About the Commission Members - Bios
Roberta D. Liebenberg, Chair
Read news release of Ms. Liebenberg's appointment to chair the Commission
Roberta D. Liebenberg is a senior partner at Fine, Kaplan and Black in Philadelphia, where she focuses her practice on class actions, antitrust and complex commercial litigation.
Every year since 2004, Ms. Liebenberg has been listed in the highest band-level as one of the leading antitrust lawyers in Pennsylvania by the Chambers USA Guide: America's Leading Business Lawyers. The Chambers Guide states that she "always impresses with her deep knowledge, experience and vital understanding of the economic aspects of a case." Since 2006, she has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the field of Antitrust. Ms. Liebenberg serves as a member of the Best Lawyers Advisory Board.
Ms. Liebenberg is an elected member of the American Law Institute and has written and lectured extensively on a wide range of subjects, including antitrust, class actions, consumer financial services litigation and expert witness testimony, and issues pertaining to gender, racial and ethnic fairness in the justice system.
In May, 2007, Ms. Liebenberg was named as one of the National Law Journal's "50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America." She was recently selected by the Philadelphia Bar Association as the winner of the 2008 Sandra Day O'Connor Award, which is conferred annually on a woman attorney who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments and has furthered the advancement of women in both the profession and the community (listen to her introduction/acceptance speech / read her acceptance speech). In June, 2008, she was named as one of the "Top Ten Super Lawyers" in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Magazine. In October, 2006, Ms. Liebenberg was honored by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell as a "Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania." In April, 2003, she was the first recipient of the Lynette Norton Award by the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession. That award was given to her in recognition of her outstanding litigation skills and mentoring of women attorneys. In December, 2003, she was recognized as one of the "Women of Distinction" by the Philadelphia Business Journal and the National Association of Women Business Owners, based on her commitment to professional excellence and community involvement. Every year since 2004, she has been listed by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Female Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania" and one of the "Top 100 Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania." Ms. Liebenberg was named one of the "Women Leaders in the Profession" by the Legal Intelligencer. She was recognized as a leader in the field of Class Actions.
Ms. Liebenberg chaired the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession from 1995 to 1997. She also served as Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Women in the Profession Committee from 2005-2007.
Ms. Liebenberg was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness, and serves as Chair of its Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims Committee. Previously, she was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to its Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System, where she was Co-Chair of the Gender Bias Committee. In addition, she served as Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Special Committee to Coordinate the Bar's Response to Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System, as well as its Gender Fairness Task Force. She also served on the Advisory Board of DirectWomen, an ABA initiative to enable women lawyers to prepare for service as directors on corporate boards.
Ms. Liebenberg served as Chair of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary from 2006-2007. Prior to that appointment, she served as the Third Circuit representative on the Standing Committee from 2005-2006. In 2007, Ms. Liebenberg was elected as the Pennsylvania State Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, and she serves on the ABA Nominating Committee. From 2003 to 2005, Ms. Liebenberg was a member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, representing Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition, she served on the Governing Council of the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation and was the Section's Delegate to the House of Delegates. She also served as Chair of the Class Actions and Derivative Suits Committee of the Litigation Section. Ms. Liebenberg formerly chaired the Philadelphia Bar Association's Antitrust Committee from 2002-2007 and 1993-1997.
Members
Leslie Altman served as a Special Assistant Attorney General from 1983 to 1985, concentrating on labor, workers’ compensation, and administrative law for the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. In 1985 Ms. Altman was appointed by the governor as the first woman judge on the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, a court of statewide appellate jurisdiction over workers’ compensation issues. She has been in private practice since 1988 and is now a shareholder at Littler Mendelson practicing primarily workers’ compensation.
Ms. Altman graduated with an A.B. from Brown University, an M.A. from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. She is admitted to practice before the Minnesota Supreme Court, Wisconsin Supreme Court, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court.
Ms. Altman is co-chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Diversity Task Force and is a member of the University of Minnesota Law School Alumni Board. She is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a director of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Legal Profession, and former president of Minnesota Women Lawyers. She is the past chair of the Editorial Board of Perspectives, the magazine of the ABA Commission on Women in the Legal Profession.
