Barely a year old, North Carolina Lawyers for the Rule of Law is actively driving the conversation about hot legal topics. Steering Committee member David Teddy discusses why he and like-minded lawyers formed the group in the wake of the NCAJ’s Convention 2025, seizing the opportunity to issue a public statement about threats against judges and lawyers. Since then, North Carolina Lawyers for the Rule of Law has come out on other issues and is raising money to “get out the message that you need to stand up for the rule of law.” Sitting down with host Amber Nimocks, David also reflects on this term as NCAJ president from 2013 to 2014 and the return of his “Criminal Masters in Advocacy” CLE at NCAJ Convention 2026 in June. Visit the NCAJ Convention page to learn more about it.

Interested in supporting the North Carolina Lawyers for the Rule of Law or its Law Day celebration on May 1? Contact David at 704-487-1234.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: David Teddy

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:03] NC Lawyers for the Rule of Law: A debate at the 2025 NCAJ Convention — over whether the organization should issue a public statement defending the rule of law — led David and like-minded members to form an independent steering committee that launched NC Lawyers for the Rule of Law.

[03:55] Beyond One Statement: Since its formation, NC Lawyers for the Rule of Law has grown to 873 lawyer signatories and established its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The group has made more public statements, including one opposing a proposed Department of Justice rule.

[04:20] Law Day: NC Lawyers for the Rule of Law is partnering with similar groups in other states to mark Law Day on May 1, leveraging the American Bar Association's theme of "the rule of law and the American dream."

[07:13] Popular CLE Returns: At the NCAJ Convention in June, David will reprise his popular “Criminal Masters in Advocacy” CLE, which gives criminal practitioners practical tools they need when they walk into either a district or superior court.

[12:13] “Good Times President”: Like all NCAJ presidents, David chose a theme for his tenure. He wanted to be the “good times president,” which meant ensuring that NCAJ events would have live music.

[14:34] “Above the Rest”: NCAJ’s CLEs are “head and shoulders above the rest” and give back the investment in time and money “sevenfold,” David 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 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 discounts and opportunities thanks to our tremendous community of sponsors and partners. Join today!

Welcome to Voices of NCAJ.

We're talking to members of the North

Carolina Advocates for Justice 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 careers.

Produced and powered by LawPods.

Welcome everyone to Voices of NCAJ,

the podcast for the North Carolina

Advocates for Justice. I am Amber Nimocks,

your host and director of external

affairs for NCAJ. Before we get started,

I'd like to thank our circle of leadership

members for supporting NCAJ's mission

and this podcast. If

you're watching on YouTube,

you can see a list of circle of leadership

firms at the end of the podcast.

To find out how your firm can join

the circle, go to ncaja.com/circle.

My guest today is David Teddy,

who is a partner in the firm,

Teddy Meekins and Talbert in Shelby.

David has been an NCAJ member for 38

years and has served in a variety of

leadership roles, including

He is also a member of the

steering committee of North

Carolina Lawyers for the

Rule of Law. In June at convention,

David will reprise his popular

Criminal Masters in Advocacy CLE,

which has been on hiatus. David is also

sponsoring live music at convention,

bringing us dance band, the

extraordinaires, and singer-songwriter,

Phoenix Mendoza. If you're not registered

for convention yet, go right now to

nCaj.com/convention-2026

and check out the schedules.

Then register and make plans to join

us June 24th through 27 in Wilmington.

David, welcome to the podcast.

Thanks for having me.

Looking forward to it. Thank.

You, Amber. So let's start with North

Carolina's Lawyers for the Rule of Law.

Plenty of our members are familiar

because they have signed the open letter

supporting the principles and objectives

laid out by the North Carolina

lawyers for the rule of law.

But for those who don't know,

what is this group's purpose

and how did it come to be?

We came to be really as a result

of a debate that occurred at the

convention in Charlotte about

whether NCAJ should make a public

statement. What many of our members felt

like was an attack on the rule of law,

attacks on federal judges,

attacks on lawyers because

of who they represent.

