Cheryl Howell, 2022 Liberty Bell Award Recipient, Found Her True Calling and Never Looked Back
Any indecision Cheryl Howell may have encountered upon entering the legal profession completely melted away when she joined what was then known as the UNC Institute of Government in 1992.
“I have always believed that I am such an incredibly lucky person to have the job that I have,” said Howell, who serves as the Albert Coates Professor of Public Law and Government at what has been known for most of this century as the School of Government. “It is such a privilege to work with my incredible colleagues here at the School of Government and with court officials in North Carolina. Our court officials have incredibly difficult jobs, and we have such an amazing court system.”
Howell has devoted the past three decades to serving that court system, working in particular with the N.C. Association of District Court Judges and the N.C. Judicial College to implement judicial branch education programs. For these and countless other contributions she has made the legal profession, Howell is the 2022 recipient of the Liberty Bell Award.
The award is presented annually by the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association in conjunction with Law Day. Howell was recognized on Friday, May 6, during the Law Day awards ceremony in Raleigh.
“I was surprised and incredibly honored to be selected,” said Howell. “I am familiar with the award, having been involved in small ways with Law Day in the past, and I know some of the past recipients. It is quite an honor to be included in a group like that.
“I promised friends I would not say this, but I feel very undeserving to be included in this group. But I also am overjoyed. These are people whom I admire very much. It is absolutely thrilling to be included in a group like that.”
Howell is in fact richly deserving of the honor. Whereas her work might appear to be behind the scenes in nature to many members of the legal community, she is regarded as a giant within the profession to those who know her best and work with her closely.
And that is a sizable contingent of people. As denoted on the School of Government website, where she proudly mentions her NCBA membership, Howell has served, by appointment of the Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, on the Family Court Advisory Commission since its inception in 1998, and by appointment of the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, as a member of the N.C. Child Custody and Visitation Mediation Advisory Committee.
“The people I have been able to work with over the years are dedicated, incredibly hard- working public servants who do critically important work for the people of North Carolina,” Howell said. “People tend to look at things and only see the problems associated with the system, but we actually have an outstanding court system, one of the best in the country. I feel incredibly privileged to work with them and support them in their work.”
Howell grew up in Rocky Mount and graduated magna cum laude from Appalachian State University. She had no intentions of going to law school when she began her undergraduate studies, but got the bug shortly thereafter.
“I took a business law course as a sophomore, and I was pretty much hooked at that point,” Howell said. “I fell in love with legal analysis, I am a true law nerd. I took another business law class and decided I wanted to go to law school. I was fortunate enough to go to UNC Law School.
“I was not one of those people who grew up wanting to be a lawyer, but I was always interested in public service work. I wasn’t sure at all while I was in law school what I wanted to do, but I knew I was interested in the work of the court system as a part of our government.”
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Howell began her legal career in Winston-Salem with the Petree Stockton firm (now Kilpatrick Townsend), where she focused on insurance defense work. Her next move was to Fayetteville, where she maintained a general practice with Reid, Lewis, Deese and Nance (now Lewis, Deese and Ditmore).
Her transition away from private practice began when she relocated to Raleigh and accepted a clerkship with Chief Judge R.A. Hedrick of the N.C. Court of Appeals.
“I stayed with Judge Hedrick for about a year,” Howell recalls. “He was involved with the Institute of Government and knew that a faculty position was coming open. It was through Judge Hedrick that I learned of the work of the Institute and its unique mission. I immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of that work, and Judge Hedrick encouraged me to apply.”
From the moment she landed the job, Howell knew she had found her calling.
“When I started this job 30 years ago,” Howell said, “I knew I was lucky, and over the years I have never lost that feeling of ‘Wow!’ I had no idea what I wanted to do when I went to law school, only that I knew I loved working with legal issues and wanted to do public service work.
“If I had known this would be the way I was going to spend my career, I would have been thrilled. This is my dream job, and I have pretty much felt that way for the last 30 years. I have felt privileged every day to do what I am doing and have loved every minute of it.”
Howell has been involved in the North Carolina Bar Association ever since she graduated with honors, Order of the Coif, from UNC School of Law in 1987.
“I have always felt like it makes me a better lawyer,” Howell said, “being around other members of the bar and being involved in the projects of the Bar Association. I think it is very important for lawyers to be connected, and I have learned so much from the lawyers I have worked with, and appreciate their incredible support.
“I have especially loved working with the Family Law Section, because they have always been such incredibly smart, dedicated lawyers who care deeply about the families they help through very stressful, difficult times. They help me think about how to do my job better and how to think through tough legal issues. I have also developed incredible friendships through my work with the bar association. Those relationships have definitely enabled me to do the work I do with people in the court system much better.
“It keeps me connected.”
Previous winners of the Liberty Bell Award are: Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Congressman Mike McIntyre, Chief Justice Mark D. Martin, Judge James A. Wynn Jr., Chief Judge Linda McGee, Judge Beth Keever, Judge Sammie Chess Jr., Maj. Gen. (retired) James B. Mallory III, Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, Judge Earl Britt, Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, Justice Harry C. Martin, U.S. Attorney Janice McKenzie Cole, Stacy C. Eggers Jr., Judge E. Maurice Braswell, Judge Herbert L. Richardson, William Joslin, Chief Justice Henry Frye, Judge Robert R. Browning, Judge Lacy Thornburg, Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., William C. Friday, Judge Sam J. Ervin III, Gov. Terry Sanford, Herbert H. Taylor Jr., Judge James Dickson Phillips Jr., Wade E. Brown, Judge Hiram H. Ward, Kathrine Everett, Rep. L. Richardson Preyer, Justice J. Frank Huskins, McNeill Smith, Judge Franklin T. Dupree Jr., Sec. of State Thad Eure, Chief Justice Joseph Branch, Dr. Robert E. Lee, William B. Aycock, Chief Justice Susie Sharp and Sen. Sam Ervin Jr.
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.