Kirk Warner Elected President of Eastern N.C. Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates

The Eastern North Carolina chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) elected Smith Anderson attorney Kirk Warner as its new president on Dec. 7 at its annual Judges Luncheon. 

ABOTA is an invitation-only national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges, and members are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Kirk has served on the ABOTA Executive Committee and as an officer since 2017. A member of ABOTA since 2005, Kirk was elevated to Advocate status earlier this year in recognition of having tried more than 25 civil jury trials to a conclusion as lead counsel spanning over 500 days in trial. Smith Anderson attorney and colleague Jim Dorsett previously served as President of the Eastern North Carolina chapter of ABOTA in 2012, and the firm has several current and past ABOTA members.

ABOTA membership consists of more than 7,300 lawyers — equally balanced between plaintiff and defense — and judges spread among 96 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Members must have tried at least 10 civil jury trials to conclusion and possess additional litigation experience. They must also exhibit the virtues of civility, integrity and professionalism by following its Code of Professionalism and Principles of Civility.

Kirk is a lead trial lawyer focusing much of his practice on complex and challenging product liability and commercial bet-the-company litigation and in contested topical areas such as motor vehicle, pharmaceuticals, biosciences, medical devices asbestos, industrial, tools and construction products defense. He leads the Smith Anderson’s Products Liability, Mass Tort and Catastrophic Loss, Asbestos and Toxic Torts and Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation practice groups and is a senior litigator in the firm’s Commercial Litigation, Complex Contract Disputes and Construction Litigation teams with trial experience spanning across many litigation areas.