Western District Chapter of Federal Bar Association Formed
A group of lawyers and judges in Western North Carolina has formed the Western District of North Carolina Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (“FBA”). The organization will focus primarily on the needs of federal judges and practitioners in the District.
Founded in 1920, the FBA was originally designed as a professional organization to serve federal judges and government lawyers. In the 1980s, attorneys engaged in private practice, along with law students, were allowed to join the FBA’s ranks. Since then, the FBA’s membership has swelled to nearly 16,000 members across the United States, with over eighty (80) active chapters across the country and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In September of 2009, several lawyers and federal judges petitioned the FBA for permission to open a chapter in the Western District. The application was allowed by the FBA’s Board of Directors and a charter for the group, which is the first of its kind in North Carolina, was presented at the FBA’s annual meeting in Oklahoma City shortly thereafter.
The chapter has elected its first slate of officers–W. Carleton Metcalf, Esq. (President), U.S Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer (Vice President), Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Ray (Secretary), retired Superior Court Judge Forrest Ferrell (Treasurer)—and is busy planning events for 2010.
Persons interested in the Western District’s Chapter or the FBA generally are encouraged to contact one of the chapter’s officers directly or the FBA national office at (571) 481-9100 or on the web at www.fedbar.org. Details on specific events will also be forthcoming.