Sustainers Have Shown Their NCBA Support For Generations

Sustainers are members of the North Carolina Bar Association who pay twice their membership dues to further the mission of the NCBA. Their generosity contributes to the long-term vitality of the organization.

How long? That question will require further research, but it can be confirmed through the archives of Bar Notes, the predecessor of North Carolina Lawyer magazine, that Sustainers have been supporting the NCBA for more than 65 years.

Or, to look at it another way, they have been around much longer than most of the individuals comprising the honor roll of NCBA Sustainers for 2020-21, including Julianna Woodmansee of Woodmansee & Szombatfalvy, PLLC in Durham.

“I became a Sustainer of the NCBA several years ago because it provides high-quality educational and practical support for the lawyers of North Carolina,” Woodmansee said. “We need to support as generously as we can the institutions that support us. The system of government that we so cherish will dissipate without fierce advocacy from highly trained lawyers.”

Maureen Demarest Murray of Fox Rothschild LLP in Greensboro is also a staunch supporter of the North Carolina Bar Association and its members.

“I have chosen to be a sustainer to contribute treasure toward the advancement of our legal profession in North Carolina because I have not been able to commit my time to North Carolina Bar Association activities,” Murray said. “Such treasure is small in comparison to the time that so many of our colleagues have devoted to NCBA. I am grateful to those who are committing their time and talent to North Carolina Bar Association activities and wish to support their efforts.

“As a lawyer with a very busy health care practice and the mother of four children, including one with significant special needs, I chose to devote my volunteer hours primarily to the school system and other child-related efforts. Earlier in my legal career, I served for nine years on the State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission with five years as chair. I currently serve as the chair of the N.C. Chapter of the American College of Trial Lawyers and have previously served as the vice chair and member of the State Committee. I found that there was not more time in the day for the NCBA, so I have provided monetary support to North Carolina Bar Association activities.”