Clearing Our Clogged Courts

February 2007
Volume 33 No. 8
Clearing Our Clogged Courts
BY JON
In This Issue
Clearing Our Clogged Courts.................................cover
From the President .........................................................1
Lawyers in the News ......................................................1
CLE Courses ...................................................................2
A New Voice for Children ............................................3
Lawyer Referral Service .................................................3
Summertime in the Dual-Career Lawyer Marriage......4
2006–07 MCB Directory ...............................................4
MCB BLI Announces ‘07 Participants .........................5
From the Leary Bar.........................................................5
The Bar Spreads Holiday Cheer....................................6
MCB Holiday Party........................................................6
Dedicated to Diversity Conference...............................6
Liberty Bell & VLP Pro Bono Awards Nominees
Sought .............................................................................7
Patrons Fund Campaign.................................................7
McMillan Fellowship Applications Available..............7
Basketball Season Sign Up ............................................7
MECKLENBURG COUNTY BAR
PRSRT STD
438 Queens Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
CHARLOTTE, NC
PERMIT NO. 3337
DATED MATERIAL
GOLDBERG
A line of people awaiting Will Esser’s advice had already
formed when he arrived at the Mecklenburg County
courthouse at 8:30 a.m.
Esser first counseled a couple preparing for a child
custody matter. For the next four
hours, pro se family law litigants
peppered him with procedural, trial,
and appeals questions, including one
family who had just moved from
Thailand and wanted to learn how to
change their child’s name.
In so doing, Esser, a litigator at
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein,
Esser
became one of the first volunteers for
the new Judicial Pro Se Project.
What Is the Judicial Pro Se Project?
Internal studies at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse
have concluded that up to two-thirds of pending family law
cases have at least one pro se party.
Such a high percentage of unrepresented litigants can
further clog an already backlogged family court system and
limit or deny justice for those who are not sure how to
maneuver through the system.
To combat these and other problems, leaders in North
Carolina’s 26th Judicial District and the Mecklenburg County
Bar (MCB) recently created the Judicial Pro Se Project, a
program that, in part, permits low-income pro se litigants to
meet with volunteer attorneys to get
answers to basic questions about family
court processes. To date, Mecklenburg
County attorneys have pledged more
than 1,000 hours for 2007.
“There is a pressing need for
attorneys to represent indigent people
or just people without attorneys in the
family courts,” said Eric Cottrell, a
Cottrell
member of the Judicial Pro Se
February 2007
Coalition, Co-Chair of the MCB Volunteer Lawyers Program
Committee, and a litigator at Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw.
His firm has committed 25 volunteer hours for 2007. “There
is apparently just a huge buildup of cases.… This will help
grease the wheels and get people in and out of family court.”
Solutions for Unclogging the Court
System
The Judicial Pro Se Project is just one of a number of
initiatives to spring from a series of meetings held by leaders
in the 26th Judicial District over the past several years after
they developed an increasing awareness of the impact of pro
se litigants on the judicial system. For example, a 2006 report
by Richard P. Stroker of the Center for Effective Public Policy
titled “Center for Court Solutions Partner Court Project Pro Se/
Pro Bono Issues” noted that pro se litigants in Mecklenburg
County are involved in a large percentage of cases before the
Criminal Administrative Court (for misdemeanor cases), in
probate and other special proceedings, and in small claims
court, where they represented the vast majority of the more
than 44,000 plaintiffs in 2005 alone.
Besides litigants’ inability to pay for a lawyer, Stroker’s
report suggests that many litigants might increasingly opt for
the pro se route because of “popular television shows that
characterize court proceedings as simple matters, and with
issues resolved in a matter of minutes.”
Regardless of the cause, local leaders devised a number of
solutions to deal with the issue. So far they have
• secured $100,000 in grants and other funding to develop
computer programs to aid pro se litigants in accurately
creating and filing various legal forms;
• developed guides for individuals involved in probate or
other special proceedings, and created a special
information sheet to advise small claims litigants about
procedural issues; and
• begun steps to create a Family Law Facilitator position in
partnership with the Department of Social Services to
assist friends and family members establish legal custody
of children who have essentially been abandoned by their
biological parents.
continued on page 2
www.meckbar.org
February 2007
Volume 33 No. 8
From the President
Corporate/InHouse Counsel
Our Bar now has more
than 3,800 licensed
attorneys. Out of that
number, many practice in
the legal departments and
business units of corporations. The Mecklenburg
County Bar’s Corporate
Tony Lathrop,
Counsel Section, headed
MCB President
by Craig Baldauf of Bank
of America, is a great avenue for these attorneys
to derive even more benefit from their membership
in our Bar and to contribute their time and talent
for the benefit of the Bar and the community.
Under Craig’s leadership, the Corporate
Counsel Section is planning innovative and
interesting continuing legal education (CLE)
courses that will be particularly attractive to
attorneys practicing in corporate settings as well as
to attorneys in private practice. Potential topics
include privacy/data protection, patents/trademarks/trade secrets, general employment law,
immigration, conducting in-house investigations,
commercial bankruptcy/work outs, and “What I
Wish I Had Known” presented by a general
counsel or other senior lawyer. In addition, the
section will host periodic lunches with speakers
of interest; the next such lunch will be hosted by
Carolina Panthers General Counsel Richard
Thigpen at Bank of America Stadium.
Moreover, many attorneys have moved here
from other jurisdictions to join corporate legal
departments but have not yet obtained a North
Carolina license. We are exploring ways for these
attorneys to connect with the Mecklenburg
County Bar and receive information about Bar
activities that may be of interest to them,
including CLE courses, social/sports activities as
well as participation in sections, community and
professional service, and other areas. This idea
continues to develop.
We welcome your participation, ideas,
suggestions, and feedback regarding the
Corporate Counsel Section. Please do not
hesitate to contact Craig Baldauf at 704/386-1630
or me at 704/331-3596. We look forward to
hearing from you.
Courthouse Back Hall Access
I received a lot of feedback in response to
my column last month regarding back hall access
in the new courthouse. There were so many
calls, comments, and e-mails that the topic
warrants mention again in this space. On the
pro-access side (the overwhelming majority of
feedback), the primary themes were efficiency
(facilitation of efficient completion of the work
of the courts) and the fact that lawyers are
officers of the court. The primary anti-access
sentiment involved possible appearances of
impropriety when lawyers enter courtrooms
through the same doors as judges. Please do not
hesitate to send me your comments and feedback
regarding this issue. My e-mail address is
[email protected].