In her community, Ms. Altman serves as a trustee at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and a director of Minnesota Campus Compact. She is a former regional director of the Brown University Alumni Schools Committee and chair of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee of the Hopkins School District.
As a co-chair of the MSBA Diversity Task Force, Ms. Altman received a 2006 Minnesota State Bar Association President’s Award. She also received a Spotlight Award from the Brown University Alumni Association for her work on the Alumni Schools Committee.
Pamela Barker currently holds the position of Executive Director of Environmental Health and Product Safety and Assistant General Counsel at Appleton Papers Inc., joining the company in February of 2007. Prior to that, Appleton Papers was her client at Godfrey & Kahn, a Milwaukee law firm where she practiced for 25 years. At Godfrey & Kahn she was the co-chair of the Environmental Energy Practice Group. Her primary area of practice was in federal and state environmental law focusing primarily on complex issues arising out of real estate transactions, corporate acquisitions, and lender liability.
Pam has long held prominent leadership positions with the State Bar of Wisconsin and the American Bar Association. In 1993 she was the first woman president of the State Bar of Wisconsin. Prior to that she served as the chairperson of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin and was the president of the Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association. Pam served eight years in the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and recently served on the Leadership Council of the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources with the American Bar Association. In 1988 she served on the Executive Council of the Young Lawyer Division of the American Bar Association. She has also served on many committees within the American Bar Association and currently serves on the Commission on Women in the Profession.
Pam has also served on several judicial selection committees on behalf of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Bar Association. In addition, she was appointed by Wisconsin Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold to serve on the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission to advise the Senators on federal, judicial, and U.S. Attorney nominations.
Pam has received several awards, including the Marygold Melli Achievement Award presented by the Legal Association for Women. In addition, she has been listed in several publications, including Outstanding Young Women in America, the International Who's Who of Environmental Lawyers, and the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers and is listed as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer since 2002. She is the former president of the Equal Justice Coalition, which is a non-profit organization designed to promote public awareness of the need for legal services to low income individuals in Wisconsin and to increase the availability of legal services to those individuals. She also has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the Board of Directors of the University of Wisconsin Law School Alumni Association, the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society, and the President's Regional Advisory Council for Beloit College.
Pam was a frequent lecturer on environmental issues that are sponsored by the American Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, and the National Brownfields Conference sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, Pam is frequently a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
In 1979 Pam received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, magna cum laude, where she was a member of the Law Review. She received a B.A. cum laude in Sociology and Education from Beloit College and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board.
Jim Goh is a partner at Holland & Hart LLP in Denver, specializing in employment and education law. He represents management in the areas of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, wage/hour, employment-related torts, employment contracts, and labor arbitration. Mr. Goh also has substantial experience in the defense of complex multi-plaintiff cases and class actions. In addition, Mr. Goh represents and counsels colleges and universities on issues related to employment, student privacy, student and faculty discipline, tenure denials, student athletics, diversity-based scholarships, and other aspects of education law.
An AV-rated lawyer, Mr. Goh frequently lectures on employment issues, both nationally and internationally, including Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, India, Indonesia and Canada. From 2002 through 2005, Mr. Goh served as Chair of the Employment and Immigration Committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), an association of lawyers from around the world. He was also Vice-Chair of the Employer-Employee Relations subcommittee of the ABA's Torts & Insurance Practice Section.
In 1999, Mr. Goh was invited to be a member of President Clinton's Lawyers for One America Initiative. He has also been appointed by three successive ABA Presidents to serve on the ABA's Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice. From 1995 to 1999, he served on the Board of Governors of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). Presently, Mr. Goh chairs NAPABA's Best Lawyers Under 40 Committee.
Within Holland & Hart, Mr. Goh chairs the firm's Diversity Committee. He also serves on the firm's Recruiting and Partnership committees.
Prior to joining Holland & Hart, Mr. Goh clerked for Hon. Frank G. Theis, U.S. District of Kansas. He received his B.A. (English), from The Colorado College, and his J.D. (1991) from the University of Kansas, where he served on the Kansas Law Review.