And we just felt like things were getting

a little bit out of control and that

NCAJ should make a statement.

There was a lively debate

at the convention as to

whether making a statement on

this particular issue was in our lane.

Lots of members that I have a

tremendous amount of respect for.

We should not make a public statement.

Lots of members that I have a tremendous

amount of respect for thought that we

should. At the end of the

convention, there was a vote.

The vote was that NCAJ should not

make a public statement about a tax

law of law. So what I did is I

talked with a number of people there

at the convention that supported NCAJ

making the statement and we decided that a

statement still needed to be made

by lawyers in the legal community.

And so we gathered together a group

of people that were willing to start a

steering committee and we put the public

statement together and we solicited

lawyers who might be interested in

signing it. We have right now, I think,

873 lawyers that have signed. It's

a very nonpartisan group of lawyers,

retired judges from different

areas of the practice. And we also,

after we got those signatures secured,

we have now developed

our own 501 nonprofit.

We've got steering committees and we're

very active and we're moving beyond just

the one public statement

that was released recently.

So what are the other issues or

topics that this committee wants to

take on?

Or are people coming to you with needs

or how are you looking at how to chart

the course for the

committee going forward?

For example,

we recently issued a statement on what

was happening with the Department of

Justice.

And I think NCAJ also released a

statement about taking prosecutors

out of the purview of the state bar.

It was a very strange move we

felt like on the part of the DOJ.

And so we issued a public

statement against that issue.

There are other things that we'll be

taking positions on as the issues develop.

The other thing that we're doing is we're

partnering with similar organizations

that have formed in other

states to celebrate Law Day,

which is May one of this year.

And it just so happens that the American

Bar Association theme for Law Day

is the rule of law and the American dream.

So we're going to leverage that theme

with some issues that we think are

important to bring to

the public's attention,

be looking for more messaging from North

Carolina Lawyers for the Rule of Law

between now and May first.

Before I came to NCAJ, I worked for

the North Carolina Bar Association,

and they do a big celebration of Law Day.

It's a dog and pony show in some ways,

but it was really very effective

and very sort of moving because they

have kids who are in mock

trial and their parents,

and then they have essay award winners

from all over the state come and

members of the Supreme

Court are in attendance.

I always thought it was one of

the better things that NCAJ did.

So I'm really glad to see that you guys

are going to shine some more attention

on Law Day because I didn't think about

it at the time because this predates the

current administration,

but it really is something that needs

to be held up and people need to be

reminded of.

We may also put together a plan for

lawyers to retake the oath and what we

are supposed to be doing in terms of

upholding the Constitution and reminding

lawyers have an important role to play

in the justice system and that we all

have an oath to uphold. Lawyers

and judges that are very,

very important parts of the justice system

should not be under attack for doing

their job.

So what kind of response have you seen?

Obviously you've had almost 900

lawyers sign on to the letter.

What else have you seen in response to it?

We've had really good response.

And the steering committee,

we took out page ads all across the state

and the steering committee funded that

initial campaign to the

tune of about $50,000.

We are in the process of doing some

fundraising to help us with the

messaging that's going to

happen between now and May one.

And we hope that we're going to be in

a position to raise at least 50,000

amongst a wider group of

people instead of a very,

very small group of people

which funded the first effort.

But we felt like it was very important.

The folks that chipped in felt like it

was something that needed to be done and

that lawyers needed to stand up for

what was happening and what continues to

happen.

We think that our fundraising efforts

will be successful between now and May

one. And if anybody wants to help us out,

give me a call. We've got 501

set up and we have an account.

Sonya Pfeiffer is the treasurer and

keeping tabs on all the money that we

raised.

All the money is going to get out the

message that you need to stand up for the

rule of law.

Great. And let us know, please,

if we can pass along any messages or

whatever you need to get the word out

to our members as well. That's

one of your hobbies, I guess,

what you do in your downtime.

