The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (“NCADA”) will hold a Judicial Candidates' Forum on Friday, September 30, 2016 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Forum will feature judicial candidates running in statewide elections for seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The appellate races are statewide races that impact all citizens of North Carolina.
Twelve candidates seek election for six open appellate level judicial seats - two candidates for North Carolina Supreme Court and six candidates for North Carolina Court of Appeals. A special appellate candidates publication providing Information about each candidate may be found on the NCADA’s website at www.ncada.org under the Judicial Candidates’ Forum page under the events link or here.
The Forum will be held at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro, North Carolina in conjunction with the annual Fall Seminar. More than 300 attendees are expected.
The Forum gives members of the public and the bar a rare opportunity to learn about the candidates who wish to serve the state at the appellate court level. Each candidate will have the opportunity to answer a question germane to the members of the civil defense trial bar and to briefly discuss his or her qualifications for the position.
The NCADA is a statewide association of lawyers defending the interests of individuals and businesses in North Carolina. For more information about the NCADA or the Judicial Candidates' Forum, please contact the Association office at 919-239-4463 or lpitt@ncada.org.
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The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (“NCADA”) is pleased to participate as a sponsor of the NC Institute of Political Leadership’s (IOPL)**** Hometown Debates. Partnering with local chambers of commerce, IOPL will host three debates featuring key down-ballot races for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state treasurer.
The live debates will be held on consecutive Tuesday nights in September. Candidates for lieutenant governor, Linda Coleman and Dan Forest, will debate in Wilson at Barton College’s Kennedy Theater on September 13. Candidates for attorney general, Buck Newton and Josh Stein, in Asheboro at the Sunset Theater on September 20. The final debate will be between candidates for state treasurer, Dan Blue III and Dale Folwell, at the Statesville Civic Center on September 27. Each debates will begin at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.
The debates will air on UNC-TV’s NC Channel one day after each event at 9 p.m., and will be broadcast live on radio stations that are part of the NC News Network. The candidates will be questioned by local newspaper editors in each of the three locations.
NCIOPL is a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to educate future political and community leaders in modern campaign strategy, ethical decision making, and governance, such that its participants will have a sound grounding in ethical behavior, consensus building, and cooperative and collaborative leadership. No other program in North Carolina offers such a comprehensive curriculum in strategic, nonpartisan political leadership development.
The NCADA is a professional association for civil trial attorneys defending individuals and businesses in North Carolina. For more information about the NCADA or the Judicial Candidates' Forum, please contact the Association office at 919-239-4463 or lpitt@ncada.org.
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The new 2016 Notary Handbook is the first update in 10 years, replacing the 2006 edition. It is now available for purchase from the UNC School of Government bookstore.
All notaries are required to have the most recent manual as a reference guide (NC Gen Stat § 10B-5(b)(7)).
This is a great revision of the previous edition and includes more information on the types of transactions notaries may not participate in, red flags, and tips for avoiding trouble situations.
This edition is available in print and is now in two E-Book formats
Tip provided by Lawyers Mutual
One difference between successful, happy lawyers and frustrated, unhappy ones is time management.
The first group manages their time wisely. They prioritize, delegate and plan ahead.
The second group mismanages their time. They procrastinate, miss deadlines and are late for appointments.
Here are some tips on adding timeliness in your practice:
More practice management tips at: http://www.lawyersmutualnc.com/blog.
John S. Willardson of Willardson Law Firm in Wilkesboro, NC, is the 2016 recipient of NC Association of Defense Attorneys highest award. The J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence recognizes NCADA members who exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and ethics and who conducts themselves in a civil, courteous manner with all persons. The recipient must exemplify sustained excellent service to individual and corporate defendants in civil litigation, to the Bar and to the community.
