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Home › About › Communications › NCBA News › 2010 News Articles › Citizen Lawyer Profile: Harriett Twiggs Smalls
Citizen Lawyer Profile: Harriett Twiggs Smalls
Article Date: Tuesday, June 01, 2010
HARRIETT
TWIGGS SMALLS
Residence:
Greensboro
Education: Augusta
College (A.D.), University of North Carolina at Greensboro (B.S.),
University of North Carolina School of Law (J.D.)
Firm: Smith Moore
Leatherwood
Practice areas: Health
care law
On being a Citizen Lawyer:
"When you do things just for you, it dies with you. But when
you do things for others, it lives forever."
STORY
Greensboro attorney Harriett
Smalls, who holds the unique distinction of being both a lawyer and
a nurse, has been honored by the N.C. Bar Association as a 2010
Citizen Lawyer award winner.
Smalls is a partner in Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP,
where she focuses her practice on healthcare
law. She also works as a neonatal nurse
practitioner at Forsyth Medical Center on an as-needed basis.
Her 16 years of nursing experience is reflected in
her record of public service.
Smalls serves on the board of directors at numerous
organizations, including the Moses Cone Wesley Long Community
Health Foundation and the Triad March of Dimes.
Her work with the Community Health Foundation
focuses on providing underserved populations with access to mental
health, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy
programs.
Smalls' passion for babies led her to Triad
March for Dimes, where she helps raise money to support research to
decrease the rate of birth defects and infant mortality.
"When you realize so many babies can be saved and
it's because of the research and money being raised, you know you
have to help," she said.
Smalls identifies her work with the residents of Bell
House, where she currently serves on the board of directors and
previously served as president, as one of her most rewarding
experiences.
Bell House is a residential facility for physically
challenged adults. It has operated at full
capacity for the past 30 years, providing its residents with the
opportunity to build friendships and live with a degree of
independence.
"Harriett's legal expertise in the health care
industry has been remarkably beneficial to us as an assisted living
facility," said Jeni Kirk, the executive director at Bell
House.
"Harriett has helped the organization grow to the
next level," Kirk said. "Her efforts and
expertise have allowed us to formalize our operations, update our
bylaws, and rethink the structure of our board."
In addition to her local community involvement,
Smalls serves as the chair of the N.C. Bar Association's
Medico-Legal Liaison Committee, where she helps to build good
working relationships between members of the legal profession and
members of the healthcare community.
What has motivated this citizen lawyer to give so
much? Smalls explains, "It's the miracle babies
that keep me going. That's what gives me
joy."
Smalls also sings in her church choir at Genesis
Baptist Church in Greensboro.
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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