M E M O R A N D U M
Date: January 14, 2016
To: Board Certified Specialists
From: The Board of Legal Specialization
Re: Service and Excellence Awards Nominations
Please review the attached nomination forms for our annual service and leadership awards. Each year
we are proud to present the awards based on the nominations that we receive from board certified
specialists. Your input is very important in this process and we hope that you will take a moment to
nominate a colleague. The awards are defined below and nomination forms are attached and available
online at
. Nomination forms are due by March 31, 2016.
The awards will be presented at the Annual Specialists Luncheon on Friday, April 29, 2016, at the
Renaissance Hotel at North Hills in Raleigh. This event will feature recognition of 25-year honorees
and new board certified specialists. We hope you can join us for this annual event. Thank you in
advance for your participation.
The Sara H. Davis Excellence Award: Nominations for this award are accepted from North
Carolina certified specialists. The award is presented to a certified specialist who exemplifies
excellence in his/her daily work as an attorney and serves as a model for other lawyers. Special
consideration is given for a long and consistent record of handling challenging matters
successfully, for sharing knowledge and experience with other lawyers, for earning the respect
and admiration of all others with whom the lawyer comes into contact in his/her daily work,
and for high ethical standards.
The James E. Cross, Jr. Leadership Award: Nominations for this award are accepted from
members of the North Carolina State Bar who have worked closely with the nominee. The
award is presented to a certified specialist who has taken an active leadership role in his/her
practice area through presentations at CLE seminars, scholarly writings, participation in
groundbreaking cases, or service to an established professional organization.
The Howard L. Gum Service Award
This award is given to a specialty committee member who consistently excels in completing
committee tasks. The recipient is highly dedicated to legal specialization, donates his/her time
to committee responsibilities, and responds to the needs of the staff and the Board, in
exemplary fashion.
- Nomination Forms Attached -