Dispute Resolution Section Recognizes Three Individuals
The Dispute Resolution Section honored three exemplary individuals for their contributions to dispute resolution in North Carolina on March 28. The awards were presented during the section annual meeting in Greensboro.
Former Chief Justice Henry Frye (ret.) of Greensboro received the Peace Award and Executive Director Frank Laney of the N.C. Center for Mediation received the Harmony Award. Maureen Robinson, longtime administrative assistant for the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission, received a Certificate of Appreciation upon her retirement from the commission.
Laney presented the Peace Award and the Certificate of Appreciation. Executive Director Tara Kozlowski of the Dispute Resolution Commission presented the Harmony Award. Their presentations have been edited for publication and provided below, followed by additional biographical information in italics.
Chief Justice Henry Frye
Dispute Resolution Section Peace Award
A major step forward in the development of ADR in the North Carolina court system was the establishment of the MSC Mediated Settlement Conference program in Superior Court. It began with a North Carolina Bar Association committee looking into establishing an ADR process to aid Superior Courts.
For several years, under Andy Little’s leadership, we developed rules and statutes to set up a pre-trial mediation program to encourage settlement of civil Superior Court cases. Once the legislature passed the statute and implemented a pilot program, Chief Justice Exum, who was a strong supporter of ADR in the courts, determined that having a Bar Association committee, no matter how well-meaning, running a court program was inappropriate. So Chief Justice Exum set up a joint lawyer/judge/court administrator committee to oversee this pilot program. He tapped Justice Henry Frye, who had been a member of the Bar Association committee, to lead this new steering committee.
Chief Justice Frye had grown up on a tobacco and cotton farm in eastern North Carolina. He attended North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, where he met his future wife, Shirley Frye. They both graduated with honors. After serving in the military, Chief Justice Frye decided to go to law school after being denied the right to vote due to literacy tests. After law school he became an assistant U.S. Attorney. From 1968 to 1982, he represented Greensboro in the legislature, first in the House, then the Senate. In 1983, Governor Hunt appoint Frye to the N.C. Supreme Court, where he served until 2000 after being appointed Chief Justice to replace the retiring Burley Mitchell.
But back to mediation. Chief Justice Exum knew that this pilot program, to become a permanent part of the state courts, needed careful management. If the pilot was successful, it would then still need to be adopted by the legislature as a permanent part of the Superior Court process. Justice Frye was just the man. He was known to be open-minded and forward thinking. He also had plenty of experience working in the General Assembly. He was a kind and easy-going fellow who could assemble a team of court staff, judges and lawyers to guide this new program through its first years of growth.
The first meeting of Justice Frye’s ad hoc committee was in an AOC building. In addition to the appointed committee members, two interested citizens named Andy Little and Frank Laney showed up and sat in the back. As the committee was getting the room organized and figuring out where to put the tables and where to sit, Justice Frye admonished the group to pull up another table and have Andy and Frank join the circle.
Knowing of the Justice’s love of poetry, his actions reminded me of the old poem:
He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him in! (“Outwitted,” by Edwin Markham)
Which is what Justice Frye did. He drew in anyone with interest and passion for the work he undertook.
Under his skilled leadership, the pilot program was a resounding success. As a matter of fact, it was so popular, the size of the pilot was doubled in the second year. In the year after the two-year pilot program, Justice Frye’s group managed to get a permanent enabling statute through the legislature, implementing rules drafted and adopted by the Supreme Court and the new Dispute Resolution Commission established to manage the new statewide mediation program. With the establishment of the DRC, Justice Frye’s committee was dissolved, having completed its appointed work. But Justice Frye remained interested and active in the development and use of ADR in our courts, supporting both the Commission and the Bar Association’s efforts to expand the use of mediation.
For his years of service to the field of mediation in our state, but most particularly for his vital leadership at that critical moment in the development of court ADR, we are pleased and proud to recognize The Honorable Chief Justice Henry Frye as this year’s recipient of the Dispute Resolution Section Peace Award.
Henry E. Frye is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and UNC School of Law. He earned the rank of captain in the U.S. Air Force and later became the first African American elected to the General Assembly in the 20th century as well as the first African American to serve as an associate justice and chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court. He engaged in private practice with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard from 2001 until his retirement in 2016 – the same year in which he was honored as a charter inductee of the NCBA Legal Legends of Color.
Frank Laney
Dispute Resolution Harmony Award
When I was asked to give the Harmony Award to Frank Laney, I was intimidated. The man is a legend. I didn’t know where to start, but I soon discovered if you Google “Frank Laney,” you will find all kinds of good information. For example, his middle name is Caldwell. He was born in Charlotte, attended Martin Middle School and Broughton High School in Raleigh. He went on to receive his B.A. in psychology from N.C. State, and his J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill. After surviving private practice for a few years, Frank moved into the ADR area and became the Dispute Resolution Coordinator for the NCBA. He was then a partner in Mediation Inc., then a Mediation Coordinator for N.C. Industrial Commission, and eventually he landed his forever career as a circuit mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, over the span of his impressive career, he found the time to write a few books, teach mediation courses at Campbell Law School and N.C. Central Law School, be a part of the NCDRC since its inception, be a member of the NCBA since 1984, and serve on various organizations and committees.
