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Modern Appellate Practice (2024 Appellate Practice Section Program)

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024

5:30       Early Arrivals Reception

5:30 PM | Whiskey Kitchen, 201 West Martin Street, Raleigh | Click here for directions.

Join the Appellate Practice Section for a reception before the section CLE and annual meeting. The early arrivals reception celebrates the endeavors of the section this bar year as well as highlights the dedication of the CLE planners and speakers!

All CLE participants, Appellate Practice section members and event sponsors are welcome for appetizers and drinks at Whiskey Kitchen in Raleigh.

Sponsored by Fox Rothschild and Young Moore.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024

8:25        Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:55        Welcome and Introductions

9:00        Ticket to Ride: Obtaining Supreme Court Review

Justice Robert H. Edmunds Jr. (Ret.), Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro
Justice Samuel J. Ervin IV (Ret.), Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro
Justice Robert F. Orr (Ret.), Law Offices of Robert F. Orr, Raleigh
Elizabeth B. "Beth" Scherer, Fox Rothschild LLP, Greensboro (Moderator)

The North Carolina Supreme Court now effectively only reviews cases in its discretion. Justices Edmunds, Ervin, and Orr discuss how this change affects your practice and how to make your petitions appealing.

10:00      Break

10:10      Don't Let Me Down: Artificial Intelligence and Appeals

Angela P. Doughty, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern
Jeffrey M. Kelly, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Raleigh

Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize legal research and analysis, but there are risks. This panel addresses the costs and benefits of using artificial intelligence in appellate practice.

11:10      Break

11:20      Extraordinary Writs and Appellate Motions

R. Daniel "Dan" Gibson, Davis Hartman Wright LLP, Durham (Moderator)
Judge Tobias S. "Toby" Hampson, North Carolina Court of Appeals, Raleigh

Judge Robert N. "Bob" Hunter (Ret.), Higgins Benjamin PLLC, Greensboro
Jonathan G. McGirt, Law Office of Jonathan G. McGirt, Raleigh

Motions are uncommon and uncommonly powerful in appeals. This panel addresses how to effectively engage in appellate writs and motions practice.

12:20      Appellate Practice Section Annual Meeting

Angela F. Craddock, Young Moore & Henderson PA, Raleigh, 2023-2024 Section Chair, presiding

12:35      Lunch Break

1:20        From Me to You: Writing for Gen Z

John J. Korzen, Wake Forest University School of Law, Winston-Salem

Many judges' clerks are members of Gen Z. Professor Laura Graham explains how to write persuasively to Gen Z.

2:20        Break

2:30        A Little Help From My Friends: Effective Amicus Support

James W. "Jim" Doggett, NC Department of Justice, Raleigh
Kristi L. Graunke, ACLU of North Carolina, Raleigh
James W. Kilbourne Jr, Allen Stahl + Kilbourne, Asheville (Moderator)

Michael R. Williams, Office of the Attorney General, Charleston, WV

This panel addresses how to effectively coordinate with amicus organization and ensure amici assist the court in resolving cases.

3:30        Break

3:40        We Can Work It Out: Court-Appointed Appeals

G. Glenn Gerding, Office of the Appellate Defender, Durham
Annick I. Lenoir-Peek, Office of the Parent Defender, Durham
Troy D. Shelton, Foxrothschild LLP, Raleigh (Moderator)
Matthew D. Wunsche, NC Administrative Office of the Courts, Raleigh

The Office of the Appellate Defender and the Office of Guardian ad Litem Services handle a disproportionate number of North Carolina appeals. Leading members of these offices share their unique experiences and insights.

4:40        Adjourn

‡ Indicates portion providing Technology Training credit

Description

The removal of the right to appeal based on a dissent, the matriculation of Gen Z as clerks, and the rise of artificial intelligence have significantly changed appellate practice.

This CLE equips you to use those changes to benefit your clients.