Willardson, an NCADA member since 1984, served as President from 2000 to 2001 after more than a decade of active service as a leader in the Association. At the national level, Willardson served as NC’s State Representative to DRI, the voice of the defense bar, from 2004 to 2007, and then on DRI’s Board of Directors as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director from 2007 to 2010. Other professional activities include:
Additionally, Willardson is a tireless volunteer in his community. In 2010, he was inducted into the YMCA’s Red Triangle Society by the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina. Induction into the Red Triangle Society is the highest honor a Y volunteer can receive. Recipients demonstrate long-term and significant commitment, enthusiasm and dedication to the Y’s mission. Other community service activities include:
Willardson is a native of Santa Monica, California and has lived and practiced in Wilkesboro, North Carolina for over 35 years after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he completed a double major in Spanish and political science. He served in the Army before attending UNC Law School where he obtained his J.D. in 1972.
John Willardson is a true leader in the law and a servant leader in his community.
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. Visit us at www.ncada.org.
The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) recently presented Dixie T. Wells with the Outstanding Volunteer Award for 2016. This Award recognizes an NCADA member or members for exceptional contributions and spotlights those who have gone “above and beyond” in his or her contributions to the organization.
Dixie Wells is a partner with Ellis & Winters, LLP practicing in the firm’s Greensboro office where she represents clients in lawsuits involving engineering issues, higher education law, complex commercial transactions, and products liability. Wells and other members of the firm have carried on a tradition of providing a comprehensive appellate case law update twice annually at the NCADA’s Annual Meeting and Fall Seminar formerly led by firm partner emeritus, J. Donald Cowan, Jr. This bi-annual presentation provides a comprehensive analysis of recent case law.
NCADA is pleased to recognize Wells for her invaluable contributions.
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. Visit us at www.ncada.org.
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:
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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David W. Hood, President, 2016-2017
Well, here is something most folk have been looking forward to! This is my last President’s Message before the NCADA Presidency is passed to my worthy successor, Todd Brown from the Charlotte office of Hunton & Williams. It has been a true honor and pleasure for me to serve in this capacity, and to have this opportunity to say a few words at the beginning of each issue of The Resource.
When I took over last June, I suggested a plan of action for our organization that had three components. First, I challenged us to “Broaden our Base”, a focus on recruitment. There has been significant progress on this front. We have used new methods to encourage our current members to find and propose new members. Also, we now have some expectations in place for Board members and others to be involved in this process, not just the Membership Committee. As part of our recruitment efforts, we have also reached out to subsets of our members, such as Trucking and Financial Services, to determine what we can do better to cater to their needs and thus encourage others in such practice areas to join. The Immediate Past President now serves as the chair of the Membership Committee, so I look forward to continuing our progress in this area during the 2016-17 year.
Second, I challenged the NCADA to “Bolster our Brand.” I suggested that we refine our messaging and our story to better communicate who we are, what we do, and where we want to be. This has involved an increased role for Practice Group leadership in programming and communications, an initiative to better identify us as THE voice for lawyers in North Carolina who represent business interests, and a stated goal to deepen our already strong commitment to diversity in the leadership of our organization. I believe we have also made good gains in this second part of our plan, and this will continue in the Fall as we participate with other statewide organizations in the sponsorship of a series of candidate debates for the November elections.
Third, I proposed that we as an organization “Boost our Benefits” so that NCADA members get even more bang for their buck. In addition to our normal programming, one way we boosted our benefit this year was to start the first NCADA Winter Workshop in January. This was a CLE focused on general programming in the morning for everyone, with the whole afternoon devoted to Practice Group-specific topics. Thanks to the hard work of the CLE chair J.D. Keister, Lynette, and others, this was a great addition to our offerings that I hope will continue in future years. We also have Board members working on new projects such as a Speakers Bureau, an Expert Witness Database, and help for NCADA members who serve as mediators.
So, in short. Progress made, and more progress expected going forward. I’d like to thank our Board, and especially the five members about to rotate off, for their hard work this year. I’d like to thank all the Practice Group and Committee leaders for putting up with my seemingly endless requests for assistance and leadership in carrying out this little plan of mine. I’d like to praise our current Executive Committee for their dedication to the growth and development of our organization. And, of course, I’d like to highlight the awesomeness that is Executive Director Lynette Pitt – without her, ain’t nuthin good gonna happen no how for the NCADA.
