Legal Legends of Color Award: James E. Williams Jr.
James E. Williams Jr. received a B.A. in Political Science and J.D. from Duke University. Mr. Williams is a revered leader in North Carolina’s legal community and a tireless advocate for justice and equity. Throughout his career, Mr. Williams has been a steadfast voice for the marginalized and a champion for systemic reform.
Mr. Williams’ dedication to public interest law and social justice set the tone for a lifetime of meaningful advocacy. He began his career in public service with Farm Workers Legal Services of North Carolina, where he provided legal representation to many of the state’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. He served as the Felony Chief of the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office and, in 1990, was appointed Chief Public Defender for Orange and Chatham Counties. There, he had a distinguished career from 1990-2017.
In 2010, while a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Board of Governors, Mr. Williams helped establish, and served as Chair of, the Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Criminal Justice System. In 2012, the work of the Task Force led to the establishment of the North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System, of which Mr. Williams served as a board member and later Commission Chair. Mr. Williams is the founder and board member of the North Carolina Public Defender Committee on Racial Equity and served as its president from 2011-2016. He has served on numerous boards, including the N.C. Fines and Fees Coalition, National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, and Orange Bias Free Policing Coalition.
Since 2018, Mr. Williams has served in an Of Counsel capacity at The Center for Death Penalty Litigation as Racial Equity Coordinator. In January 2020, Governor Cooper appointed him to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. Mr. Williams has received numerous awards, including the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Thurgood Marshall Award, the MLK University/Community Planning Inc. MLK Jr. Citizenship Award, the North Carolina ACLU Champion of Justice Award, and the North Carolina Bar Association James McNeil Smith Jr. Award. Most recently, he won the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Annie Brown Kennedy Award for commitment to acquiring full freedom for all citizens of North Carolina and exceptional advocacy that protects individual liberties.