Contributors

  • James W. "Jim" Doggett

    James W. "Jim" Doggett is Deputy Solicitor General at the North Carolina Department of Justice, where he represents the State of North Carolina, its agencies, and its officials in civil appeals. He has argued cases before the North Carolina Supreme Court, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and multiple federal courts of appeals, including the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

    Jim earned his B.A., with honors and highest distinction, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Kent Scholar, a Stone Scholar, and a notes editor on the Columbia Law Review.

    After law school, Jim clerked for the Honorable Fortunato P. Benavides on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and practiced law in New York City at Cleary Gottlieb Stein & Hamilton LLP. The North Carolina Supreme Court cited his student note in its landmark decision that held that parties in North Carolina's state courts need not satisfy federal standing requirements.

    Click here for more information about Jim.

  • Angela P. Doughty

    Angela P. Doughty is an IP and Privacy attorney at Ward and Smith PA in New Bern. She also serves as the firm's Director of Legal Innovation. She is a North Carolina State Bar Board Specialist in Trademark Law and a Certified Information Privacy Professional- United States (CIPP/US).

    Angela oversees several initiatives to optimize and increase the efficiency of the firm's legal services. In addition to adopting and executing practices, such as Legal Lean Sigma, Angela is responsible for moving the firm through the implementation of process improvement, design methodologies, and innovative technology.

    In her IP practice, Angela routinely counsels and assists clients with identifying, protecting, enforcing, and managing their U.S. and international IP rights; trademark and service mark selection, clearance, and registration; opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Internet and domain law issues; software development and licensing transactions; and negotiating the acquisition, licensing, and transfer of intellectual property rights. She has extensive experience with strategic planning and management of IP portfolios, including IP audits to assist clients with the identification of intellectual property assets and the related risks and opportunities.

    Angela earned her B.S., summa cum laude, in Business Management - Logisitics and Operations from North Carolina State University, her J.D., from Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and her M.B.A., from Campbell University Lundy-Fetterman School of Business.

    Click here for more information about Angela.

  • Justice Robert H. “Bob” Edmunds Jr. (Ret.)

    Justice Robert H. "Bob" Edmunds Jr. (Ret.) served as an appellate judge for 18 years, most recently as Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. He now serves clients with that same dedication as part of the Fox Rothchild's Appellate group in Greensboro.

    Justice Edmunds began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Greensboro, and later was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. In 1986, he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina by President Ronald Reagan and was retained by President George H. W. Bush. Justice Edmunds entered private practice in 1993. In 1998, he was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and served on that court until his election to the Supreme Court.

    Justice Edmunds reentered private practice in 2017, practicing appellate law in the Greensboro office of Fox Rothschild LLP. He is board certified as a specialist in appellate practice and in state and federal criminal law. He is president of the Appellate Judges Education Institute, has chaired the American Bar Association's Appellate Judges Conference, has chaired the North Carolina Bar Association's Judicial Independence and Integrity Committee, and is on the Education Committee of the National Judicial College. He has served as an adjunct professor at Campbell University School of Law and Regent University School of Law.

    Justice Edmunds earned his B.A., with honors, from Vassar College, his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and his LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Justice Edmunds.

  • Christopher S. "Chris" Edwards

    Christopher S. "Chris" Edwards is an appellate attorney with Ward and Smith PA in Wilmington. He focuses his practice on complex legal issues in both federal and state courts of appeals.

    A North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice, Chris has handled both civil and criminal appeals raising a wide variety of legal issues. To take a few examples, he has handled appeals in constitutional litigation, child custody litigation, employment litigation, equitable distribution litigation, estate litigation, municipal litigation, patent litigation, personal injury litigation, tax litigation, trade secrets litigation, and unfair competition litigation. All told, since joining the firm in 2018, Chris has presented more than a dozen oral arguments in state and federal courts, and he has been the primary author of more than 30 appellate briefs.

    As an appellate attorney, Chris also works with trial counsel before a final judgment has been entered. In this capacity, he drafts and argues significant motions, consults on legal strategy, and works to set the case up for a successful appeal.

