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Home › About › Communications › NCBA News › 2010 News Articles › Citizen Lawyer Profile: Frank Emory
Citizen Lawyer Profile: Frank Emory
Article Date: Tuesday, June 01, 2010
FRANK E. EMORY JR.
Residence: Charlotte
Education: Duke University (B.A.), University of North Carolina School of Law (J.D.)
Firm: Hunton & Williams
Practice area: Complex commercial litigation
On being a Citizen Lawyer: “As lawyers, we are trained to analyze, understand, and resolve conflict. We owe it to our communities to use those skills in a positive way.”
STORY
As the head of Hunton & Williams’ litigation department, Frank Emory is used to bringing people together to find solutions to complex legal problems.
As a long-time resident of Charlotte, he saw no reason why he couldn’t apply those same skills to helping the city through some of its most challenging and exciting transitions.
“When you think about your legal training, you are taught to look dispassionately at an issue, analyze it, understand your options and communicate that in a way that people can understand,” said Emory, who recently received the N.C. Bar Association’s Citizen Lawyer award.
“So, to me, having lawyers involved in the civic life of a community can help to ensure that the thought process of the community is as good as it can be,” he said.
Some of Emory’s biggest contributions to the community came in the late 1980s and early 1990s during his time on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission.
During a high-growth era for Charlotte, Emory helped to ensure the city’s roads and transportation infrastructure kept pace while attracting business and commerce to the region — especially the downtown.
During his tenure, the commission rewrote zoning ordinances that allowed for the development of what have since become popular, mixed-use communities near the city center.
For instance, the First Ward in Charlotte — an area bounded by North Tryon and East Trade streets — once was considered one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Today, it is considered one of Charlotte’s most desirable places to live, work and play.
“It is very rewarding to think that I and other citizens, as volunteers, had a real hand in charting a good, positive direction for the city, and we were lucky to have people who bought into the vision,” Emory said.
More recently, Emory had a role in reshaping the vision for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools as a member of its Citizens Task Force.
His service came at a time when the county-wide school district was facing a barrage of community complaints about its responsiveness and its ability to effectively address neighborhood-specific needs.
The task force ended up making several recommendations that the school system has acted upon, including decentralizing the system’s administration.
“You can’t have a healthy community without a strong public-school system,” Emory said.
Emory continues to stay involved in helping the community through times of transition, serving as the co-chair of the committee handling the high-profile and sensitive search for a new chief executive of United Way of the Central Carolinas.
“My firm has been very supportive,” Emory said of balancing his practice with his volunteer work. “We’ve always had a strong ethic of community service.”
About the Citizen Lawyer Award
The NCBA Citizen Lawyer Award was established in 2007 to recognize lawyers who provide exemplary public service to their communities. Honorees include elected and appointed government officials, coaches, mentors and voluntary leaders of non-profit, civic and community organizations. Since 2007, there have 64 recipients of the award.
About the N.C. Bar Association
The North Carolina Bar Association, founded in 1899, is a voluntary organization of lawyers, paralegals and law students dedicated to serving the public and the legal profession. The N.C. Bar Center in Cary serves as headquarters for the NCBA and the NCBA Foundation, Inc. Though similar, the NCBA (www.ncbar.org) and the mandatory North Carolina State Bar (www.ncbar.gov) are not affiliated.
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