Ask-A-Lawyer day is an event organized by the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association.  During the event, young lawyers devote their time to provide pro-bono legal advice to members of the public.  Our attorneys have participated in past years and thoroughly enjoyed volunteering again this year!

1. Death – You should update the relevant documents any time an individual named in your estate planning documents (beneficiary, Executor, Trustee, Attorney in Fact, etc.) passes away.
2. Marriage – Many clients I encounter believe without a will, their assets will pass to their surviving spouse upon their death.  When I inform them about North Carolina’s intestacy laws and the fact the surviving spouse could only receive one-half or one-third of the deceased spouse’s estate, the surprise of my clients is palpable.  Also, with marriage rates decreasing around the country as a result of couples choosing to remain unmarried, clients who are a partner in an unmarried couple must create a will for the other partner to receive anything from their estate.
3. Births – Typically, the only instrument parents can use to express their wishes regarding the selection of a guardian for their minor children is a will.  Thus, once children are born, parents should revise their wills to appoint a guardian and to provide for the distribution of assets to any minor children through the use of a trust.
4. Divorce – Some states statutes provide a divorce automatically revokes any provisions in a will concerning a former spouse.  However, it is prudent to revise all estate planning documents including Power of Attorney documents to properly insure your former spouse has no authority to act on your behalf.  Unless the divorce settlement or order provides otherwise, you might consider changing any beneficiary designations in favor of your former spouse on assets including life insurance, pensions, retirement plans, IRAs, etc.
5. Assets – Revisions to estate planning documents may be necessary if the value of your estate increases or decreases significantly.
6. Moving to another state – Generally, estate planning documents prepared in another state are valid in North Carolina.  However, the North Carolina statutes governing the execution requirements for wills are quite specific and may not be the same the state of preparation.  If a will prepared out of state does not meet the North Carolina requirements, it may be valid in North Carolina, but the witnesses and notary may need to be located following your death to provide affidavits to the Clerk.  This additional process during the estate administration can be lengthy and add significant cost to the estate administration.

If you are interested in a review of your existing estate planning documents or the creation of new estate planning documents, please feel free to contact our office to schedule an appointment with Stephanie Adams.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.  Please see the disclaimer.

The production will run from Feb. 2 – Feb. 5, 2012, at Thalian Hall in downtown Wilmington.  Tickets are on sale now.

1. Integrity;
2. Discipline;
3. Social skills/person-to-person development;
4. Focus/hard work;
5. Strong supportive cast; and
6. Positive attitude/creativity.

The sum of all those demonstrates that successful people understand motivation, drive, vision, creativity, and the necessity of self-awareness and the awareness of others.  Of course, woven through the fabric of those six qualities are intelligence, talent, and most important, wisdom.

Following is an examination of the six qualities of leadership for their meanings and applications:

1. INTEGRITY.  Integrity means honesty and reliability.  Does one do what one says, when one says he/she will do it?  Does one’s word mean anything?  Has honor abandoned one?  In other words, is one only required to do one’s best or must one do whatever is required to maintain his/her integrity?  We must all remember the “do right” rule.  Namely, adhere to the right; avoid the wrong; and if there is a question in one’s mind about it, consult the Bible.
2. DISCIPLINE.  Know what’s required; dedicate one’s self to perform; be early; start and, then, finish; be quick, but don’t hurry.
3. SOCIAL SKILLS.  Develop the capacity to be a good listener.  Look your audience in their eyes without intimidation; observe and understand the body language of the audience; respect those who deserve respect; understand and practice good manners; keep calm; remain in control of one’s emotions.  Essentially, social skills enable one to be engaged.  A person is engaged who interrupts a conversation on point, asks penetrating questions, seeks elaboration and explanation, and look each member of the audience in his/her eyes.  On the other hand, a non-engaged person asks simple questions, never interrupts a speaker, turns partially away from the audience, makes no requests of the audience to clarify a point or question, abruptly changes the topic of the conversation, and forever squirms.
4. FOCUS/HARD WORK.  Determine the dispositive issue(s); understand the necessary, operative facts creating the issue(s); don’t chase rabbits; continue to analyze and consider various applications of the facts throughout the effort.
5. STRONG SUPPORTIVE CAST. Appreciate your associates; pummel and praise each as his/her performance merits; recognize your associates by pay/recognition for performance; inform associates of situations and goals, and where each fits in reaching such goal(s); instruct and advise accurately; treat each honorably; remember, each has a life.
6. POSITIVE ATTITUDE.  Be a can-do person; find excitement in performance; remember, every task is not joyous; be helpful; act interested in what confronts you; smile; find the good in each day.

Mr. Rountree was honored at a ceremony presided over by the Honorable W. Allen Cobb, Jr., Senior Resident Superior Court Judge at noon on Wednesday, November 9, 2011.

At this ceremony, Mr. Rountree was presented the Award by the Immediate Past President of the North Carolina State Bar, Anthony S. di Santi, Esquire.  Mr. di Santi’s presentation included the sharing of excerpts from the letter of nomination and the letters of support in the nomination of Mr. Rountree for this Award.  Harold Lee Pollock, Esquire, North Carolina State Bar Councilor for the Fifth Judicial District, and Dolores M. Williams, Esquire, President of the New Hanover County Bar also participated in the Award ceremony.

Congratulations, Mr. Rountree!

Rountree, Losee & Baldwin attorneys Jason Kesler and Thomas Varnum joined Brett Deselms of Jacksonville to ride a combined 450 miles on September 10th and 11th in New Bern, NC! This was the first year that the team (named “DO WORK”) participated in the two-day Historic New Bern Ride, which is a fundraising event organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Eastern North Carolina Chapter. Money raised from the event funds MS research, programs, services, and advocacy. You can learn more about the ride here.

If you are interested in supporting team DO WORK, or would like to ride with the team next year, call Thomas or Jason at 910-763-3404.