    Before joining Ward and Smith, Chris was a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee of the Fourth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan of the Eastern District of North Carolina.

    Outside of the firm, Chris is an active member of the appellate bar, administering the N.C. Bar Association's Appellate Pro Bono Program and serving on its Appellate Rules Committee.

    Chris earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Chris.

  • Justice Sam J. Ervin IV (Ret.)

    Justice Sam J. Ervin IV (Ret.) is Of Counsel with Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP in Greensboro. He waas an associate justice on the state's high court from 2015 to 2023. At the firm, he now assists on matters statewide in areas including litigation, appeals and utilities.

    Justice Ervin brings his nearly 18 years in private practice and more than 23 years' experience as a public servant to his work in assisting clients with a variety of regulatory and litigation-related matters.

    Before joining Brooks Pierce, Justice Ervin served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina for eight years, as a Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals for six years, and as a Commissioner of the North Carolina Utilities Commission for nine and a half years. During his time as a Utilities Commissioner, he served as Chair of the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues and the Committee on Electricity of the National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners and as a member of the board of the Organization of PJM States.

    During his time in private practice, Justice Ervin handled a wide variety of civil, criminal, and administrative matters and participated in many civil and criminal jury trials and numerous civil and criminal appeals to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court.

    Justice Ervin is a Board Certified Specialist in Utilities Law from the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.

    Justice Ervin earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Davidson College and J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

    Click here for more information about Justice Ervin.

  • G. Glenn Gerding

    G. Glenn Gerding is the North Carolina Appellate Defender. The Office of the Appellate Defender, located in Durham, represents people from across North Carolina in the appellate courts after a criminal conviction.

    Before becoming the Appellate Defender in 2015, Glenn was in private practice for ten years, primarily representing people at trial and on appeal in criminal cases. He also served as an assistant public defender in Orange County for two years, and for six years on active duty in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. He currently serves in the Navy Reserves as a military judge.

    Glenn earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Glenn.

  • R. Daniel "Dan" Gibson

    R. Daniel "Dan" Gibson is a Partner at Davis Hartman Wright LLP, in Durham, as part of the firm's appellate, business, constitutional, and litigation practice groups. He practices appeals, North Carolina Constitutional law, and civil litigation throughout North Carolina. He has argued several cases in front of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and North Carolina Supreme Court and represented dozens of clients in North Carolina state courts.

    Dan has written articles for the North Carolina State Bar's Journal, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, and the North Carolina Bar Association on appellate practice and civil procedure. He is the co-author of Cemetery Law: the Common Law of Burying Grounds. He has taught CLEs for the Wake County Bar Association and North Carolina Bar Association, including Appellate Practice for Trial Work.

    Dan is an adjunct professor teaching Legal Writing for Judicial Chambers at Wake Forest University School of Law. He is a member of the North Carolina and Wake County Bar Associations, Christian Legal Society, Federalist Society and the Alliance Defending Freedom Allied Attorney.

    Dan earned his B.A., summa cum laude, in Government from Campbell University and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Dan.

  • Kristi L. Graunke

    Kristi L. Graunke is the Legal Director of the ACLU of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) in Raleigh, where she leads litigation and other legal advocacy to advance and defend the rights of North Carolinians under the federal and state constitutions. Under Kristi's leadership, ACLU-NC has litigated multiple matters in federal and state courts to protect the constitutional rights of North Carolinians to freely protest, speak, and associate.

    Before joining ACLU-NC in 2020, Kristi worked as an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). There, Kristi focused primarily on enforcing the civil rights of low-income immigrant workers in the southeastern United States; she also worked on litigation to defend the civil rights of LGBTQI individuals and incarcerated children and adults. In 2015, she received Public Justice's Trial Lawyer of the Year Award as part of a team that tried a human trafficking case to a $14 million verdict for the plaintiffs.

    Prior to working with SPLC, Kristi was an Equal Justice Works law fellow with the Farmworker Division of Georgia Legal Services.

