LAWYERS MUTUAL - Key Persons
Ms. McIlveen joined the Charlo tte Area Community Board of Lawyers Mutual in 2016. Ms. McIlveen is a family law attorney with offices in Gastonia, Charlotte and Raleigh. Before forming her family law firm, she focused her practice in litigation with Dean & Gibson in Charlotte. Ms. McIlveen is a frequent author and speaker, and guest on both television and radio. She has been named a Rising Star in Super Lawyers, Top 40 Lawyers Under 40, Top 100 Lawyers, Leader in the Law, GLM Marketer of the Year and America's Premier Experts in Publishing Expert Content. She has published the NC Divorce Guidebook, NC Divorce FAQ and NC Child Custody Process Explained. Ms. McIlveen is a member of the American Bar Association Family Law Se ction, North Carolina Bar Association and Gaston County Bar. Ms. McIlv een is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College and Ca se Western Reserve University.
Asa Bell, Jr. joined the Lawyers Mutual Board in July 2023. Since 2014, Asa's practice has focused on helping parties resolved their legal disputes through mediation and arbitration. Prior to 2014, he represented plaintiffs in catastrophic injury cases involving motor vehicles and medical negligence as a partner in the law firm of Bell & Vincent-Pope, PA in Cary. Prior to that, he was a partner in the firm of Becton, Slifkin, and Bell in Raleigh.
Mr. Bell is certified as a mediator and has mediated hundreds of civil cases involving church disputes, employment issues, automobile collisions, medical negligence, general liability, real estate, State Tort Claims, and healthcare provider reimbursements. Mr. Bell is also a frequent presenter on ADR topics. Mr. Bell maintains a preeminent AV rating with Martindale- Hubbell and has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of personal injury and mediation. In addition to his ADR practice, Mr. Bell is an ordained minister and pastor. He is a graduate of UNC, the UNC School of Law, the Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Moody Theological Seminary.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO, Lawyers Mutual Consulting and Services
Camille Stell serves as President and CEO of Lawyers Mutual Consulting & Services. She is a frequent author and speaker on the topics of ethics and professionalism, succession planning, marketing and business development and law firm trends of the future.
She works with lawyers and law firms in business development and marketing coaching, strategic planning and succession planning. She has facilitated law firm retreats and coaching sessions for law firms of all sizes whether small North Carolina firms, regional firms, as well as global law firms. She has facilitated ABA Women Rainmaker workshops for hundreds of women attorneys in North and South Carolina. She has facilitated "Future of the Profession" workshops for a consortium of law firm recruiting professionals and law school career service office professionals. She is an organizer of the newly created Legal Innovators Meetup in the Triangle.
Camille is a frequent speaker at law school campuses across the state. She facilitates Strengthsfinders workshops as well as speaks on topics such as strategic networking for job search, professional etiquette, inter-generational communication skills, the future of law and starting your own law firm.
Camille has thirty years of experience in the legal industry including law firm experience as a paralegal and as a recruiting and marketing professional. In her capacity as a marketing professional, Camille was responsible for building the profile of the Triangle offices of K & L Gates (formerly Kennedy Covington), coaching attorneys, developing marketing strategy and client targeting plans for the office as well as individual practice groups.
She is a graduate of Meredith College and the Meredith College Paralegal Program and recently completed a term on the Meredith College Alumnae Board. She is a past member of the North Carolina Bar Association Transitioning Lawyer Commission, a past Chair of the Law Practice Management Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, a past member of the North Carolina State Bar Ethics Subcommittee studying Avvo, as well as past Chair of the Legal Marketing Association Raleigh City Group. She has served as officer and director of local, state and national paralegal associations.
She has served on the editorial board of Legal Assistant Today magazine, Women's Edge magazine, Carolina Paralegal News and as the Supplements Editor for North Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
In 2011, Camille was recognized by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly as a member of the inaugural class of "Leaders in the Law." In 2016, Camille was recognized by the Triangle Business Journal as a "Women in Business" award winner. In 2018, she was named as a member of the inaugural Pro Bono Resource Center Advisory Board.
