Civil Procedure Best Practices in 2021

12:55 Welcome and Introductions

1:00 Common Civil Procedure Issues in Litigation

Michael S. "Mike" Rothrock, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP, Raleigh

Designed for practitioners of all levels of experience, this session covers the mechanics of the most commonly used Rules of Civil Procedure dealing with pleadings, service, interrogatories, requests for admission, requests for production, depositions and more. Explore common issues concerning the operation of the rules and how to avoid potential pitfalls, as well as the practical implications of COVID-19 on the operation of several rules.

2:30 Break

2:40 Best Practices and Current Developments in Civil Practice

Judge R. Allen Baddour Jr., North Carolina Superior Court, Pittsboro
Jacqueline R. "Jackie" Clare, Jacqueline R. Clare Attorney at Law, Raleigh
Richard H. "Rick" Conner III, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte
Ellen B. Hancox, North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Fayetteville
Christopher R. "Chris" Nichols, Nichols Law Firm, Raleigh

This panel provides insights on best practices generally and tips on how to navigate virtual proceedings during COVID-19. Also, hear updates on the latest in the court system and what the future may hold.

4:10 Adjourn

Thank you

Thank you for joining us for Civil Procedure Best Practices in 2021.

Contributors

Judge R. Allen Baddour Jr.

Judge R. Allen Baddour Jr. has served as a Resident Superior Court Judge for District 15B (Orange and Chatham counties) since 2006, and is a past president of the Judicial District 15B Bar. Prior to becoming a judge, he was the managing assistant district attorney for Chatham County. From 1997 to 2001, Baddour was a partner in a small law firm in Chapel Hill with cases mostly in Orange and Chatham counties. He grew up in Orange County, attending Chapel Hill High School. He obtained a degree in Political Science from UNC-CH, and a law degree from the UNC School of Law.

Volunteer work has always been an important extension of Judge Baddour in the community. He has volunteered with the Women’s Center (Volunteer of the Year, 2001) the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA Board of Directors (President, 2001), and the Chatham County YMCA. Since the merger between all triangle-area YMCAs, he has been a Board member of the YMCA of the Triangle. He also served as a vice president on the NCBA Board of Governors in 2019-20.

Click here for more information about Judge Baddour.
Jacqueline R. "Jackie" Clare

Jacqueline R. "Jackie" Clare is a DRC Certified Mediator – Superior Court in Raleigh. After practicing law with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, Jackie became a DRC certified superior court mediator in 1993 and since that time has devoted her professional career to a full-time mediation practice, having mediated over five thousand cases primarily in the areas of workers' compensation, personal injury, business, bankruptcy, and medical malpractice.

Jackie is a recipient of the 2013 Lawyers' Weekly Women of Justice Litigation Practitioner Award, the NCBA Dispute Resolution Section Peace Award, and is included as one of the Best Lawyers in America and a North Carolina Super Lawyer for her work in mediation. She has served as a member of the NCBA Board of Governors and the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission; she is past chair of the NCBA Dispute Resolution Section and immediate past Chair of the NCBA Women in the Profession Committee. Jackie is an adjunct professor at Campbell Law School, teaching Mediation Advocacy.

Jackie received her B.A. degree from East Carolina University and her J.D. degree with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Richard H. "Rick" Conner III

Richard H. "Rick" Conner IIIis a litigator with the Charlotte office of McGuireWoods. His practice focuses mostly on financial services litigation, representing banks in consumer disputes and government investigations. Rick is also experienced with commercial contract disputes and warranty claims. He is the current Chair of the NCBA Litigation Section and past Chair of the Sports and Entertainment Law Section.

Click here for more information about Rick.
Ellen B. Hancox

Ellen B. Hancox, born in Chapel Hill, lived in Winston-Salem and Alexandria, Virginia. B.A. (1980) University of Mary Washington; J.D. (1984) Campbell University School of Law. Private practice in Fayetteville with J. B. Rouse and Associates and Harris, Mitchell, Sweeny, Hancox and Vanstory. Practice included family law, personal injury, medical malpractice and workers compensation.

From 2002, to the present, serves as the Trial Court Administrator for the Twelfth Judicial District. Former member of the NCBA Local Bar Services Committee; Past President of BarCARES of North Carolina, Inc.; Current Board Member of BarCARES of North Carolina, Inc. Past President of the Cumberland County Bar Association; Past President of the NCCCA. Children's Sunday School Teacher. Family, husband Scott, three children, two sons-in law, one daughter in law and a grandson.

Click here for more information about Ellen.
Christopher R. "Chris" Nichols

Christopher R. "Chris" Nichols is the founding partner of the Nichols Law Firm, with offices in downtown Raleigh, where, for the last 15 years, he has concentrated his practice in the area of plaintiff's personal injury, representing individuals who have been catastrophically injured by sexual abuse, automobile and trucking collisions, and industrial safety failures. Chris has also served as an arbitrator in over 100 UM/UIM disputes.

Chris is a frequent presenter on the issue of liens and is the Editor of the 900 page North Carolina Personal Injury Lien Manual, now in its 15 year and 4th Edition. Chris was President of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice in 2015, and Chair of the NCBA Litigation Section in 2014. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, but he says his favorite award is the NCAJ New Lawyers' Mentor Award.

Chris is a cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University and the School of Law, but says these days hess a Tar Heel fan because his wife Beth went to Carolina and his daughter Zoe is "Zooming" through her sophomore year there right now.

Click here for more information about Chris.
Michael S. "Mike" Rothrock

Michael S. "Mike" Rothrock is a partner at Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo and focuses his practice on the defense of civil litigation claims. Before joining Hedrick Gardner in 2016, he was a plaintiff's personal injury lawyer for eight years.

Mike is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, and lives with his family in Raleigh.

Click here for more information about Mike.