    Kristi earned her B.A. from Cornell University and J.D. from Yale Law School. Following graduation from law school, she clerked for Judge Marsha S. Berzon of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

    Click here for more information about Kristi.

  • Judge Tobias S. "Toby" Hampson

    Judge Tobias S. "Toby" Hampson has served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals since 2019. He served as a law clerk at the Court of Appeals from 2002-2004 for Judges K. Edward Greene, Wanda Bryant and Robert C. Hunter.

    Following his clerkships, Judge Hampson was in private practice in Raleigh handling appellate matters primarily in the Court of Appeals and North Carolina Supreme Court.

    Judge Hampson is certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a specialist in Appellate Practice.

    Judge Hampson is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. He earned his B.A. in International Studies and History from American University and his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Judge Hampson.

  • Judge Robert N. "Bob" Hunter (Ret.)

    Judge Robert N. "Bob" Hunter (Ret.) is Of Counsel with Higgins Benjamin PLLC in Greensboro. He was a judge for the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Justice Supreme Court of North Carolina (Fall term, 2014) 2009-2019.

    Prior to judicial service, Bob's trial practice involved labor law, Fair Labor Standards Act, federal securities law, class actions, and real estate and decedent estates as Public Administrator. His practice included substantial time in disputed election contests, redistricting, voting rights, and equal protection claims.

    Bob served as adjunct professor of law at Wake Forest University School of Law, Elon University School of Law, and North Carolina Central School of Law teaching appellate advocacy and the law of democracy.

    Bob is a certified superior court mediator in the first class of ADR professionals licensed in North Carolina for Superior Court, Farm Nuisance, and Family Mediations. Prior to judicial service, he mediated approximately 150 cases. As an NASD arbitrator, he sat on 30 panels and served as Chairman on 9 panels.

    Bob earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and his L.L.M. from Duke University School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Bob.

  • Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Kelly

    Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Kelly is a Partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Raleigh. He focuses his practice in areas of emerging technology, particularly in areas involving data analytics, digital assets, and FinTech. He works closely with entrepreneurs and companies to effectively navigate changing regulations, government investigations, and complex corporate and securities law challenges protecting trade secrets, including the North Carolina Business Court, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and federal courts.

    Jeff serves in several leadership positions at the intersection of law, technology, and increasing access to justice. He currently serves on the Governing Council of the American Bar Association's Center for Innovation and is the Past Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association's Future of Law Committee, both of which are charged with tracking, analyzing, and contextualizing the impact of leading edge technology on the practice of law and delivery of legal services. He is also a Fellow of Duke University School of Law's Center on Law and Technology. He is the Chair of the Advisory Board for Legal Aid of North Carolina's Innovation Lab and serves on Legal Aid's Board of Directors.

    Jeff earned his B.A. in Philosophy from North Carolina State University and his J.D. from Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Jeff.

  • James W. Kilbourne Jr.

    James W. Kilbourne Jr. is a Partner at Allen Stahl + Kilbourne in Asheville. He is a litigation attorney with twenty-five years of experience, in all aspects of civil litigation, including depositions, hearings, mediations, arbitrations, jury trials, and appeals. He leads the firm’s practice in complex litigation, creditors rights in bankruptcy, copyright/ trademark litigation, appeals, and Indian Law. He has significant trial experience in State, Federal and Tribal courts. He is also a certified mediator.

    James worked with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for 7 years earlier in his career and likely tried more cases in the Cherokee Court than any other attorney. On issues of tribal jurisdiction, he has spoken nationally for the Federal Bar, American Bar Association, National Criminal Justice Association, Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, and Department of Justice: Office of Victims of Crime. On Native American legal issues, his work has been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Indian Country Today, Congressional Record, and a number of law reviews.

