The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) held its 42nd Annual Meeting the weekend of June 13-16, 2019, in Asheville, NC, swearing in a new slate of Officers and Directors at the close of the meeting.
F. Lach Zemp was elected President. Zemp, a partner of Roberts & Stevens, P.A., 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. He obtained his J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1990.
Lawrence M. Baker is immediate Past President of the Association. Baker practices with Wilson Jones Carter & Baxley, PA in the firm’s Charlotte office. He has been practicing insurance defense litigation in Charlotte, NC since 1990. Larry handle workers’ compensation and civil litigation matters at both trial and appellate levels. He received his J.D. from Wake Forest University Law School in 1990.
Allen C. Smith assumes the position of President-elect. Smith is a partner with Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garafalo, 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 major vehicle negligence. He also defends product 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 three-year term on the Board of Directors and one year as Secretary.
Smith was instrumental in securing engaging and informative content and speaker for the two-day CLE program, including nationally renowned speaker and attorney Larry Pozner. Additional speakers included Laura Mahr who presented on maintaining a healthy work/life balance. Other panelists and speakers offered trial strategy and briefed members on current trends and recent decisions.
Sara R. Lincoln was elected Executive Vice President. Lincoln is a partner with Lincoln Derr, PLLC in Charlotte. She has an active trial practice ranging from medical malpractice defense to complex business litigation. Lincoln obtained her J.D. in 1993 from the University of Akron School of Law, magna cum laude. She has previously served a three-year term on the Board of Directors , and was chair of the Association’s Women Litigators Committee and the Medical Malpractice Group.
Ashley K. Brathwaite was re-elected as Treasurer. Brathwaite practices with Ellis & Winters, LLP. Her practice is divided between the representation of health care providers, product manufacturers and distributors, and others facing allegations of liability for a catastrophic personal injury. She obtained her J.D. from Campbell University School of Law in 2005. Brathwaite has served on the Board since 2015 and previously chaired and co-chaired the Women Litigators Committee.
Chris Kiger was elected Secretary. Chris practices with Smith Anderson, LLP. His focus is in the areas of products liability, mass tort, and commercial litigation. He has significant experience representing manufacturers, insurers, and other corporate clients in both state and federal courts, as well as in multi-district litigation. He has successfully handled the defense of litigation involving a broad array of automotive, industrial, consumer, and medical products.
The NCADA welcomed the following new members to the Board of Directors to serve a three-year term ending in 2022:
- · Jerri Simmons, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP
- · C. Rob Wilson, III, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP
- · William Rapp, McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC
- · Jonathan Hall, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
- · David Wisz, Bailey & Dixon LLP
