8:55 Welcome and Introductions
9:00 Best Appellate Practices Panel
Quintin D.I. Byrd, Q Byrd Law, Raleigh
Kelly Margolis Dagger, Ellis & Winters LLP, Raleigh
Matthew Nis Leerberg, Fox Rothschild LLP, Raleigh
Erik R. Zimmerman, Robinson Bradshaw, Chapel Hill
Hear from experienced appellate attorneys as they discuss the strategies for preparing an effective appeal. Topics include issue preservation, interlocutory appeals, and managing transitions between litigation and appellate counsel.
10:02 Discovery Abuses and Pitfalls
Nicole R. Scallon, Henson Talley & Scallon LLP, Greensboro
Natalie M. Walters, Crumley Roberts, Greensboro
Explore discovery abuses and pitfalls from both sides of the "v." Plaintiff and defense attorneys discuss best discovery practices, benefits of cooperating with opposing counsel, and how to get access to the documents and information you need to bolster your case.
11:05 Break
11:15 Technology in the Office‡
Gabriel G. Snyder, Ward Black Law, Greensboro
Pegeen Turner, Legal Cloud Technology, Raleigh
Join us for this technology-focused session to learn technology shortcuts that help you save time (and your sanity) in your litigation practice today. From tips you may have forgotten to tricks that you didn't know you needed, the session provides a fast-paced look at tools and strategies to help your firm succeed.
12:15 Lunch Break
12:45 Maximize Your Productivity†
Amanda T. Chay, Building Health Heart & Mind, Raleigh
As an attorney your success is dependent upon your ability to be productive. Yet, constant stress and the threat of burnout are waging an invisible, soul-eroding battle within the law profession. That's why productivity skills have never been more important to peak performance. In this session, learn how to grow efficiency and productivity through working smarter, not harder. You'll develop new tools and grow your resilience while learning the science behind stress and developing a clearer mind.
1:45 Tips and Tricks for eCourt Filings‡
Brad D. Fowler, NC Judicial Branch, Raleigh
Sarvani Jami, NC Judicial Branch, Raleigh
Kristina P. Soeder, NC Judicial Branch, Raleigh
North Carolina is moving to an electronic filing system. Gain an understanding of the background information from members of the Administrative Office of the Courts and receive a demonstration of eFiling.
2:48 Adjourn
† Indicates portion providing Substance Abuse/Mental Health credit
‡ Indicates portion providing Technology Training credit
Thank you for joining us for Look Before You Leap: Diving Into Appellate, Technology and Discovery Issues (2022 Litigation Section Program).
As litigators, we are slammed! It is crucial for us to build habits and practices as safeguards for strong, successful cases. This CLE provides the tools needed to make sure your practice is efficient and prepared.
Quintin D. Byrd is the managing member at Q Byrd Law in Raleigh. He manages all aspects of the firm and lead's litigation matters. He represents licensees before professional licensing boards including North Carolina Board of Nursing, North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board, and North Carolina Real Estate Commission. He also provides defense for individuals and entities within the behavioral health/mental health/substance abuse community navigating proposed government sanctions.
Quintin's interest in appellate litigation was piqued after interning with the Honorable Roger L. Gregory of the Fourth Circuit and clerking for the Honorable Samuel J. Ervin, IV during his tenure at the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Quintin has been able to incorporate that passion into his practice, serving as primary and local counsel for parties and amici in state and federal courts. He has been fortunate to argue in both state and federal appellate courts. Quintin has also found the appellate courts fertile ground to give back, serving consistently as pro bono appellate counsel for the Guardian Ad Litem program.
Quintin also dedicates a significant portion of his practice to trial work. He represents clients in state and federal trial courts, the Office of Administrative Hearings, and before licensing boards. Majority of Quintin's clients consist of licensed professionals, behavioral health/mental health/substance abuse agencies, and both employer and employees in an array of employment matters.
