28 th Judicial District Bar Professionalism For New Admittees Program 2015 Presenters In order of appearance

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1 28 th Judicial District Bar Professionalism For New Admittees Program 2015 Presenters In order of appearance Brad Stark Fisher, Stark, & Cash, PA A native of Asheville, Brad Stark left The Van Winkle Law Firm in 2008 to join Fisher Stark Cash. Brad graduated from The Florida State University College of Law in 2005, magna cum laude, where he was a member of Law Review. Brad is currently a member of The Order of the Coif; a prestigious national society recognizing academic excellence in the legal arena. Brad focuses his practice on litigation in both State and Federal Court, and continues to enjoy success in eminent domain proceedings and on behalf of individuals in personal injury cases and other matters. In 2008 Brad was nominated by the 28th Judicial District Bar and Pisgah Legal Services for the William L. Thorp Pro Bono Service Award in recognition of his commitment to providing pro bono legal services to those in the community who need help. Brad s service to the local bar and community continues with his service on the Executive Committee of the 28th Judicial District Bar in his current role as President. Brad is also a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) and is a board member of its eminent domain section. Bill Christy Stone & Christy, PA Bill Christy grew up in the Haw Creek area of Asheville, graduating from A.C. Reynolds High School in A graduate of Warren Wilson College (1979), Bill moved to the Triangle area after college. Bill received the MAT-English degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in Bill then spent three years teaching in the public schools. After graduating with honors in 1989 from North Carolina Central University School of Law, and being admitted to the North Carolina Bar, Bill then attended the University of Florida where he was awarded the LL.M. in Taxation in He then practiced law in Durham for five years in a small firm that he founded, specializing in tax, probate and real estate matters. In 1995 Bill moved to Black Mountain to join Dick Stone, and together they founded Stone & Christy. Bill s practice has focused on both the transactions and litigation of real estate and probate matters, as well as general business matters. Bill was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Warren Wilson College in 2010 and is Secretary of the Board and Chair of the Audit Committee and the Facilities Committee. Bill also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Black Mountain Savings Bank, SSB. Bill provides pro bono legal services through the Hotline and Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyers programs of Pisgah Legal Services, as well as serving as counsel to a number of local non-profit corporations. In addition, Bill is active in many local community organizations, including serving as as President of the 28th Judicial District Bar ( ), and being currently active (president-elect) with Black Mountain Rotary Club and with Rotary Youth Exchange.

2 James Kilbourne The Dungan Law Firm Dungan, Kilbourne & Stahl, PA James W. Kilbourne, Jr., has a lifelong fascination with technology. From the Doctor Who s sonic screwdriver to Star Trek s ipads, he has been interested in the ways technology makes our lives and our jobs easier. As an attorney, he has conducted seminars on the ipad in litigation, case management systems, and internet law. In his previous positions, he designed the interim database and case management systems for the Cherokee Court, still in use 12 years later, and served as an advisor on several court case management systems. He has been interviewed by WLOS-TV for a segment on Facebook and free speech. He is currently in private practice with the firm of Dungan, Kilbourne & Stahl in Asheville, concentrating on civil litigation. He practice involves complex litigation, construction law, and appellate matters. In his daily practice, James relies upon electronic document management and technological tools to consistently litigate complex issues against much larger firms. As a result of his experience in the area, he occasionally handles matters of Indian Law for clients in the area and across the country. Prior to returning to private practice, James served as the first full-time prosecutor for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from 2001 to During his service to the Eastern Band, he was a member of numerous boards and organization in Cherokee and throughout the country focusing on domestic violence, tribal jurisdiction, and tribal court systems. He has visited Tribal Courts and met with Tribal Prosecutors from numerous tribes across the country. Though his leadership, the Cherokee prosecutor s office was at the forefront of national issues litigating complex issues of tribal criminal jurisdiction, aggressively pursuing domestic violence prosecution, and advocating for the application of tribal custom and tradition to modern criminal proceedings. As a result of this work, he has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, Indian Country Today, and the Congressional Record. Prior to receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law, he completed his undergraduate degree at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and has remained a life-long Terrier fan. Peter Bolac Trust Account Compliance Counsel & District Bar Liaison, North Carolina State Bar Peter Bolac joined the State Bar in 2011 as Trust Account Compliance Counsel and District Bar Liaison. As Trust Account Counsel, Peter oversees the new trust account compliance program, which helps lawyers improve trust account practices and mitigate disciplinary action. Peter received a BA from Wake Forest in 2006 and a JD from the University of Memphis in Brian Oten Deputy Counsel, North Carolina State Bar Brian Oten serves as Deputy Counsel for the North Carolina State Bar, where his duties include the investigation and litigation of ethical misconduct claims against attorneys. He joined the State Bar s Office of Counsel in October Brian is also an adjunct professor of law at Campbell University s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Brian received both his undergraduate degree and his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. After graduating from law school, one of Brian s career stops was the federal district courthouse in downtown Asheville, where he clerked for Judge Lacy H. Thornburg.

