Hardwired: What Our Experiences Can Teach Us About Managing Stress and Anxiety
11:00 Registration and Lunch
11:55 Welcome and Introductions
12:00 60 Minutes With Coleman Cowan*
Coleman M. Cowan, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, Raleigh
As a young lawyer, Coleman Cowan suffered a violent attack that changed his life. He shares his journey away from the law and back again, how he dealt with stress and trauma, and how he learned to apply his experiences as a journalist to his practice as a trial lawyer.
1:00 Break
1:15 Looking California and Feeling Minnesota†
Colleen L. Byers, Colleen Byers Mediation LLC, Winston-Salem Coleman M. Cowan, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, Raleigh Chara M. O'Neale, Charlotte D. Christopher "Chris" Osborn, Osborn Conflict Resolution, Charlotte (Moderator)
This moderated panel discussion focuses on managing stress and anxiety.
2:15 Break
2:30 Hardwiring Happiness†
Colleen L. Byers, Colleen Byers Mediation LLC, Winston-Salem Coleman M. Cowan, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, Raleigh Chara M. O'Neale, Charlotte D. Christopher "Chris" Osborn, Osborn Conflict Resolution, Charlotte (Moderator)
How can you create and sustain a rewarding practice? This moderated panel discussion provides you with tips and tools to do just that.
If we are "hardwired" to think and operate this way, can we ever "catch ourselves" and recalibrate?
Contributors
Colleen L. Byers
Colleen L. Byers is the founder and owner of Colleen Byers Mediation LLC in Winston-Salem. A seasoned civil litigator with deep business and legal experience, Colleen focuses on mediating complex business, employment, trust, estate, fiduciary and family disputes to help companies, families and individuals solve their legal problems outside the courtroom.
Colleen's conflict resolution approach weaves together practical business insight, active listening, and strategic foresight. Colleen leverages more than a decade of litigation experience to help people, whether business owners or families, settle legal disputes quickly, effectively, and creatively.
In addition to being trained in the collaborative law process, Colleen is also certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission to mediate Superior Court cases as well as matters pending before the Clerk of Court. Colleen currently serves on the Boards of Directors of both the North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association and Forsyth Humane Society.
All of Colleen's education is from Creighton University, a Jesuit University in Omaha, NE. She is proud to be a triple Blue Jay, having earned her B.A., summa cum laude, her M.B..A, and J.D., cum laude, from Creighton University.
Colleen's training as a trauma-informed, registered yoga teacher also influences her unique mediation style. Applying yoga and mindfulness principles to her mediation practice, Colleen effectively de-escalates conflict and guides parties to expand their perspectives and achieve settlement outcomes. Colleen's role as a mother, wife and community leader also provide her ample opportunity to practice her conflict resolution and communication skills.
Coleman M. Cowan is a partner at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in Raleigh. He is not only an an attorney, but also an Emmy award winning 60 Minutes producer. He joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2018 as a personal injury attorney. As a member of the firm's litigation team, he litigates some of the more high stakes cases in the areas of personal injury, product liability, and complex litigation.
While he began his career as an attorney, at about the 10-year mark, Coleman's career path led him away from North Carolina courtrooms and into war zones, jungles, and mountaintops across the world. For 10 years, Coleman worked as producer for 60 Minutes and CBSN On Assignment, and as a reporter for BusinessWeek magazine. His stories covered everything from war, politics, and economics to sports and adventure. He won two Emmy awards, a Peabody, a Gracie, a Polk, a Sigma Delta Chi award, and was nominated for several other awards.
Coleman received a J.D. cum laude from Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, where he won awards for Most Outstanding Advocate as well as Best Oralist. Coleman earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he received a Master's in Journalism cum laude from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
James A. "Jamie" Dean is the Senior Corporate Counsel - Accessibility Regulations at Microsoft Corporation in Winston-Salem. Jamie was formerly a business litigation attorney at Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP in Winston-Salem as well as an Adjunct Professor of Pre-Trial Pracice and Procedure at Wake Forest University School of Law.
Jamie earned his B.A., summa cum laude, in Economics from Wake Forest University, his MBA from Wake Forest University School of Business, his J.D., magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Jamie was a part of the U.S. national rowing team and won the silver medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China as the stroke man of the adaptive four-person crew.
George K. Evans Jr. is a research analyst at Clearly Bespoke Strategies in New Bern. He served in the leadership role of managing partner at the North Carolina law firm of Cansler Lockhart Campbell Evans Bryant & Garlitz prior to becoming Of Counsel to Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice [Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP], from which he is retired.