He began training mediators 30 years ago and has years of experience under his belt as an international trainer. As for his personal life, Frank was an Assistant Scout Master for Boy Scouts, a Vestry, Newcomer Committee chair and lector for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, a board member for Davis Drive Elementary/Middle School for 12 years, and involved with Green Hope Band Boosters for three years.
But what I love the most is you will also find that Frank listed the following information on various resumes that are posted online – that he married his wife, Ann Laney, on June 3, 1989, and has two children, William and Megan.
I realized as I was crafting this speech to present Frank Laney with the Harmony Award that I would never be able to include his true history – all of his awards, recognitions, achievements, etc. So, I’m going to pivot and tell you things about Frank Laney that you can’t find on Google or LinkedIn.
Frank is a husband, father, attorney, mediator, instructor, author, educator, mentor, humanitarian, and my friend. He drafted the very Rules we live by and continues to work past retirement to ensure the success of ADR in NC. Does everyone know Frank claimed to have retired in 2024? I’m still laughing about that one!
This award is perfectly fitting for Frank Laney as he is retired … and agreed to take over the operation of the Wake County Community Mediation Center Carolina Dispute Settlement Services in 2024. CDSS opened its doors in 1983 as a non-profit to provide alternative dispute resolution services to individuals, business, agencies, and other organizations. CDSS also provided training courses and educational programs for the community at large and was a certified trainer for the Dispute Resolution Commission for years.
The former director had a sudden change of heart and made a swift move into retirement, leaving CDSS squarely in Frank’s lap. Frank, without receiving fame or fortune, or the insider’s guide on how to run CDSS, took on the responsibility of the community mediation center. He jumped in with both feet and has spent this past year working diligently to keep the community mediation center operational.
Our friend, the retired Frank Laney, found himself negotiating loans, leases, contracts, managing employees, and digging through the finances of the center. His time was not paid, but given freely to ensure the center would succeed. He spent countless hours keeping the center afloat and poured all the proceeds directly back into CDSS to keep it operational. Frank eventually transitioned CDSS into the North Carolina Center for Mediation and is providing services to Wake County residents daily. During this adventure, Frank left no stone unturned, and no employee behind. He adopted the good and the bad, never complained, and because of his dedication and time, the N.C. Center for Mediation is a success.
After working with Frank for years, I have learned a few things. He doesn’t know how to say no, and he would give you anything you asked for if he is able – without expecting anything in return.
My favorite quotes by Frank Laney:
“I am patient or stubborn, depending on your point of view.”
“I do not burn out. I like to stay busy and find that I feel like I am on the edge, not able to get it all done. But if I ever catch up, I find myself bored quickly.”
The Harmony Award was created to recognize an individual who has provided significant pro bono service as a dispute resolution professional; contributed to the dispute resolution field through volunteerism and leadership; and participated in general civic, community, and charitable efforts. I can think of no better recipient for the 2025 Harmony Award than Frank Laney.
Frank Laney is a past chair of the Dispute Resolution Section and former recipient of the Peace Award. He received the NCBA Citizen Lawyer Award in 2015.
Maureen Robinson
Dispute Resolution Section Certificate of Appreciation
In 2006, Maureen Robinson’s children were all in school and she was looking for part-time work that would allow her to get home in time to greet her kids. She applied for an open position with some agency she had never heard of working with people called mediators, which she had no idea what they did. But the pay was fine, and the hours fit her schedule. So, she accepted Leslie Ratliff’s offer.
She became the right arm of the Commission. Over time, she learned to handle all the many inquiries to the Commission and became indispensable in the day-to-day functioning of this body which allows mediators to do our work with the courts. She answered calls about how one becomes a mediator. She processed applications once the mediator has completed training. She kept up with the trainers, to make sure they kept their materials and agendas up to date. She processed the thousands of renewal applications we all send in each year. She helped Leslie and now Tara prepare for the quarterly Commission meetings and the many committee meetings that occur between times.
Harmony Award recipient Frank Laney presents Certificate of Appreciation to Maureen Robinson.
In recognition of her tireless yet vital contributions to our profession and her 19 years of service to the Commission, the courts and the field of mediation, we, the North Carolina Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section, give this Certificate of Appreciation to Maureen Robinson.
Maureen Robinson is married to Joe Robinson, and they have three grown children who live in Chicago, Raleigh, and New York. Maureen is a cat person and has two cats, Tyrone and Suzy Q, that she dotes on daily. Maureen and her family moved from Florida to Cary over 30 years ago to surround her with the best medical care possible as she was diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age. She celebrated 30 years of being cancer free on December 1, 2023. Maureen’s work history includes working for a law firm in Florida prior to relocating to North Carolina.
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.