Professional Leadership

The legal profession plays a significant role in creating a just and civil culture, and we value that our firm is a voice of influence and change within the community. Since our founding in 1912, Smith Anderson has demonstrated a commitment to professional leadership that remains among our key firm values, with our attorneys holding esteemed leadership positions throughout the legal industry.

Leadership Roles of Distinction

We are particularly proud that the North Carolina Judicial Branch, General Assembly and Governor have appointed Smith Anderson attorneys at the highest level of the state to serve on Commissions that make recommendations to improve issues in the court system and the state as a whole. Five Smith Anderson attorneys have served as presidents of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), including current firm attorneys John Jernigan, Martin Brinkley and Caryn Coppedge McNeill. Other leadership positions of significant distinction include Henry Mitchell and Jim Dorsett, III having each served as presidents of the American Counsel Association and Jim’s tenure as president of the North Carolina State Bar. Additionally, Martin Brinkley currently serves as the 14th dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, the only member of the practicing bar in the modern history of the law school to be appointed to the dean’s post.

Business Leadership and Advocacy

Smith Anderson is well-positioned at the intersection of law and business, which we recognize as an opportunity and responsibility to improve the quality and efficiency of the administration of justice in North Carolina and on policy and legislative matters affecting the business legal climate in the state and beyond. Our attorneys have long been woven into the fabric of the state’s business community, collaborating with business groups and government officials on initiatives such as drafting business legislation that modernized North Carolina corporate law and enhanced the state’s ability to attract and retain corporate headquarters, making it a more competitive and a more business-friendly state.

Among the prominent legal leadership roles, commissions and boards that Smith Anderson attorneys now serve, or have served on, are:

North Carolina Judicial Branch
- Chief Justice’s Rules Advisory Commission
- Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism
- Chief Justice’s Commission on the Future of the North Carolina Business Court
- North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission
- North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice
- Dispute Resolution Commission
- North Carolina Business Court Rules Committee
North Carolina Department of Commerce, North Carolina Board of Science, Technology and Innovation
North Carolina General Assembly
- Rules Review Commission
- General Statutes Commission
- N.C. Board of Chiropractic Examiners
- Board of Law Examiners of the State of N.C.
President, American Counsel Association
Chair, American Bar Foundation, North Carolina Chapter
President, North Carolina State Bar
President, American Board of Trial Advocates, Eastern North Carolina Chapter
Chair, International Society of Barristers, North Carolina Chapter
President, North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
Chair, Minorities in the Profession Committee, North Carolina Bar Association
Chair, North Carolina Chamber Legal Institute
Chair, Trade Secrets Group, National Defense Research Institute
North Carolina Defense Business Association

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