You are also co-chairing Criminal Masters

in Advocacy that will be doing that

convention.

And this is the first time that we've

had a criminal master's program in many

years. Do you remember

when we last did it?

We've actually had a master's

program fairly recently.

It's the "Ultimate Checklist"

seminar that has been on hiatus.

Les Robinson and I put together first one

the Four Seasons, the Sheraton in

Greensboro. It was very, very popular.

And then we did it again

but it's been 15 years since we

did the Ultimate Checklist seminar.

And it's really just a seminar designed

to put things in the hands of criminal

practitioners that they can take

with them to court every day.

We handed out laminated checklists

for different problems that arise,

something that you needed

to ... You knew the answer,

but sometimes it's hard to pull the

answer from the archives of your mind.

But if you have a checklist

in your briefcase,

sort of a toolkit that you can take with

the end of the courtroom for cases that

you need to cite, statutes that you

need to cite, sentencing charts,

things of those nature,

just practical checklists that every

trial lawyer needs when they walk into

either district court or superior court.

Les and I are looking forward to

bringing new checklists,

refining some of the other checklists

And we are partnering with Warren Henson

and Glen Gerding who are also involved

in criminal CLE at convention. And

we think it's going to be a very,

very good CLE,

and we hope that the Criminal Bar

NCAJ members in particular want to

participate in it.

Yeah. Well, we're excited to have

this program back on the schedule.

So you have been leading

CLEs for NCAJ and dispensing

advice, including recently,

I don't remember if it was last year

or the year before our next leadership

program fellows.

And that session felt like kind of

another sort of checklist that you had in

talking to the next leadership.

Do you have any specific bits of advice

for recent law school grads and those

who are in their first

few years of practice?

My first exposure to NCAJ,

which was at that time,

the North Carolina Academy

of Trial Lawyers was when

Joe Cheshire came and spoke

to our, I think it was our criminal

law section or our criminal law class

about the organization and

about what the organization,

what the mission was of the organization.

I was just mesmerized by Joe Cheshire,

who was a hell of a trial lawyer then for

his entire career has been a hell of a

trial lawyer.

And it really wet my appetite as a

young law student to get involved in

the North Carolina Academy

of Trial Lawyers if I was

so fortunate as to pass the

bar. And I did pass the bar.

I joined NCAJ early on and got

exposed to some great lawyer.

And that's the only way to be

successful in the practice of law is to

watch other good trial lawyers practice

their craft. And so my advice to young

lawyers is to be a sponge,

don't be afraid to approach older lawyers

with questions, sit through trials,

watch trials happen, and

it'll rub off on you.

Well, there'll be plenty of opportunity

for folks to do that at convention and

certainly at Criminal Masters.

So you joined NCAJ before

you got your license.

I think I remember looking at your record,

you probably had taken the bar and were

getting ready to get your results back,

but then you went ahead and joined NCAJ.

I did. And I think that was an option.

I don't know if it still is an option,

but I think there was a

student option back then.

And I joined right after

listening to Joe Cheshire.

How'd you find your way

to leadership in NCAJ?

Well, I started going to convention.

That's another piece of advice that I

would give young lawyers is if you do join

NCAJ, make sure you go to convention.

That's where you can network,

that's where you can learn a tremendous

amount about the practice of law and

just watch how the organization

makes an impact on real people with

real problems, both on the civil

side and on the criminal side.

So I got involved in leadership

first. I joined the criminal section,

wound up chairing the criminal section.

I was membership committee chair.

And then eventually I was asked if

I would be interested in leading the

organization as president. Couldn't

believe I was being approached about that.

When asked, I said, sure,

I'd be happy to serve.

So ultimately I became the president

of the organization back in,

I think it was 2013.

And as you were saying,

you found your way into leadership

by going to convention to begin with.

Yeah. Just making good friends,

listening to stories from

wonderful trial lawyers,

watching wonderful

trial lawyers give CLEs,

just the camaraderie of the organization.