Conclusion
The high level of engagement by so many
continued on page 5
February 2007
by Robert P. Johnston
Thalheimer Takes a Holiday
While his colleagues were moving into the new
courthouse, District Court Judge Ben Thalheimer
was moving down the ski slopes of the French Alps.
Few would suspect that Thalheimer is an
accomplished skier. His father, however, established
Appalachian Ski Mountain (formerly Blowing Rock
Ski Lodge), one of the first ski areas in the South.
The judge served as a junior and senior member of
the National Ski Patrol as well as taught at
Appalachian Ski Mountain and Sugar Mountain.
In addition to skiing, Thalheimer went
parasailing, floating from the peaks of the Alps,
overlooking the picturesque resort of Val D’Isere,
France.
Judge
Thalheimer
skis the
French Alps
State Bar Recognizes 50-Year Lawyers
The North Carolina State Bar recognized five Charlotte attorneys celebrating the 50th anniversary of their
admission to practice. Then–State Bar President Calvin Murphy presented those honored a commemorative
certificate at a 50-Year Lawyers Luncheon in conjunction with the State Bar’s Annual Meeting. Those honored
from Charlotte include Frances Fletcher Jr., Paul Guthery Jr., Russell Robinson, II, Richard Thigpen Jr.,
and Sydnor Thompson Jr.
Six Local Bar Councilors Elected
The 26th Judicial District has elected six Bar Councilors to join William Claytor in representing the local
Bar in the North Carolina State Bar. The six are David Allen, Robert Bernhardt, Nelson Casstevens Jr.,
Ronald Gibson, Fincher Jarrell, and Mark Merritt.
Local Attorneys Interview Bar Candidates
Interviewers
for the
February 2007
bar exam
Members of the Mecklenburg County Bar devoted most of Saturday, January 13, to
interviewing candidates for admission after the February bar exam.
Ted Shapack headed the Bar candidate committee, which interviewed a record number of candidates for
the February exam. “Last year we had 75; in prior years we averaged 50–55. This year there were over 100
candidates,” Shapack reported.
Attorneys participating in the interviews included William Acton Jr., Lou Agosto, Jay Akers, Cynthia
Aziz, Robert Dortch Jr., Ross Fulton, Judge Robert Johnston, Judge Eric Levinson, James Mason Jr., Anu
Murthy, Claire Rauscher, Susanne Robicsek, Terry Sherrill, Todd Sprinkle, Anne Tompkins, and Richard
Wright.
Charlotte Attorneys Named to Legal Elite
For the sixth year, Business North Carolina has listed as “Legal Elite” attorneys representing slightly more
than three percent of the North Carolina State Bar membership.
Eighteen thousand ballots were mailed to North Carolina attorneys, and more than 2,500 lawyers received
votes. Past winners become members of the “Legal Elite Hall of Fame” and are ineligible to win again. Fourteen
categories were recognized.
Charlotte attorneys in this year’s “Legal Elite” include:
Antitrust—Dan Clodfelter, Mark Horoschak, Mark Merritt, and John Murchison.
Bankruptcy—David Badger, Thomas Cabaniss, Dan Clodfelter, David Conaway, Albert Durham, David
continued on page 7
www.meckbar.org
1
Clearing Our Clogged Courts
continued from cover
Live Programs
The North Carolina State Bar will mail the 2006
CLE Annual Report Forms on January 29,
2007. Forms must be returned to the State Bar
CLE Department no later than February 28,
2007. All hours for 2006 must be taken by
February 28, 2007. For more information visit
www.nccle.org.
Annual Review
CLE Credit: 12.0 hours total (3.0 Ethics,
1.0 Substance Abuse, and
8.0 General), fulfilling one year of
NCSB-mandated CLE hours
Dates:
Friday, February 9, and Saturday,
February 10, 2007
Location:
Crowne Plaza Uptown (formerly
Best Western Uptown),
201 South McDowell St.
Fee:
$495 attorney rate after 2/1/07
Estate Planning Series
CLE Credit: 4.5 hours total (1.0 Ethics and
3.5 General)
Dates:
Friday, January 19, 2007,
7:45–8:45 a.m. (Ethics)
Friday, January 26, 2007,
8:00–9:00 a.m. (Advanced Topics)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007,
8:00–9:00 a.m. (Family Limited
Partnerships)
Thursday, February 22, 2007,
8:00–9:30 a.m. (Family Business
Succession Planning)
Please arrive 15 minutes before
the start of each session
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$50 attorney rate for single session
or $175 attorney rate for all four,
$30 paralegal rate for single
session or $100 paralegal rate for
all four
Collection Law
CLE Credit: 3.0 hours total
Date:
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:30 a.m.
Program 9:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$110 attorney rate,
$65 paralegal rate
Litigating Alienation of Affections and
Criminal Conversation Cases
MCB Family Law Section and CLE Program
CLE Credit: 1.0 hour General
Date:
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Time:
Reg. 12:15 p.m.
Program 12:45–1:45 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$35 Family Law Section member
rate, $40 Non–FLS member
attorney rate
Civil Litigation Forum—Views from the
Bench and Litigation Techniques
Moved from 2/16/07 to 3/30/07
Changing Lanes: Ethical Dilemmas and
Their Impact on Attorney Mental Health
CLE Credit: 2.0 hours Mental Health/
Substance Abuse
Date:
Monday, February 19, 2007
Time:
Reg. 12:30 p.m.
Program 1:00–3:00 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$90 attorney rate,
$45 paralegal rate
Diversity Matters
CLE Credit: 3.0 hours total
Date:
Friday, February 23, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:30 a.m.
Program 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location:
Junior League, 1332 Maryland Ave.
Fees:
$135 attorney rate,
$65 paralegal rate
Private Capital Markets
CLE Credit: 4.0 hours General
Date:
Friday, February 23, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:30 a.m.
Program 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$175 attorney rate,
$90 paralegal rate
Computer Forensics and Electronic
Discovery
CLE Credit: 3.0 hours General
Date:
Monday, February 27, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:30 a.m.
Program 9:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$135 attorney rate,
$65 paralegal rate
Objectives Strategies and Litigation Tactics
in Front of the Trademark Trial and Appeal
Board
CLE Credit: 3.0 hours General
Date:
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:30 a.m.
