8:55 Welcome and Introductions
9:00 Keynote Address*
Chief Judge Martin K. Reidinger, U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Asheville
The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina speaks on the importance of professionalism and civility in the practice of law in North Carolina.
10:00 Break
10:10 Professional Identity Formation*
Jerome M. "Jerry" Organ, University of St. Thomas School of Law – Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions, Minneapolis, MN
Professional identity formation is a lifelong endeavor as we continue to grow as people and lawyers throughout our careers. This presentation highlights that those involved with legal education and the legal profession need to be more intentional in helping students and lawyers reflect on who they want to be as lawyers and how they want to carry themselves as lawyers in their interactions with clients and others.
11:10 Break
11:20 Leadership Development for Client Success, Service and Significance*
Leah Jackson Teague, Baylor University School of Law, Waco, TX
Lawyers are viewed as leaders from a client perspective, public servant perspective, and community perspective. Because lawyers are often viewed as leaders in these types of roles, they should invest time and effort to become great leaders – difference makers. Provided in this session are leadership development tools to put in practice.
12:20 Lunch Break
1:20 Lawyers, Technology and Civility*‡
Catherine Sanders Reach, North Carolina Bar Association, Cary
Tone, intent and perception can be easily misconstrued when lawyers communicate electronically with each other, clients and subordinates. It is easy for a recipient to misinterpret electronic communications absent of the physical cues associated with human interaction. All too often lawyers are in a hurry to respond and do not realize their words may seem harsh or confrontational. Additionally, automation tools employed to help save an attorney some time may seem off-putting to a recipient. There are also other issues to consider, such as inadvertent disclosure that leads to unintended consequences, video conferencing etiquette, and social media gaffes. In this session we discuss how to leverage technology while focusing on techniques to be mindful of civil and collegial discourse.
2:20 Break
2:30 Civility in the Practice of Law: How It Can Make You a Better Attorney*
Gill P. Beck, U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina, Asheville (Moderator)
A. Todd Brown Sr., Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Charlotte
Alan W. Duncan, Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro
Judge W. Carleton Metcalf, U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Asheville
Patti W. Ramseur, Ramseur Maultsby LLP, Greensboro
Civility in the practice of law has never been more important. This panel provides insight into the state of civility in North Carolina practice from different perspectives with recommendations on how we can better incorporate civility into the practice of law, thereby enhancing the legal process, our profession's public image, and our ability to serve our clients more effectively.
3:45 Break
3:55 Calm in the Midst of Chaos: Resilience Training and Wellness†
Robynn E. Moraites, North Carolina Lawyers Assistance Program, Charlotte
Practicing law is stressful and often chaotic. Many more factors are out of our control than we care to admit. The more energy we exert trying to control the uncontrollable, the more chaotic and unmanageable our internal thoughts and feelings can become. There is hope! The good news is that resilience is a learned skill, not an innate quality. There are dozens of resilience tools, backed by scientific research, that we can practice and use to return to ourselves and a calmer state of mind and body. The resilience tools spotlighted are those the speaker(s) have actively used in life and law practice.
4:55 Adjourn
* Indicates portion providing Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit
† Indicates portion providing Substance Abuse/Mental Health credit
‡ Indicates portion providing Technology Training credit
Thank you for joining us for Professionals, Colleagues, Friends and Adversaries - The Key Role of Civility in Attorney Relationships and Communications (2023 Professionalism Committee CLE).
During the pandemic, we learned how to adapt and practice law differently, but we also lost something in the way we treat each other as professionals. We need to remember the important role that civility plays in the practice of law and how each of us can promote civility.
Gill P. Beck serves as the Chief of the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of` North Carolina in Asheville. He handles the full range of civil cases involving the United States and federal agencies.
Gill received the U.S. Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, the U.S. Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, the North Carolina Governor's Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the Bronze Star for his service as an Army Judge Advocate in Iraq and was promoted to Major General in the U.S. Army Reserve. In 2016 he was selected as North Carolina Lawyer's Weekly North Carolina Lawyer of the Year. He is currently President of the Buncombe County Bar.
Gill is a graduate of Appalachian State University, where he was Captain of the football team and an Academic All-American football player. He attended Duke University School of Law, where he graduated with high honors and served as a Senior Editor for Law and Contemporary Problems.