In addition to serving on the Council of the North Carolina Bar Association's Appellate Practice Section, Quintin serves on the board of the Eagles Association (North Carolina Central University School of Law's alumni organization), the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, and his homeowner's association.
Quintin earned his B.A. in Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D., summa cum laude, from North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Click here for more information about Quintin.
Amanda T. Chay is the founder of Wonderment in Raleigh. Wonderment is a training company focused on implementing positive changes and increased performance in organizations and their employees alike with a focus on stress management and mindfulness education.
Amanda earned her B.A. in Psychology from University of Indianapolis and her M.A., cum laude, in Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling from University of Cincinnati.
When creating Wonderment, Amanda reflected on the wellness tools she had developed through 20 years as a group fitness instructor and certified yoga instructor as well as remembering her Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training from Duke University.
Click here for more information about Amanda.
Kelly Margolis Dagger is a partner with Ellis & Winters LLP in Raleigh. She is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer focusing on business litigation, employment litigation, and criminal defense. She has tried a variety of civil and criminal cases in North Carolina state and federal courts, involving a broad range of claims, from wrongful termination to federal programs bribery.
Kelly's civil practice includes the defense of claims for wage and hour act violations, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, wrongful termination claims, and other related employment law matters. She also represents clients on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Kelly currently serves on the Local Criminal Rules Committee for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Criminal Justice Act Panels for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Fourth Circuit. She also serves on the Criminal Justice Act Panel Committee for the Eastern District of North Carolina. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association, Criminal Justice Act Panel and the Local Criminal Rules Committee.
Kelly earned her undergraduate degree in religious studies, with highest distinction, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as an editor of California Law Review.
Click here for more information about Kelly.
Brad D. Fowler joined the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts in 2001. From 2001 – 2009, Brad was the Assistant Administrator of the Guardian ad Litem Program. In 2009, Brad moved to the Research and Planning Division. In that division, Brad has been responsible for developing and updating staffing resource allocation models across the Judicial Branch.
In 2018, Brad's role expanded to include managing the eCourts Program Management Office as well as leading a team of system analysts as they configure a vendor-provided integrated case management system for North Carolina trial courts. This team provides training and support of legacy applications as well as the suite of vendor products. Management of the eCourts Program Management Office includes working with a governance process that includes an eCourts Advisory Committee and eCourts Steering Committee.
Brad holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Tennessee.
Click here for more information about Brad.
Sarvani Jami is a Senior Systems Analyst at North Carolina Administrative Office of Courts (NCAOC) with expertise in Guide & File and File & ServeTM (eFiling) product areas of the larger eCourts ecosystem.
Before eCourts, Sarvani worked as a lead on NCAOC's Online Services and NC Bar attorney data integrations in addition to garnering several years of experience on legacy criminal web applications. Sarvani provides an overview of Registering and setting up accounts in File & ServeTM and provides a demo of filing documents using File & ServeTM.
Matthew N. "Matt" Leerberg is a partner with Fox Rothschild LLP in Raleigh. He is a member of the firm's Executive Committee and Co-Chair of the Appellate Practice Group. He focuses his practice on helping businesses navigate state and federal litigation and appeals. He leads Fox's national appellate team, which serves clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, every federal circuit court in the country and more than 20 state appellate courts.
Widely recognized for his work as a litigator and strategist, Matt is often hired to handle appeals in cases that met with unfavorable results in the lower courts. He centers his practice on helping businesses navigate complex state and federal litigation and appeals, including bet-the-company and other high-stakes litigation.
Along with his Fox colleague Beth Scherer, Matt authors the comprehensive treatise North Carolina Appellate Practice and Procedure, published by LexisNexis, © 2022, 2019. Matt enjoys thinking through appellate strategy issues and is always happy to chat.
Matt is a member of the North Carolina, Wake County and Federal Bar Associations, North Carolina Business Court the Defense Research Institute.