David W. Hood, President, 2015-2016
Hello again, and welcome to our April edition of the NCADA’s monthly newsletter, The Resource. This month I want to remind you all that while membership in the NCADA is a good first step towards improving your practice, involvement in the necessary next step. There are several opportunities coming up for you to take this next step, and I encourage you to take advantage.
First, of course, we have the Annual Meeting in June. Additional information is available elsewhere in this issue, but right now I want to focus on one of the many reasons you should be registering for this event in Asheville. There will be a number of judges in attendance, from both the trial and appellate courts, as well as the Industrial Commission (the new Chair Charlton Allen included.) This is an excellent chance to get to know these folks apart from representation in particular cases, and that knowledge will help you become a better advocate and a better lawyer overall. Given the number of social events forming part of this year’s programming, making those contacts with not only the judiciary but fellow lawyers from around the state will be easy, and, in my opinion, extremely productive. So go to our awesome ncada.org website and register today.
Second, if you are able to be in the Raleigh area on May 12, you should sign up to attend the Judicial Reception to start at 5:30 at Jimmy V’s Osteria and Bar. We sponsor these judicial receptions at five different locations in North Carolina, and they are another great way to meet and greet the judiciary and fellow lawyers in your area. I have been to several of these outside of my geographic region, and can tell you the value of this type of networking even if you just happen to be in the area from out-of-town. This is not a seminar, so no programming per se, but just an opportunity for social interaction. Use it.
Finally, new members or those without heavy NCADA involvement so far often ask me how best to become more involved. In addition to going to events as mentioned above, the next thing to do is to contact the Practice Group leadership in one or more of your areas of practice, and offer to help. (Other options would include the Committees for Young Lawyers, Women Litigators, and Diversity). The Chairs and Vice-Chairs are always looking for help, and would be glad to put you to work in some fashion. Become the type of person that folk can rely on for assistance – that could lead all sorts of places for you, including into leadership positions if you are interested in that. The leadership team for Practice Groups and selected Committees is profiled elsewhere on the ncada.org website, for your convenience.
I hope to see you at a future NCADA event!
David
Hello again, NCADA members and hangers-on! As current President of our organization, I want to bring y’all up to speed on a few things happening in our world as we continue our mission to strengthen the practice of lawyers who defend individuals and represent business in civil litigation.
Probably the most important topic right now would be the ongoing preparations for our Annual Meeting, to take place for the first time this year in Asheville, June 16-19, at the Omni Grove Park Inn. The convention location (Grove Park) is fabulous, June in Asheville is fabulous, and the program is shaping up to be just as fabulous! The Annual Meeting is not only our organization’s best opportunity to get to know other defense lawyers and judges from around the state, it is also both educational and fun. Go to the website link and register today. Yes, I mean right now. You can come back to this column afterwards.
We just hosted our first Winter Workshop back in late January, with general session topics in the morning and Practice Group-specific programming in the afternoon. This was a trial run, and I believe was a big success. We had a nice turnout, and some truly excellent presentations at The Solution Center in Durham, right off I-40. If you missed it you, well, really missed something – but if you did attend and have not yet given us feedback, please do so. We want to use that input to plan an event better workshop for early 2017.
It is also the time of year when NCADA leadership positions rotate to new folk. If you have ever wanted to get more involved in your particular Practice Group, or in the organization as a whole, this would be a great opportunity to contact me, Executive Director Lynette Pitt, or our President-Elect Todd Brown about how you can become active in a committee, group, or project of the organization. We’d love to talk to you about your interests in that regard.
Finally, with the General Assembly about to go back to Raleigh for its “Short Session”, as well as with important cases always cycling through our appellate courts, I wanted you all to know that the NCADA will continue its role of helping to advocate for our positions with each branch of state government. We have an active Legislative Committee that works with our lobbyist, Bob Kaylor, on pending bills. We provide assistance and advice to members of both the legislative and executive branches on appointments and other important issues. Through our Amicus Committee, we advocate directly for legal principles important to our membership pending in the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. The NCADA is an active organization, and we are proud of that fact.
Thanks for your own involvement with the NCADA. See you in Asheville!
North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys 4441-106 Six Forks Road, #107 Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: 919-239-4463 admin@ncada.org
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