Recent Articles from Diana Smith, Staff Writer
She and her dog Velveeta are a pet therapy team
Connie J. Vetter is an attorney and mediator in Charlotte. The Illinois native focuses her practice on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients. Vetter graduated from Ohio State University and the Northeastern University School of Law. She is active in gay and lesbian causes and serves on the board of her neighborhood association.
ABA ponders ‘Truth in Law School Education’
Law schools need to be more transparent about the costs and employment data they give to applicants, and it's time to make that happen. So says American Bar Association President Steve Zack (pictured), who recently told a group of educators that the ABA is considering whether to increase the types of information that schools are required to disclose to consumers.
Complex workers’ compensation cases are his passion
Griffis C. "Griff" Shuler is a partner and manager at Daggett Shuler in Winston-Salem. A board-certified specialist in workers' compensation law, Shuler concentrates his practice in workers' compensation claims and complex third-party cases.
Weighing the value of LL.M.
LL.M. = Lawyers Losing Money. That's a running joke in the online legal world these days, where bloggers and practitioners puzzle over whether a master of laws degree yields valuable returns for recipients or simply plunges them into another year's worth of law school debt. It's not an easy question to answer. On one hand, the demand is certainly there. The number of LL.M.s granted by American Ba[...]
Memorable case: Plaintiff blamed tear duct surgery on lawyers
Charles George is a trial attorney with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton in Raleigh, where he focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and medical malpractice defense. He has represented clients in disputes involving closely held corporations, commercial contract breaches, business torts and security matters. A graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, George is a member of [...]
Legal Aid struggles to place cases with lawyers in rural areas
Officials from Legal Aid of North Carolina are quick to praise the state's attorneys for providing pro bono representation to their clients. But the staffers who spend each day recruiting private attorneys to lower LANC's ballooning case load say the need for relief remains great - and unmet - especially in the state's rural areas. Coordinators across the state also come up against some philosophi[...]
Being able to work remotely is a mixed blessing
Joy Rhyne Webb is an attorney with Merritt, Flebotte, Wilson, Webb & Caruso in Durham. She graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1995. Webb concentrates her practice in employment law, administrative law, personal injury and medical malpractice litigation and collection matters. Here, she tells North Carolina Lawyers Weekly about the pros and cons about w[...]
What’s the most inappropriate thing you’ve heard a judge say?
OK, I’m borrowing this from the ABA Journal, but that’s because the question is a must-ask: What’s the most inappropriate thing you’ve heard a judge say in court? The question stems from a Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision that said a convicted drug dealer should be re-sentenced because the judge in the lower court […]
Vocation variation: A cop, a cabinetmaker and others find second careers in the law
Guns, drugs, high-speed chases, pit bulls and stakeouts. Sounds like all of the ingredients of an action movie, but it actually describes the early days of Charlotte attorney Mark Simpson's career. And he didn't practice criminal law - at least not in the traditional sense. Simpson is one of many "second-career" lawyers - those who started off working in one job only to switch to law mid-stroke. [...]
Discovery abuse is one of the biggest problems in civil litigation
H. Gerald Beaver is a senior partner with Beaver, Holt, Sternlicht and Courie in Fayetteville. A native of Albemarle, Beaver received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1973. He spent two years as a public defender for the 12th Judicial District before entering private practice in 1975.
Quiet research and writing time is merely a dream
Elizabeth Spainhour is an associate with Brooks Pierce in Raleigh, where she represents media and communications companies in regulatory and business matters. The University of North Carolina School of Law graduate counsels broadcast clients about the FCC's Equal Employment Opportunities rules, children's programming and political advertising. Spainhour also represents broadcasters, newspapers and[...]
Cumberland to launch state’s first pre-trial DWI court
Individuals charged with the most severe drunken-driving offenses in Cumberland County may soon find that their cases are handled a little differently in court. The county's pilot sobriety court kicks off Sept. 28, the latest addition to a growing number of problem-solving courts in North Carolina. "Our focus is to target the most potentially dangerous, addicted offenders who are at-large in the c[...]
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Commentary
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