NCAJ President Kevin Bunn encourages attorneys to stay focused on advocating for vulnerable people and to resist any urge to check out because of frustration with the political climate. Bunn joins podcast host Amber Nimocks for a midterm chat. One of the first in his family to attend college, he reflects on how different his perspective and political beliefs might be but for attending UNC. He reminds listeners that, although people may have different perspectives, it doesn’t mean they can’t find common ground. NCAJ members are often the only ones advocating for clients facing down powerful institutions, and NCAJ has a legacy of fighting for fair laws and a level playing field, he says. “I think that’s what sets us apart.”

Name: Kevin Bunn | LinkedIn

[09:31] All Lawmakers the Same? Background and education influence perspective, but that doesn’t mean that someone with a different view is a bad person.

[10:54] A Unique Role: All lawyers are sworn to uphold the Constitution regardless of the type of law they practice.

[11:45] No Time to Check Out! Focus on your clients and on the people you represent.

[14:03] NCAJ Membership on the Rise: It’s critical to find ways for members to come together in person.

[15:12] The Anonymous Internet: People who know each other are kinder to each other.The anonymity of the internet tests that.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

Members of NCAJ belong to a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of legal professionals dedicated to empowering a strong community of trial lawyers to protect people, prevent injustice and promote fairness. Membership affords many benefits and we’re proud to offer discounts and opportunities thanks to our tremendous community of sponsors and partners. Join today!

NCAJ is losing a longtime member, but North Carolinians are gaining a judge on January 1, 2025. Sean Cole is passionate about service, his two constituents – the public and the Constitution – and the law. Also about having a sense of humor.

Sean visits host Amber Nimocks for a retrospective on the various turns his life has taken. Twenty-four years ago, he was invited to interview for a plaintiffs’ firm but needed a friend to dig his car out of a snow drift so he could make the appointment. This year, he received a call asking him to run for the bench at the same time he was mulling where the next road would take him. “I really like wearing robes to work,” he jokes.

Name: Sean Cole, judge-elect for Judicial District 10C of the North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division.

[01:51] Interesting Tidbits: NCAJ’s member database has a treasure trove of information about Sean, such as his description of his meeting space: broad, open savannahs and mangrove swamps.

[04:39] Encouragement and Inspiration: Sean celebrates the opportunities he enjoyed and relationships he built during his involvement with NCAJ.

[08:56] Money: That’s Sean’s answer to a question that voters frequently asked him: What’s the biggest problem facing the judicial system?

[14:56] Road to Damascus: Sean stepped away from defense to the plaintiff’s side after realizing that, if he did a good job on defense, someone who was hurt would either get less than they should or perhaps nothing at all.

[25:21] Rules, Loopholes, Norms: Borrowing from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, Sean places the judge’s role in the context of these three concepts in government.

[27:54] Access: As a judge, Sean can’t give legal advice, but he can – and plans to – make himself available to the community, for example, at meetings, civic groups, or speaking engagements.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

Members of NCAJ belong to a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of legal professionals dedicated to empowering a strong community of trial lawyers to protect people, prevent injustice and promote fairness. Membership affords many benefits and we’re proud to offer discounts and opportunities thanks to our tremendous community of sponsors and partners. Join today!

Ian Mance has worked for almost 20 years on criminal and racial justice policy and litigation in North Carolina. His long-term projects include developing strategies for leveraging a database of law enforcement traffic stops in the state. Ian will offer a hands-on presentation about the database and its application in the courts at NCAJ’s upcoming Criminal Defense CLE.

Twenty-five years ago, North Carolina was the first state to pass a law to create the database that logs enforcement patterns at traffic stops. Today, that database has information on 36 million stops. As Ian explains to host Amber Nimocks, the CLE will arm attorneys with strategies for using the data on behalf of clients with racial profiling claims.

Click here to learn more and register for the NCAJ’s CLE on December 13, where Ian will present on “The Use of Traffic Stop Database in Litigating Criminal Cases.”



