Current events and annoucements within our firm
are posted to this section and updated periodically. We encourage
you to revisit this page at your convenience for the latest
updates.
Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC was pleased to participate in the North Carolina Bar Association's first statewide 4ALL Public Service Day held on April 4, 2008. As part of the 4ALL activities, the Greensboro call center fielded approximately 1,600 calls requesting legal advice during the twelve-hour period when pro bono services were made available to the public. Schell Bray attorneys John McLendon, Jennifer Koenig and Amy Kincaid all served as volunteers at the call in center. Blanche Berkowitz, NCCP, also assisted at the call center as a volunteer from the firm.
The Young Lawyers Division of the Greensboro Bar played a key role in the 4ALL event by organizing and manning a walk-in center located at the county courthouse. Schell Bray associate April Kight served as Chair of the committee that coordinated this effort and was assisted at the courthouse site by firm attorneys Garland Graham, Craig Kiser, Thomas Hockman and Carter Grant.
We are pleased to announce that Thomas C. Watkins and Amy H. Kincaid have been named as Triad Pro Bono Award winners by Business Leader Media. Mr. Watkins' pro bono work includes service as Vice Chair of NC LEAP, a public service program of the North Carolina Bar Foundation that assists low wealth entrepreneurs in starting or expanding their businesses through pro bono legal services by North Carolina business and transactional lawyers. Ms. Kincaid is currently Co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee of the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.
We are proud to announce that seven of our members were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in North Carolina Super Lawyers 2008. They are:
Michael R. Abel Business/Corporate Law
William P. Aycock II Real Estate Law
Doris R. Bray Business/Corporate Law
Michael H. Godwin Estate Planning and Probate
Paul H. Livingston, Jr. Estate Planning and Probate
Braxton Schell Business/Corporate Law
Thomas C. Watkins Business/Corporate Law
Law & Politics magazine performed the survey and analyzed the results. The Super Lawyers designation identifies those lawyers who are judged to be superior in their individual practice area by other of the state’s attorneys. This is Law and Politics’ third annual guide to the top attorneys in the state and the results are based on surveys from lawyers across the state practicing law five or more years. Recognition is given to only the top five percent of attorneys in more than 60 practice categories.
We are proud to announce that nine of our members were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for 2008. They are:
Michael R. Abel (10)
Corporate Law
Employee Benefits Law
Tax Law
Holly H. Alderman
Real Estate Law
William P. Aycock II (20)
Real Estate Law
Doris R. Bray (10)
Corporate Law
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Securities Law
Barbara R. Christy
Real Estate Law
Michael H. Godwin
Trusts and Estates
Paul H. Livingston, Jr. (10)
Trusts and Estates
Braxton Schell (20)
Corporate Law
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Thomas C. Watkins (10)
Corporate Law
Banking Law
The Best Lawyers list has been published since 1983 and is based upon detailed evaluations and peer group voting.
(10) Lawyers who have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for 10 years
(20) Lawyers who have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for 20 years
Thomas C. Watkins, former Chair of the Business Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, has recently been named Vice Chair of the Steering Committee for the North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Project (NC LEAP). NC LEAP is a public service program of the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation and exists to assist low-wealth entrepreneurs with their legal needs in starting or expanding their businesses through pro bono service by North Carolina business and transactional lawyers. The NC LEAP programs are designed to increase the chances of success for low-wealth entrepreneurs and to assist North Carolina’s communities with their economic development activities in our changing economy. The NC LEAP Steering Committee is comprised of attorneys who are members of the North Carolina Bar Association and community representatives. The Steering Committee provides direction to the NC LEAP program, recruits volunteer attorneys, participates in fund-raising activities, and plans seminars for small business owners across the state.
Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC, has from its inception encouraged its lawyers to maintain a healthy balance between professional and personal responsibilities by allowing flexibility with work schedules.
As a result, the law firm has always attracted and cultivated women professionals.
Nine of its 21 lawyers are women, and seven of the 15 partners are women. Within the firms real estate department of seven lawyers, half are partners.
Doris Bray, one of the firms founding members, served on the North Carolina General Statutes Commission for more than 20 years, including four years as chair, earning her a designation by the governor of North Carolina as a member of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest level of governmental recognition conferred on a citizen in the state.
Commercial real estate law partner Barbara Christy says the firm’s flexibility for families has allowed her to leave each day by 4 p.m. or work four-day weeks in order to be home with her school-age children.
The Greensboro based firm even opened its Chapel Hill office in part to accommodate lawyer Holly Alderman’s need for flexible scheduling.
Real estate associate Christina Freeman says the firm has encouraged her through its reasonable billable hours requirements to volunteer with charitable organizations such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and foster home program Seven Home.
The firm also supported Lisa Kiser both financially and with a flexible schedule in her effort to finish her paralegal certification from Duke University in February 2006.
For these reasons, Schell Bray is the winner of the Promotion of Women in Real Estate Award, which honors a company that has a proven track record of providing business or professional opportunities for women in the commercial real estate industry.
Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC and The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro today announced a new community arts initiative: The Greensboro Public Art Endowment Fund. As the founding contributor and sponsor, Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston is opening the fund with an initial donation of $25,000. The future-looking fund will provide art in public spaces around Greensboro.
"Being the founding donor of this fund allows Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC to show our appreciation to Greensboro, which has been our home for all 20 years of our firm's life. We believe that the art purchased by this fund will contribute to the beauty of our city and our sense of community. To reach it's potential, this fund needs to grow, so it is our fond hope that foundations, businesses and individuals in this community will support the fund with generous contributions," said Paul Livingston of Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC.
Walker Sanders of The Community Foundation added, "Art in public spaces helps to give our Greensboro community its identity and sense of place. We are fortunate to have a vibrant arts environment in Greensboro and public art is a vital part of our landscape, engaging and inspiring our citizens. Most importantly, we are truly pleased to partner with a company that so clearly shares our commitment to this community and its continuous cultural growth."
Greensboro, NC - Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC, with offices in Greensboro and Chapel Hill, NC, announces that eight of its members have been named as members of the North Carolina Legal Elite, based upon a poll of North Carolina attorneys conducted by Business North Carolina magazine. They are: Michael R. Abel for Antitrust, Business Law and Tax and Estate Planning; William P. Aycock II for Real Estate; Doris R. Bray, as a member of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame for Business Law; Michael H. Godwin for Tax and Estate Planning; Jennifer L. J. Koenig for Tax &Estate Planning; Paul H. Livingston, Jr. for Tax and Estate Planning; Braxton Schell for Business Law, and Thomas C. Watkins for Business Law.
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