In the last podcast of 2025, NCAJ President Carma Henson reflects on her first five months on the job. Carma and host Amber Nimocks talked about what it’s been like to lead the organization during one of the most eventful years in recent history and how much they are looking forward to 2026. Carma also talked about being the first Lumbee Indian to lead a statewide professional organization and what full federal recognition will mean for the Lumbees. Tune into this conversation for Carma’s insights on NCAJ’s advocacy in a challenging year.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Carma Henson

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[05:14] Historic First: Carma is the first Lumbee Indian to serve as president of NCAJ and the first Lumbee to serve as president of any statewide professional organization for lawyers in North Carolina. The tribe is one of the largest east of the Mississippi, with over 55,000 members.

[11:08] Convention Conversation: At this summer’s NCAJ convention, one topic of conversation was the rule of law in response to actions of the Trump administration. Carma praises the “healthy” dialogue among members and breaks down the board of governor’s decision not to issue a public statement.

[19:48] “Just the Way It Is”: That’s the feeling of hopelessness that many family members experience when they watch loved ones at the mercy of abusive nursing home caregivers, Carma says. “It doesn’t have to be ‘just the way it is.’”

[25:51] Nursing Home Litigation: Medical malpractice caps are among the greatest challenges facing North Carolina nursing home litigators, Carma observes. “You've got the caps on non-economic damages, and so that scares some people away.”

[26:15] Rapid Response: Carma salutes NCAJ's "rapid response team" for quickly training members so they could help those at risk when U.S. Border Patrol and ICE operations came to North Carolina.

[29:30] "You're Never Alone”: That’s the message that Carla offers to Jason Orndoff, NCAJ president-elect. “Everybody's happy to listen and give advice, give insight. And that's what makes us a great organization,” she says.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

Members of NCAJ belong to a nonprofit, nonpartisan

"I just met this person, and the state wants to kill him." That’s what Gretchen Engel was thinking the first time she met a death row inmate, as an intern at the Alabama Resource Center. Gretchen would eventually move to North Carolina and join the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in 1992. After 33 years, including a dozen as the CDPL’s executive director, she retired this summer. Gretchen reflects on victories and setbacks in this conversation with Amber Nimocks. And she looks ahead, suggesting that the state may be moving toward slowly abolishing the death penalty.

Name: Gretchen Engel

[02:44] Motivation: Gretchen explains how her interest in race and poverty led her to death penalty work, first in Alabama and eventually in North Carolina.

[06:00] Clemency Campaign: Gretchen details the CDPL’s six-month campaign that led former Governor Easley to grant clemency to a Black man sentenced to death by all-white juries.

[10:05] Changing the Narrative: In 2000, the CDPL worked with reporters from the “Charlotte Observer” on a series that exposed the inexperienced lawyers and sham trials of death row defendants. “It helped to start the public really thinking about how these cases are tried,” Gretchen recalls.

[13:13] Successes: Gretchen highlights the CDPL’s successes over the years, including the creation of the Indigent Defense System and the state’s ban on executing people with intellectual disabilities.

[16:09] Racial Justice Act: Four people have been removed from death row through this law that created a record of racism in jury selection across North Carolina.

[18:30] HB 307: This legislation, recently enacted, is committed to speeding up death penalty cases and exploring “increasingly barbaric methods of punishment,” Gretchen says.

[21:28] “Pure Demagoguery”: Gretchen discusses how politicians capitalize on “fear and hatred” to push forward legislation in the aftermath of particularly brutal crimes.

[24:50] Clemency: On December 31, 2024, North Carolina Governor Cooper commuted a record number of death penalty sentences – 15. Eleven were represented by the CDPL.

☑️ Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

☑️ Subscribe to Voices of NCAJ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

Members of NCAJ belong to a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of legal professionals dedicated to empowering a strong community of trial lawyers to protect people, prevent injustice and promote fairness. Membership affords many benefits and we’re proud to offer...

“Improved appellate advocacy betters us all,” says Chris Edwards. “It betters the court system. It betters our outcomes.” The co-chair of Ward and Smith's Appellate Practice, Chris discusses how trial lawyers can improve their appellate advocacy in this conversation with host Amber Nimocks. He also highlights his new column for “Trial Briefs,” NCAJ’s flagship publication, where he shares his “superpowers” with NCAJ members. And he previews his Nov. 12 virtual CLE, “Winning on Appeal Starts at Trial,” where he’ll cover issue preservation, record building, and best practices.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Chris Edwards

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:00] Path to Appellate Practice: Clerkships in a federal district court and the US Court of Appeals shaped Chris’ career. “The first four years that I was in practice, all I knew was writing for, talking to, persuading judges.”

[03:38] Different Superpowers: Chris explains how appellate lawyers use storytelling differently than trial lawyers—telling the client's story through written briefs rather than in front of juries.

[05:06] Thinking Ahead: Even if trial lawyers don't handle appeals themselves, they should think strategically to ensure success if the case goes to appeal, Chris says.

[08:34] Vanguard v. Moody: Chris recaps his first “Appellate Thinking” column, which focused on the Supreme Court's ruling requiring specificity in motions for directed verdict.

[11:43] Evolving Case Law: Chris explains the fascinating part of appellate practice—watching how settled case law changes over time and seeing where courts are moving the law.

[14:24] Shifting Trends: Every US Supreme Court chief justice moves the court in a different direction, Chris observes.

[16:40] Coddle v. Mankin: Chris recalls co-authoring an NCAJ amicus brief about whether negligent supervision claims fall under medical malpractice laws.

[19:15] The Trial Lawyer Dynamic: “Practically speaking, an appellate lawyer's client is the trial lawyer,” Chris says as he explains the relationship. “I get to help my friends solve cool problems.”

[21:05] Common Appellate Questions: The three most common questions that Chris hears from trial lawyers: appellate timelines, post-trial motions, and assembling the record.

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