McNeill Elected President-Elect

Caryn Coppedge McNeill of Raleigh is the new president-elect of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was elected by acclamation Saturday morning, June 25, at the NCBA Annual Meeting in Charlotte.

A 1988 graduate of Davidson College, McNeill received her law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1991. She has practiced her entire career with Smith Anderson, where she leads the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group.

“I am honored and humbled to have been asked to serve the North Carolina Bar Association in this way,” said McNeill. “The NCBA is remarkable — it enjoys the reputation of being among the finest volunteer organizations in the country. To be asked to lead this tremendous group of lawyers, paralegals and law students as we continue to work together to carry out the NCBA’s mission of serving the public and the legal profession is thrilling.”

McNeill has an extensive record of service within the NCBA. She served as chair of the Young Lawyers Division in 1999-2000 and is also a former division director and ABA YLD District 9 representative. She served on the NCBA Board of Governors in 2001-02, is a former member of the Tax Section council, founding co-chair of the 4ALL Task Force (now 4ALL Statewide Service Day Committee), and previously chaired the Lawyer Effectiveness & Quality of Life Committee and the Pro Bono Strategic Planning Task Force.

“Personally, I have always found great joy in working alongside other lawyers who are committed to serving our profession and the citizens of North Carolina,” McNeill said. “It is inspiring. My work with the NCBA has made me a better lawyer — it has provided me with mentors, leadership opportunities and avenues for public service — and been the source of countless friendships. As much as I’ve put into it, I’ve taken far more away.”

In addition to her bar association responsibilities, McNeill is completing her first year as chair of the Ravenscroft School Board of Trustees. She joined the board of trustees in 2010 and is the first woman to serve as its chair in the school’s 156-year history.

McNeill has also served as vice president and executive committee member of the Carolinas Chapter of The ESOP Association, and is a member of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals, the Triangle Benefits Forum and the Montreat President’s Council.

McNeill and her husband John have three children, Johnny, an entering freshman soccer player at Sewanee:  The University of the South, and Alex and Jane, both students at Ravenscroft School.

In addition to serving as president-elect in 2016-17, McNeill will chair the Audit & Finance Committee of the NCBA and the NCBA Foundation. She will be sworn in as the 123rd president of the NCBA on Saturday, June 24, at the 2017 NCBA Annual Meeting in Asheville.