    James is recognized locally and statewide for his leadership in the legal profession.  James was President of the Buncombe Bar in 2018-19, President of the Western District Federal Bar in 2016-2017, and Chair of the NCBA Appellate Practice Section in 2021-22.  He is serving on the North Carolina Appellate Rules Committee for the ninth consecutive term.  He also served as the chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Convention Planning Advisory Committee for the 2018 (Wilmington) and 2019 (Biltmore) Conventions.

    James earned his B.A., cum laude, in Government and History from Wofford College and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

    Click here for more information about James.

  • John J. Korzen

    John J. Korzen is the Director of the Appellate Advocacy Clinic and an Associate Professor of Legal Writing at Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem. He joined the Wake Forest law faculty in 2003 and revived the school’s appellate clinic in 2006. Since 2007, he has supervised more than 50 oral arguments by 3Ls in various appellate courts and coached scores of students in moot court competitions.

    John is certified by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Appellate Practice. He has argued appeals in the Supreme Court of the United States, Fourth Circuit, Eleventh Circuit, Supreme Court of North Carolina, and the Court of Appeals of North Carolina. He has supervised the work of third-year law students in all of those appellate courts and others.

    Before joining the faculty in 2003, John practiced law for a total of eleven years, with Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore in Greensboro, and Anderson Korzen & Associates in Kernersville. He previously served as a law clerk for the late Sam J. Ervin, III, then Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Before attending law school,

    John taught grades 4 through 7 in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System for six years.

    John earned his B.A. from Wake Forest University and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.

    Click here for more information about John.

  • Annick I. Lenoir-Peek

    Annick I. Lenoir-Peek is Deputy Parent Defender at the Office of the Parent Defender in Durham.

    Annick began representing parents in A/N/D and TPR cases in 1999 in South Carolina prior to moving to North Carolina. She has practiced in this area of law exclusively since 2002, including two years as an agency attorney. Her focus has been representing parents at the appellate level since 2002.

    In 2015, she was certified as a Child Welfare Law Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children.

    Annick earned her B.S.F.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University and her J.D. from the The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Annick.

  • Jonathan G. McGirt

    Jonathan G. McGirt is a sole practitioner with a statewide practice based in Raleigh. He has practiced law for 28 years, and since 2010, his practice has concentrated exclusively on all aspects of family law appeals.

    Jonathan is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and a Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice Law. He is a member of the NCBA Appellate Practice Section Council, and he is Chair of the NCAJ Family Law Section.

    Jonathan earned his B.A. in German and Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

  • Justice Robert F. Orr (Ret.)

    Justice Robert F. Orr (Ret.) is a solo practitioner with The Law Offices of Robert F. Orr in Raleigh.

    Justice Orr was licensed to practice law in 1975 beginning his practice in Asheville doing civil litigation. In 1986 he was appointed by Governor James G. Martin to the NC Court of Appeals and served on that Court through 1994. From 1995 until his retirement, he served on the NC Supreme Court. Over the course of his 18 years in the judiciary, he successfully ran 4 statewide elections, twice for the Court of Appeals and twice for the Supreme Court.

    In 2004, Justice Orr became the Executive Director for the NC Institute for Constitutional Law litigating cases involving the NC Constitution. In 2010 he returned to private practice primarily handling litigation and appellate work focused on state constitutional issues plus serving a brief term as the interim District Attorney for the 35th Prosecutorial District. Over the course of nearly twenty years, he taught a course on the North Carolina Constitution as an adjunct professor at UNC School of Law and prior to that as adjunct professor at NC Central School of Law teaching Appellate Advocacy.

    Justice Orr has served on numerous boards and commissions over the years including as a member and then Chairman of the Secretary of the Interior's National Parks System Advisory Board. In 2022, he co-chaired work for the Carter Center in Atlanta, GA with former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts focused on strengthening confidence and support for the election process in North Carolina. He served in the U.S Army from 1968–1971.

    Justice Orr earned his A.B. in Radio/Television/Motion Pictures from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University and his J.D. from UNC School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Justice Orr.