Name: Ian Mance

Connect: LinkedIn | Emancipate NC | Instagram | Facebook

[02:17] What Traffic Stops Show: The state’s database can reveal selective enforcement, commonly known as racial profiling, at traffic stops. Lawyers can access the information online.

[03:40] State v. Johnson: This was the first appellate case to consider the traffic stop data in a defense context. Ian will explain the case and its implications at the December 13 CLE.

[06:33] Treasure Trove: The traffic stop database contains information including the reason for the stop, the race of the driver and passengers, and anything notable that occurred.

[08:13] The Pattern: The database shows that Black drivers are about twice as likely to be stopped and about three to four times as likely to be searched – a pattern that has persisted over the years.

[18:26] Proactive Policing: Ian encourages police to use the database before a defense lawyer does: “I’ll say, ‘You can use this website to proactively monitor your officers.’”

[21:39] The Greensboro Phenomenon: After a New York Times’ expose on the city’s racialized pattern of making stops for non-moving, non-safety reasons, the city prohibited police from making those types of stops. The result was “unheard of,” Ian says.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking

Artemis Malekpour, a partner at Malekpour & Ball who specializes in strategic jury selection and solutions to case problems, previews the session she will lead at NCAJ’s November 7 CLE. The program will focus on evidence and pretrial motions, and attendees will participate in an interactive exercise on voir dire.

In addition to laying out her CLE, Artemis joins host Amber Nimocks to share her insights on the importance of understanding jurors' perspectives and crafting trial themes based on their values. She highlights the need for attorneys to listen actively during voir dire, respect jurors' opinions, and create a connection with them.

Learn more about the CLE at ncaj.com/events.

Name: Artemis Malekpour at Malekpour & Ball

Connect: Email | LinkedIn | Trial Guides

[02:06] Jury Selection in North Carolina: Lawyers have more time here than in other states. Artemis suggests using that time to establish rapport, credibility, and connection.

[08:57] “Weird Path”: She thought she wanted to go into psychology. Then psychiatry. In grad school, Artemis became fascinated by a “guilty but mentally ill” bill related to a psychiatrist who was sued by UNC.

[22:07] Showing Respect: Like all of us, jurors want to feel important, valued, and that they matter. Voir dire is the time to show that, Artemis believes.

[25:20] Politics: You don’t want to bring politics into voir dire, but Artemis thinks it’s important to understand how it informs trial.

[28:47] No Sitting Back and Watching: Attendees at Artemis’s interactive session during the November 7 CLE will be encouraged to participate as they deconstruct a voir dire.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

Members of NCAJ belong to a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of legal professionals dedicated to empowering a strong community of trial lawyers to protect people, prevent injustice and promote fairness. Membership affords many benefits and we’re proud to offer discounts and opportunities thanks to our tremendous community of sponsors and partners.

Emily Beeson didn’t know that she would pursue a legal career when she got her first position as a bilingual case manager, and then as a paralegal. But after she was in that role for a while, she realized “this is a great opportunity for growth.”

Law school followed. Now with a decade of experience, she is the lead workers’ compensation lawyer for Ward Black Law. She’s also a 2023 graduate of the NCAJ Next Leadership Program. On October 18, she’ll share the wisdom she gained from being a paralegal at NCAJ’s Fall Conference for Paralegals. Register here.

Joining host Amber Nimocks, Emily previews her presentation, including her thoughts about the role that empathy plays in interacting with the client.

Name: Emily Beeson | LinkedIn

Connect: Ward Black Law | Facebook | Instagram | X | LinkedIn | YouTube

[02:16] Point of Contact:: From three years of paralegal experience, Emily knows how paralegals support a client: fielding questions, answering phone calls, and interpreting legalese.

[03:45] Client Misconceptions: Clients often think their lawyer has more power than they really do. Lawyers, of course, do have some power – but it’s in the confines of the court.

[06:13] Hallmarks of a Great Paralegal: The ability to anticipate the needs of the case right from the start is one quality that separates a great paralegal from the rest.