Michele Morris is the owner of Morris Law Office in Asheville. She specializes in employment and labor law. As the driving force behind her own legal practice, she offers a comprehensive range of legal services with a notable emphasis on civil litigation. Michele has a proven track record of successfully representing employers in discrimination cases, navigating both state and federal courts, as well as governmental administrative agencies. Her accomplishments include numerous reported decisions in her favor and a commendable history of winning jury trials. Furthermore, Michele possesses extensive appellate experience with a strong presence in state and federal courts.
Currently, Michele is in the process of pioneering a groundbreaking business venture. She is melding her extensive trial experience with a deep understanding of trauma informed relational health. Through this innovative endeavor, she aims to provide professionals with valuable tools for fostering connection, authentic relationships, and active listing practices, all designed to enhance the overall quality of life.
Michele earned her B.A. in Fine & Applied Arts from The University of Akron and her J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law.
Chara M. O'Neale was most recently the Director of Talent Management and Diversity & Inclusion at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP in Charlotte. She has worked tirelessly to improve diversity and inclusion at Parker Poe and in the broader legal community, including through her leadership on the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation's board of directors. She has influenced dozens of minority students in the Carolinas by revamping THRIVE, Parker Poe's daylong program to help minority students navigate law school and thrive as they pursue the different paths a legal career may take.
In addition, Chara is a driving force behind Parker Poe's efforts to work for change in light of police killings of African Americans. Those efforts include centering the firm's annual Community Service Day around organizations that are committed to furthering racial equality, pursuing pro bono cases representing individuals who have been arrested during peaceful protests, and counseling Black-owned businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Chara earned her B.A. from University of Virginia and her J.D. from William & Mary Law School.
Helen M. O'Shaughnessy is a partner at Wake Family Law Group in Raleigh. She is a board certified family law specialist and a certified Family Financial Mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission. She frequently serves as a mediator in family law cases. She also serves as a Parent Coordinator in high conflict child custody cases.
Helen has been recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as one of the Legal Elite in North Carolina for family law (2007). She has been selected by North Carolina Super Lawyers for inclusion on the 2009, 2011-2013 North Carolina Rising Stars list and as a North Carolina Super Lawyer from 2016-2021.
Helen is a board certified family law specialist and a certified Family Financial Mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission. She frequently serves as a mediator in family law cases. She also serves as a Parent Coordinator in high conflict child custody cases.
Helen is actively involved in the legal community. She has participated in Law Week, a program sponsored by the North Carolina Bar Association that raises awareness about law; Ask a Lawyer Day; and the Wade Edwards Moot Court Competition for North Carolina high-school students.
Helen earned her B.A. in Political Science and Anthropology from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
D. Christopher "Chris" Osborn is the founder and principal of Osborn Conflict Resolution in Charlotte. He uses his extensive training as a mediator and trained collaborative lawyer to help separating and divorcing couples, deadlocked businesses, and families with inheritance disputes find practical, cost-effective solutions to complex legal problems.
In his 25+ years of practice, including 11 years as an associate and shareholder with Horack Talley in Charlotte, Chris has helped clients reach amicable resolutions in hundreds of disputes, involving complex legal issues and interpersonal dynamics, in the areas of separation and divorce, construction law, business breakups, and inheritance disputes.
Chris was certified by the NC Dispute Resolution Commission as a Superior Court mediator in 2009, and completed the required 16 hour Collaborative Law Practice training in 2016. In 2021, he was also certified by the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission as a Family Financial Settlement Mediator.
From 2012-2015, Chris was an Assistant Professor at the Charlotte School of Law, where he taught "Interviewing, Client Counseling, and Negotiations," along with first year classes in Contracts and Civil Procedure.
Chris earned his B.A., with highest distinction, from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and his J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law.
Erna Womble is co-president and a strategic advisor at Clearly Bespoke Strategies in Winston-Salem. Along with Bill Womble Jr., their strategic advising company is founded on a niche in confidential, bespoke leadership presence training. They developed this expertise integral to their national litigation practice as partners in their beloved firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice [Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP], from which they are now retired.
As strategic advisors, Erna and Bill bring to bear their depth of experience working with leaders in the private and public sectors on handling high-stakes matters. Their work is grounded in a nuanced understanding of how leadership presence training affects the success, tone, and integrity of large, complex organizations and people at all echelons. Frequently collaborating with a wide network of professionals, they also write and speak on topics that help individual leaders build vital competencies and resilience in a world of constant change, meeting growing needs for innovative problem solving, strategic decision making, and effective communication.
Erna earned her B.A. and M.Ed. from The College of Charleston and her J.D. from University of South Carolina School of Law.