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2006 News Articles › YLD Presents Law Day Ceremony May 5
YLD Presents Law Day Ceremony May 5
Article Date: Monday, May 21, 2012
Written By: Russell Rawlings
Judge Herbert L. Richardson of Lumberton is the 2006 recipient of the Liberty Bell Award. He will receive the award at the North Carolina Bar Association's 49th annual Law Day awards ceremony held at the N.C. Museum of History in Daniels Auditorium on Friday, May 5.
The ceremony begins at 2 p.m.
Judge Richardson addresses high school students during N.C. Bar Center program. |
The Liberty Bell Award is one of the most prestigious awards given annually by the NCBA and is presented to one who has “strengthened the American system of freedom under law.”
The award is presented annually by the Young Lawyers Division, which coordinates the association's Law Week events, including student competitions in essay writing, photography, poster art and moot court arguments.
The student winners will also receive their awards Friday afternoon, including the champions of the annual moot court competition that will be completed Friday morning. Legal teams from Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, the perennial East Region representative, and West Region champion Highland School of Technology in Gastonia will square off in the finals.
Funding for Law Day and Law Week events is provided by the Beverly C. Moore Justice Fund of the NCBA Foundation Endowment.
Judge Richardson has served on the District Court bench (District 16-B) since 1979, including a term as chief judge from 1994-2000. A Nash County native, he earned his bachelor’s degree (1973) and law degree (1976) from North Carolina Central University. He began practicing law in Durham, then moved to Lumberton to serve in the district attorney’s office prior to his appointment to the bench by Gov. Hunt.
In NCBA circles, Richardson is revered for his dedication and commitment to the High School Law Career Conference, for which he routinely provides the keynote address. Presented two times a year by the Minorities in the Profession Committee, the conferences introduce high school students to the legal profession.
Richardson has traveled across the state to provide his motivational message to high school students. Thus, he should feel right at home in attending the Law Day festivities.
“Judge Richardson has been an asset to the North Carolina legal community, and to the greater community as a whole,” said Winston-Salem attorney Candice Wooten who chairs the Minorities in the Profession Committee. “Judge Richardson freely give of his time to impact the lives of student throughout the state, not simply providing an insider’s view on a career in the legal profession, but providing motivational words for youth across the state.”
Richardson, she added, inspires students to stay in school and encourages them to become productive and responsible citizens, regardless of whether their career path includes the legal profession.
Previous winners of the Liberty Bell Award were William Joslin, Henry Frye, Robert R. Browning, Lacy Thornburg, James B. Hunt Jr., William C. Friday, Sam J. Ervin III, Terry Sanford, Herbert H. Taylor Jr., James Dickson Phillips Jr., Wade E. Brown, Hiram H. Ward, Kathrine Everett, L. Richardson Preyer, J. Frank Huskins, McNeill Smith, Franklin T. Dupree Jr., Thad Eure, Joseph Branch, Dr. Robert E. Lee, William B. Aycock, Susie Sharp and Sam Ervin Jr.
Law Day program participants will include NCBA President Mike Colombo and YLD Chair Nikole Mariencheck.
Chief Justice Sarah Parker and Justice Mark D. Martin of the N.C. Supreme Court will join Judges Douglas McCullough and Robin E. Hudson of the N.C. Court of Appeals in judging the finals of the moot court competition. Judges Ann Marie Calabria and Eric Levinson of the N.C. Court of Appeals will also participate in the Law Day proceedings.
The Law Week Committee co-chairs are Kim D’Arruda, who also coordinates the Moot Court competition, and Todd Jones who also coordinates the activity book.
Also serving in leadership roles are Christopher J. Ayers, Moot Court Coordinator; Matthew P. Blake, Moot Court Problem; Kimberly Brackett-Jones, Liberty Bell Award Chair; Andrew T. Cornelius, At-large Committee member; Colleen M. Crowley, Essay Chair; Nancy R. Dunn, Moot Court Eastern Regional Chair; Heather H. Freeman, Citizenship Education Committee Chair; Jennifer M. Jones, Ceremony Chair; Paul Mediratta, Citizenship Education Committee Chair; Dana C. Moody, Moot Court Problem; Joseph A. Newsome, Moot Court Problem; Paige W. Perry, Poster Art Chair; Elizabeth H. Poremba, At-large Committee member; Bryan A. Powell, Moot Court Finals Chair; Jina Bowman Propst, JDR Committee Chair; Vanessa N. Totten, Activity Book; and Susan Vanderweert, Luncheon Chair.
Also, Amy Butterworth and the Mecklenburg County Bar coordinated the Western Regional Moot Court Competition.