The Greensboro Bar Association will host a Law Day program on May 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the County Commission Meeting Room at the Old Courthouse. This year’s theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” Please save the date and plan to join us as we recognize the vital role the rule of law plays in our community.

The Herb Falk Society honors those members of the Greensboro Bar Association who contribute at least 75 hours of pro bono service annually. The society was established in 2011 to honor the life and work of the late Herbert S. Falk, Jr., a former Greensboro Bar Association president who was deeply committed to pro bono service. The eleven individuals inducted for service completed in 2025 were recognized at the GBA member meeting on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at Greensboro Country Club. They are:

• Kearns Davis: 212.8 hours
• Eloise Hassell: 89.8 hours
• Jason Hicks: 304.5 hours
• Beth Langley: 400.7 hours
• PJ Lile-King: 112.9 hours
• Jamey Lowdermilk 78.3 hours
• Jonathan Parisi: 90 hours
• Manisha P. Patel: 264.3 hours
• Jim Slaughter: 101 hours
• Theodora Vaporis: 128.5 hours
• Jonathan Wall: 115.9 hours

Congratulations and thank you for your service!

Beginning in 2022, the Greensboro Bar Association awards two scholarships each year to current Elon Law Students.  These scholarships are for $2,000.00 each.  Students were invited to apply for consideration as one of the student scholarship recipients.

We are pleased to announce and recognize this year’s scholarship recipients.  Our recipients demonstrated a dedication to the Guilford County community and the value they place on their academic excellence.

Abigail “Abby” MacKnight

Abby MacKnight is a second-year law student at Elon University School of Law. She is from Charlottesville, Virginia and attended the University of Virginia. She studied Psychology and American Sign Language, earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2016. While she originally planned to pursue a career in teaching, her studies led her to a strong interest in working with youth involved in the court system.

Prior to attending law school, Abby worked for eight years as a Juvenile Probation and Parole Officer with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. In this role, she helped many young people and their families navigate the complex juvenile court system, including commitment and re-entry into the community. She managed several specialized caseloads including youth with substance use disorders, mental health disorders, gang involvement, and problematic sexual behavior.

Abby is a Symposium Editor for Elon Law Review and is currently planning the 2026 Elon Law Review Symposium. She is a member of the Moot Court Board and serves as a student mentor. Some of her favorite activities in law school have included working with the Teen Court program, the Innocence Project, and teaching a group of girls at the Guilford Juvenile Detention Center about their rights and the court process.

Abby spent last summer working at the York County Public Defender’s Office in York, South Carolina. She looks forward to completing a judicial residency with Judge Trosch in the Mecklenburg County Superior Court this spring and working at a law firm this summer. She hopes to practice in criminal law or family law after graduation, with a special focus on juvenile advocacy.

In her free time, Abby enjoys spending time with her partner, friends, family, reading, traveling, and trying new restaurants and coffee shops around Greensboro.

Anna Paige Sherrill

Anna Paige Sherrill is a first-year law student at Elon University School of Law. Originally from Charlotte, she earned her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Economics from Appalachian State University. During her undergraduate studies, she developed a strong interest in the legal system, and the role attorneys play in protecting individual rights and ensuring access to justice.

Before attending law school, Anna Paige gained experience working at a criminal defense firm in North Carolina’s High Country. In this role, she assisted with legal research, case preparation, and courtroom observation. She gained early exposure to litigation and client advocacy. This experience strengthened her interest in pursuing a legal career and in serving communities where access to legal resources may be limited.

During law school, Anna Paige focused on building practical legal skills through academic involvement and hands-on experience. She is the treasurer of Elon Law’s Innocence Project Organization, where she reviews trial transcripts and evidentiary records in post-conviction cases and assists with memoranda analyzing potential legal claims. Through this work, she has developed a deeper appreciation for careful legal analysis.

Anna Paige has accepted a summer internship with the Gaston County Public Defender’s Office, where she looks forward to gaining further experience in criminal defense and public service.

Outside of law school, Anna Paige enjoys reading (specifically historical fiction novels), playing field hockey, swimming, trying new recipes in the kitchen, and hanging out with her friends. As a North Carolina native, Anna Paige values the opportunity to study and build her legal career in the region and hopes to continue serving communities across the state through her work in advocacy.

Law firms today are investing more than ever in technology – practice management systems, document automation tools, AI solutions, billing platforms, and more. On paper, these tools promise efficiency, better client service, and reduced risk.

However, in many solo or small firms a different reality exists.

The tools are there… but they’re not being fully used.

Some are only partially implemented, others are quietly abandoned after rollout, and a few are forgotten entirely – what the industry often calls “shelfware.”

The result? Hidden costs that quietly drain your firm’s profitability, productivity, and even increase your risk exposure.

This isn’t a deep technical dive. Instead, it’s a quick, practical look at a problem many firms face – unused technology – and the real costs that come with it. Additionally, there are a few straightforward ways to address this issue.