Claire is the Vice President of Claims. She joined Lawyers Mutual in 2017 and previously served in the role of Underwriter and Senior Claims Counsel. Prior to joining Lawyers Mutual, she practiced in the areas of civil litigation, medical malpractice defense, insurance defense and transportation. Claire actively practiced in both large and medium sized firms in North Carolina for 22 years. She previously worked at McGuireWoods, Patterson Dilthey Clay & Bryson and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.
Claire is a native of North Carolina and received her law degree from Campbell University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is a member of the North Carolina and Wake County Bar Associations, the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys and the Defense Research Institute. Claire is active in the community and currently serves as a member of the Wake County Lawyer Support Committee. She previously served as a board member on the Wake County Commission for Women.
Job Titles:
- Benefits Coordinator / Office Manager
Ms. Wortm an joined the Eas tern Carolina Community Board of Lawyers Mutual in 2014. Ms. Wortman is an attorney in Wilmington with Marshall, Williams and Gorham. Her practice focuses on the advocacy and trial of a broad range of complex civil matters. Ms. Wortman has been an active member of the North Carolina Bar Association, serving as Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers Division Membership Committee, member of the North Carolina Bar Association's Women In The Profession Committee, and member of the Insurance Law Section Council. She also served on the Board of Dire ctors of the New Hanover Count y Bar Association. Ms. Wor tman is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and was a Wake Law Faculty Scholar at Wake Forest University Sc hool of Law. She was named one of North Carolina's 2011 and 2012 Risi ng Stars in Business Litigation and was recognized by Best Lawyer's in America for personal injury-defense litigation in 2015 and 2016.
G. Gray Wilson joined the Board of Directors of Lawyers Mutual in 2006 following his service as President of the North Carolina Bar Association. A noted defense attorney, Mr. Wilson practices in Winston-Salem with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, and is the author of North Carolina Civil Procedure, a two volume treatise. He has also been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America®. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and taught trial advocacy at Wake Forest University School of Law. He served as president of the North Carolina State Bar from 2018-2019. Mr. Wilson graduated from Davidson College and Duke University School of Law and has distinguished himself in his service to the Winston-Salem community through his work with the Old Hickory Council of the Boy Scouts of America and has served as chair of the board of trustees of First Christian Church, Centenary United Methodist Church, and Messiah Moravian Church.
John Babcock joined the Lawyers Mutual Board of Directors in 2012. John practices with Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey in Winston-Salem where he has extensive experience in corporate, tax and transactional matters, mergers and acquisitions and commercial business transactions. Mr. Babcock graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and magna cum laude from the Wake Forest University School of Law, also earning an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. He has taught as an adjunct professor of law at Wake Forest University. He is recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America® and listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers and Business North Carolina's Legal Elite, where he was inducted as a Hall of Fame member in 2019. Mr. Babcock is active with the North Carolina Bar Association Business Law Section, where he currently serves as the Chair of the LLC's, Partnerships and unincorporated entities subcommittee. He has also served as a past Treasurer, Secretary and council member.
Job Titles:
- Director of Client Services
- Director, Client Services
Julie Beavers joined Lawyers Mutual as Director of Client Services in October 2018 where she provides risk management resources and education to policyholders and the legal profession. She is active in the North Carolina legal community and is a frequent CLE and professional development speaker with regional bar groups and national organizations. Locally, Julie is a member of the Board of Legal Specialization at the NC State Bar and serves as an Advisory Member of the CLE Committee. At the North Carolina Bar Association, she is a member of the Small Firm & Technology Council and previously served as Chair of the Transitioning Lawyers Commission and the Professional Wellness Committee. Julie is also active with the Raleigh Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association. She is a founding member and a three-term president of the Triangle Association of Legal Recruitment Administrators (TALRA), a city group of law firm recruitment professionals and law school career development professionals. On a national level, Julie is active with the NABRICO Marketing & Communications group and a member of NAMIC, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. She previously held several national and regional leadership positions with the National Association of Legal Career Professionals (NALP), the organization that governs recruiting practices for private and public sector employers and accredited law schools in the US and Canada.
A native of eastern North Carolina, Julie earned a Bachelor of Science from East Carolina University and a Human Resource Management Certification from Duke University. Before joining Lawyers Mutual, she served in professional roles at Ward and Smith, P.A., Campbell University School of Law, and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC.