Catherine Lamboley, retired Sr. Vice President and General Counsel of Shell Oil Company, is a native of Monroe, Wisconsin. Ms. Lamboley graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a secondary education degree and from the University of Texas School of Law where she graduated Order of the Coif. Ms. Lamboley joined Shell in 1979, and, with the exception of three years as Vice President of Commercial Marketing in Shell's Oil Products business, she has spent her career in the Shell Legal organization.
Issues concerning opportunity and inclusiveness have long been the focus of her professional and civic activities. Ms. Lamboley’s commitment is reflected by her participation in the Minority Corporate Counsel Association as Chair of the Board of Directors, her service on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women and Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, and her participation on the Texas Supreme Court’s Gender Bias Task Force Implementation Committee. Among the honors the Shell Legal organization has received in recognition of its commitment to opportunity and inclusiveness while Ms. Lamboley was General Counsel are the American Corporate Counsel Association’s Diversity Award, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Employer of Choice Award, and the Coalition of Bar Associations of Color Corporate Diversity Award.
Ms. Lamboley is also a member of the American Law Institute, has served on the Board of Directors for the University of Houston Law Foundation, and currently serves on the University of Texas Law School Foundation Board. Recognizing that access to legal assistance for all is critical to our society, Ms. Lamboley served on the Texas Access to Justice Commission's Committee of Corporate General Counsel, the Houston Bar Foundation's Board of Directors, and she is the immediate past Chair of the Corporate Advisory Committee of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.
Ms. Lamboley cites her American Leadership Forum experience as invaluable in strengthening her leadership skills and civic commitment. Ms. Lamboley is a Senior Fellow of the ALF and serves on its Board of Trustees. Ms. Lamboley is immediate past Chair of the Board of the Houston Area Women's Center, served on the Board of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, and was an original member and Chair of the United Way Women's Initiative. She served on the Board of Advisors for Catalyst, a national non-profit research and advisory organization working to advance women in business.
Among the honors she has received are the Anti-Defamation League Southwest Region's Jurisprudence Award for 2006, American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award for 2004, the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast's Woman of the Year for 2002, and the Texas Executive Women’s "Woman on the Move" for 2002 .
Eileen M. Letts is co-founder and co-managing partner of Greene and Letts in Chicago. She graduated from ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1978 and received the degree of Juris Doctor. Ms. Letts was admitted to practice before the Illinois Bar and the Federal Bar. She received her Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University in 1975.
Ms. Letts has extensive experience in litigation. Her emphasis has been on personal injury defense matters, where she has tried numerous cases to verdict. She has also tried contract disputes and construction litigation claims. She remains extensively involved in continuing legal education and the constant changes taking place in the practice of law and in the business of law.
Ms. Letts’ activities in the legal community include: Member of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, Past President, Chicago Bar Foundation, President, ITF Board of Directors, Member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Past Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness, Committee Chair American Bar Association Section of Litigation, and Member of the 1996 – 97 Magistrate Merit Selection Panel for the Northern District of Illinois.
In the past, Ms. Letts has served the legal community as: Member of the Council of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association; Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of Chicago-Kent College of Law; Chair of the Long Range Planning Committee of the Chicago Bar Association; Chairperson of the Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association; Member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Bar Association; Co-Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Committee for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation; Liaison to the American Bar Association’s Special Committee on Solo and Small Firm Practitioners; Member of the Executive Committee of the Cook County Bar Association Special Committee on Minority Federal Jury Service, Member of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Justice, and; President of Minority Legal Education Resources, Inc. Ms. Letts also served on the transition team for Chicago Mayor-Elect, Harold Washington. She belongs to the American, National, Chicago and Cook County Bar Associations.
Ms. Meiselman, a solo family law practitioner, in North Potomac, Maryland, additionally concentrates her practice in gender and sexuality law with a focus on matters effecting transsexuals. She presently serves as the Legal Issues Committee Chair of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (350 professionals representing 34 countries). Ms. Meiselman, appointed to the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession in 2006, formerly served as a liaison to the ABA CWP from February 2002 through the Annual Meeting in 2005, representing the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, where she served on the Board from 1999 through 2005. Ms. Meiselman is a 2007 recipient of the Trinity Award for Community Service from the International Foundation for Gender Education.
