Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Attorney at Law, Wyatt Early Harris Wheeler, LLP

Education:

• J.D., Campbell University School of Law, 1984
• M. Lib., University of South Carolina, 1977
• B.A., University of South Carolina, Dec. 1974

Bar Admissions:

• North Carolina, 1984
• South Carolina, 1985
• Certified Mediator, 2002

Experience:

1995-present, Litigation Partner, Wyatt Early Harris Wheeler; 2001-2005, Instructor of Business Law, Guilford College; 1990-1995, Assistant Public Defender, 18th Judicial District; 1986-1987, Law Clerk to the Honorable Louis B. Meyer, Associate Justice, N.C. Supreme Court; 1985, Director of Research and Assistant Professor of Law, Campbell University School of Law.

CLE
Presentations:

2008, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Annual Review of Torts and Products Liability; 2007, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Annual Review of Torts and Products Liability; 2007, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Automobile Accident Litigation, Recent Developments in Automobile Accident Law; 2006, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Tort Law Seminar - Negligence; 2006, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, General Practice Seminar - Torts; 2005, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, General Practice Seminar - Recent Developments in Torts; 2004, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Criminal Law Seminar - Professionalism; 2004, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Motor Vehicle Law in North Carolina - Proving Damages; 2003, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Evidence Seminar - Rule 404(b); 2003, High Point Bar Assoc.: Coordinator of Professional Responsibility and Ethics Seminar; 2003, N.C. Institute of Gov't: Training Conference for New Felony Defenders; 2002, Wake Forest Univ. School of Law, Criminal Law Seminar - Professional Responsibility; 2002, N.C. Institute of Gov't: Training Conference for New Felony Defenders; 1995, N.C. Bar Assoc., Course Planner, Criminal Appellate Advocacy Seminar.

Service to Profession:

Guilford Inn of Court, President, 2009-2011; Guilford Inn of Court, Vice President, 2007-2009; Guilford Inn of Court, Secretary/Treasurer, 2005-2007; N.C. Bar Assoc., Member, Appellate Rules Committee, 1995-2010.

Our nation is built upon principles established in our national and state constitutions. The judiciary's job is to define government's role within these limits and properly resolve disputes between citizens. I am committed to preserving the rule of law and protecting the rights and security of our citizens. I will be forceful in the pursuit of justice.

I have the experience, dedication and temperament necessary to serve as a judge on our Court of Appeals. Early in my career, I clerked for the late Louis B. Meyer, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and had the opportunity to observe and participate in the internal workings of an appellate court. As a practicing attorney for nearly 25 years, I have represented clients in more than 25 jury trials and in more than 40 cases in the appellate courts. Additionally, I am a certified Superior Court mediator and have conducted approximately 75 mediated settlement conferences in the past nine years.

I have practiced law in both the public and private sectors and served as an assistant public defender in the 18th Judicial District (Guilford County) for five years, and for the past fifteen years, I have been a partner in a High Point law firm.

My dedication to the law and the legal profession is evidenced by my 15-year tenure on the Bar Association Appellate Rules Committee and leadership positions in the Guilford Inn of Court, where I currently serve as its President. I have taught more than a dozen continuing legal education seminars at Wake Forest University School of Law.

The Court of Appeals docket includes varied civil and criminal cases; my extensive experience in trial and appellate courts in both criminal and civil matters well qualify me to serve on the Court of Appeals.