By Taylor Dewberry

I have been Smith Anderson’s Chief Diversity Officer for over a year now. In this new role for our firm, I have contributed to the impactful Diversity and Inclusion (“D&I”) efforts of our firm’s longstanding D&I Committee and led other new and exciting efforts and projects.

As a Black and Asian woman, I know how it feels to feel “othered” in many spaces throughout my life. This personal experience inspires me to do everything I can to make sure that every individual who works at Smith Anderson feels that they are home and can bring their full authentic selves to work. When people are fully authentic at work, we all benefit from learning from one another and having people with differing backgrounds and perspectives all working towards the same goal.

Some of my favorite D&I efforts at Smith Anderson have been our community building work because it facilitates opportunities for real and authentic connection (beyond the standard elevator conversation about the weather and other small talk). Our efforts include quarterly social events for diverse associates, diversity mentorship programs, and panels with diverse in-house counsel.

We recently put on an event where all mentors and mentees in the diversity mentorship program selected a book that was meaningful to their life and experience. Each person then explained why they chose this book and then the book was given to another participating lawyer for them to read. Copies of all the books were gifted to a local school for future scholars to enjoy. This event was particularly meaningful because it built community and connection within Smith Anderson while also giving back to the Raleigh community in which we live and work.

I’m also proud to lead our firm’s Mansfield Certification efforts. “The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities.” In participating in Mansfield Certification, we have had the opportunity to exchange ideas about D&I efforts with our fellow Mansfield cohort and to make sure that we are considering our diverse attorneys for key opportunities and positions within our firm.

My most cherished parts about being the Chief Diversity Officer are the open and honest conversations that I have with my co-workers about ideas for new D&I efforts, their lived experiences, and their paths to becoming a lawyer. Through these open and vulnerable conversations, I learn so much from them and can incorporate their feedback into new efforts or changes to our existing efforts. We have to be able to adapt and tailor our efforts to the needs of our internal community, and having these conversations allows us to do just that.

I cannot wait to build upon my experience from the first full year to create even more impact for 2023!

Spencer Fritts

Meredith Brewer

By Spencer Fritts and Meredith Brewer

One in five children are food insecure in North Carolina, and more than 1.2 million North Carolinians – from children to seniors – face food insecurity and hunger in our state. The NCBA YLD’s Legal Feeding Frenzy is an opportunity for our legal community to come together to fight hunger across North Carolina and in your local community.

This food and funds drive lasts the entire month of March, with each law firm competing to see who can raise the most food per employee to benefit local Feeding the Carolinas food banks. By donating to food banks within our state, your dollars go further. Every dollar provides five meals.

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By Sidney A. Thomas

The American Bar Association hosts Law Day each year on the first Friday in May to celebrate the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession. Law Day 2023 will focus on “reminding us that together, we can collaborate to overcome our differences, resolve our disputes, and preserve our democracy and republic.” The North Carolina Bar Association’s Law Week and Liberty Bell Committee host several competitions to recognize students and legal professionals throughout the State that have dedicated their time to pursuing justice and being a voice for all. The committee is excited to announce that we will be hosting this year’s celebration on Friday, May 5, 2023. Please see a list of competitions for students and legal professionals below.

Law Day 2022

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By Jonathan Bogues

The North Carolina Bar Foundation’s (“NCBF”) chief objective is to unite the talent and generosity of the legal profession to be a power of greater good for North Carolinians. Much of the NCBF’s success depends on the commitment of donors and volunteers whose leadership inspires pro bono and public service programs that further the values of access to justice, service, civic education, and professionalism. Even further, the NCBF’s Endowment Committee convenes a few times a year to decide on which well-deserved organization to make site visits and provide grants to North Carolina organizations that are engaged in programming or projects that advance the Foundation’s chief objective.

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