“Improved appellate advocacy betters us all,” says Chris Edwards. “It betters the court system. It betters our outcomes.” The co-chair of Ward and Smith's Appellate Practice, Chris discusses how trial lawyers can improve their appellate advocacy in this conversation with host Amber Nimocks. He also highlights his new column for “Trial Briefs,” NCAJ’s flagship publication, where he shares his “superpowers” with NCAJ members. And he previews his Nov. 12 virtual CLE, “Winning on Appeal Starts at Trial,” where he’ll cover issue preservation, record building, and best practices.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Chris Edwards

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:00] Path to Appellate Practice: Clerkships in a federal district court and the US Court of Appeals shaped Chris’ career. “The first four years that I was in practice, all I knew was writing for, talking to, persuading judges.”

[03:38] Different Superpowers: Chris explains how appellate lawyers use storytelling differently than trial lawyers—telling the client's story through written briefs rather than in front of juries.

[05:06] Thinking Ahead: Even if trial lawyers don't handle appeals themselves, they should think strategically to ensure success if the case goes to appeal, Chris says.

[08:34] Vanguard v. Moody: Chris recaps his first “Appellate Thinking” column, which focused on the Supreme Court's ruling requiring specificity in motions for directed verdict.

[11:43] Evolving Case Law: Chris explains the fascinating part of appellate practice—watching how settled case law changes over time and seeing where courts are moving the law.

[14:24] Shifting Trends: Every US Supreme Court chief justice moves the court in a different direction, Chris observes.

[16:40] Coddle v. Mankin: Chris recalls co-authoring an NCAJ amicus brief about whether negligent supervision claims fall under medical malpractice laws.

[19:15] The Trial Lawyer Dynamic: “Practically speaking, an appellate lawyer's client is the trial lawyer,” Chris says as he explains the relationship. “I get to help my friends solve cool problems.”

[21:05] Common Appellate Questions: The three most common questions that Chris hears from trial lawyers: appellate timelines, post-trial motions, and assembling the record.

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Within hours of each other, two things happened that changed Coleman Cowan’s life. While waiting to take a deposition as a young associate, he realized that his reward for working hard would be more hard work. Hours later, while leaving that deposition, he was shot in a random mugging. Despite colleagues calling him “crazy,” Coleman left law to pursue journalism, eventually becoming an Emmy-winning producer for “60 Minutes.” In this conversation with host Amber Nimocks, he discusses his journey from North Carolina courtrooms to war zones around the world and back to North Carolina, where he now leads the litigation section at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. Coleman also previews his upcoming presentation at NCAJ's Strategy Summit. Called “To Live, Not Exist: What Our Experiences Can Teach Us About Managing Stress and Anxiety,” his program will be on Oct. 23, the first day of the two-day summit.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Coleman Cowan

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:34] The Epiphany: Two seminal events, occurring just hours apart, changed the course of Coleman’s life.

[07:39] “Monumentally Foolish Decision”: Everyone from partners to judges to law professors told Coleman he was "crazy" for leaving his successful legal career.

[07:51] Two Important Voices: Coleman's parents and then-girlfriend (now wife) were the two voices that encouraged his dramatic career change.

[10:50] Testing the Waters: Coleman talked his way into “Business Week” magazine to test his journalism idea before committing to graduate school.

[11:00] Hurricane Katrina: Coleman's first assignment covering Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans confirmed that he was "onto something pretty special" with journalism.

[12:32] Breakthrough: “60 Minutes" picked up Coleman's Columbia master's project on NYPD evidence storage.

[16:06] Naive to the Danger: ”It was only when we extracted from the situation that I really dawned on me how dangerous some of these places were,” Coleman says about covering stories from locations like Afghanistan, Mexico, and Russia.

[17:07] FSB Surveillance: Coleman describes being followed by Russian intelligence while reporting on Alexei Navalny's presidential campaign.

[18:21] It’s All Relative: When “60 Minutes” staff were stressed about a story, Coleman told himself that “this is not stressful.” TV producers are surrounded by people who want the show to succeed – while lawyers face opposing counsel who are tearing them down.

[23:52] Strategy Summit Preview: In his presentation, Coleman will tell stories from his journalism career and how those stories inform his current litigation practice.

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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...