New Leadership for the Board

Larry Rocamora was appointed as chair of the Board of Legal Specialization at the last quarterly meeting of the State Bar Council. Larry graduated from the University of North Carolina and attended law School at Hastings College of Law at the University of California. He has been a board certified specialist in estate planning and probate law since 1995. Larry practices at McPherson, Rocamora, Nicholson, Wilson & Hinkle, PLLC in Durham.

Kimberly Coward will serve as vice-chair of the Board. Kim received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Iowa State University. She attained her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988. She became a board certified specialist in residential real property law in 2006, and has served as a member of the Board of Legal Specialization for the past four years. She practices at Coward Hicks & Siler in Cashiers.

 

2019 Applicant Profile

Did you know that lawyers pursuing board certification come from all different sizes of law firms? Fourteen percent of the 2019 applicants are solo practitioners, while the majority of applicants come from small and medium sized firms. More than half of this year’s applicants have been in practice for at least eight years before applying for certification, while 48% of applicants are applying early, with five to seven years of experience. 

The board also noted an increase in the number of lawyers applying for certification from the Charlotte area, as well as an increase in the number of applicants coming from smaller cities and suburbs. These applicants hope to join the nearly 1,100 board certified specialists in North Carolina this November. The specialization exams take place in October, so if you know someone preparing for an exam, please wish them well as they prepare!

Congratulations to the Newest Board Certified Specialists

Marcus D. Crow - Bankruptcy Law – Consumer, Monroe

Samantha Y. Moore – Bankruptcy Law – Business and Consumer, Raleigh

Nicole A. Engel – Elder Law, Asheville

C. Patrick Brown – Privacy and Information Security Law, Cary