Group photo

1966

Charlton L. Allen was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority in Washington, D.C. (Jan 2026).

Richard A. Vinroot was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service, by Governor Josh Stein. (June 2026).

1967

Richard A. Vinroot was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service, by Governor Josh Stein. (June David Long, of Poyner Spruill, was inducted into the North Carolina Bar Association’s Legal Practice Hall of Fame. (October 2026).

1972

Frank C. Thigpen announced his retirement from Thigpen & Jenkins after 53 years of dedicated service in Moore County, N.C. (Jan 2026).

1974

Wayne B. Eads, managing partner at Eads Law PLLC, was appointed to the Historic Hillsborough Commission as an at-large member. (June 2026).

1975

James Floyd Ammons Jr. was elected President of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges in N.C. (Apr. 2026).

1977

Richard Boyette, of counsel at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America 2027 list. (Aug. 2026).

1980

Michael L. Robinson, chief judge of the North Carolina Business Court in Winston-Salem, N.C., was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service, by Governor Josh Stein and retired from the North Carolina Business Court. (October 2026).

1981

Steven H. Sholk, of FBT Gibbons LLP, had his article “A Primer for Employers to Navigating the Trump Administration’s H-1B Visa Policies,” published in the Summer 2026 issue of Labor Law Journal. (July 2026).

1982

Alex Charns, of Charns Law Office was recognized by The NYC Big Book Award recognized “FBI Snitches, Blackmail, and Obscene Ethics at the Supreme Court” as a winner in the category of politics. (Sept. 2026).

1983

Vincent D. Childress, of Roberts & Stevens P.A., was awarded the Centennial Award by the North Carolina Bar Association in Buncombe County, N.C. (June 2026).

1985

C.D. Taylor Pace, partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America 2027 list. (Aug. 2026).

1986

Lee Poole, partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America 2027 list. (Aug. 2026).

1987

Stephanie Autry, partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America 2027 list. (Aug. 2026).

Byron Kirkland, of Smith Anderson in Raleigh, N.C., was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

1988

Ben Baldwin accepted the position of counsel at Parker Poe in Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 2026).

Scott Fuller, partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized by Best Lawyers as one of Best Lawyers in America 2027. (Aug. 2026).

Mark D. Martin was awarded the Missouri Civility Award by the American Bar Association Judicial Division. (July 2026).

1989

R. Javoyne Hicks, owner and CEO of Magnifying Synergy, was elected to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia and installed as president-elect. (June 2026).

1990

James Daniel “Dan” Bishop accepted the position of Member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee at the Office of the Attorney General in the US Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (May 2026).

1991

George Autry, partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America 2027 list. (Aug. 2026).

Alicia D. Brooks accepted the position of Immigration Judge at U.S. Immigration Court in Charlotte, N.C. (May 2026).

Anita Brown-Graham, of University of North Carolina School of Government, was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

Athena Fox Brooks was appointed by Governor Josh Stein to the Superior Court of North Carolina in Hendersonville, N.C. (Apr. 2026).

1992

Martin H. Brinkley, of Carolina Law, was awarded the Faculty Service Medal and was awarded the Frederick B. McCall Award for Teaching Excellence. (May 2026).

1993

Lara S. Nichols, accepted the position of partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP in Charlotte, N.C. (June 2026).

Aubrey Rothrock III, of Squire Patton Boggs LLP, accepted the position of co-leader for the public policy & government relationship group in Washington, D.C. (May 2026).

1994

David Fountain, accepted the position of counsel at Smith Anderson in Raleigh, N.C. (June 2026).

1996

Teresa Wynn Roseborough, accepted the position of Trustee on the Board of Trustees for the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, C.A. (May 2026).

1998

Jonathan Heyl, partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, was recognized in North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Legal 250 List. (June 2026).

Chris Mumma, of N.C. Center on Actual Innocence in Durham, N.C., was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

1999

Naya A. Tsang accepted the appointment of Executive Prosecutor of Warren County in Belvidere, N.J. (Apr. 2026).

2000

Todd Eveson, of Wyrick Robbins in Raleigh, N.C., was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

Chris Kouri, of Maynard Nexsen in Charlotte, N.C., was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

2001

Veronica Cope accepted her appointment by Governor Brian Kemp to the Superior Court of the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit in Lawrenceville, G.A. (Aug. 2026).

Arnita Dula, of Teague Campbell, was sworn in as a new City Council member in Hickory, N.C. (Dec. 2025).

Richard Holley III, of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., accepted the position of Associate Director of the Office of Market Supervision (OMS) within the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets. (Sept. 2026).

Melinda L. Manning, director of the Beacon Program for UNC Health, was elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education. (Nov. 2025).

Jack Slosson, of Nelson Mullins in Charlotte, N.C., was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

2002

Jason Burt accepted the position of partner at WilmerHale in Denver, C.O. (May 2026).

Ray Starling, of N.C. Chamber of Commerce in Raleigh, N.C. was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

2003

Ashley Campbell, of Legal Aid North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C., was recognized by Business North Carolina Power List 2026 as one of North Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders. (May 2026).