3 Jaclyn Kiger Managing Attorney, Pisgah Legal Services Jaclyn Kiger joined Pisgah Legal Services in Her advocacy is concentrated in public benefits and health care law, and as a part of the attorney-advocate team at PLS she works to respond to the poverty law needs of low-income residents of Western North Carolina. Jaclyn also holds a Master s Degree in Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to becoming an attorney she worked as a social worker in the nonprofit sector for 8 years. The Honorable Martin Reidinger United States District Judge, Western District of North Carolina The Honorable Martin Reidinger was sworn in as a United States District Judge in Asheville, North Carolina on September 17, He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina in 1981 and his Juris Doctor with Honors from the University of North Carolina in Then he was in private practice in Asheville, North Carolina from 1984 to He is a member of the 28th Judicial District Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, and a frequent speaker at legal functions. The Honorable Sharon Tracey Barrett Sharon Tracey Barrett graduated from Boston College (1983) and Georgetown University Law Center (1986), then practiced law in Asheville with the firm of Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore for nineteen years, focusing primarily on civil litigation. In 2005, she was appointed and later twice elected as a District Court Judge in Buncombe County, serving for five years. She was then appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge in February, 2011 and served until her term of office expired in May, During that time, she held court in 30 different North Carolina counties. Judge Barrett is a Past President of the 28th Judicial District Bar. She has been married for 27 years to Jim Barrett, who is the Executive Director of Pisgah Legal Services. Carleton Metcalf of Van Winkle Law Firm Carleton Metcalf has been with The Van Winkle Law Firm since He is a senior principal, an officer of the firm, and a member of the Board of Directors. A seasoned litigator and frequent speaker, he works with local businesses and multi-national companies in commercial disputes and business-related matters that are pending before the federal courts, the North Carolina Business Court and North Carolina state courts. His experience also extends to matters of constitutional law, having handled claims affecting freedom of speech, public employment, and due process. Metcalf is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in North Carolina as well as all Cherokee Tribal Courts. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit and the Federal Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a fellow of the American Bar Association, a founding member and past president of the Federal Bar Association, and a past Executive Committee member of the 28 th Judicial District Bar. He graduation from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Law, and serves on their Alumni Association.

4 Bill Parker of Long, Parker, Warren, Anderson & Payne PA William A. Parker is a founding partner of Long, Parker, Warren, Anderson & Payne, P.A. He was educated at Wake Forest University, graduating with a B.A. in Bill received his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1974 and was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in He is a member of the honor societies Omicron Delta Kappa and Order of the Coif, as well as the North Carolina Bar Association, 28th Judicial District and North Carolina State Bars, and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers. LeAnn Melton, 28 th JDB Chief Public Defender LeAnn Melton graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice in She received her J.D. from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law in She is currently serving as the Chief Public Defender for the 28th Judicial District since She is a member of the State Judicial Council from 2011 to present, and former President of the NC Public Defenders Association from 2010 to Susan Taylor Rash of Adams, Hendon, Carson, Crow & Saenger PA Susan Taylor Rash practices business and corporate law, estate planning, probate and estate administration, municipal law and commercial real estate at the Adams Firm in downtown Asheville. She was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in She is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, where she was Articles Editor for the Georgia Law Review. Jessica Leaven of Grimes, Teich, Anderson LLP Jessica E. Leaven graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997, and she graduated with Honors from the University Of North Carolina School of Law in In law school, she served on the North Carolina Law Review as a Staff Member and an Articles Editor. She was a law clerk to the Honorable Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After her clerkship, she practiced law for more than 10 years with litigation firms in Asheville and in the Triangle area before she joined Grimes Teich Anderson LLP in December Her areas of practice include employment law, workers' compensation, personal injury, and capital post-conviction cases. She has litigated cases in both state and federal court and before the North Carolina Industrial Commission and she has an extensive background in appellate work before the North Carolina Supreme Court, North Carolina Court of Appeals, and North Carolina Industrial Commission. Jessica has authored and co-authored numerous publications. She is President of the WNC Chapter of the NC Association of Women Attorneys. She is an active member of North Carolina Advocates for Justice for which she has also been the Chair of the Employment Law Section and a speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars at conventions hosted by the NCAJ. Jessica is a Council Member of the North Carolina Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section and is an editor of the NC Bar Association's Labor and Employment Section Newsletter.

5 Jessica is the recipient of several awards including The Evan Mahaney Champion of Civil Liberties Award presented by the Western North Carolina Chapter of The American Civil Liberties Union. She was selected for inclusion on the North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star lists in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and The Honorable Gary S. Cash of Fisher, Stark, Cash PA Gary S. Cash was the Chief District Court Judge in Judicial District 28 (Buncombe County) from December of 2002 until December of 2010 when he retired from the bench after 25 years of judicial service. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Davidson College, during which time he was an International Rotary Scholar at the University of Muenster, West Germany. Following his graduation from Davidson in 1971, he was a Rockefeller Fellow to Yale University Divinity School before earning his J.D. degree from the UNC-School of Law in Prior to being first elected to the bench in 1986, Judge Cash worked in Asheville as a general practitioner in the private practice of law. He has held numerous judicial leadership positions including serving as President of the N.C. Conference of Chief District Court Judges, President of the N.C. Association of District Court Judges, and as a Director of the N.C. Joint Judicial Conference. Other past professional and community activities include, among others, his serving as Chair of the N.C. Custody Mediation Advisory Committee, as a member of the N.C. Domestic Violence Commission, on the N.C. Family Court Advisory Committee, and on the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Advisory Panel. He currently is Chair of the District Court Oversight Committee of the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission. Judge Cash was awarded the th Judicial District Bar Professionalism Award, the 2009 Outstanding N.C. Trial Judge Award presented by the N.C. Advocates for Justice (N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers), the 2009 Champion of the Family Award from the North Carolina Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, and the 2010 Pisgah Legal Services Roy Davis Award. He currently is in private practice exclusively doing alternative dispute resolution services with Fisher Stark Cash, Attorneys in Asheville, and is certified by the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission as a N.C. Superior Court and District Court family financial mediator, as well as a mediator in proceedings before the Clerks of Court.