Voices of NCAJ

How Big Data and Authentic Clients Won a $101 Million Verdict, with John McCabe

"Trust the data." That's the lesson John McCabe took from a six-week trial that ended in a record-setting $101 million jury award for two men seriously injured when a ret

40 Years of Fearless Paralegal Work, with Rana Holcomb

A fifth-grader wrote to President Richard Nixon in 1971 about school desegregation — and got a reply. That girl grew up to build a 40-year career as a litigation paralega

Fraternity, Not Fear: Serving North Carolina's Hispanic Latino Community, with Anabel Rosa

When Anabel Rosa joined NCAJ's Hispanic Latino Legal Issues Division in 2011, she was one of just a handful of attorneys in the room — today that group is nearly 200 memb

Se Habla Español: How Speaking Spanish Shaped Jacob Goad’s Journey to Practice Law

A crush on a Spanish teacher in middle school, a mission trip to Peru at age 16, and a CNN documentary — Jacob Goad's path to workers' compensation law is anything but or

A Truck Driver’s Daughter Maps a Career In PI, with Telana Poe

Telana Poe grew up in the world of trucking: Her first job was working in her parents’ ambulance service as a teenager. She considered a career in medical billing until a

“You Need to Stand Up for the Rule of Law” — with David Teddy

Barely a year old, North Carolina Lawyers for the Rule of Law is actively driving the conversation about hot legal topics. Steering Committee member David Teddy discusses

Workers’ Comp Became a Career; NCAJ Became a Community, with Martha Ramsay

Martha Ramsay has been an NCAJ member for more than three decades and served in leadership roles – all while developing a thriving workers’ comp practice at two firms. La

Love, Law and Legacy: The Snyders on Taking the Helm of Ward Black Law

Audrey Snyder and Gabe Snyder stop by the studio to reflect on their “whirlwind” transition at Ward Black Law since the passing of founder Janet Ward Black last November.

“I Get More Out of Mock Trial than I Put Into It”: Meet Charles Becton Teaching Award Winner Chris Nichols

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 N

One Word Changed Everything: From Teacher to Civil Rights Lawyer, with Zack Kaplan

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 basi

“You’re Never Alone”: Reflections on Leading NCAJ, with Carma Henson

In the last podcast of 2025, NCAJ President Carma Henson reflects on her first five months on the job. Carma and host Amber Nimocks talked about what it’s been like to le

Reflections on Reforming North Carolina’s Death Penalty, with Gretchen Engel

"I just met this person, and the state wants to kill him." That’s what Gretchen Engel was thinking the first time she met a death row inmate, as an intern at the Alabama

The Right Arguments at the Right Time: Appellate Advocacy with Chris Edwards

“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 Pract

How a Litigator Became a “60 Minutes” Producer and Lived to Return to the Courtroom, with Coleman Cowan

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 fo

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 orga

Making a Difference One Case at a Time with Social Worker Turned SSDI Advocate Billie Guthrie

As a social worker, Billie Guthrie was drawn into all the factors at play in her clients’ struggles. As a Social Security Disability attorney for The Deuterman Law Group,

How Curiosity Built a Prize-Winning Paralegal Career, with Leslie Leake

Curiosity has driven Leslie’s Leake’s remarkable career, which NCAJ recently celebrated with the awarding of its prestigious Robby Price Award. The lead paralegal for the

Denied Then Determined: A Journey to NCAJ Leadership, with Rosa Antunez Boatwright

Rosa Antunez Boatwright, an immigrant from Honduras, was excited to attend community college in her new Florida home – until the college rescinded its acceptance because

From Listserv to Leadership, with Incoming Board Member Lindsey Granados

“Somebody told me, ‘Hey, if you want to do criminal defense, you really need to join NCAJ.’ And they were absolutely right.” The year was 2008, and Lindsey Granados had j

From NCAJ Newbies to Firm Founders, with Spencer Fritts and Jacob Morse

Taking the leap from employee to firm owner requires courage, but having the right partner makes all the difference. Jacob Morse and Spencer Fritts discovered their partn