Bar gives nod to appellate practice specialty 

The street where North Carolina's two appellate court buildings sit in calm repose is only a few blocks away from the Wake County courthouse, where defendants and witnesses gather on the front steps outside. But although the attorneys and judges inside each building are after the same result - justice and advocacy - they are worlds apart. Appellate work is very different from other types of advocacy, said Elizabeth Scherer (pictured), an attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood who is on the committee that is developing the requirements for the new appellate specialty.