It just felt like every time you

went to a convention in particular,

you were back with your family,

good times at convention,

good place to network and get plugged in.

How did you become NCAJ's

unofficial entertainment booker?

When did that start?

When you become NCAJ president, you're

supposed to come up with a theme.

Phil Bodor's theme, he was

the education president.

When Brad Bannon was president,

I think he was the Diversity,

Equity and inclusion president.

And I was the good times president.

I wish I had had the opportunity to

attend convention at Ocean Creek,

but I joined when convention

had shifted away from

Ocean Creek. We were at either

Sunset Beach or Wilmington,

and I just heard members talk about

how much fun Ocean Creek was and

there was live music. And so I just

decided that when I became president,

I wanted to be the good times president

and I wanted there always to be music.

I sort of have taken upon myself to

offer the opportunity if NCAJ wanted

to take me up on it to sponsor live

music at various events, conventions.

And so we're doing it again this year.

Yeah, that's great. We're very

excited about both of the acts,

especially the extraordinaires.

I know Shannon has seen them at a couple

of different events and speaks very,

very highly.

It's a North Carolina band

from Hickory and they bring it.

It's going to be a good show. I

think everybody's going to enjoy it.

Cool.

We certainly had a great time the last

couple years in Wilmington and Charlotte,

but we definitely had a terrific time

in Wilmington being able to have live

music there right on the edge of the

boardwalk, right on the edge of the river.

I think it'll be really fun. Very

memorable evening. So tell me,

what has being an NCAJA member meant

to you personally and professionally

over the years?

Well, personally,

I have gotten to know some really good

lawyers that are good personal friends of

mine that I wouldn't have met

had I not joined NCAJ. I mean,

they're lifelong friends. And

from a professional standpoint,

I remember the first time I spoke at

a CLE, I was nervous as I could be,

but I really enjoyed

speaking at CLE and sharing

information with other lawyers that were

hungry for tips on how to be successful

in the practice of law.

And before I spoke,

I had sat on the other side of the lecture

soaking up all this information and

the information I was getting from these

wonderful trial lawyers I was able to

put to practice the very next

Monday leaving a particular CLE.

And it made me a better trial lawyer

and it made me more effective with my

clients.

It improved my outcomes at court.

And I've always felt like the best CLE

that's out there comes from NCAJ because

I've attended CLE that is put on by

other organizations.

The NCAJ CLEs were always head and

shoulders above the rest. And for me,

it was an investment of my

time and a little bit of money,

but mostly time that I've been able to

get back sevenfold in the practice of

law.

And the bottom line is what I do for a

living is help people sort of equal the

playing field in a courtroom where you

have tremendous resources of the state of

North Carolina that are lodged against

your client and you want to give them a

fair shot, an opportunity to be heard,

an opportunity to put the

state to their burden of proof.

And I've learned how to do that as a

result of being exposed to great trial

lawyers that have taught me

over the years through NCAJ.

Well,

we are so glad that what you've given

has been given back to you because you

have certainly given a lot to the

organization over the years. David,

thank you so much for being on the

podcast and for all that you do for NCAJ.

Thanks for having me, Amber. I

appreciate the opportunity. And again,

I want to encourage everybody to

sign up for convention this year.

It's going to be a really fun time.

And if you want to touch base with me

about North Carolina Lawyers for the Rule

of Law and be involved in the Law Day

celebration on May one, give me a call.

My number is 704-487-1234.

All right. Well,

we will put that in the show notes so

that anybody who wants to can find you.

If you are not registered for

convention, go right now to

ncaja.com/convention-2026.

Check out the full schedule,

including Criminal Masters in Advocacy,

and get yourself registered and

make plans to join us in Wilmington,

June 24th through 27. Thanks

everyone for listening.

And if you're watching on YouTube, don't

forget to subscribe to this channel.

Thank you for joining us on

this episode of Voices of NCAJ.

For more information on the North Carolina

Advocates for Justice and how to join

or support NCAJ,

please visit our website at www.ncaj.com.