Program 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$110 attorney rate,
$55 paralegal rate
Civil Litigation Forum—Views from the
Bench and Litigation Techniques
CLE Credit: 6.0 hours General
Date:
Friday, March 30, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:30 a.m.
Program 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location:
Chamber of Commerce
Fees:
$180 Civil Litigation Section
member rate, $210 non–CLS
member attorney rate,
$90 paralegal rate
Divorce 101
CLE Credit: 1.0 hour General
Date:
Friday, April 20, 2007
Time:
Reg. 3:45 p.m.
Program 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$40 attorney rate,
$27 paralegal/public rate
Video Replay
Trust Accounting
CLE Credit: 1.0 hour Ethics
Date:
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Time:
Reg. 8:45 a.m.
Program 9:00–10:00 a.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$55 attorney rate,
$30 paralegal rate
Mental Health Tune-Up
CLE Credit: 1.0 hour Mental
Health/Substance Abuse
Dates:
Friday, February 16, 2007,
Friday, March 16, 2007
Time:
Both 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to
start of program
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$60 attorney rate,
$30 paralegal rate
The Duty of Loyalty and Attorney Fees:
Ethics Issues
CLE Credit: 3.0 hours Ethics
Dates:
Friday, February 16, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Time:
All 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to
start of program
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$135 attorney rate,
$75 paralegal rate
The Disease of Addiction
CLE Credit: 1.0 hour Mental
Health/Substance Abuse
Date:
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Time:
Reg. 11:45 a.m.
Program 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Location:
MCB Center, 438 Queens Rd.
Fees:
$60 attorney rate,
$30 paralegal rate
Online CLE Programing Available at www.meckbar.org
On demand, available 24 hours
NC State Bar allows up to 4 hours of online courses annually
Customer service line 800/590-6867
MCB endorses only Education Over the Net as our online hosting service
2
www.meckbar.org
Of particular note to Mecklenburg County
attorneys was the creation of the volunteer lawyer
program to aid the courts.
How the Program Works
The program is intended to give pro se litigants
in family court a 20-minute consultation with a
volunteer attorney who can answer questions to
help guide the litigant through the court system.
After taking a continuing legal education–credited
training seminar, which covers some basics of the
family court process, lawyers can volunteer in shifts
of two to four hours at a room in the new
courthouse dedicated to the new program.
There are two private offices for attorneys to
meet with pro se litigants and a variety of materials
to help aid litigants and the attorneys.
“The SelfServe Center in the new courthouse is
a really incredible facility,” said Erika Olson, a
litigator at Kennedy Covington (which has
committed 100 hours to the program). “It will really
help the program.”
Volunteering attorneys are not expected to be
family law experts, and they do not need litigation
experience. The assistance for a particular
individual begins and ends with the 20-minute
counseling session (and the litigants sign waivers to
that effect).
Before pro se litigants can even meet with an
attorney, they are given proper legal forms with
instructions, watch videos to help explain the forms,
and attend clinics to review the forms and have
questions answered in a group setting, said Todd
Nuccio, Mecklenburg County’s Trial Court
Administrator. The private session with the
volunteer attorney is the final step before the court
proceeding and is intended to answer pressing
procedural questions that might thwart their efforts
and delay the court process.
A Little Help Can Go a Long Way
Todd Sprinkle, a litigator
at Parker Poe (which has
committed 150 hours to the
Judicial Pro Se Project),
volunteered a shift in the
week before Christmas. He
aided pro se litigants on
divorce, child custody and
visitation, and other matters
Sprinkle
by reviewing various forms
and answering some basic questions. He consulted
with seven or eight litigants during his shift.
Sprinkle clerked for a judge while in law school
and saw firsthand why this type of program is
needed for pro se litigants.
“Usually the process doesn’t go smoothly,”
Sprinkle said. “Sometimes a little help can go a long
way.... I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be much
help. But I think they left a little better off than
when they came in.”
Organizers hope this program will appeal to
attorneys who are interested in pro bono work but
who need the structure of a specific shift instead of
potentially more ambiguous hours involved in other
types of pro bono work.
“We need a lot of help,” Olson said. “This isn’t
just a program for litigators. It’s about providing
basic advice, but advice that can’t be provided by
anyone but an attorney.”
How Do I Sign Up?
E-mail the Volunteer Lawyers Program at
[email protected] or call the Mecklenburg County
Bar at 704/375-8624.
Notice from the MCB Board: Please see
the insert in this issue for Bar members
elected to the 2006–07 Nominating
Committee and procedures to send them
nominations.
February 2007
Council for Children’s Rights—
A New Voice for Children
BY
BRETT LOFTIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
Thousands of children in our community are
falling through the cracks. Many of these children are
terrorized by physical and sexual abuse, neglect,
domestic violence, and substance abuse. These
vulnerable children do not have a safe home,
appropriate education, or mental health treatment to
give them a fighting chance. The systems charged
with serving them are complex, overburdened, and
unresponsive. Too often, these children have no
voice, no champion to ensure their ability to thrive.
The Council for Children’s Rights (CFCR) is
that voice. Almost a year ago, the former Council for
Children and the former Children’s Law Center
announced their consolidation into the new Council
for Children’s Rights: one powerful organization
dedicated to protecting the rights of children in our
community. The CFCR, chaired by Russ Sizemore of
Kennedy Covington, has had a successful first year as
one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive
legal and advocacy programs for children:
• With the help of a new volunteer coordinator,
we’ve expanded opportunities for concerned
community members to become involved in our
mission—allowing more children to receive
services that they need.
• With 13 attorneys, as well as 11 highly trained
advocates and professional staff, we provide a full
range of research, advocacy, and legal services for
children. We anticipate over 3,000 cases this
year and an additional 3,000–4,000 phone calls
where we will provide advice and guidance for
children in need.
•
This October we completed and moved into our
newly expanded space—allowing all of our staff
to be in the same office and facilitating further
collaboration between teams and more effective
utilization of different staff members’ areas of
expertise.
• In November, over 700 caring community members attended the Lunch for Children’s Rights,
our first public event. Volunteer interest and
funds generated from this widely successful lunch
show that our community is supportive of our
work and ready to make a difference for children.
• The H. L. McCrorey Family YMCA awarded us
their Martin Luther King Spirit Award at their
annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer
Breakfast.