Matt earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard University and his J.D., with high honors, from Duke University School of Law.
Matt is a founder and regular writer for the North Carolina Appellate Practice Blog, which provides news, information, tips and resources for practicing law in North Carolina's state and federal appellate courts.
Click here for more information about Matt.
Nicole R. Scallon is a partner at Henson Talley & Scallon LLP in Greensboro. Her areas of practice include civil litigation, personal injury, wrongful death, commercial litigation, insurance defense, trucking law, employment law, legal malpractice defence and insurance coverage law.
Nicole is a member of the Greensboro and North Carolina Bar Associations, Northern Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and the Defense Research Institute.
Nicole earned her B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Click here for more information about Nicole.
Audrey Z. Snyder is an member of Ward Black Law in Greensboro. She supports the firm in the areas of injury claims, including defective products, occupational diseases, and workers' compensation. She began working with Ward Black Law late in 2017 as a contract attorney and formally joined the team in the spring of 2018. She engages her passion for helping the defenseless and has a desire to "stand up for the little guy."
Audrey began her undergraduate studies at Campbell University, earning a B.S. in Psychology, summa cum laude. She went on to pursue law at the Campbell University School of Law, obtaining a J.D. and graduating cum laude. Audrey was a very active member of the Mock Trial team and competed in national competitions including the National Civil Trial Competition (NCTC) and American Association for Justice (AAJ) Mock Trial Competition. Her mock trial endeavors earned her the Order of Old Kivett Award, an award given for exemplary representation in advocacy competitions while maintaining the highest ethical standards.
Audrey is a member of the Greensboro Bar Association, American Association for Justice, North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys and the Piedmont Triad Women Attorneys.
Click here for more information about Audrey.
Gabriel G. "Gabe" Snyder is a member of Ward Black Law in Greensboro. He focuses on injury and workers' compensation law. In addition to working with clients who have been injured, Gabe advocates for landowners whose property has been taken by the State of North Carolina through eminent domain.
Gabe knew from the time he was a child that he wanted to be an lawyer. He grew up watching his father help others through his law practice which inspired Gabe to pursue a career in law as well. A car accident that left him in critical condition shaped his passion to help injured people. As a result of the car accident, he was placed in a medically-induced coma, underwent 5 surgeries, and spent a month in the hospital recovering. He had to learn how to walk again and understands first hand how difficult it is to recover from serious injuries. He chose personal injury and workers' compensation as areas of law in which to focus because of his empathy for those who have been seriously injured. He believes he can offer help in ways they may not even know they need.
Gabe earned his J.D. from Campbell Law and B.S. in History (Pre Law) from Campbell. After graduating law school, he joined Snyder Law where he worked alongside his father practicing personal injury, family and criminal law. In his first year of practice, he successfully argued in front of the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
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Kristina P. Soeder is a Systems Analyst with the NC Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) and supports Guide & File and File & ServeTM (eFiling) products in preparation for the eCourts rollout.
Kristina has a breadth of court process knowledge, having worked both in the courts and at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Washington and North Carolina and worked on previous implementations of OdysseyTM Case Manager in Washington.
Pegeen Turner is a Legal Technology Consultant and President of Legal Cloud Technology in Raleigh. She has worked with attorneys and their technology both inside and outside of law firms for more than 20 years.
Now, as a consultant and president of Legal Cloud Technology, Pegeen helps firms integrate new technology into their practices and helps firms update and use their existing technology better. Her firm concentrates on cloud-based technology and moving attorneys and firms toward cloud-based technology. She is also a co-founder of a technology product called myFirmData, a custom reporting tool that integrates with Clio, the leading cloud-based practice management system.
Pegeen earned her B.B.A. degree in International Business from James Madison University.
Click here for more information about Pegeen.