  • Elizabeth B. "Beth" Scherer

    Elizabeth B. "Beth" Scherer is of counsel with Fox Rothschild LLP in Raleigh. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice who for 15 years has devoted her entire practice to federal and state appeals. She has briefed and argued cases in both the North Carolina appellate courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She has also represented clients before the Supreme Court of the United States.

    Beth recently co-authored Lexis' North Carolina Appellate Practice and Procedure treatise (©2019) with her Fox Rothschild colleague, Matt Leerberg. She is also a founding member and regular contributor to the North Carolina Appellate Practice Blog, a leading resource on North Carolina appellate practice and procedure.

    Additionally, Beth assists and counsels attorneys throughout North Carolina in preparing their appeals, complying with rules of appellate procedure and correcting appellate rules violations.

    Beth is a member and past chair of the North Carolina Bar Association's Appellate Rules Committee, which recommends changes to the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure to the Supreme Court, publishes appellate advocacy practice guides and seeks to improve the quality of appellate advocacy in North Carolina.

    Beth earned her A.S. from Gainesville College, her B.S., summa cum laude, from University of Georgia and her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Beth.

  • Troy D. Shelton

    Troy D. Shelton is a Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP in Raleigh. He partners with trial attorneys to defend their judgment or find creative paths to reversal. He handles appeals in every area of the law.

    Troy has been certified by the North Carolina State Bar as an Appellate Specialist. He has a wide variety of trial and appellate experience involving class actions, antitrust, employment, land use and family law cases. He also frequently litigates commercial disputes in federal and North Carolina Business courts and serves as a class action consultant to attorneys inside and outside the firm, for both plaintiffs and defendants.

    Troy is a contributing author to the North Carolina Appellate Practice Blog, which provides news, information and tips for practicing law in North Carolina's State and Federal Appellate Courts.

    Troy is a member of the Appellate Practice of the North Carolina Bar Association.

    Troy earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

    Click here for more information about Troy.

  • Michael R. Williams

    Michael R. Williams is the Principal Deputy Solicitor General for the State of West Virginia. He represents the State in appeals before state and federal courts. Among other things, he also helps lead the State's active amicus practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Before joining the Attorney General's Office, Michael represented automakers, the Michigan Legislature, and others in appeals across the country with a private firm in Michigan. Before then, he practiced in the litigation groups of two Washington, D.C. firms and clerked with the Appellate Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maine. His experience is diverse, representing clients public and private, large, and small, plaintiff-side and defense-side.

    Michael's work has been honored with a Best Brief Award from the National Association of Attorneys General and a Leader in the Law Award from Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He often speaks and writes on appellate-related issues, including amicus strategy.

    Michael clerked twice in the Fourth Circuit: once with then-Chief Judge Deborah Chasanow of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and later with Judge G. Steven Agee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

    Michael earned his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Bates College and his J.D., with high honors, from The George Washington University Law School.

    Click here for more information about Michael.

  • Matthew D. Wunsche

    Matthew D. Wunsche is Appellate Counsel at NC Guardian ad Litem Program in Raleigh. His duties include representing children on appeal in abuse, neglect, and dependency and termination of parental rights cases, and recruiting, assisting, and training pro bono attorneys to represent children on appeal for the NC GAL program.

    Matt is a North Carolina State Bar Board-Certified Specialist in Child Welfare Law.

    From 2003 through 2008, Matt was an Assistant Appellate Defender at the Office of the Appellate Defender, where he represented indigent criminal defendants on direct appeal. From 2008 through 2015, he worked as a staff attorney at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where he drafted proposed opinions for the Court in Rule 3.1 appeals and other matters, and reviewed petitions for extraordinary writs and motions.

    Matt earned his B.A. in English, with an emphasis in Rhetoric and a minor in Political Science, from Penn State University and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, where he was a member of the Holderness Moot Court Bench Invitational Team.

    Click here for more information about Matthew.

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March 8, 2024
Fri 8:25 AM EST
North Carolina Bar Center 8000 Weston Parkway Cary, NC 27511 919.677.0561

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Duration 8H 15M

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