• We’ve won two key special education litigation
cases in the past few months, both allowing
children to receive the special education services
that they are entitled to by law and that will
help them to be successful.
A year ago, we merged in order to make this
community a better one for children. Today, we can
assure you that Charlotte is a better community for
children because of the Council for Children’s Rights:
• Our Best Interest Advocacy program works to
connect individual children to desperately
needed mental health treatment, safe homes,
and specialized education plans so that they can
catch up and succeed.
• Our Custody Advocacy Program investigates and
then advocates for the best interest of children
involved in high-conflict custody cases.
•
The Center for Children’s Defense, a subsidiary
organization of the Council for Children’s
Rights, serves as the public defender for
children involved in the juvenile justice system
or facing mental health commitment hearings.
• Finally, our Systems Advocacy Team tracks
trends and works on affecting change so that
the child-serving systems can be more
responsive to children’s needs.
With a staff of only 24 and an annual budget of
$1.7 million, we rely on concerned community
members to help support our mission. We have
several volunteer opportunities for caring
individuals who want to help change the course for
our community’s most vulnerable children. Children
involved in our Custody Advocacy Program rely on
both a volunteer attorney and a volunteer
community member to help assure that their best
interest is articulated and given attention. Lowincome and minority students facing long-term
suspension or expulsion hearings rely on one of our
volunteer Student Defense Project attorneys in
order to protect their due process rights and assure
they have the best opportunity to succeed. Children
with special education needs benefit from having
specially trained volunteers to assist their parents,
teachers, and school administrators in assuring that
no special education need prevents them from
learning, growing, and succeeding.
We have volunteer opportunities for both
attorneys and non-attorneys—all of us can make a
difference for a child in need. Please join with us.
To volunteer, call 704/372-7961 and ask to speak to
Whitney Allsopp, or e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]. To learn how you can
support the Council for Children’s Rights, visit our
website www.councilforchildreninc.org.
LRS Enjoys Financial Stability, Success
BY SALLY LARSEN,
LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE COORDINATOR
The Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) underwent a
dramatic and successful change last year. As a result,
LRS is enjoying financial stability. LRS callers
receive a half-hour consultation with an LRS panel
member for a reduced fee of $50. In the past, clients
paid the consultation fee directly to the attorney.
This often resulted in clients not showing up to the
appointment or simply wanting free advice over the
February 2007
phone. Now, callers prepay the consultation fee
directly to the Lawyer Referral Service and are much
more likely to appear for their consultations. The
Lawyer Referral Service then remits half of the
consultation fee back to the attorney after the
consultation has been confirmed. This fee restructure
streamlines LRS and further ensures LRS panel
members that their referrals are truly serious about
their legal issue.
Panel members are enjoying the success of the
fee restructuring as well. One firm recently reported
www.meckbar.org
close to $13,000 in retainers from referrals in the past
nine months. Additionally, LRS still provides a
valuable service to the community. The LRS staff is
committed to finding agencies and other resources
that may better assist callers in the event LRS
cannot.
If you are an attorney interested in supporting
this long-standing and valuable program the Bar has
offered for over 50 years, please contact LRS
Coordinator Sally Larsen at 704/375-8624, x115.
3
Lawyer Support Committee
Summertime in the Dual-Career Lawyer Marriage
BY MICHAEL E. HALL, PH.D
“Say, how’s married life?” is a question fielded by
couples at various times across the marriage life
cycle. Asked during the “springtime” season or
newlywed phase of marriage (the first three to five
years), the question may be an invitation to boast of
an exotic honeymoon, or perhaps it is an
opportunity to lament the failure to achieve a
distinct couple identity (see “Winning at Law and
Love,” Mecklenburg Bar News, April 2006).
However, couples in the subsequent or
“summertime” season of marriage often approach
the question quite differently. While the primary
goal in springtime marriages is “bonding,” the
primary challenge in summertime is frequently
“expansion”: how the couple handles the addition
of their first child.
François and Maria, a dual-career lawyer couple
married for six years, describe the state of their
marriage this way: “Kristi, our two-year-old
daughter, is such a delight! We are both amazed by
how much joy she brings us,” François says, beaming.
Maria, playfully bouncing Kristi on her legs,
quips, “At work, people inquire why of late we seem
so much happier, even with our demanding careers.”
On the other hand, Sean (an in-house attorney
with a national insurance company) and Ashley (a
dentist in a growing group practice), contemplate
marital separation after eight years of marriage.
“The thing is, I know we still love each other, but
since our son Stanley was born three years ago, we
seem to fight about everything: who left the dog out
all night, child care, our families, money, and
especially our stalled careers,” remarks Sean in
exasperation. Sitting on the opposite end of the
couch, Ashley tearfully shakes her lowered head in
agreement.
As couples become parents, they often find
themselves either satisfied with their redefined
marriage, or they begin struggling with newly
surfaced problems originating with either spouse or
left over from an earlier relationship period.
François and Maria describe how they were able
to achieve marital satisfaction: “Our 20s were
devoted to our graduate school education, followed
by the establishment of our careers,” François says.
“I’m now a lawyer in a fairly prestigious firm, while
Maria is a statistician with the Department of
Labor. After the birth of Kristi, we decided to
modify our careers. Maria cut back to three-fourths
time, and I cut back my law practice to four days a
week. It was an unprecedented move at my firm,
but once the partners believed that I accepted the
choice’s potential negative effect on advancement
prospects, it was relatively smooth sailing.”
Maria adds, “We’ve recently decided to have a
second child next year. That shows the depth of our
commitment to shared parenting.”
François and Maria’s apparent success within
their dual-career lawyer marriage reflects their
maturity: they are both in their early 30s, and they
really worked at bonding as a couple during the
years before having their first child. During the
springtime or newlywed phase, the couple’s
relationship stabilized as the direct result of
persistent—and, at times, painful —working
through of the unrealistic expectations each brought
to the marriage from their intimate relationships
experienced during their formative years.
Adding to their success, François and Maria
learned to change their life roles in support of their
joint decision to maintain their careers as well as to
be parents and spouses. This mutually sacrificial and
intentional nurturing of each other’s career
aspirations, though often difficult, proved to be
rewarding and deepened their marital bond.
On the other hand, Sean and Ashley struggled
in adjusting to their new roles as parents. However,
the origin of their problems actually began before
they married. Sean and Ashley secretly moved in
together in their last year of professional school and
married just days after graduation. Throughout their
relationship, they spent nearly all their free time
together, because, as Ashley describes, “It seemed so
natural. We really preferred each other’s company,
and we never squabbled.”
