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Recent Articles from Diana Smith, Staff Writer
Practitioners dissect the personality of the successful paralegal
Bottom line: You can lead paralegals to the law, but you can’t make them good at it. Indeed, practitioners say it takes more than a diploma to thrive in the profession. They find success also depends upon whether the paralegal has the right personality for the job. “They pretty much have to know who they […]
Lawyer deals with fee simple determinable outside property casebook
A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, Mark Davis is special deputy attorney general in the N.C. Department of Justice. Before joining the DOJ, Davis clerked for Judge Franklin Dupree in the Eastern District of North Carolina and worked for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. NCLW: Who was your mentor and […]
Paralegal traces career path back to one question
Vicki Voisin could never have predicted that a game show would catapult her from small-town paralegal to a nationally known expert in the profession. But that’s what happened. Tuning in to “Family Feud” one day, Voisin heard the host ask contestants, “What profession do you consider most unethical?” The No. 1 answer was lawyers, beating […]
Paralegal switched from body shop to business suit after 15 years
Brandon Ruth is a litigation paralegal with Hopf & Higley in Greenville, N.C. He currently serves as public relations chair for the North Carolina Paralegal Association and is senior editor of its quarterly publication, the NCPA FORUM. CPN:How long have you been a paralegal? Ruth: Two-and-a-half years. CPN:What drew you into the career? Ruth: I […]
Paralegal calls litigation the 'liberal arts' of the profession
Lynne Stroy is a paralegal in the Columbia, S.C. office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, where she works in business and distribution litigation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Richmond in 2003 and a paralegal certificate from Midlands Technical College in 2005. CPN:How long have you been a paralegal? […]
Q&A: The best part of litigating is sticking your nose into others' business
Richard L. Farley is a partner in the Charlotte office of Katten Muchin Rosenman, where he focuses his practice on litigation and dispute resolution, including arbitration and appeals. NCLW: What area of the law do you practice in and how did that come to be? Farley: Primarily general commercial litigation. I always wanted to litigate […]
A diverse perspective helps dodge comic, tactless gaffes
I cringed last week when I opened my personal e-mail inbox to find yet another chain message that a well-meaning friend forwarded in an effort to add cheer to my day. Sometimes, the forwards are really funny, which is why I always open them particularly for those folks who later hold me accountable by calling […]
Law in layman's terms: Experts urge clarity over complexity in legal writing
Attorneys, judges and lawmakers nationwide are guilty of drafting long-winded and ineffective legal documents, and it’s time for them to cease and desist. In other words, practitioners need to stop writing badly. Scholars say poor legal writing has become a disease among lawyers. Its symptoms: long sentences, excessive legalese and the use of archaic terms […]
Q&A: Attorney passed criminal law with help from 'Law &Order'
Bart Walker is an attorney with McGuireWoods in Charlotte. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 2004, where he served as a staff member and managing editor of the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy. Before going to law school, Walker was a Morehead Scholar at the University […]
Q&A: Lawyer says toughest choices are between two good options
Jason Cogdill is corporate counsel for ProBenefits Inc., a Winston-Salem firm that manages employee benefits programs. He is a graduate of the Wake Forest University School of Law and was named as one of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s “In-House Leaders of the Law” in 2009. NCLW: Why should more lawyers become involved in the legislature […]
Q&A: Gastonia city attorney got his job from Lawyers Weekly ad
Ash Smith is the city attorney for Gastonia. A native of Elizabethtown, Smith received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1992. He serves as the N.C. state chair of the International Municipal Lawyers’ Association and has previously served as a member of the board of directors for the […]
Q&A: Criminal lawyer relies on word-of-mouth, not ads
George Laughrun II is a partner with Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine, Murray & Greene in Charlotte, where he handles primarily criminal and DWI cases. A 1980 graduate of the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Laughrun spent two years as an assistant district attorney in Mecklenburg County before joining the firm. He is a […]
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Commentary
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