North Carolina Lawyers Weekly
Attorney appointed to IDS commission
The North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services (NCIDS) announced that the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys has appointed Goldsboro attorney Tonya Davis Barber to the Commission on Indigent Defense Services. Barber’s term runs from Sept. 1, 2022, through Aug. 3, 2026.
“Tonya has demonstrated a commitment to appointed work,” said Commission Chair Dorothy Hairston Mitchell in an NCIDS news release. “We look forward to the contributions she will make to the work of the Commission.”
Barber graduated from North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina in 2011. Prior to law school, Barber worked as a paralegal for 10 years. During that time, she completed her criminal justice degree from Mount Olive College (now the University of Mount Olive). After passing the bar exam on the first attempt, she worked briefly with a bankruptcy attorney while growing her practice.
Soon after that, she prosecuted for the Eighth Judicial District (Greene, Lenoir, and Wayne counties) followed by an appointment as a Wayne County magistrate before opening up Barber Law. Earlier this year she joined attorney Walter Webster to establish Barber Webster Law, PLLC.
Barber is married with two children. Barber has served on many committees and boards in her community. She is the president of the Wayne County Bar Association and past president of the Eighth Judicial District Bar Association.
Currently, she serves on the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation Board of Directors.
The Commission on Indigent Defense Services and IDS staff are dedicated to ensuring that the defense community is provided with the proper training, education, and support needed to combat systemic issues that serve as barriers to their clients.
Managing partner admitted to IATL
Ellis & Winters managing partner, Leslie Packer, was recently admitted to the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL).
Packer practices civil litigation with a focus on products liability (including drugs and medical devices), medical malpractice, and high-end commercial litigation.
The International Academy of Trial Lawyers limits membership to 500 Fellows from the United States in addition to Fellows from nearly 40 countries across the globe. IATL seeks out, identifies, acknowledges, and honors those who have achieved a career of excellence through demonstrated skill and ability in jury trials, trials before the court, and appellate practice. Members are engaged in civil practice on both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s side of the courtroom, and the trial of criminal cases.
The Academy invites only lawyers who have attained the highest level of advocacy. A comprehensive screening process identifies the most distinguished members of the trial bar by means of both peer and judicial review. Leslie has been evaluated by her colleagues and the judges in her jurisdiction and has been highly recommended as possessing these qualifications and characteristics.
Cranfill Sumner adds associate attorney
Cranfill Sumner LLP announced that Cameron Ervin has joined the firm’s Raleigh office as an associate attorney. She focuses her practice in the firm’s White Collar, Government Investigations & Special Matters Practice Group.
While attending the University of North Carolina School of Law, she served on the Executive Boards of the North Carolina Journal of International Law and the Innocence Project, was a member of the Pro Bono Board, and was recognized for her pro bono service. Additionally, she honed her legal research and writing skills at the North Carolina Court of Appeals while serving as a judicial extern in Judge Mark Davis and Judge Allegra Collins’ chambers. She also worked in the General Counsel’s offices of both a North Carolina hospital and one of the world’s largest contract research organizations.
Prior to law school, she worked as a senior paralegal on healthcare fraud cases and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Fraud Section. During her time at DOJ, she primarily supported the Miami Strike Force and was a member of the trial team for three trials in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. As a paralegal, she was involved in cases ranging from the initial stages of an investigation through appeals.
She received her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law and received her bachelor’s degree from Davidson College.
Cranfill Sumner LLP attorneys serve business and professional clients across North Carolina and beyond from offices in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Wilmington.