Sean adds, “I’ve always done my best work
when I’m with Ashley.”
Ashley says, “After a couple years of marriage, I
hinted that it might be nice to have a child. Not
having thought much about it before and hearing
‘no sustainable objections,’ as Sean would insinuate,
we just let it [the pregnancy] happen, I guess.”
“Along with all this, our careers tanked!” Sean
continues. “We weren’t fired, but the fire in the
belly was little more than an ember. Ashley said I
wasn’t willing to move when transfers came her way,
which really isn’t true. It’s about my company not
having offices in the cities where her opportunities
surfaced.”
With obvious surprise, Ashley blurts out, “Oh,
this is the first I’m hearing this. You always made
me feel I was selfish for even mentioning the
option.”
Sean and Ashley’s struggle with adjusting to
their new roles as parents actually has more to do
with an imbalance from their dating days. Their
story illustrates how some couples confuse “fusion”
(looking to a partner to “complete them”) with
intimacy. This kind of excessive emotional
dependence early in a relationship can produce an
“enmeshed” marriage, where a spouse unrealistically
places his or her entire sense of well-being on the
other spouse. The spouse may then be unprepared
to share himself or herself emotionally and
intimately when they expand to a “family.” The
result can be a less satisfying marriage and the
surfacing of issues in areas of living unrelated to
marriage.
Sean and Ashley are an example of why
divorce occurs during the summertime season of
marriage more than at any other time. Just as some
flowering plants lose their beautiful petals and are
actually revealed to be weeds, some “good” young
marriages prove inadequate when it comes to
negotiating the transition to being parents in
addition to being lovers and professionals.
When a couple has trouble untangling various
relationship issues once they become parents,
intervention by a professional may be helpful. It does
not mean that one or the other partner is “sick,” but
that they as a couple lack the skills needed to
overcome the challenges. A key mistake is thinking
that the children themselves are the problem or that
the career itself is the problem. Parenting is just
plain difficult, and especially so when one has a
demanding (even if rewarding) professional career.
Often these stressors, as they mount, expose cracks
in the foundation that were in need of attention
long before, and they will need to be healed in order
for the marriage to survive and thrive.
As these examples hopefully illustrate, dualcareer couples welcoming children into the family
will need to talk a great deal and be incredibly
deliberate about working together to balance the
various demands on their time. If the legitimate
desires of each partner’s heart—for fulfillment in a
career, a close-knit family, and more than a little
romance with the love of their lives—escalate to
demands, and no one is willing to give ground (or
even discuss the subject), summertime may feel like
a pressure cooker of sweltering heat. But with some
attention, intention, and, if necessary, intervention,
the blooms that take flower in this challenging
season may be quite beautiful to behold.
Michael E. Hall, Ph.D. (counseling psychology), a
member of the Lawyer Support Committee, has a
practice specializing in dual-career couple counseling.
His contact number is 704/858-2984.
The couples and situations in this article are
fictional composites of those commonly reported by
practitioners and seen in the author’s own practice.
The 2006–07
MCB Directory
Is Just in Time!
The new membership directory includes
everything you need to know about the new
courthouse. There is a two-page floor layout that
includes the locations of all the courtrooms,
Larry King’s Clubhouse daycare facility, the
SelfServe Center, the Jury Assembly Area, the
Attorney Workroom, and much more. A full
listing of all courtrooms, their functions, and
phone numbers is also listed. Updated contact
information on all the courts, judges, and offices
you use every day are also included, making this
year’s directory a critical resource for you and
your staff. Members receive one copy free, but if
you need to order extras, please check out the
insert in this issue of Bar News.
4
www.meckbar.org
February 2007
MCB BLI Announces 2007 Participants
BY
ALICE MOORE
The Bar Leadership Institute (BLI), co-sponsored
by the Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) and the
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation, is a five-month
education program that provides leadership training
to lawyers. Now in its sixth year, the BLI offers each
participant an avenue to obtain insight into
himself/herself, the Mecklenburg community as a
whole, and the Mecklenburg legal community.
After receiving more applications than spots
available in the program, the MCB Bar Leadership
Institute is pleased to announce its 2007 participants
as follows: Alicia Almeida Bowers, Carolinas
HealthCare System; Collin W. Brown, Horack Talley
PA; William C. Bunting, Jr., District Attorney’s
Office; Andrea C. Chomakos, Moore & Van Allen
PLLC; Lope Max Diaz II, District Attorney’s Office;
Lex M. Erwin, Erwin and Eleazer, PA; Nicole L.
Gardner, Moore & Van Allen PLLC; Rebecca J.
Horton, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; John
Dennis Joye, City Attorney’s Office; Jonathan C.
Krisko, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, PA;
Christopher Carlisle Lam, Kennedy Covington;
Jeffrey A. Long, James, McElroy & Diehl, PA;
Kathleen Kanable Lucchesi, Johnston, Allison &
Hord, PA; Stewart McQueen, Dechert LLP; Timothy
Ray Moore, Baucom, Claytor, Benton Morgan and
Wood, PA; Paul M. Navarro, Helms Mulliss &
Wicker, PLLC; S. Benjamin Pleune, Alston & Bird,
LLP; M. Neya Warren, James, McElroy & Diehl, PA;
Tonya J. Williams, The Council for Children’s
Rights; and James B. (“Brit”) Young, Jr., Womble
Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC. Applicants who
were not able to participate in the 2007 BLI have
been assured that they will be provided an
opportunity to participate in the 2008 BLI.
The 2007 BLI began with a kickoff dinner at
Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant on January 25,
2007. The following morning, all BLI participants
headed off to the Catholic Conference Center in
Hickory for a two-day retreat facilitated by Mike
Whitehead, founder and president of Whitehead
Associates, Inc. The retreat focused on professional
leadership and culture development. At the retreat,
the participants worked in groups and one-on-one to
examine fundamental assumptions about the way
they conduct their legal professional lives and how to
best balance it with their personal lives.
Beginning this month, participants will attend
six additional three-hour evening sessions. Topics for
2007 include “A Case Study in Ethics and
Volunteerism,” presented by James P. Cooney III,
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC, and Anne
Tompkins, Alston & Bird, LLP; “Perspectives on
Segregation and Urban Development in Charlotte,”
presented by Thomas Hanchett, Historian, Levine
Museum, and Debra Campbell, Planning Director,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission;
“Issues Facing Governing Bodies,” presented by
Maurice (“Mo”) Green, Chief Operating Officer of
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System, and John C.
