The winner of the NCAJ’s 2025 Charles Becton Teaching Award, Chris Nichols reflects on his decades-long commitment to NCAJ's continuing legal education programs and the North Carolina Mock Trial Program. Joining the conversation is one of Chris’ mock trial students, high school senior Sam Circosta. “The great thing about mock trial is we're not necessarily training lawyers. We're just training leaders. That's what Sam has been for the last four years,” Chris tells host Amber Nimocks. In addition to discussing his journey as a teacher and coach, Chris also highlights his role as NCAJ’s government affairs consultant and previews upcoming CLEs.

🎙️ Featured Guests🎙️

Name: Chris Nichols

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Name: Sam Circosta

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💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:42] “Sign Me Up”: Sam Circosta wasn’t supposed to join his high school’s mock trial team, but he was intrigued after a chance meeting with former state champions. Now a senior at Broughton High School and mock trial team captain, Sam has walked out of the courtroom for the last time and hopes the experience will inform his future.

[05:40] Training Leaders, Not Lawyers: Chris explains that mock trial isn't necessarily about training future lawyers—it's about developing leadership skills, as demonstrated by Sam's ability to coordinate two teams with 16 people managing multiple extracurriculars.

[07:16] “I Knew I Wanted to Coach”: Chris started coaching mock trial as a second-year law student at Wake Forest, even before he knew what NCAJ was. He’s been doing it for 32 years.

[11:20] Call for Volunteers: Mock trial is a heavy lift. It’s also a unique way to help the next generation of lawyers. That’s why Chris puts out the welcome mat to volunteers. “I would encourage people who support mock trial with their time, their efforts, and also their money to keep doing it because it is a great program.”

[13:08] New UIM Laws: The “UIM/UM Unpacked” CLE on Feb. 13 is sold out, but members will be able to view it on the NCAJ catalog next month. With his “legislative hat on,” Chris will present about new UIM laws.

[17:01] “I’m the Medicaid Guy”: On Feb. 27, Chris will present about Medicaid disbursements at the “Disbursements 2026: Back to Basics” CLE.

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Zack Kaplan sums up his inspiration for civil rights law in one word: Leandro. It’s long-running litigation that seeks to enforce the constitutional right to a sound basic education in North Carolina. As a fifth-grade teacher, Zack read frequently about the case. “I didn't even know that there was a constitutional right to a free public education under our North Carolina constitution. And the more I dug into it, the more it really – that mission and that purpose – really resonated with me,” he tells host Amber Nimocks. Zack eventually left teaching to become a lawyer, today focusing on state and constitutional claims, prison and police misconduct, and appellate litigation at Ballew Puryear. He is also the program chair of "Overcoming Immunity: Pro Tips for Success in Civil Rights Litigation," a CLE scheduled for January 29 at NCAJ headquarters in Raleigh. He invites all lawyers to attend because he believes that everyone in NCAJ advocates for marginalized people going up against an institutional power. “We're hoping that, in a small way, this will be useful in those types of claims.” Register here.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Zack Kaplan

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:21] Teacher to Lawyer: Zack spent three years as a fifth-grade teacher in East Durham before attending law school, an experience he describes as potentially his "best and most challenging job" of his career.

[03:16] Civil Rights Foundation: As an undergrad at UNC Chapel Hill, Zack served as community organizer in historically Black communities, where he came to understand public education as a bedrock to building a multiracial democracy.

[10:21] Standing Up for the Little Guy: Zack believes that he and everybody at NCAJ share a fundamental commitment to stand up for the “little guy.”

[18:24] Law School Outreach Committee: As co-chair of NCAJ's Law School Outreach Committee, Zack is motivated to show students a variety of career paths.

[23:02] “Struck by Lightning”: Zack describes being in the “right place, right time” to briefly clerk for Judge James Wynn, a relationship that led to connecting with other critical mentors.

[26:07] NCAJ NEXT: “It was really impactful for me on several levels,” Zack says of the NCAJ NEXT fellowship program.

[30:54] Civil Rights CLE: The January 29 CLE is designed to benefit all attorneys, even those who aren’t civil rights practitioners, because the work involves helping any marginalized person go up against larger institutional power.

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