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A. Todd Brown Sr. is a Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Charlotte. His practice focuses on complex business litigation and dispute resolution. He is managing partner of the firm's Charlotte office.
Todd has handled a broad variety of complex business litigation in federal and state courts over his 35 years of experience, with an emphasis on commercial disputes, business torts, catastrophic personal injuries, consumer lending, unfair competition, and trade secrets litigation. He has defended products liability claims in federal multi-district litigation and state court actions, and handled complex multifamily construction defect cases. He also has litigated complex employment matters involving executive-level exposure under Title VII, FLSA, and ERISA, as well as sexual harassment and wrongful discharge cases.
Todd was sworn in as president of the North Carolina State Bar in October 2023, after serving on the State Bar Council for nine years and as an officer for two years. Governor Cooper has nominated him to serve as a judge on the North Carolina Business Court.
Todd co-chairs the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Committee and its Talent Development Committee. He is a member of its Associates Committee and Screening Committee, and is a former member of its Executive Committee. He is also former co-head of the firm's commercial litigation practice group.
Todd earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of South Carolina and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
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Alan W. Duncan is an attorney with Turning Point Litigation in Greensboro. He gives of himself to clients, to our profession, and to our community. He is a great counselor and advocate to his clients. He served on the Guilford County Board of Education for 18 years (16 as Chair). He is presently serving as Vice-Chair of the North Carolina Board of Education, and on several other education-related boards and task forces. He is a Past President of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. Alan serves with tremendous dedication and effect. But he would be unlikely to discuss his many achievements. Among things that Alan holds dear is the requirement to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly. Alan walks with great humility and never calls attention to himself. He builds great things, even when no one sees.
Respected as one of the best lawyers in North Carolina, Alan has achieved significant distinctions in his profession and his community. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is recognized as one of the "Top 10" lawyers by North Carolina Super Lawyers. The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) lists Alan in eight categories, including Bet-the-Company litigation.
Alan is a member of the American, Greensboro and North Carolina Bar Associations. He is also a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates.
Alan earned his A.B., cum laude, from Davidson College and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.
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B. Keith Faulkner is the President of Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC. He was appointed the fourth President of the university on July 26, 2023.
Before being selected president of CSU, Keith had 20 years of higher education experience; he served as president and dean of Appalachian School of Law in Virginia. Prior to this, he served as the dean of Liberty University School of Law and the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business at Campbell University. He also served as interim dean at Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Over his career, he and his teams have launched online programs, developed innovative partnerships with industry, enjoyed success in fundraising, and many other notable accomplishments.
Keith earned his B.S., with honors, from Charleston Southern University, his J.D. and M.B.A. from Campbell University and his LL.M. from Baylor University School of Law. He also completed the United States Navy Nuclear Power Training Pipeline. His service included a tour aboard the U.S.S. Billfish (SSN 676), and he was an instructor at Nuclear Power Training Unit (MTS 635).
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Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of North Carolina, with chambers in Asheville. Prior to taking the bench in 2018, he practiced law for over two decades with a firm headquartered in Asheville.
Judge Metcalf is the chair of the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the Western District of North Carolina, a member of the district's Criminal Justice Act Panel Committee, and a member of the Federal Magistrate Judges' Association.
Over the course of his career, Judge Metcalf has been active in numerous groups, including the Western District's Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Harry C. Martin American Inn of Court, and has been a frequent speaker and presenter at continuing legal education programs and other similar events.
Born in Waynesville, Judge Metcalf holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was the 2015 recipient of the Professionalism Award given by the 28th Judicial District Bar.
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Robynn E. Moraites is the Executive Director of the NC LAP. She obtained her undergraduate degree in education from Florida State and her law degree from UNC at Chapel Hill. Prior to attending law school, she ran a public health program at the University of Miami where she developed continuing medical education programs for healthcare professionals working in the field of geriatric medicine.
Prior to joining the LAP, Robynn practiced law in North Carolina in large firm, small firm, and in-house settings. She has an extensive background and knowledge in helping lawyers in recovery.
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Jerome M. "Jerry" Organ is the Bakken Professor of Law and Co-director for the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, MN. His expertise is environmental law, legal education and property law. His current research is directed toward transparency in financial aspects of the decision to attend law school - addressing both scholarship programs for students and employment and salary data of graduates. In addition, he is working on obtaining funding for a survey of law students to assess the extent to which alcohol consumption, drug use and mental health issues are prevalent among law students. He also is working with the Holloran Center on developing assessment tools to document the development of professional identity among law students.
