Nominations are being accepted for the 2017 J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence. This Award is named in honor of the life and career of J. Robert Elster, the second president of the Association.
Please nominate a present or past member of the NCADA for consideration as a possible recipient of the Award for Professional Excellence that will be presented at the 40th Annual Meeting, June 15-18, 2017. Your letter of nomination should be addressed to J. Nicholas Ellis, Chair, NCADA Awards Committee, 4030 Wake Forest Road, Ste 203, Raleigh, NC 27609. The letter should reference the "J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence," include the name and current address of your nominee, along with supporting information and any appropriate documentation you believe will help the Awards Committee in making a recommendation to the Board of Directors. Your letter must be received at the Raleigh office no later than Friday, March 24, 2017.
Criteria: The recipient shall be a present, or former, member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. The recipient must exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethics, and conduct herself, or himself, 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.
Other factors that may be considered are involvement in judicial or other professional educational activities; participation in activities that improve the civil justice system; and such other criteria as the Board or Awards Committee shall determine to be important to the extraordinary achievement intended to be recognized by this Award.
Nomination and Selection:
Nominations shall be by current members of the NCADA
The Awards Committee shall receive all nominations in confidence. It shall review the nominations, and if a recipient is selected, shall confidentially recommend a recipient of the Award to the Board of Directors of the NCADA. If the Award recipient is approved by the Board of Directors, the Awards Committee shall prepare an outline of the presentation to be made by the President of the NCADA at the Annual Meeting, and shall obtain the Award on behalf of the NCADA for presentation.
The Award is intended as a special recognition, and it is not necessary that an Award be given as often as annually.
PAST RECIPIENTS
2016 John S. Willardson 2015 Hon. Linda Stephens 2009 Alan W. Duncan 2014 Harvey L. Cosper, Jr. 2008 William K. Davis 2013 James W. Williams 2007 J. Donald Cowan, Jr. 2012 Richard V. Bennett 2006 James D. Blount 2011 L. P. "Tony" Hornthal, Jr. 2006 Stephen P. Milliken2010 Charles E. Burgin 2005 Richard T. Boyette
NCADA's ninth biennial Judicial Candidates' Forum was held on Friday, September 30th. The Forum featured candidates running in statewide elections for seats on the North Carolina's Appellate Courts. Each candidate briefly discussed his or her qualifications and answered a brief question regarding areas of concern for businesses, civil defense attorneys and their clients. In addition to the videos by race, candidate profiles and statements of candidacy statements are available in this special issue of The Resource. Please download and share with colleagues, clients and friends.
The N.C. Defense Fund, the political action committee of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, endorses the following candidates seeking seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals:
For Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, the N.C. Defense Fund endorses for the Edmunds Seat: Robert H. Edmunds, Jr.
For Associate Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the N.C. Defense Fund endorses:
For the Geer Seat: Margaret P. Eagles for election to the Court.
For the Stephens Seat: Linda Stephens for re-election to the Court.
For the Hunter Seat: Robert J. Hunter, Jr. for re-election to the Court.
For the Dietz Seat: Richard Dietz for election to the Court.
For the Zachary Seat: Valerie Johnson Zachary for election to the Court.
The NC Defense Fund made the decision to endorse each judicial candidate based on the following criteria:
The N.C. Defense Fund is the political action committee of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys [NCADA] is a professional association for lawyers and paralegals defending the interests of individuals and businesses in civil litigation. Current membership stands at approximately 900 attorneys and paralegals from across the State.
For more information about the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys, please contact the Association office at 1-800-233-2858.
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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.
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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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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