2025 NCBA Year in Review
Thank you to all of our members for making 2025 quite the special year! We’re so excited to see all the new initiatives, events and connections that 2026 brings. In the meantime, check out our 2025 Year in Review to see what we were up to in photos, as well as NCBA member Diana Santos Johnson’s Q&A reflection on her personal experience with NCBA last year.
Year in Review in Photos
January – Law Student Networking Reception
February – ¡Adelante! | Moving Forward!
March – Leadership Conferences
March – NC Lawyers on Call
April – Spring Member Social at Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
May – Women in the Profession’s Annual Banquet | Inaugural Trailblazer Award for Women in Law
June – Annual Meeting
August – Paralegal Division Council Retreat
September – Law Student Representatives Orientation | Young Lawyers Division Bar Year Kickoff Mixer at ZincHouse
October – More member socials! Hop Shot Mini Golf
October – Senior Lawyers Division Legal Practice Hall of Fame
November – Table Events
November – Game Days! UNC Tar Heels vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons and more
December – Holiday Celebrations
December – Professionalism for New Attorneys Program
We’ve already started this first month of 2026 strong with the inaugural Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Cohort, the return of the always popular Law Student Networking Reception and socials ranging from book clubs and bingo to trivia night and coffee meetups.
January 2026 – Inaugural Pro Bono Cohort
Q&A with Diana Santos Johnson
Assistant Director of Career Development at High Point’s Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law
Q: What have you learned?
A: The importance of saying yes. Despite feeling stretched when I was asked to serve as an NCBF Open Door Ambassador, the experience was deeply rewarding and allowed me to collaborate with inspiring colleagues and help NCBF reach its goal of endowing the Open Door Fund to support the Open Door Fellowship.
Q: What’s a moment that stood out to you in 2025?
A: Helping plan and attending the NCBA Women in the Profession inaugural Trailblazer Award for Women in Law this past May. The event highlighted the importance of recognizing and celebrating women in the legal profession, and honoring Janet Ward Black with so many women (and men!) from across the state was very impactful.
Q: Who’s a connection you’ve made, and how did it happen?
A: In January 2025, I shared a candid blog post on NCBarBlog about life as a working lawyer mom, and many NCBA lawyer moms, including several whom I had not previously met, reached out to connect about the post. I was grateful that my story resonated with them and prompted them to share that they felt represented in both the post and our profession.
Q: What’s a career win you’ve had where NCBA helped you get there?
A: I recently transitioned from private practice to higher education, and my connections and involvement with NCBA played an important role in supporting and facilitating that move.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in 2026 with NCBA?
A: I am excited to deepen my involvement with NCBA and to introduce this great organization and its opportunities to the law students I work with.
What an accomplished, well-rounded year Diana had! Visit our events page to stay in the loop with upcoming happenings — there are plenty of opportunities to continue to get involved with us. Interested in learning more about Diana’s involvements? The NCBF Open Door Fellowship is currently accepting applications until Feb. 15, 2026. Also, view our Guidelines for Submissions to NCBarBlog page if you’re interested in posting your own writing piece.