D. BLAINE SANDERS
JAMES H. SLAUGHTER
ATTORNEY ROBINSON BRADSHAW CHARLOTTE
PARTNER LAW FIRM CAROLINAS GREENSBORO
For Blaine Sanders, the definition of success is a balanced life. That includes taking care of clients, spending quality time with family, and participating in church and community events. Sanders also takes special satisfaction in doing pro bono work and advises other attorneys to give back too. “It will make you a happier lawyer,” he said. Sanders credits his parents with keeping him grounded while at the same time, encouraging self-esteem. “They instilled in me a belief that nobody was better than me, but also I wasn’t better than anybody else,” he said. “The difference would be what I did with what I had been given, and I’d been given a lot.” Both his background and life’s work fit into his future goals, when the time comes for his second act. “I would like to spend more time with my children and grandchildren and stay involved with my church and the community,” he said. “I also plan to keep doing pro bono work.”
Dechert congratulates associate Sarah Wesley Wheaton for being named an influential Icons & Phenoms attorney in the Carolinas. dechert.com
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Jim Slaughter traces his fascination with the law back to his teen years as a page in the North Carolina Senate. He credits his teachers and parents with inspiring his work ethic and love of knowledge. Slaughter passes along his passion as a mentor and leader in professional organizations, including the College of Community Association Lawyers and the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers. “I’ve also tried to make Robert’s Rules of Order approachable and have preached the gospel of well-run meetings through proper procedure,” he said. Slaughter reminds younger attorneys to avoid limiting themselves to a tried-and-true practice, encouraging them to be open to new and emerging areas of law. “My primary areas of practice, homeowner/condo association law and parliamentary law, were never discussed during my law school. Other areas exist these days, from cell towers, to beer, marijuana, bitcoin or blockchain because lawyers have carved out their own niches.”
KIRK WARNER ATTORNEY SMITH ANDERSON RALEIGH
Growing up with two older brothers on a dairy farm in Ohio, Kirk Warner learned the lessons that hard work brings: valuing education, leadership, effort and achievement. “We excelled in sports and academics,” he said. “My best memories are making our parents proud.” Warner served a distinguished career as a colonel in the U.S. Army before retiring in 2013 after 33 years. He served as a senior legal counsel to the (Gulf War) Coalition while commanding a team of Army JAGs in major combat operations during the liberation of Iraq. “We brought order to chaos, established new court systems, prosecuted those who had committed crimes against humanity, and tackled daunting tasks under impossible conditions,” he said. Warner would tell younger attorneys to “look in the mirror every night and ask whether you’ve done all you can for your clients, our legal system, our community, our nation, and our veterans.” “And,” he adds, “always drive it like you stole it.”
July 2023
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