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Recent Articles from Diana Smith, Staff Writer
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[...]
Bad writers will end up on the naughty list
"$1000 Reward For The Arrest & Conviction AND Return of The 20 foot SANTA CLAUS." The sign blazed in angry red letters on both sides of a truck parked alongside Route 16 in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Childhood idol turned criminal? Say it ain't so, Santa.
‘Instant runoff’ injects more mystery into judicial elections
This week, former N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Jim Wynn finally steps into shoes he has been waiting to fill for years as the newest member of Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. It’s a move that colleagues statewide applaud, and yet the switch could once again open an age-old debate – Should judges in North […]
NCAWA president highlights group’s efforts and goals
Smithfield attorney Dionne Fortner, the current president of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, discusses the group's focus areas for this year. She also talks about some of the accomplishments women have made in the profession, and what challenges lie ahead.
Civil rights lawyer battles ‘institutionalized inequity’
Mark Dorosin is the senior managing attorney for the University of North Carolina Center for Civil Rights in Chapel Hill. Here, he tells Lawyers Weekly about his work and offers his opinion about educational diversity in light of the controversial debate over the Wake County Board of Education's decision to switch from a socioeconomic busing system to neighborhood schools.
Gay lawyers say North Carolina’s climate is better but not perfect
Dan Ellison (pictured) graduated from UNC Law School in 1984 with the same anxiety about passing the bar exam that all lawyers-to-be face at the beginning of their careers. But it wasn't just a commonplace case of the nerves for him. On the contrary, he faced a worry that an unknown number of his classmates might have faced at the same time - whether being gay would affect his ability to bec[...]
A decade in, IDS goes from controversial to institutional
Ten years ago, North Carolina's criminal justice system was in the Dark Ages. Today, it's seen the light. That's according to Raleigh defense attorney Joe Cheshire V, who still applauds the General Assembly for establishing an office to oversee the legal representation of the state's poorest defendants in 2000. The Office of Indigent Defense Services was created to fix "a criminal justice syste[...]
Hot sauce, salsa bottles are funniest things on his desk
Raleigh lawyer D. Caldwell Barefoot Jr. officially opened Barefoot Family Law on Aug. 1. Before striking out on his own, Barefoot spent 15 years as an attorney with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton.
Lights! Camera! CLE!
NCBA distance learning coordinator Carroll Herndon poses with some of the new equipment in the new studio at the Bar Center. Photo by Russell Rawlings NCBA distance learning coordinator Carroll Herndon poses with some of the new equipment in the new studio at the Bar Center. Photo by Russell Rawlings Don't be surprised if you walk by a closed door with an "on air" sign lit up the next time[...]
Top Legal News
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- Technology and legal education
- NC Medicaid expansion launches Dec. 1
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- Attorneys: First Amendment protects Trump in ‘insurrection’ cases
- Cooper allows budget to become law; Medicaid will expand
- Alabama fraternity faces hazing lawsuit
- Judge handling Trump case faces tremendous pressure
- VIDEO: 5 Questions With … Jan E. Pritchett
- Conflicted Appeals Court affirms removal of Superior Court clerk
- NC transgender health case might go to high court
Commentary
- Amotion sees resurgence after almost a decade
- The flip side of generative AI in law and how to address it
- The fight for equal educational opportunity continues
- Court’s term was rough on big business
- Ex-president, bar association have made their choice
- Ruling sharpens boundaries in attorney-client privilege
- Lawyers Weekly debuts new and improved web experience
- US Supreme Court bites back at parody’s use of the First Amendment
- Supreme Court leaves key internet protection untouched
- Case study: North Carolina courts provide guidance on scope, limitations of attorney-client privilege
- A Different Ode to Pro Bono Work
- A roadmap to attracting, developing, retaining great associates
