NCAJ Legal Affairs Support: Just an Email Away, with Sam McGee

To NCAJ members who have an appeal or just want another set of eyes on a brief, Sam McGee says, “Shoot me an email.” As NCAJ’s Legal Affairs counsel, he oversees the organization's amicus briefs program and moot courts while representing member interests at the State Bar Ethics Committee. In this conversation with host Amber Nimocks, Sam outlines the committee’s advocacy, including its amicus brief in a recent North Carolina Supreme Court eminent domain case. He also discusses how it supports members, including brief reviews, moot courts, and informal assistance that spans all practice areas.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Sam McGee

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:07] Watchdog: As NCAJ’s Legal Affairs counsel, Sam supports members by monitoring the State Bar Ethics Committee publications for its proposed opinions and rule changes.

[02:42] Potential Red Flag: Sam details how NCAJ's intervention prevented a problematic ethics opinion that could have undermined criminal defendants' rights to discovery.

[05:16] Beyond PI and Med-Mal: The Legal Affairs Committee has a strong representation of criminal defense practitioners so that it addresses concerns of all members.

[08:12] Moot Court Program: The Legal Affairs Committee conducted 19 moot courts last fiscal year, serving everyone from first-time appellate attorneys to experienced practitioners.

[09:34] There for Everybody: Sam encourages members of all ages and experience levels to take advantage of moot courts and brief assistance.

[11:32] Town of Apex v. Rubin: The Supreme Court of North Carolina recently agreed with the NCAJ’s amicus brief in an eminent domain case, protecting property rights and establishing important precedents.

[15:22] Safe Child Act Cases: Sam describes NCAJ's involvement in three cases that upheld the extended statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse cases.

[20:39] Ethics CLE: The Legal Affairs Committee is planning for the February 25 ethics CLE, which will cover artificial intelligence and ethical concerns from TV shows and movies.

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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...