Ward Black Law, a law firm in Greensboro, hosted the 10th annual Super Lawyers event August 24 to honor NC’s top 50 women Super Lawyers (see list below) and to raise funds for Legal Aid of North Carolina.
This year’s event, held virtually for the first time, featured remarks from keynote speaker Rep. Sarah Stevens, House Speaker Pro Tempore in the General Assembly; Janet Ward Black, owner of Ward Black Law; George Hausen, Executive Director of Legal Aid of North Carolina; and Adrienne Kennedy, a member of Legal Aid’s Board of Directors.
In her remarks, Rep. Stevens discussed the importance of education, the need for civility in the legal profession, the benefits of mediation and negotiation, her experience balancing work and family life, and more.
“I feel very humbled,” she concluded, referring to her selection as a Super Lawyer. “I don’t feel like a ‘super lawyer.’ I’m just a lawyer who cares about my people.”
Janet Ward Black, whose firm is one of the largest woman-owned law offices in North Carolina, started the Super Lawyers event to celebrate outstanding women attorneys in our state and give them a chance to network – all while raising money for Legal Aid of North Carolina, an organization whose clients and lawyers are predominantly women.
“We hope that no one underestimates the power of hope and the fact that we, as lawyers, can deliver hope in really unique ways – and this is one of the ways we can do that,” Janet Ward Black said about the event. “Because perhaps these women can meet a woman lawyer that could be a role model in their career.”
Legal Aid will use the money raised from the event to expand access to safe and affordable housing, protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, fight for equal access to quality education and affordable health care, and provide economic stability for those who need it most.
“Seventy percent of our clients are women heads of household,” George Hausen, Legal Aid’s executive director, said “and 40% of those women earn less than $10,000 a year to support their family,” he noted, highlighting the grave economic circumstances confronting our clients.
“I am a mother of three and I have a special-needs child,” said Adrienne Kennedy, a member of our Board of Directors. To ensure that Legal Aid never loses sight of our clients’ needs, a certain number of our board members are financially eligible for our services.
“I go to Legal Aid for everything,” continued Kennedy. “I thank God for Legal Aid and their humanitarian fight for justice.”
You don’t have to be a Super Lawyer or a Legal Aid lawyer to work for justice. By donating to Legal Aid of North Carolina, you become a partner in our mission to fulfill the promise of “justice for all” for all North Carolinians. Learn more at legalaidnc.org/donate.
Event Recording
About Super Lawyers
Each year, Super Lawyers recognizes the top women lawyers in North Carolina via a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research, and peer evaluation. The North Carolina lawyers who receive the highest point totals during this selection process are further recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers Top Lists.
North Carolina’s top 50 women Super Lawyers
Elizabeth K. Arias · Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Catharine Biggs Arrowood · Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
Shelby D. Benton · Benton Family Law
Laurie B. Biggs · Stubbs & Perdue, P.A.
Heidi C. Bloom · Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP
Jean Gordon Carter · McGuireWoods LLP
Denise Smith Cline · Law Offices of Denise Smith Cline
Michelle D. Connell · Fox Rothschild LLP
Leto Copeley · White & Stradley, PLLC
Heather W. Culp · Essex Richards, P.A.
Janice L. Davies · Davies Law, PLLC
Tricia Morvan Derr · Lincoln Derr PLLC
Debra L. Foster · Debra L. Foster, PLLC
Nicole L. Gardner · Gardner Skelton PLLC
Susie Gibbons · Poyner Spruill LLP
Nancy L. Grace · Wake Family Law Group
Sara “Sally” W. Higgins · Higgins & Owens, PLLC
Jill S. Jackson · Jackson Family Law
Kimberly J. Korando · Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P.
Margaret B. Maloney · Maloney Law & Associates, PLLC
Valecia M. McDowell · Moore & Van Allen PLLC
Karin M. McGinnis · Moore & Van Allen PLLC
Gena G. Morris · James, McElroy & Diehl, P.A.
Christine L. Myatt · Nexsen Pruet, PLLC
Laura L. Noble · The Noble Law
Holly B. Norvell · Johnston, Allison & Hord, P.A.
C. Melissa Owen · Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, PLLC
Leslie C. Packer · Ellis & Winters LLP
Annemarie Pantazis · Wilder Pantazis Law Group
Patti W. Ramseur · Ramseur Maultsby LLP
Alice Carmichael Richey · Alexander Ricks PLLC
Heidi E. Royal · Heidi E. Royal Law, PLLC
Deborah Sandlin · Sandlin Family Law Group
Elizabeth Brooks Scherer · Fox Rothschild LLP
Elizabeth Davenport Scott · Williams Mullen
Patricia P. Shields · Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, L.L.P.
Caroline Wannamaker Sink · Robinson Bradshaw
Robin J. Stinson · Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.
Kimberly H. Stogner · Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Jill Stricklin · Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP
Alice C. Stubbs · Tharrington Smith, LLP
Jennifer K. Van Zant · Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP
Angelique R. Vincent-Hamacher · Robinson Bradshaw
Lorion Macrae Vitale · Vitale Family Law
Dixie T. Wells · Ellis & Winters LLP
Laura J. Wetsch · Winslow Wetsch, PLLC
Stacy K. Wood · Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
A. Cotten Wright · Grier Wright Martinez, P.A.