The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) held its 39th Annual Meeting in Asheville, North Carolina June 15-19, 2016. Several officers assumed new roles within the organization this year.
A. Todd Brown was confirmed as the 39th President of the Association. Brown is a partner with Hunton & Williams practicing in the Charlotte office. He has handled a broad variety of complex litigation in federal and state courts over his 30 years of experience, with an emphasis on commercial disputes, business torts, catastrophic personal injuries, consumer lending, unfair competition, and trade secrets litigation. Brown received his J.D. in 1986 from the University of South Carolina.
David W. Hood is Immediate Past President. Hood is a partner with Patrick Harper & Dixon, LLP in Hickory. He is a trial attorney with a wide-ranging civil practice. His concentrations include Insurance Defense, Business Disputes, Construction Law, Bankruptcy – Creditors’ Rights, and Collections. He is also a certified mediator, helping to settle cases pending in both state and federal court. Hood received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1991. Hood was presented the “DRI Exceptional Performance Award” and the NCADA recognized him for his year of service during the conference.
Dayatra T. Matthews assumes the position of President-Elect. Matthews is Senior Vice President of Legal & Compliance for the Local Government Federal Credit Union in Raleigh. As SVP of the Credit Union’s Legal and Compliance Department, Matthews is in charge of ensuring all Credit Union business is conducted in compliance with relevant state and federal laws and regulations. Matthews received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1997. Matthews served as program chair this year, and was instrumental in securing engaging and informative content and speakers for the two-day CLE program. Breakout sessions included topics relating to Construction law, Commercial law, General Liability, Medical Malpractice, Product Liability, Government Liability and Workers Compensation. The diverse group of panelists and speakers offered trial strategy and briefed members on current trends and recent decisions.
Larry M. Baker was elected to the office of Executive Vice President. Baker practices with Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A. in the firm’s Charlotte office. He has been practicing insurance defense litigation in Charlotte, NC since 1990. Larry handles both workers’ compensation and civil litigation matters at both trial and appellate levels. Baker received his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1990. Baker previously served a 3-year term as a member of the Board of Directors and one year as Secretary.
Allen C. Smith was elected to a 2-year term as Secretary. Smith is a partner with Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP in Charlotte. He is the leader of the Trucking and Transportation Practice Group and devotes much of his time to defending serious personal injury and wrongful death claims associated with truck accidents and motor vehicle negligence. He also defends products liability, construction defect, and premises liability claims. Smith obtained his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1992. He previously served a 3-year term on the Board of Directors and is a past chair of the General Liability Practice Group.
F. Lach Zemp was elected to a 2-year term as Treasurer. Zemp, a partner with Roberts & Stevens, P.A. in Asheville, has over 25 years of experience trying cases and representing a variety of professional, outdoor-recreation, industry, and business interests in state and federal courts. actively litigate cases in a variety of areas, including professional and medical malpractice and licensure cases, commercial / business cases, and products liability cases. He obtained his J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1990.
The NCADA welcomed the following NEW members to the Board of Directors:
- Hunt K. Choi, Deputy City Attorney, City of Raleigh
- H. Mark Hamlet, Hamlet & Associates, PLLC, Wilmington
- Sonny S. Haynes, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, Winston-Salem
- J.D. Keister, McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLP, Raleigh
- William M. Starr, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, Charlotte
ABOUT the NCADA: North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) is a professional organization of nearly 900 attorneys and paralegals who devote a majority of their time representing the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. For more information about the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys, please contact (919) 239-4463 or visit www.ncada.org.
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