2006

Sheria A. Clarke, of Nelson Mullins, was appointed as a South Carolina federal judge in Greenville, S.C. (May 2026).

Melofy Jolly partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers in America 2027 list. (Aug. 2026).

2007

Robin Lalley, of Sodoma Law York, gains full equity ownership in the Rock Hill, S.C. location. (Sept 2026).

Joshua “Josh” Otto accepted the position of managing partner at Wyrick Robbins in Raleigh, N.C. (Apr. 2026).

2008

Christopher Lightner accepted the position of partner in the patent prosecution and litigation practice group at Womble Bond Dickinson in Atlanta, G.A. (June 2026).

2010

Seema K. Jain accepted the position of Deputy Director at the Office of Enforcement and Regulatory Accounting in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (June 2026).

Skye Smith accepted the position of partner in the investment management group at Skadden in Abu Dhabi, UAE. (June 2026).

2011

Jeff Beelaert accepted a position as partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Boise, I.D. (Sept. 2026).

Kathleen “Katie” O. Berkey, of Becker & Poliakoff in Fort Meyers, F.L., authored her personal essay “The Unseen Zone of Influence: A Tribute to My Mother Who Taught Me About Life, Zoning, and Advocacy” and was named the 2027 “Lawyer of the Year” for Land Use and Zoning Law. (July and Aug. 2026).

Mary Weeks, of Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, was recognized by the ABA Business Law Section’s Business and Corporate Litigation Committee as a Woman Business and Commercial Advocates 2026 Honoree. (May 2026).

2012

Freddie Akrouche, of Goodwin Proctor in Boston, M.A., was recognized by Bloomberg Law’s They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 as a 2026 Real Estate Honoree. (Aug. 2026).

Christine Burnside, of Deuterman Law Group in Greensboro, N.C., was reelected for a second term on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives. (June 2026).

Brooks Jaffa accepted the position of partner in the corporate department of Pierson Ferdinand LLP in Charlotte, N.C. (June 2026).

John Lawrence accepted the position of partner in the healthcare department of Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Raleigh, N.C. (Aug. 2026).

2013

Marshall Dworkin, of Saul Ewing LLP, has been selected as a New Leaders of the Bar honoree as part of the New Jersey Law Journal’s 2026 New Jersey Legal Awards. (Sept. 2026).

Kelsey Jernigan accepted the position of partner in the healthcare department of Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Raleigh, N.C. (Aug. 2026).

2014

A. Michelle Lippert was appointed to the District Court Judicial District 36 by Governor Josh Stein, which serves Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties. (Aug. 2026).

Rebekah Scherr, of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, was elected President-Elect of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association in Washington, D.C. (June 2026).

2015

Kris Caudle accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law Houston in Houston, T.X. (Aug. 2026).

R. Robert El-Jaouhari, partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recognized in the Best Lawyers 2027 “Ones to Watch” list. (Aug. 2026).

Brandon Elliot accepted the position of partner in the global corporate group of Reed Smith LLP in Miami, F.L. (Apr. 2026).

David R. Fitzgerald accepted the position of Deputy Under Secretary at the United States Department of the Army in Raleigh, N.C. (Apr. 2026).

2016

Jamie Rudd accepted the position of partner in the workers’ compensation defense group of Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A. in Raleigh, N.C. (Aug. 2026).

Corey Brown Weber accepted the position of Deputy Staff Director at the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in Washington, D.C. (Apr. 2026).

2017

Frederic “Trace” Schilling accepted a counsel position at Lippes Mathias Attorneys at Law in West Palm Beach, F.L. (Sept. 2026).

2018

Anthony Ferrara accepted the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in New York, N.Y. (May 2026).

Joseph Hjelt accepted the position of partner at Kornbluth Ginsberg Law Group, P.A. in Durham, N.C. (Aug. 2026).

2019

Caitlin Tarpley accepted the position of Senior Intellectual Property Attorney for Bass, Berry & Sims PLC in Nashville, T.N. (Aug. 2026).

Ariella Walsh accepted the position of partner at Poyner Spruill LLP in Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 2026).

2021

Kendra R. Roberts accepted her appointment to the Deputy Commissioner for the North Carolina Industrial Commission in Charlotte, N.C. (Aug 2026).

2022

Hannah B. Simmons accepted the position of associate at Ogletree Deakins’ in Raleigh, N.C. (June 2026).

2023

William Rhyne accepted the position of associate at Starnes Davis Florie LLP in Brimingham, A.L. (Oct. 2026).

2024

Hayley Stancil accepted the position of associate at Jones Walker LLP in Houston, T.X. (Mar. 2026).

2025

Julia Rhine, of Motley Rice LLC in Mount Pleasant, S.C., was recognized by Moultrie News as a new firm associate. (Apr. 2026).

2026

Arden Riddle accepted the position of attorney at Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers in Raleigh and Goldsboro, N.C. (Sept. 2026).

Jackson Webb accepted the position of associate at Poyner Spruill LLP in Raleigh, N.C. (Sept. 2026).