For our March lunch meeting, City Manager Jim Westmoreland will present an update on the “State of the City”, which will include a short video of the City’s 2017 accomplishments and a PowerPoint presentation on the 2017 forecast.  Mr. Westmoreland graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer.  He has been Greensboro City Manager since February of 2014.  Among other awards, Mr. Westmoreland received the George C. Franklin Award for Municipal Administration from the UNC School of Government.

Construction on our Habitat House will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, 2017.  Construction will continue each weekend (except for holiday weekends) through Saturday, August 12, 2017 with dedication and closing on Saturday, August 19, 2017.  The house will be built on the lot at 722 Prince Street.

Our homeowners are Tona Nay and D’Joan R’mah, who came to the United States from Vietnam. Tona is employed at Affordable Stone Products and D’Joan manages the family.  They are parents of four sons: Sru – 25 years old, Santigo – 14 years old, Tula – 12 years old, Jensu – 7 years old, and three daughters: Sara – 21 years old, Sama – 18 years old and H’Po – 16 years old.

In order to qualify as Habitat homeowners, Tona and D’Joan have attended more than 30 hours of classes on budgeting, home maintenance, and finance.  They will work a minimum of 350 hours during construction and repay Habitat through an interest free loan.

We now have a firm schedule for the work, set out on the Habitat website: (http://gsobar.habitatgreensboro.volunteerhub.com/events/indexv1).  The framing related tasks are set for the following dates (all Saturdays):

• 4/1 – Wall Framing (exterior walls)
• 4/8 – Wall Framing (interior walls)
• 4/22 – Scaffold Setup/Truss Prep
• 4/29 – Roof Framing
• 5/6 – Misc Framing/Shingle Prep

We have invited the NC Supreme Court Justices for the initial work date on 4/1.  So far, two have declined, Justice Newby has tentatively accepted and we are waiting to hear from the others.  We will break that day at noon for lunch and a groundbreaking ceremony at the site.  All members of the Bar are invited to the ceremony and lunch whether or not they are on the work crew that day.  We will be sending you an email for you to make reservations.

On 4/8 and 4/22, we will be working with the UNCG Student Veterans Association.  This is an outstanding group of young veterans and we are honored to work with them.  They have requested having members of the Bar on their workdays, and this is a great opportunity for them and for us to make connections.  Please also consider the roof framing work and shingle prep, which are among the most interesting tasks on the work schedule.  The roof is 6 pitch (6” of rise for every horizontal foot), which is far less steep and more manageable than the 8 pitch roofs we had on the last two GBA houses.

If you have already signed a Volunteer Form, we will be getting in touch with you by email to confirm your work dates.  If you have not signed a Volunteer Form, please volunteer for your preferred work dates by going directly to the Habitat website.

Thanks so much for volunteering! 

By Tom Kane (Reprinted from Tom’s LegalMarketingBlog.com dated February 14, 2017)

For firms that are only interested in associates cranking hours until they get burned out, this post is not for you. More likely it is for medium to smaller firms who really want to build their firm; and want it to survive with new rainmakers as partners age.

Two notable exceptions are Quinn Emanuel and Jones Day, according to Kevin McMurdo, with Wicker Park Group. He mentions in “’Switch’ on Business Development Skills With Associates,” that those firms tie associate compensation/bonuses to their involvement in business development. There may be other firms I’m not aware of.

According to McMurdo, some of those business development actions by associates might include:

• Attend brown bag training sessions;
• Meet with partners to learn how they attract/retain clients;
• Work with practice group leader to develop a niche in the coming year;
• Attend networking events/conferences;
• Complete a marketing plan; and
• Read Ross Fishman’s “The Ultimate Law Firm Associate’s Marketing Checklist” (which I recently discussed here and here).

McMurdo sums up my point by quoting a partner, “Involving associates in business development is a great way to protect and retain good associates.”

Tom Kane is a member of the Greensboro Bar Association and former NC Assistant Attorney General. He has spent the past 30-plus years as an in-house legal marketer and consultant to law firms throughout the U.S. He is the author of LegalMarketingBlog.com. He can be reached at (386) 225-9612.

It wasn’t the restaurant that made it memorable, though I really love Centro located in downtown Raleigh. And it wasn’t the food, though their steak tacos are my favorite. Instead, it was the company of my lunch companion that made the meal so memorable.

Sylvia Novinsky, the Director of the newly established North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center, has an enthusiasm for pro bono work that is infectious.

On April 1, 2016, the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission launched the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center.

The North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center (the Resource Center) partners with legal aid organizations, local bars, law schools, community groups, and others, to develop new projects to help address unmet legal needs. The Resource Center also operates ncprobono.org, which serves as a matching service of lawyers and paralegals who want to volunteer with pro bono opportunities.

In 2010, the North Carolina State Bar adopted Rule 6.1, Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service, which states in part, “Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least (50) hours of pro bono public legal services per year.”

In order to encourage pro bono volunteers, it’s important to recognize the need. According to Sylvia, 80% of the civil legal needs of North Carolinians living in poverty are unmet.  Many attorneys and paralegals, though willing to help, are not sure where to turn to meet these needs.

The Resource Center plays a vital role in recruiting pro bono attorneys to fill the gap as legal aid providers and legal clinics in North Carolina are facing tremendous financial challenges.

The Resource Center will also develop pro bono projects statewide, working in partnership with legal aid providers and community organizations. The Resource Center will provide support for existing pro bono projects, including recruiting volunteers and training them for various projects. Finally, the Resource Center will include a place for lawyers to report their hours and will recognize lawyers for their volunteer efforts. Before the Resource Center was launched, while there was an annual aspirational goal of 50 hours per lawyer, there was no method of reporting.

While malpractice claims for pro bono activities are rare, insurance coverage can give you a peace of mind knowing there is a safety net should a mistake be made or a claim asserted against you. Many organizations where lawyers would be volunteering already have coverage in place. For lawyers insured with Lawyers Mutual, claims arising from pro bono activities are covered just as a claim for a paying client would be. For policies issued by Lawyers Mutual after August 1, 2015, there is a limited waiver of deductible up to $10,000 for claims expenses on pro bono matters handled through many legal service providers.

If you are not insured, there are policies available solely for pro bono work. While pricing may vary and would be subject to the application process, the initial pricing (for limits of liability up to $1 million) would likely be below $500 for the year.

For newly-admitted attorneys, pro bono work can be a great way to build skills, learn about different practice areas and meet other legal professionals. The Resource Center can assist you with looking for training opportunities to help bridge the gap between your classroom and the courtroom experience. There are often CLE opportunities available for those who are willing to provide pro bono services but need to enhance their skills. Check with the CLE provider to see about getting a reduced pro bono rate.

For law firms looking to enhance their pro bono involvement, working with the Resource Center would be a great way to develop a pro bono plan for your firm and to find projects that meet your geographic needs, as well as match your area of practice expertise.

Lawyers who are beginning to transition out of law practice can find pro bono service to be a way to stay connected with the profession and continue to give back. Some pro bono opportunities do not require attorneys to have an active law license. The Resource Center can assist with a match for transitioning lawyers to a pro bono activity that fits their needs while benefiting the community.

If you want a memorable lunch, call or email Sylvia and introduce yourself. She would be delighted to help you get involved. And she enjoys a great taco when she has the chance.

Visit ncprobono.org or email Sylvia Novinsky, Director of the Pro Bono Resource Center, at sylvia@ncprobono.org or call 919.719.9281.

Camille Stell is the Vice President of Client Services for Lawyers Mutual. Continue this conversation by contacting Camille at camille@lawyersmutualnc.com or 800.662.8843.