[09:55] From Jargon to the Layman: As a mentor once told Emily: “If you are trying to explain a difficult concept to a client, explain it as if you were talking to a third-grader.”

[12:24] Empathy for the Client: To succeed for their client, legal professionals need to remember that this is the first time, and hopefully the only time, that the client is going through a traumatic experience.

[16:02] Delivering Bad News: It starts with setting the client’s expectations early and offering fallback plans if that time comes.

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Artificial intelligence is transforming how lawyers research the facts and laws pertaining to their cases, negotiate settlements with insurance companies, and strategize the best way to present a case, so those who don’t keep up with the technology will be left behind, best-selling author Brian Carter says in this conversation with NCAJ host Amber Nimocks.

Carter is one of several AI experts who will speak at NCAJ’s upcoming Mountain Magic conference in Asheville Oct. 3-5. Go to www.ncaj.com/mountain-magic to register.

Insurance companies already have vast databases about settlements, and they’re using AI to help them decide settlement offers, so lawyers who aren’t also using AI are already behind, he explains.

The best way to begin to use new technology is to use it as often as possible, Brian suggests, just as everyone did to learn the internet. For example, to learn AI programs that synthesize information, he recommends giving your program a list of ingredients and asking it to suggest recipes that include those ingredients.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Brian Carter

Connect: LinkedIn | Email

[03:21] Lawyers Are Slow to Use Technology: Many law practices took a long time trying to figure out how to incorporate the internet and social media.

[09:14] Some Jump in Too Early, Others Too Late: Not all technology works for every industry, and early leaders are the first to understand that. The second wave learns new technology when it becomes clear that it’s useful. Others are just too late.

[10:18] Insurance Companies Are Ahead: They have a lot of data, and AI helps them shape settlement offers.

[11:10] Pool Info for Greater Advantage: If law firms pool data, they can help each other against the insurance companies.

[12:17] Learn the AI Programs: Each type of AI has strengths and limitations. Learn which AI is most useful for different tasks.

[14:46] Understand a Firm’s Human Strengths: When law firms know the strengths and weaknesses of their team, it helps them decide how to use AI to fill in the gaps for such skills as memorizing details and frees up people to do what they do best.

[16:57] Big Companies Test the Limits: Companies use AI to answer phones, direct callers, and test other ways to maximize profits by minimizing costs.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of...

For North Carolina PI lawyers, the auto insurance landscape will change dramatically on July 1, 2025. Christopher Nichols, NCAJ’s Governmental Affairs Consultant, lays out the new rules of the road with host Amber Nimocks.

Relying on his deep understanding of recent changes to the law, including Senate Bill 319, which was passed this summer, Chris describes how the law will affect personal injury lawyers and their clients. He offers a look into what’s in store come next July, starting with new minimum limits on a rolling basis.

Name: Christopher Nichols | LinkedIn | Email

Connect: Nichols Law Firm | Facebook | Phone

[03:49] Senate Bill 319: This bill represents technical corrections to SB 452, which would change minimum limits in liability insurance in North Carolina starting in January 2025. Plaintiffs’ personal injury lawyers were “hyped and excited” about 452. Then, things started to happen…

[06:04 ] “Stack and Compare”: For nearly three decades, plaintiffs’ lawyers would “stack and compare” all possible uninsured motorist policies with the liability policy to determine the offset. SB 319 codified that practice, clearing up confusion that followed the N.C. Supreme Court decision in Farm Bureau v. Hebert this spring.

[08:21 ] The Frankenstein Statute: SB 319’s drafters collaborated with the insurance industry to update the definition of underinsurance, dubbed the “Frankenstein Statute” because it’s a creation built by many stakeholders who have changed text in one document over time.

[09:53] July 2025: The corrections reflected in SB 319 go into effect, including this one: Every driver will have $100,000 in coverage, assuming somebody else has liability insurance.

[19:22] The Impact of Raising the Minimum: Hint: It doesn’t mean more car accidents. It just means more coverage.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

Members of NCAJ belong to a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of legal...