Love Your Lawyer Spotlight: Steve Gardner and Shelby Benton
With the return of November, the weather gets cooler, the leaves grow more colorful, and the spirit of love and gratitude reaches an all-time high. The month began with Love Your Lawyer Day, a holiday that shows appreciation for lawyers’ important work and dedication to the law, focusing on the many ways they make a positive impact in our communities. And, of course, rounding the corner comes Thanksgiving — a day when we surround ourselves with loved ones and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.
To further celebrate this season, the NCBA took to social media to ask our members to share stories of appreciation for fellow members who have left a lasting impression on their lives. Stay tuned throughout this November series to read the special shoutouts we received.
Our next couple of features were written by Clara Cottrell of BASF. The first is dedicated to Steve Gardner of Kilpatrick Townsend:
I want to recognize Steve Gardner not just for being an outstanding professional, but for being a trusted advisor and friend since my days at Wake Forest University School of Law. I don’t remember exactly how we met, but I do remember peppering him with questions over many lunches! It was at one of those lunches that I asked him about the NCBA. His recommendation to join was my first step toward what has now become a long involvement with the organization.
Even though we never had the opportunity to practice at the same firm, Steve has always been someone I can count on for honest insight, thoughtful perspective and unwavering support. It became harder to find time to connect once I began my career and moved away from Winston-Salem. We stayed in touch through NCBA events and the occasional email, but he remained one of my foundations — someone I could always return to for a quick check-in or, at times, a reality check.
Going in-house opened up new touchpoints where I could again run concepts and issues by him. Steve’s ability to combine wisdom with approachability makes every interaction meaningful and reminds me why strong connections matter so much in this profession.
This second feature is dedicated to Shelby Benton of Benton Family Law:
I started with the NCBA in the Young Lawyers Division, like most of us. It is a heady time — you are just starting practice, and you are thrust into this group of amazing professionals. These people become your models for how to practice and how to be a professional. Shelby Benton was one of those people for me.
So many of my peers were entering the job market without much opportunity, and there was a lot of discussion about nonlegal ownership of law firms. It was a perfect storm for our community and an inflection point. How should the NCBA respond? Like most organizations, a task force was created, and I was fortunate to be appointed to it under Shelby’s leadership. I do not remember all of the group’s discussions or how we got to where we did, but I do remember Shelby’s calming presence and pointed observations. This was someone who could dissect a situation to provide recommendations for the betterment of the client (here, the big tent of the NCBA).
Shelby also demonstrated that calming presence when the NCBA went through another inflection point recently. She took the time to sit down with me and help me understand the situation the NCBA found itself in and how it had dealt with similar situations. I was impressed with her institutional knowledge, yes, but also her application of the facts to history and vice versa — the epitome of a professional attorney. I appreciate that I have been able to learn from the model Shelby has provided on being a member of this community.
The NCBA is so proud of all our members’ hard work, service and impact — we celebrate you and your careers every day!