Boger, Dean of University of North Carolina School
of Law; “Using Social Capital to Improve Our Bar
and Legal System,” presented by Mark W. Merritt,
Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, PA, and Anthony
Foxx, Hunton & Williams and Charlotte City
Council Member; “The Practice,” presented by a
panel of practicing attorneys who will discuss
work/life balance; and “Leadership Skills for Lawyers
Part II,” a continuation of the themes developed in
the weekend retreat, presented by Mike Whitehead.
The 2007 BLI Committee (Bob King; Karen
Gledhill, Chair; Mark Merritt, Immediate Past Chair;
Jon Buchan, Chair-Elect; Kobi Brinson; Peggy Hey;
Jamie Kizer; and Alice Moore) would like to thank
Special Counsel for its newly established annual
Special Counsel Scholarship Fund as well as Robert
J. Grey, Jr., Past President of the American Bar
Association, for the scholarship for an attorney of
color in lieu of an honorarium for his participation in
the 2006 Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession
Conference.
There is no doubt that those participating this
year will develop personal insight and skills that will
be invaluable as they assume leadership roles in our
legal community and our community at-large.
Outstanding ’06: A Foundation for ’07
BY ARETHA BLAKE AND TREVOR FULLER,
2006 CO-PRESIDENTS,
JOHN S. LEARY BAR ASSOCIATION
The year 2006 was quite productive for the John
S. Leary Bar Association! As we began 2006, we
established three primary goals for the Leary Bar:
(1) to nurture the relationship between the Leary Bar
and the Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB); (2) to
continue to serve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
community by providing pro bono advocacy and
representation as well as creating forums for the
exchange of ideas affecting Charlotte’s minority
communities; and (3) to promote diversity within the
Bar, including the recruitment, development, and
retention of minority attorneys.
With the support of its members, the MCB, and
Mecklenburg County attorneys and law firms, we were
able to meet these goals. The Leary Bar was involved
in several worthwhile activities last year, including
• the Judicial Pro Se Project, which provides pro
bono support to pro se litigants in the family courts;
• the Council for Children’s Rights’ Student
Defense Project, which provides pro bono
representation to students in CharlotteMecklenburg Schools facing long-term
suspension or expulsion;
• our Third Annual Minority Summer Intern
Reception, aimed at recruiting minority law
interns to Charlotte;
• the first in a series of Leary Conversations with
local judges, which was held in conjunction with
the MCB Special Committee on Diversity;
• sponsorship of the first student orientation at the
Charlotte School of Law;
• co-sponsorship of and participation in the
Special Committee on Diversity’s Diversity Day
for college students of color;
• providing mentors for the first-year law students
participating in the Charlotte Diversity
Clerkship Program; and
• representation at each of the 2006 Swearing-In
ceremonies.
We thank all of our supporters in 2006 for making
the year such a success for the Leary Bar! We give
special thanks to our members for their dedication to
the Leary Bar, the staff of the Mecklenburg County
February 2007
Incoming Leary Bar Co-Presidents Baker and
Best
Bar for accommodating the Leary Bar’s monthly
meetings at the Bar Center, Kennedy Covington for
its sponsorship of our Third Annual Summer Intern
Reception, and the Special Committee on Diversity
for addressing the need for diversity within the
Mecklenburg County Bar. We thank, in advance,
those partners who have committed to support the
Leary Bar in 2007, including Parker Poe Adams &
Bernstein, LLP, sponsors of our Fourth Annual
Minority Summer Intern Reception.
As we conclude our tenure as co-presidents of
the Leary Bar, we are continually grateful to those
who placed the stewardship of this august
organization in our hands. Under the leadership of
Co-Presidents Tyyawdi M. Baker and Kimberly Best
www.meckbar.org
in 2007, the work of the Leary Bar to maintain and
advance the cause of African-American lawyers in
Mecklenburg County will continue.
2007 will be an exciting year for the Leary Bar
and we welcome you to be a part of it! All members
of the Bar are invited to become involved in our
activities. We also welcome the opportunity to
continue to support the activities of the Mecklenburg
County Bar and other local bar associations. Through
joint effort and mutual support, we can attain greater
achievements than ever before!
President’s Letter
continued from page 1
members of this Bar in service to the profession and
community, which as president I am privileged to see
up close, is amazing and gratifying. There is, however,
an ongoing need for assistance in so many areas
affecting our Bar and this community. If you are not
currently active with the Mecklenburg County Bar, I
hope that you will consider giving back some of your
time and talent.
Thank you again for giving me the opportunity
to serve you this year as president of your Bar.
5
The Bar Spreads Holiday Cheer
The Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) reached
out in many ways to our community at-large through
holiday giving programs. Here are just a few examples
of giving and receiving this holiday season:
children also received a stuffed stocking. In addition,
gift cards were given to the family for grocery stores,
Target, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, and Off Broadway
Shoes.
Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson
Moore & Van Allen
For the past several years, Robinson Bradshaw &
Hinson (RBH) has adopted 100 angels from The
Salvation Army to provide a Christmas for needy
girls and boys in our community. Several RBH
attorneys and staff also volunteer their time assisting
The Salvation Army in sorting the gifts at the
distribution center.
Moore & Van Allen held its annual holiday
donation drive for Thompson Child and Family
Focus. Each holiday season, employees join together,
donating items and funds, to fill the wish lists of
families in the Thompson Child and Family Focus
network. This year was the firm’s most successful
donation drive to date. Eight families’ holiday wish
lists were fulfilled. In addition, Radio Flyer red
wagons were donated to each of the adopted families
with young children and gift cards were distributed to
20 more families in Thompson’s network.
Hunton & Williams
In conjunction with the MCB Young Lawyers
Section (YLS) and the Mecklenburg County
Department of Social Services (DSS) holiday
programs, Hunton & Williams sponsored a family for
Thanksgiving and Christmas. The 28-year-old single
mother is a victim of domestic violence and has five
children, ranging from one to eight years old.
The firm provided this family with clothes,
shoes, comforters, pillows, glasses, dishes, cookware,
silverware, a microwave, towels, LeapFrog educational
toys, books, puzzles, dolls, and radios. Each of the
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
Parker Poe showed the firm’s holiday spirit at
both the institutional and individual levels.