June L. Basden joined the Board of Directors of Lawyers Mutual in 2007. As an attorney with Carruthers & Roth, P.A., in Greensboro, her area of practice covers a wide range of commercial transactions with a focus on commercial lending and creditors' rights. June has been active in the North Carolina Bar Association, having served as Chair of the Business Law Section. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina School of Law, she is also a Certified Public Accountant and is one of ten fellows of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers who practice in North Carolina. June has been listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers and Business North Carolina's Legal Elite as well as named as one of the Best Lawyers in America® in the practice areas of Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Finance Law and Uniform Commercial Code Law. June has also been named Best Lawyers in America® Triad Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Lawyer of the Year, 2022, Triad Commercial Finance Law Lawyer of the Year, 2020 and 2021, Greensboro Commercial Finance Law Lawyer of the Year 2018, and Greensboro Banking and Finance Law Lawyer of the Year, 2014 and 2017.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Underwriting
Kathy is the Vice President of Underwriting. She previously worked with our insureds as a Senior Underwriter. Before joining Lawyers Mutual, Kathy was a partner with Yates, McLamb & Weyher, LLP, and a litigation associate with Patterson, Dilthey, Clay, Bryson & Anderson, LLP. As a trial attorney, her defense practice was focused on medical malpractice, professional malpractice, workers' compensation, and constitutional claims. Kathy graduated from The Ohio State University and Campbell University School of Law.
Mike Colombo joined the Lawyers Mutual Board of Directors in 2011. He practices in Greenville with the law firm of Colombo, Kitchin, Dunn, Ball & Porter, LLP, in the areas of estate and trust planning and administration, tax planning and disputes, and business planning and administration. Before his legal career, he served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain. A graduate of North Carolina State University and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Mike has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and named to Business North Carolina's Legal Elite. He has served as President of the Pitt County Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association. He is active in his community as well, serving or having served in leadership roles with Saint James United Methodist Church, Pitt Community College Board of Trustees, and the Pitt County Chapter of the American Red Cross, among others.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Enterprise
- Vice President, Enterprise and Operational Risk Management
Patrick is the Vice President of Enterprise and Operational Risk Management at Lawyers Mutual as well as filling the roles of Corporate Secretary and Director of Information Security. He has also previously served in the roles of relationship manager and underwriter. Prior to joining Lawyers Mutual in 2011 he practiced in the areas of real estate, foreclosure, creditor's rights, and insurance subrogation - actively practicing in North Carolina and Virginia. He is licensed in North Carolina, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the US Patent & Trademark Office; received his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law and a B.S. in Biology from UNC-Chapel Hill. Additionally, he is a Certified Information Privacy Professional for US private sector (CIPP/US) and a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and has received the designations of Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) and of Privacy Law Specialist (PLS) by the IAPP. He serves on several local and state bar association committees, including the North Carolina Bar Association's Privacy and Data Security Committee, and is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Lawyers Mutual welcomed Ronald L. Gibson to their Board of Directors in 2012. He practices with the law firm of Ruff, Bond, Cobb, Wade & Bethune, L.L.P. in Charlotte, focusing his efforts on corporate, business law and general practice. A graduate of Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Law, Ron served as a Law Clerk to Federal District Court Judge James B. McMillan and was in private law practice with Chambers, Stein, Ferguson & Becton. His experience also includes Associate General Counsel and Vice President of Marketing with Duke Power Company; Principal with Scott, Madden & Associates, a management consulting firm; and owner of an insurance and financial services agency. Ron represents Mecklenburg County as a State Bar Councilor where he serves as Chair of the Administrative and Legislative Committees. Ron is a former President of the NC State Bar and currently serves on the Board of Law Examiners.
Lawyers Mutual welcomed Sarah Sparboe Thornburg to the board in 2014. She practices estate planning and estate and trust administration with McGuire, Wood & Bissette, P.A., in Asheville. A graduate of Duke University and Wake Forest University School of Law, Sarah was previously a public high school teacher and served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Thomas A. Higgins with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Sarah is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and is the Moderator of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. She also serves on the Boards of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County, and of Working Wheels WNC. Sarah volunteers regularly with Pisgah Legal Services' "Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer" program, and is an active volunteer in the Asheville City School system.
