Jackie Grant Elected President-Elect

Jacqueline D. Grant is the new president-elect of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was elected by acclamation on Saturday morning, June 24, at the 2017 NCBA Annual Meeting in Asheville.

A lifelong Asheville resident, Grant is a partner and litigator with Roberts & Stevens, where she has practiced her entire career. Her name was placed in nomination by Shelby Benton, immediate past president of the NCBA who chaired the Past Presidents’ Council, which annually selects the nominee for president-elect.

Seconding speeches were provided by two of Grant’s longtime law partners, Jack Stevens and John Mason, a former president and vice president of the NCBA, respectively.

Upon her election by those members in attendance at the Omni Grove Park Inn, Grant was ushered to the stage by the past presidents in keeping with NCBA tradition.

“This is an extreme honor,” Grant said. “It is also very humbling, because all of the past presidents have set such a high bar to live up to. When you realize that people trust you enough to think you could actually lead their organization, that is pretty huge.

“When I think about all of the people I have come in contact with serving on the Board of Governors and working on committees, and all of the attorneys who are working so hard on behalf of the bar association, this is very exciting.”

Grant served on the NCBA Board of Governors from 2010-13. She has also served on numerous committees, including the Medico-Legal Liaison Committee and the Delivery of Legal Services Committee, which she has chaired, and the Awards and Recognitions Committee which she currently co-chairs.

Grant is a graduate of A.C. Reynolds High School. She received her undergraduate degree from Western Carolina University in 1992 and her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1995.

In addition to her sterling legal credentials, Grant has distinguished herself as a community leader and volunteer. She has served on the boards of the YWCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Western North Carolina and the City of Asheville Sustainable Economic Development Task Force. In 2016 she was recognized as a recipient of the NCBA’s Citizen Lawyer Award, presented annually in recognition of exemplary community service.

In 2014-15, Grant became the first African-American female to serve as president of the 28th Judicial District Bar which encompasses Buncombe County. She will be the second African-American female and third African-American overall to serve as president of the NCBA, preceded in that regard by Judge Allyson Duncan of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Charles Becton, former judge of the N.C. Court of Appeals and former interim chancellor of North Carolina Central University and Elizabeth City State University.

“This shows that there is an evolution within the legal profession recognizing the importance of more diversity,” Grant said. “For me personally, it has always been helpful for other minority children and students to see other minorities in leadership positions. It encourages them to serve their communities in various ways, and it also shows that it is possible.”

Grant will serve in 2017-18 as president-elect of the NCBA, which is led this year by President Caryn Coppedge McNeill of Raleigh. Grant will be installed as the 124th president of the NCBA on Saturday, June 23, at the 2018 Annual Meeting in Wilmington.