The firm is an ongoing supporter of Teach for
America. It expanded this commitment through a
seasonal donation to the Charlotte region of Teach
for America.
In addition, Parker Poe had a huge success with
the YLS-DSS Giving Tree where staff and attorneys
provided for more than 80 less fortunate children and
adults—this is the largest number of gifts the firm has
ever contributed.
Paralegals at the Charlotte office provided a
wonderful Christmas for five children of a family
found through a local school district. All the basic
need requests for each child were met along with
being able to provide a skateboard, art sets, books,
and gift cards to make their holidays enjoyable.
MCB Staff and YLS
The entire MCB staff adopted a family though
the YLS’s annual participation with DSS holiday
giving programs (including the Giving Tree
program). The staff chipped in to provide a single
mother of two sets of twins—one set of three year
olds and one set of two year olds—with ingredients
for a big Thanksgiving dinner as well as gifts and
grocery gift cards for Christmas.
The YLS 2006 holiday giving programs fulfilled
at least 225 gift requests for children and at least 195
gift requests for adults and seniors, surpassing its
previous Giving Tree record.
See also Year-Round Santa Project in article below.
Members’ Annual Holiday Party
Over 130 Bar members were treated to a night of
great food, spirits, and holiday revelry at the MCB
Annual Holiday Party on December 15, 2006. The
Big Chill, with its elegant and festive atmosphere,
was again the setting for this year’s celebration.
Christopher Loebsack, chair of the Social/Sports
Committee, served as emcee for the evening. Highlights included the kickoff of the “Year-Round Santa
Project,” an initiative of the Community Outreach
Committee and a “Courthouse Sneak Preview.”
Steven Meier, Chair of the Community
Outreach Committee, took the stage to kick off the
Year-Round Santa Project, which benefits
Devonshire Elementary, Ashley Park Elementary,
and Community Charter School (a newly opened
public school in the Cherry Community). He was
joined by school representatives, who made moving
testimonies of the dire needs of their schools and
explained ways attendees could help.
Thank you to Melissa Dunlap, principal of
Ashley Park Elementary, as well as Kershena Dickey,
Melissa Crisafulli, and Yanetteh Rodriguez of
Devonshire Elementary for their willingness to share
their needs with Bar members. We would also like to
thank Cummings Law Firm, Shapack & Shapack,
and individual Bar members who brought items,
funds, and signed up to volunteer, as well as Jon
Adams, Chair of the Community Schools Project
Committee, who continues to contribute greatly to
the success of the Bar’s partnership with these
The MCB Holiday Party was the perfect way for members to socialize and enjoy the holiday season.
schools. We also want to thank Bar President Tony
Lathrop, who personally invited each member to the
party to support this initiative. The Year-Round
Santa Project will be a part of every major event the
Bar sponsors, so be on the lookout for future
opportunities to participate. To learn how you can
participate in the Year-Round Santa Project, visit the
website at www.meckbar.org.
For the sneak preview of the new courthouse, an
architectural model was on display throughout the
evening. Trial Court Administrator Todd Nuccio
gave an informative PowerPoint presentation of the
new courthouse from stage. A special thank-you goes
out to Todd and to Charles Keller, Community
Access and Outreach Administrator, for taking time
out of their busy schedules to answer members’
questions about the new facility.
For the third year in a row, Huseby, Inc., played a
major role in sponsoring this event. Scott Huseby also
brought handsome, leather-bound 2007 pocket
calendars for attendees to take home. The evening
ended with door prizes donated by Cheesecake Factory,
Maggiano’s, NoFo, Patou Bistro, and Proshred.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Mecklenburg Bar News accepts editorial and
advertising material of general legal interest to the
practicing Bar of the 26th Judicial District. The
implicit purposes of the newsletter, website, and
related methods of communication are to educate
members of the Mecklenburg County Bar and to
create and maintain shared communication with
its members. The Communications Committee
reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit all
material.
DISCLAIMER Efforts will be made to provide
information of interest that is timely, accurate, and
relevant to the legal community. The
Mecklenburg County Bar is not responsible for
misprints, typographical errors, or misinformation
in The Mecklenburg Bar News. The views and
opinions are not necessarily those of the 26th
Judicial District Bar.
Communications Committee: John Lassiter,
Chair, Judge Bob Johnston, Corby Anderson,
Mike Daisley, Tricia Derr, Porter Durham, Alan
Edmonds, Will Esser, Jon Goldberg, Allison
Karp, Charles Keller, Brandon Lofton, Valerie
Munei, Nancy Roberson, Michael Shor
6
www.meckbar.org
February 2007
Patrons Fund Campaign
Kicks Off March 1
BY JAMES R. BRYANT III, PRESIDENT,
MECKLENBURG BAR FOUNDATION
The Patrons Fund campaign of the
Mecklenburg Bar Foundation provides an
opportunity for our Bar to give back to the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. This year’s
campaign begins on March 1, led by Mac McCarley,
Chair of the Planning and Development
Committee. Soon you will receive a letter
requesting your help.
The MBF Grant Review Committee and the
board have approved three grants that will be
funded based on the success of this year’s campaign:
Larry King’s Court Clubhouse, located in the new
courthouse, provides a safe place for children while
their parents and caregivers are in court. There is
currently no other source of funding to provide for
playground equipment and
indoor furniture for the
infant/toddler room.
Devonshire Elementary
School and Ashley Park
Elementary School are
two of CMS’s most fragile
schools. Their needs vary
from school supplies to
staff incentives to books.
MBF President
This year’s goal is
Bryant
$100,000. Please use the
remittance envelope
included in this newsletter to send in your taxdeductible donation. The Patrons Fund campaign is
our campaign, and our chance to give back to the
community. Your participation makes a difference.
James B.
McMillan
Fellowship
Applications
Available
Applications for the McMillan Fellowship
are now available. Interested applicants should
note that the Fellowship Committee will give
greater consideration to applications submitted
jointly by the requesting agency and a law
student. The application deadline is March 16,
2007, at 5:00 p.m. For more details about the
Fellowship application process and the James B.
McMillan Fellowship Fund, please go to
www.meckbar.org.
