The North Carolina Bar Association’s 9th Annual Legal Legends of Color Award Ceremony took place on June 20 in Charlotte. The event honors legal professionals of color whose “legacies represent ceilings broken for all attorneys who follow in their footsteps.”
High Point Law extended faculty member Judge James A. Wynn, Jr. was one of the award recipients. Judge Wynn currently serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He previously served for twenty years as an appellate judge on both the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of North Carolina. More about his distinguished career can be found here.
Judge Wynn’s former law clerk, Karlene Turrentine—a North Carolina administrative law judge herself—had kind words to share about her old boss at the awards ceremony. What stuck out most from her time in chambers is Judge Wynn’s incredible knack for listening. He deeply engages with the person in front of him and truly absorbs information before speaking—a helpful skill in judging!
Along with Judge Wynn were four other Legal Legends of Color Honorees: Judge Patrice Hinnant, Karl Adkins, Charles Becton, and Cindy Patton. Though all their careers varied, one commonality among the recipients is their “undeniable impacts on the legal profession,” as commended by the program brochure. Ceiling shatter-ers indeed!
This was not the first time a High Point Law faculty member has received this distinguished award. Chief Judge Albert Diaz (United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit) was honored in 2017, and Judge Wanda Bryant (North Carolina Court of Appeals) received the award in 2021.
When asked about Judge Wynn’s award, HPU Founding Dean and Professor of Law Mark Martin said:
“Given his renowned career as a military judge, state appellate judge, and federal appellate judge, and his countless hours serving state and national bar associations, I cannot think of a better recipient of this distinguished award than Judge Jim Wynn.”
Pictured are HPU Law Office Administrator Patricia Ford with Karlene Turrentine (above) and Chief Judge Albert Diaz (left).