The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) held its Virtual 43rd Annual Meeting the week of June 9-12, 2020, in Asheville, NC, swearing in a new slate of Officers and Directors at the close of the meeting.
Allen C. Smith assumes the position of President. 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.
F. Lach Zemp is immediate Past President of the Association. 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.
Sara R. Lincoln is President-Elect. 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.
Lincoln was instrumental in securing engaging and informative content and speakers for NCADA’s first Virtual Annual Meeting, including Michael Reddington of InQuasive and Jennifer Schenk, the Physician Counsel. Other panelists and speakers discussed and shared what made their defense practices successful. The change from a traditional in-person annual meeting to a virtual meeting was a challenge Sara met head-on, ensuring the meeting and the transition were successful and seamless.
Ashley K. Brathwaite was elected Executive Vice President. 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.
JD Keister was elected Treasurer. Keister Practices with McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLP in their Raleigh office. He routinely engages in the representation of parties in construction, professional liability, coverage and bad faith, real estate litigation, catastrophic loss, transportation and automobile litigation and commercial litigation, as well as first party defense for insurance carriers. JD’s construction practice includes the representation of contractors, subcontractors, designers, developers and their insurance companies. His professional liability experience includes the regular representation of architects and engineers, attorneys, real estate brokers and agents, insurance brokers and matters that stem from director and officer liability. JD obtained his juris doctorate from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law (JD). He also serves as NCADA’s Chair of the Construction CLE Committee.
Chris Kiger was re-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:
- · Patrick Flanagan, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog, LLP
- · Tracey Jones, Teague Campbell Dennis & Gorham, LLP
- · Kimberly Marston, Brooks Pierce, LLP
- · Daniel Nunn, Caudle & Spears, LLP
- · Brady Yntema, Goldberg Segalla, LLP
About the NCADA: North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) is a professional organization of nearly 800 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 NCADA, please contact (919)239-4463 or visit www.ncada.org.