In 1991, Jerry joined the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, where he taught property, environmental law, regulation of hazardous substances, land use controls, and client interviewing and counseling. In 2001, he became one of the founding faculty members here at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He has earned a reputation as a gifted classroom teacher who cares deeply about his students, receiving a Gold Chalk Award at Missouri in 2001 and a Mission Award for Professional Preparation in 2005 and the Dean's Award for Teaching in 2010 here at the University of St. Thomas.
Jerry believes profoundly in the importance of integrating the skills and values of the profession into the doctrinal classroom and in instilling in students an appreciation of the vocation of being a lawyer. Organ is coauthor of Property and Lawyering, a casebook for first year property that integrates lawyering skills and dispute resolution materials. This text and course received the 2003 CPR Institute of Dispute Resolution Award for Problem-Solving in the Law School.
Jerry earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Miami University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. At Vanderbilt, Jerry served as an editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif. After clerking for Justice William G. Callow of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Organ entered private practice with Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, WI. He practiced law for five years, predominantly in the environmental law area.
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Patti West Ramseur is an partner with Ramseur Maultsby LLP in Greensboro.
Over the last twenty-one years, Patti has focused on employment and commercial cases—for employers of all sizes, from non-profits to publicly traded companies. Her practice involves advising employers and litigating claims under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FLSA, the FMLA, and the REDA as well as claims of sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, wage and hour disputes, breach of contract, non-compete, and misappropriation of trade secrets.
Patti is the 129th President of the North Carolina Bar Association. She will also serve as President of the North Carolina Bar Foundation in 2023-24.
Patti earned her B.S., magna cum laude, from North Carolina State University and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
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Chief Judge Martin K. Reidinger is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Asheville.
On January 9, 2007, Chief Judge Reidinger was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina vacated by Graham Calder Mullen. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 10, 2007, and received his commission on September 12, 2007. He became Chief Judge on June 2, 2020.
Chief Judge Reidinger earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
Catherine Sanders Reach is Director for the Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association, providing practice technology and management assistance to lawyers and legal professionals. Formerly she was Director, Law Practice Management and Technology for the Chicago Bar Association and the Director at the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center.
Prior to her work at the NCBA, CBA and ABA she worked in library and information science environments for a number of years, working at Ross and Hardies as a librarian. She received a master's degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in 1997.
Catherine's professional activities include articles published in Law Practice magazine, Law Technology News and GPSolo Magazine, as well as numerous other publications. She has given presentations on the use of technology in law firms for national bar conferences, state and local bar associations and organizations such as the National Association of Bar Council and the Association of American Law Schools. In 2011 she was selected to be one of the inaugural Fastcase 50, celebrating fifty innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the field of law and in 2013 became a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. She served on the ABA TECHSHOW Board from 2007-2009, 2014-2016 and is co-vice chair in 2019.
Click here for more information about Catherine. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Leah Jackson Teague is a Professor of Law at Baylor University School of Law in Waco, TX. She serves as the Director of Baylor Law's unique Leadership Development Program and teaches its Leadership Engagement and Development course and co-authored Fundamental for Lawyer Leadership, one of the leading textbooks for lawyer leadership. She was instrumental in the creation of a Section for Leadership within the American Association of Law Schools and continues efforts to enhance the leadership development and professional formation of students on a national level to better prepare future lawyers for the important roles lawyers are expected to assume as leaders and difference makers in our society.
Leah's extensive leadership experience has been earned by serving in numerous leadership roles, including serving as the Associate Dean for Baylor Law for almost 30 years, and holding officer and board positions for numerous professional and non-profit organizations throughout her professional career.
Leah also serves as Baylor Law's Director of Business Law Programs, a position she assumed in order to expand opportunities for Baylor Law students and elevate the national and regional profile of Baylor Law's business and transactional programs. She taught the federal income tax classes for many years. She currently teaches Leadership Development and Engagement (LEAD), Business Basics for Lawyers, Client Relations and Transactional Drafting which are all skills-based courses designed to better prepare students for success in the practice of law.
Leah earned her B.B.A., summa cum laude, in Accounting from Baylor University and her J.D., cum laude, from Baylor University School of Law.
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