A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

WAKE BAR FLYER

VOL. L | ISSUE 2 | SECOND QUARTER 2021

BY WHITNEY D.G. VON HAAM | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Presidents DAVE HOLM, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION RUSSELL D. BABB, TENTH J.D. BAR Presidents-Elect YVONNE ARMENDARIZ, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION DAYATRA MATTHEWS, TENTH J.D. BAR Secretary MEREDITH PACE BREWER Treasurer JUDGE ASHLEIGH P. DUNSTON Immediate Past Presidents CARMEN H. BANNON, WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION ADAM M. GOTTSEGEN, TENTH J.D. BAR Board of Directors TIFFANY COX (2023) JEAN CARTER (2021) ANNA DAVIS (2022) JAKE EPSTEIN (2023) DAVID FERRELL (2022) WILLIAM FINN JR. (2021) NIYA T. FONVILLE (2022) EVIN GRANT (2021) JUDGE SAM HAMADANI (2023) KATIE H. KING (2021) DEAN J. RICH LEONARD (EX OFFICIO) KELLIE MYERS (2023) KIMBERLY MILLER (2022) BRIAN P. OTEN (2022) SARAH PRIVETTE (2023) JUDGE VINCE ROZIER, JR. (2021) KRISTINA THOMPSON (2022) JESSICA VICKERS (2021) JOHN WARD (2022) BENJAMIN O. “BOZ” ZELLINGER (2022) Young Lawyers Division President KENDRA N. STARK Young Lawyers Division President-elect JONATHAN BOGUES Executive Director WHITNEY D.G. von HAAM Wake Bar Flyer Editor CANDACE B. MARSHALL Communications SARAH L. JUSTICE Wake Bar Flyer Designer CLAIR S. SMITH Tenth Judicial District Bar Councilors JULIE L. BELL HEIDI C. BLOOM WALTER E. BROCK THEODORE C. EDWARDS II KATHERINE A. FRYE FRED T. MORELOCK JUDGE ROBERT B. RADER WARREN T. SAVAGE

“HELLO! THANK YOU FOR CALLING THE TENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT BAR AND WAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION!” This phrase is more than a mouthful, and you will hear it – or some iteration of it – whenever you call the WCBA and Tenth offices. This statement is more than just the winner of the longest greeting phrase (although, to be sure, some of your law firms give us a run for our money!), but we say it in the hopes that our members will better understand that our office oversees BOTH the mandatory Tenth Judicial District Bar and the voluntary Wake County Bar Association.

Yes, it is confusing, and no one knows that better than your staff who are continually explaining to our members the difference between the two entities. However, the members of both the Tenth and the WCBA gain so much by having one group oversee both – for instance, you only have to make one call if you have an address change. Or, if we see that you’ve made your WCBA payment, but NOT your mandatory (i.e. get in trouble if you don’t pay) Tenth dues, we will reach out to you before you get reported to the State Bar.

If you think it is a lot to have the two entities, you may want to speak with colleagues who have moved from the 26th Judicial District Bar – or Mecklenburg Bar, where there is only one entity that costs the amount of our two combined and it’s MANDATORY. And, here is the real clincher: there is NO FREE CLE.

We’re really proud that our members find great value in voluntarily joining the WCBA. If you are someone that has questioned that value, I’d be glad to take a moment and make sure that you are getting the most out of your membership – whether from our free CLE options, our monthly luncheons (still going, even during the pandemic!) or our re-engineered socials, parties and picnics. We spend a lot of time making sure that you never feel like you have to join the Tenth, and a similar amount of time making sure you love belonging to the WCBA. WBF

WE NEED VIRTUAL LUNCHEON RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our virtual luncheons while supporting some of our favorite local restaurants over the last few months. As we look to continue this for the foreseeable future, we’d like to hear from our members with suggestions for new restaurants to reach out to.

Please email Stephanie McGee at stephanie@wakecountybar.org with your recommendations!