NCADA Annual Meeting. In 1982, Don began presenting the Case Law Update twice annually at both the Annual and Fall Meetings - a tradition that the firm, Ellis & Winters, continues today.
Cowan was a graduate of Wake Forest University and the Wake Forest School of Law. He began his civil litigation career in 1973 following service in the U.S. Army Office of Staff Judge Advocate General Corps. A true leader in the law, Don was a Fellow, Regent, and Secretary of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a former member of the ABA House of Delegates. He was a past president of the North Carolina Bar Association and Legal Services of North Carolina (now Legal Aid of NC). He served on the NCADA's Board of Directors from 1987 to 1990, and was presented the J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence in 2007.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 13th, at Christ Church on Edenton Street in Raleigh. For more information, please visit the complete obituary.
Please share your memories of Don with us by posting your comments here.
