Ward and Smith recently contributed to an amicus brief filed in the North Carolina Supreme Court on behalf of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) in Cottle v. Mankin.
This case represents the type of substantive appellate work our firm regularly handles for clients and collaborative partners.
North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Appellate Specialist and Appellate Practice Co-Chair Chris Edwards collaborated with the NCAJ and other litigators to prepare the brief, which necessitated a thorough analysis of North Carolina's statutory framework.
The brief focused on interpreting N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-21.11, examining its structure and the legislature's specific language choices to support the position of the NCAJ. The resulting amicus brief exemplifies the storytelling approach our appellate practice brings to complex statutory interpretation.
Ward and Smith's appellate specialists routinely handle appeals in the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Our experience also extends to matters in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Ninth, and Federal Circuits, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States, reflecting their ability to tackle appeals on a national scale.