MCB Seeks Nominations for Major Annual Awards
2007 Liberty Bell Award
The Law Day Committee is accepting
nominations for the 2007 Liberty Bell Award. The
award, which will be presented at the upcoming Law
Day Luncheon, is our Bar’s highest honor for a nonlawyer. The purpose of the award is to recognize
community service that has strengthened the
American system of freedom under the law. The
following criteria govern consideration by the
committee to recognize outstanding service by a
non-lawyer in one of these areas:
1. Promoting a better understanding of our
Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
2. Encouraging greater respect for law and the
courts.
3. Stimulating a deeper sense of individual
responsibility so that citizens recognize their
Lawyers in the News
Eades, Ben Hawfield Jr., James Henderson, Joseph
Kluttz, Travis Moon, William Porter, Robert Pryor,
David Schilli, Judy Thompson, and Scott Vaughn.
Business—Robin Hinson, David Bishop, Peter
Buck, Todd Capitano, Neal Cook, Larry
Dagenhart, John Fennebresque, Jeffrey Hay,
Stephen Hope, Cyrus Johnson Jr., Lynwood
Mallard, Harrison Marshall, John Morrice, Roy
Smart, Edward Wellman Jr., and John Yorke.
Construction—Greg Ahlum, Robert Burchette,
David Carson, David Hamilton, Wayne Huckel,
Fred Lowrance, Bentford Martin, Jackson Steele,
Robert Stephens, John Taylor, Michael L. Wilson,
and Steele Windle III.
Corporate—Larry Dagenhart, John Fennebresque,
Rebecca Henderson, Hal Levinson, Richard Magee,
Paul Newton, Keith Smith, Sterling Spainhour, and
Michael Springs.
Criminal—Mark Calloway, James Cooney III,
William Diehl Jr., Christopher Fialko, Edward
Hinson Jr., George Laughrun II, Patrick Matus II,
Calvin Murphy, Bill Powers, Eben Rawls, and
Noell Tin.
Employment—Louis Lesesne Jr., Bryan Adams III,
Edward Connette III, Stephen Dunn, John
Gresham, Meredith Jeffries, Charles Johnson,
William Livingston, Margaret Maloney, John
McDonald, Richard Rainey, Richard Vinroot, and
David Wright III.
Environmental—Benne Hutson, Richard Fay, David
Franchina, Richard Gaskins Jr., Thomas Griffin,
Kiran Mehta, Richard Morton, and William Toole.
Family Law—Robert Blair Jr., Laura Burt, Nelson
Casstevens Jr., William Diehl Jr., David Erdman,
Gregory Hatcher, Fred Hicks, Russell Kornegay III,
February 2007
duties as well as their rights.
4. Contributing to the effective functioning of our
institutions of government.
5. Fostering a better understanding and
appreciation of the rule of law.
Please forward your nominations, including
supporting materials and résumé of the nominee (if
possible), by April 10, 2007, by mail (Liberty Bell
Award, 438 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207), by
fax (704/333-6209, addressed to Liberty Bell Award),
or by e-mail ([email protected], subject line:
Liberty Bell Award). All nominations will be held in
confidence.
2006–07 VLP Pro Bono Awards
The Mecklenburg County Bar Volunteer
Lawyers Program welcomes nominations for the
2006–07 Pro Bono Awards. This year’s categories for
extraordinary volunteer service are:
1. Outstanding Individual Attorney.
2. Outstanding Large Firm with 25 attorneys or
more (firm total not limited to Mecklenburg
County).
3. Outstanding Small Firm with 24 attorneys or less.
More information about the awards criteria is
available at www.meckbar.org. Winners will receive
their awards at the MCB Annual Meeting on May
24, 2007.
Any attorney, law firm, or partner organization
may submit nominations. Please submit nominations
in writing before March 2, 2007, to MCB Volunteer
Lawyers Program, 438 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC
28207 or [email protected]
continued from cover
Cindy Leone, Scott Pollard, and Richard
Stephens.
Litigation—Mitchell Aberman, David Allen,
Osborne Ayscue Jr., Daniel Bishop, James
Cooney III, Peter Covington, George Covington,
William Diehl Jr., Frank Emory Jr., Douglas Ey
Jr., Patrick Fogarty, Robert Fuller, Edward
Hinson Jr., Wayne Huckel, Kiran Mehta, Keith
Merritt, Mark Merritt, Raymond Owens Jr.,
William Rikard Jr., Harold Spears, Mark Vasco,
John Wester, and Gray Wilson.
Patents/Intellectual Property—John Barnhardt III,
John Higgins, Clifford Jarrett, Dickson Lupo,
Michael McCoy, Francis Pinckney, Allyn Rhodes,
Karl Sawyer Jr., Philip Summa, and James
Witherspoon.
Real Estate—John Carmichael, Charles DuBose,
Paul Efird III, Brian Evans, Walter Fisher Jr.,
Claude Freeman (deceased), Richard Hazlett,
Bobby Hinson, Palmer McArthur Jr., Ralph
McMillan, Fred McPhail Jr., Brent Milgrom Jr.,
Christopher Oates, Bailey Patrick Jr., Robert
Simmons, Cheryl Steele, and Gary Swindell.
Tax, Estate Planning—John Baron, Todd
Brockman, Cornelius Coghill III, Michael Crisp,
William Culp Jr., Mark Edwards, Debra Foster,
Meg Goldstein, James Greene, Julie Griggs,
Graham Holding Jr., Lisa Kelly (deceased), David
Lewis, Neill McBryde, Graham McGoogan Jr.,
Arthur Morehead IV, Anthony Orsbon, Christy
Reid, and J. Michael Wilson.
Young Guns (Under 40)—Robert Bowers, Amie
Carmack, James Greene, George Sistrunk III,
Noell Tin, Charles Viser, and Michael L. Wilson.
www.meckbar.org
MCB
Basketball
Season
The Mecklenburg County Bar Basketball
League will begin its 2007 season in late
February/early March 2007. Games will be
played at the Harris YMCA. If you’re interested
in participating, please contact Matt Arnold at
[email protected] or Nick Allmon
at [email protected] as soon as possible!
Office-Sharing
Opportunity
Three-level townhouse in Fourth Ward.
All or part of 1,500 sf available at
$25/sf. Two sunny offices upstairs,
reception area and conference room,
and space for support staff and/or
storage. Full kitchen, two full and two
half baths, private terrace, and
courtyard. Pool, exercise, and coffee
bar facilities next door.
Call 704/236-5749.
7