Sharon L. Parker has a solo practice in Marion, NC focusing on business law and estate planning. Sharon joined the Lawyers Mutual Board in 1999 and served as Chair of the Claims Committee. Prior to 2012, Sharon spent 20 years in medical malpractice defense litigation with Dameron, Burgin & Parker, PA, a four-attorney general practice firm in Marion. Sharon is recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Sharon has served on the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association, several NCBA Section Councils, the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and as President of the McDowell County Bar Association. From 1990 to 1995, Sharon served as Co-Chair of the initial NCBA Commission on the Status of Women in the Legal Profession and the subsequent NCBA Committee. In 2015, Sharon received the North Carolina Bar Association Citizen Lawyer Award. Active in her community, Sharon has served as President and on the Board of Director of The McDowell Endowment [an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina], and of Catawba Valley Legal Services [now Legal Aid of the Foothills]. She is the Foundation Director and Scholarship Chairperson for the Rotary Club of Marion and has been honored with the Rotary Service Above Self Award. Sharon also serves on the McDowell Technical College Foundation Board of Directors and The Legal Aid of the Foothills Advisory Board. Sharon's other honors include the Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service, the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the McDowell County Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award, and the Gwyneth B. Davis Award from the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys for outstanding contribution to the promotion of women lawyers and the rights of women under the law. In 2022, she was inducted into the NCBA Legal Practice Hall of Fame which recognizes a lifetime of exemplary service.
Job Titles:
- Managing Counsel for LM Title Agency
- Managing Counsel, LM Titl
- Managing Counsel, LM Title
Troy is Managing Counsel for LM Title Agency, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lawyers Mutual serving attorneys throughout North Carolina. Prior to heading the title agency, he worked for Lawyers Mutual as Claims Counsel, focusing primarily on real estate, fraud and technology related claims. His experience includes working as Claims and Subrogation Counsel for a title insurance underwriter and eight years in private practice handing real estate litigation, commercial transactions and residential closings. Contact Troy directly at 919-585-1182 or troy@lmtitle.com.
Valerie Johnson joined the Lawyers Mutual Board in 2015. Valerie co-founded her firm, Johnson & Groninger PLLC, in 2011. The firm has offices in Durham and Charlotte and concentrates in the areas of workers' compensation law, personal injury, and bicycle crash cases. Prior to the formation of Johnson & Groninger, Ms. Johnson's practice focused on litigation with Patterson Harkavy LLP, a plaintiffs' civil rights, labor, and employment firm. Valorie teaches trial advocacy at the University of North Carolina School of Law and has taught workers' compensation law at the Wake Forest University School of Law. She serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice as the vice president of education. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, and the American Advocates for Justice. Ms. Johnson was admitted to the National Academy of Social Insurance in 2011. She is the co-editor of the treatise North Carolina Workers' Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim. She is board certified in workers' compensation law and is a frequent speaker on legal and litigation topics. Ms. Johnson is a graduate of UNC and the UNC School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Vice President, Finance
Will is Vice President of Finance and Treasurer of Lawyers Mutual. He previously served as Controller and member of the Finance Team for 13 years.
William G. (Bill) Pappas joined the Lawyers Mutual Board in 2010. Prior to retiring from Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP in December 2021, he practiced a wide range of business law and transactional issues. Bill regularly advised on corporate governance and related issues and is a Certificate Holder from the National Association of Corporate Director's Corporate Directors Institute. He served as chair of the Business Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Bill has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Corporate Law and North Carolina Super Lawyers in Business/Corporate, International and Intellectual Property Law, and was named to Business North Carolina's Legal Elite. He serves on the Board of Visitors for the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.
Bill clerked for the Honorable Franklin T. Dupree, Jr. of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of North Carolina and for U.S. Magistrate Logan D. Howell. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- President, Lawyers Insuranc
William serves as Senior Vice President for Lawyers Mutual and as President of Lawyers Insurance. Before joining the Lawyers Mutual and Lawyers Insurance family, William was a lawyer with Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP. He graduated from Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Law.