R. Matthew "Matt" Van Sickle is a partner with Van Sickle Law PLLC in Cary. He represents North Carolina and out-of-state businesses and individuals in state and federal courts throughout North Carolina, in a variety of areas, including construction litigation, commercial litigation, and employment law. Matt is also certified to mediate cases by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission and has mediated a variety of cases pending before the North Carolina Superior Courts and the North Carolina Industrial Commission.
After obtaining a B.A. degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem moved to Bloomington, IN, to attend law school. After passing the Indiana bar exam, Matt began practicing law with an Ohio-based law firm, with a civil litigation practice focusing on collection and insurance subrogation litigation. He gained valuable courtroom experience in his first three years of practice, including first-chair bench and jury trial experience. He guided clients through the entire litigation process, from filing the initial pleadings, to discovery and final through resolution of the matter through trial, mediation, or negotiation.
In 2007, Matt returned to North Carolina and joined C. Thomas Ross, an experienced solo practitioner in a busy construction and insurance litigation practice.
Matt continues to represent clients that he first worked with when he returned to North Carolina in 2007 and looks forward to assisting new clients navigate the complexities of civil litigation.
Click here for more information about Matt.
Natalie M. Walters is a member of Crumley Roberts in Greensboro. She is a personal injury attorney who strives to channel her passion for service into the achievement of the best possible outcomes for her clients.
Natalie is admitted to practice law in North Carolina, the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and South Carolina. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Greensboro Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys.
As a native of Upstate New York, she attended Rochester Institute of Technology where she received her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Psychology. Natalie then served as an AmeriCorps paralegal where she was able to give back to her Upstate New York community. She earned her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law where she was awarded the Dean Suzanne Reynolds Award for the highest grade in Negotiation and was an Articles Editor for the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy.
Click here for more information about Natalie.
Hayley R. Wells is a Alcoholic Beverage and Employment Attorney with Ward and Smith PA in Asheville. Her practice primarily focuses on alcoholic beverage law, labor and employment law, and civil litigation. As head of the firm's Alcoholic Beverage law Practice Group, she regularly advises brewery and other craft alcoholic beverage clients in various aspects of the law, including permitting, negotiation, preparation and termination of distribution agreements, defense of ALE enforcement actions, labeling compliance, interpretative guidance, music licensing, liability waivers, festival questions and personnel matters.
Hayley also regularly advises individual and corporate clients in matters of covenants not to compete, employment discrimination, discipline and termination, harassment, wrongful discharge, wage and hour matters, personnel policies and procedures, and preparation of employee handbooks and employment agreements. Additionally, she represents both corporate and individual clients in all aspects related to litigation including hearings, depositions, discovery, mediation, arbitration, and trial. Her experience ranges from commercial litigation to personal injury matters.
Hayley is a member of the Asheville Brewers Alliance, Buncombe County Bar, Colorado and North Carolina Bar Associations and the Western North Carolina Human Resources Association.
Hayley earned her B.A., cum laude, in International Business and M.B.A. from The University of Georgia and her J.D., cum laude, from The University of Georgia School of Law.
Click here for more information about Hayley.
Erik R. Zimmerman is a shareholder with Robinson Bradshaw in Research Triangle Park. His principal areas are antitrust and competition, appeals, class actions, education, litigation, intellectual property and technology. He guides clients through complex litigation and appeals. He has helped companies, universities and individuals navigate antitrust suits, class actions, constitutional cases and other high stakes disputes in courts across the country.
Erik has particular experience in appellate litigation. He often joins cases for the first time on appeal and helps his clients overturn unfavorable rulings from the lower courts. He has argued appeals in the Fourth Circuit and the North Carolina appellate courts. He has also filed numerous briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and appellate courts nationwide.
Erik co-chairs the firm's Appeals Practice Group and serves on the North Carolina Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee and Appellate Practice Section Council.
Erik earned his B.A., summa cum laude from Harvard College and his J.D., with distinction, from Stanford University.
Click here for more information about Erik.
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