Financial waste. Every unused or underused tool represents money left on the table.

• Monthly subscription fees for features you never touch.
• Investing in new tools when existing ones could do the job.
• Paying for implementations that never fully take hold.

For solo or small firms operating on tight margins, even modest inefficiencies compound quickly.

Inefficiency and lost time. When technology isn’t fully adopted, people revert to what feels familiar, even if it’s slower.

• Drafting documents manually instead of using automation.
• Tracking deadlines in spreadsheets instead of a centralized system.
• Recreating work that software was designed to streamline.

This leads to more administrative work, longer turnaround times, and less time spent on billable or strategic activities.

Increased risk exposure. Inconsistent use of systems isn’t just inefficient – it can be dangerous.

• Missed deadlines due to fragmented calendaring.
• Disorganized or incomplete client files.
• Lack of documentation or audit trails.

For lawyers, these gaps can quickly become ethical issues or malpractice risks. Technology is often purchased to reduce risk but only achieves this if it’s used consistently.

Frustration and low adoption. Too many tools, not enough clarity.

• Attorneys feel overwhelmed by multiple platforms.
• Staff create “workarounds” like personal spreadsheets or notes.
• Systems compete instead of working together.

This creates a fragmented environment where no one fully trusts the technology and adoption continues to decline.

Why technology goes unused.

If the benefits are clear, why does this happen so often?

Lack of training. Many firms invest in onboarding, but not in reinforcement.

• Training happens once, then disappears.
• New hires never receive proper instruction.
• Advanced features remain undiscovered.

Without continuous learning, even the best tools become underutilized.

Poor implementation. Technology without workflow is just software.

• No clear processes tied to the tool.
• No defined expectations for usage.
• Decisions made without considering how work actually gets done.

The result: tools that don’t fit naturally into daily practice.

Resistance to change. Lawyers are trained to rely on what works.

• “We’ve always done it this way.”
• Preference for familiar processes, even if inefficient.
• Skepticism about new systems.

Without clear benefits and ease of use, adoption stalls.

Lack of ownership. In many small firms, technology responsibility is unclear.

• No one is accountable for ensuring usage.
• No one monitors whether systems are working.
• No one drives improvement.

When technology becomes “everyone’s job,” it often becomes no one’s priority.

Maximize what’s there. The good news? You likely don’t need more technology. You need to better leverage what you already own.

Conduct a simple technology audit. Start with a basic question: What are we paying for?

Make a list of all your tools and categorize them:

• Fully used.
• Partially used.
• Rarely or never used.

This alone often reveals immediate opportunities to cut costs or increase value.

Focus on small wins. Avoid the temptation to overhaul everything at once.

Instead:

• Identify one underused feature that could save time.
• Introduce it into a specific workflow.
• Build from there.

Incremental improvements are far more sustainable than sweeping changes.

Standardize your processes. Technology works best when paired with consistency.

• Create simple, firm-wide standards such as:
• Where documents are stored and how they’re named.
• How tasks and deadlines are entered and tracked.

When automation tools should be used.

Consistency drives adoption—and reduces risk.

Invest in ongoing training. Training shouldn’t be a one-time event.

• Schedule periodic refreshers.
• Share quick tips or discoveries.
• Encourage exploration of features.

Even 10–15 minutes of focused learning can unlock significant efficiencies.

Eliminate redundancy. If you’re using multiple tools for the same function, simplify.

• Consolidate where possible.
• Retire unused systems.
• Ensure your core tools are doing the heavy lifting.

Fewer, well-used tools are far more effective than a crowded tech stack.

Overcoming common barriers. “We don’t have time.” You don’t have time not to address this. Every inefficient process is costing you time daily. Even small improvements can reclaim hours each week.

Getting buy-in. Focus on what matters most:

• Saving time.
• Reducing stress.
• Minimizing risk.
• Improving client service.

When the benefits are clear and immediate, adoption follows.

Building confidence. Not every lawyer needs to be a tech expert.

But every lawyer should feel comfortable using the core systems of their firm. Create a culture where learning is encouraged—and questions are welcomed.

Turning cost into value. Technology should be an asset – not an expense that quietly drains resources.

For solo and small firms, the opportunity is significant:

• Increase efficiency without hiring additional staff.
• Reduce risk through consistency and documentation.
• Improve profitability by maximizing existing investments.

The takeaway is simple: you don’t need more tools. You need to get more out of the ones you already have.

When your technology is fully utilized, it stops being “shelfware” – and starts becoming a true competitive advantage.

Camille Stell is the Vice President of Risk & Practice Management for Lawyers Mutual and the co-author of the book, RESPECT – An Insight to Attorney Compensation Plans available from Amazon. Continue this conversation by contacting Camille at camille@lawyersmutualnc.com or 800.662.8843.