Jun., 2010 - Mecklenburg County Bar

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2009-10 Summary Immigration & Nationality Section By Anne L. Crotty & Elizabeth R. Edwards, Co-Chairs With the burgeoning immigrant population and the arrival of the Immigration Court, the Immigration & Nationality Section of the Mecklenburg County Bar has responded to increased numbers of immigration attorneys practicing in our region. The Section hosted a six-week series of breakfast CLE events at the Bar Center on Immigration Court practice from January 27th through early March. Topics included Overview of Court Procedure, Bond and Master Calendar Hearings, Cancellation of Removal and Other Relief from Removal, Political Asylum and VAWA Cancellation, Adjustment of Status and Criminal Grounds of Removability, Voluntary Departure and Appeals of the Bureau of Immigration Appeals. Following the series, a mock trial was held at the Immigration Court, with Immigration Judge Barry Pettinato presiding and immigration attorneys, paralegals, and a local physician serving as attorneys, the respondent, and witnesses. To foster collegiality, the Section met for an informal lunch on the 3rd Thursday of each month at Lebowski’s on East Blvd. Because immigration law is federal practice, several local practitioners are licensed in other states, rather than North Carolina, but any licensed attorney may join the Immigration Section and participate in all Section activities. All attorneys with an interest in immigration law are welcome to join the Section. 2009-10 Summary Lawyer Referral Service Committee By David H. Strickland & Lauren M. Vaughn, Co-Chairs The Mecklenburg County Bar Lawyer Referral Service (MCB LRS) successfully focused its 2009-10 efforts on the selfsustainability of the Service through new marketing and reporting initiatives. The MCB LRS began its year with a new publicity flyer detailing the Service and addressing common questions clients may have prior to calling. Flyers were distributed to local businesses, the courthouse, government agencies, community centers and other local legal organizations for circulation to their clients. This marketing tool helped maintain steady incoming calls as we entered the holiday season and into the typically quieter months of January and February. The MCB LRS Committee and staff made a concerted effort to send quarterly reports to the LRS Panel members with clearer instructions on the expectations of these reports. As a result, the MCB LRS has been able to better maintain an accurate database system within the Service and communication between LRS staff and Panel members. Family law, bankruptcy and personal injury cases continued to be the most prominent types of cases referred this year. There was also a sharp increase in the number of referrals for landlord/tenant, employment, and consumer issues cases. As a result, the MCB LRS still needs more attorneys on the panel who practice in these areas – if you are interested in joining the Lawyer Referral Service Panel, now is a great time! As we are in the midst of the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, MCB LRS offers a discount to attorneys who would like to join now but would face renewal in only a few months as the new fiscal year begins. Attorneys have the option of paying $200 to become active on referral rotation immediately with membership lasting through June 30, 2011. 2009-10 MCB Membership Directories Are Available There are still copies of the MCB Membership Directory available for purchase. Order extra copies of this critical resource for your staff. You will find important contact information on the courts, judges and community agencies, as well as all MCB members listed individually and by firm. Stop by the Bar Center or call 704/375-8624 to purchase your extra copies. Any attorneys interested in leadership within the MCB LRS are encouraged to consider joining the MCB Lawyer Referral Service Committee. The Committee consists of 12 members - each serving three-year terms. The Committee handles a variety of issues including marketing strategies, guideline review, ethics questions and sponsorship solicitation for the Annual MCB LRS Reception held each June. If you are interested in joining, contact Co-chairs Lauren Vaughn or David Strickland or MCB LRS staff liaison Mary Jordan Mullinax at mjmullinax@meckbar.org. 10 June 2010 www.meckbar.org
2009-10 Summary McMillan Fund Committee By Randel E. Phillips, Chair The Mecklenburg Bar Foundation’s McMillan Fund Committee administers and raises money for the McMillan Fellowships. The Fellowships are awarded each year to promising law school students to do public service work in not-for-profit and government agencies in Mecklenburg County. Established in 1995 as a separate fund of the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation, the McMillan Fund seeks to support justice and innovation within our local legal system and to encourage law students who might be interested in a career in public interest law in Mecklenburg County. To date, 44 Fellows have worked at such agencies as Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. District Court, International House, Office of the Public Defender, Council for Children’s Rights, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Mecklenburg Trial Court Administrator’s Office. The Fellowships are primarily funded through the annual McMillan Fund Dinner, held on April 22, 2010, at Byron’s South End. This Dinner marked the third year of our Committee’s fruitful collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Special Committee on Diversity. The combined efforts of the two Committees helped make this year’s Dinner one of the most successful in its 13-year history. The event raised approximately $14,000, after expenses, for summer Fellowships. There were 148 registrants for the event, including 26 Individual Sponsorships ($300). There were nine Corporate/Firm Sponsors who supported the Dinner and our Fellows through $1,200 table sponsorships (an increase from five corporate sponsors the previous year). The McMillan Fund Committee and the Special Committee on Diversity would like to thank Bank of America Legal Department; Charlotte School of Law; Duke Energy Legal Department; Hunton & Williams; McGuireWoods; Moore & Van Allen; Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough; Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson; and Wells Fargo Legal Department for their generous support of the 2010 McMillan Dinner. The Dinner was the setting for the third annual presentation of the Special Committee on Diversity’s Julius L. Chambers Diversity Champion Award. The Award was presented posthumously to Judge Clifton E. Johnson for his years of selfless service to the State and people of North Carolina, his promotion of equal opportunity, and his own path-breaking career (culminating in his service on the North Carolina Court of Appeals) – as the first African American assistant state prosecutor since the 19th Century; his judicial service as Mecklenburg County’s first African American District Court Judge; and the first African American Chief District Judge, Resident Superior Court Judge, and Chair of the Judicial Standards Commission. The after-dinner program was headlined by Ed Williams, former editorial page editor for the Charlotte Observer and friend of Judge McMillan. Mr. Williams offered a moving multi-media presentation about the life and times of Judge McMillan and his lasting legacy to the community. The program continued with the presentation of the Diversity Champion Award by Judge Linwood Foust, and concluding remarks from the family of Judge Johnson, who accepted the award on his behalf. Thanks largely to the fundraising dinner and applications from a number of local agencies, the McMillan Fund Committee was able to make four fellowship grants of $3,000 each. These grants will help support six law students working at International House, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office and Federal Defenders of Western North Carolina. McMillan Committee members for 2009– 10 include Ozzie Ayscue, Maria Long, George Daly, John Gresham, Ray Owens, Marion Cowell, Katie Holliday, Amy Johnson and Randy Phillips. The Committee thanks Bar staffers Leah Reed and Stephanie Marella for their able administrative support for the Dinner and this year’s activities. Faster than a speeding bullet...you can get a PRONTO QUOTE for your LAWYERS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE. Well, maybe not that fast, but you get the point... ̌ Get a premium estimate during your first phone call. ̌ Get a customized quote usually within 6 hours. ̌ Get your CNA policy at your desk usually within 1 business day. CNA is the largest underwriter of legal malpractice coverage in the U.S. GilsbarPRO is the exclusive administrator for the CNA Lawyers Professional Liability Program in the State of North Carolina. Call the PROS. (800) 906-9654 • www.gilsbarpro.com Employment Practices Liability Insurance is also available through CNA and GilsbarPRO! One or more of the CNA companies provide the products and/or services described. The information is intended to present a general overview for illustrative purposes only. CNA is a registered trade mark of CNA Financial Corporation. Copyright (c) 2010 CNA. All rights reserved. www.meckbar.org June 2010 11
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Jun., 2010 - Mecklenburg County Bar

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