Martin Brinkley and Caryn McNeill Named Co-Chairs of the North Carolina Bar Association '4All Task Force'

Smith Anderson partners Caryn McNeill and Martin Brinkley will co-chair the "4All" Task Force, an initiative of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Foundation that will address systemic problems relating to the provision of legal services to poor North Carolinians. The Task Force will address four primary areas: legislation, legal aid funding, lawyer participation in pro bono work and educating the bar about legal aid needs. The "4All" effort is the centerpiece of NCBA President Janet Ward Black's presidential year and is running in tandem with increased attention to legal aid issues around the country.

The members of the Task Force will consist of distinguished judges and lawyers from around the state. The Task Force will lead efforts to endow a fund within the North Carolina Bar Foundation that will support Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc., the largest statewide provider of legal services to the poor. Task Force members will coordinate a statewide service day (currently scheduled for April 4, 2008), create a mechanism for North Carolina lawyers to voice their support for legal aid initiatives before the state legislature, address the challenges legal aid lawyers face in repaying educational debt, and educate North Carolina lawyers about the changing face of poverty in the state. The group anticipates completing its work by June 2008.

Martin Brinkley is a general business lawyer. Caryn McNeill concentrates her practice in the areas of employee benefits and compensation.