Ms. Meiselman, who transitioned to female in 1998, was the subject of a French TF1 Reportagé documentary entitled “My Dad, This Great Woman,” in 2001. She was the primary author of Slavery, Sex & Gender, and The Ancient Doctrine of Stare Decisis: A Re-Examination of the Doctrine In Light of Time Influenced Legal Reasoning and The Current State of Transgender Legal Issues, 2 Geo. J. Gender & L. 735 (2001), and, Cause of Action for Change of Legal Gender, 24 COA2d 135 (2004). Ms. Meiselman is a frequent CLE panelist and lecturer, nationally and internationally, on issues of civil and human rights regarding gender identity. She is a member of the ABA Sections of Family Law, Individual Rights & Responsibilities, and the Judicial Division’s Lawyer’s Conference.
Ms. Meiselman balances her professional life with creative talents including the design and creation of gold silver fine jewelry, stained glass artwork, woodcarving, and playing her 4, 6 and 12 string guitars.
Charna E. Sherman focuses her practice on litigation matters. She represents numerous corporate and individual clients as both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of cases in federal and state courts, including complex commercial and other civil litigation, as well as white collar criminal defense. Ms. Sherman is the co-chair of Squire Sanders' corporate compliance, investigations and white collar defense practice and regularly offers media commentary on high-profile white collar trials. She has been named one of Ohio's Super Lawyers for a number of years and is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell
Ms. Sherman has a long record of leadership with respect to issues concerning women in the law. As co-chair of the Women Advocate Committee of the ABA Section of Litigation Leadership (SOL), she spearheaded in 2002 and 2003 groundbreaking National Summits on Women in the Law. She also serves on a select Committee of the National Association of Women Lawyers for the Evaluation of Supreme Court Nominees. And she was on the inaugural Steering Committee of the ABA's newest women's initiative, DirectWomen, focused on placing seasoned women attorneys on Fortune 1000 boards of directors.
Ms. Sherman's additional ABA involvement includes her service as co-director of the SOL Division on Task Forces. In 2004, she also co-chaired the SOL Task Force on Mediation Ethics and succeeded in shepherding the adoption for the first time by the ABA House of Delegates of National Standards on Mediation Ethics. The SOL recognized her leadership on this important issue with its Award of Excellence.
Ms. Sherman clerked for the now late Honorable John H. Pratt of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, and was an Articles Editor on The Georgetown Law Journal. Before law school, she was a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Daniel P. Moynihan. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard University, and was Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. Sherman also contributes to her community in Cleveland, Ohio in a variety of roles. Since 1995, she has served as chair of a biannual Parents-in-a-Pinch benefit to raise scholarship money for daycare for children of needy, working families at the JDN Early Childhood Center.
James R. Silkenat is a Partner in the New York office of Arent Fox LLP, where he heads the firm’s International Business Practice Group. His primary focus is on international joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions, privatizations, project finance transactions (in both developed and developing countries) and private equity investment funds. He has extensive experience international energy transactions and is a former Legal Counsel at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.
Mr. Silkenat’s recent representations have included: investors and fund managers in international investment funds; governments and bidders in privatization transactions; European banks in loan transactions in the U.S.; Asian corporations and financial institutions in cross-border acquisitions and financings; U.S. corporations in joint ventures overseas; U.S., Latin American, Asian and African companies in project financings, particularly in the energy sector; and U.S. and international technology companies in capital raising activities.
An active member of the American Bar Association, Mr. Silkenat has served as Chair of both the Section of International Law and the Section Officers Conference. In 1990, he was elected to the ABA House of Delegates and has served as Chair of the New York Delegation in the House of Delegates since 2000. He served on the ABA Board of Governors from 1994-1997 (including as a member of the Executive Committee) and has Chaired the American Bar Association’s Latin American Legal Initiatives Council and the ABA’s China Committee. He is also a former Chair of the ABA’s Museum of Law. In 2007 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ABA’s Section of International Law. In addition to his responsibilities in the ABA, Mr. Silkenat is a Member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association and has served as Chair of the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights (now Human Rights First). He is currently chair of the Commission of the World Justice Project, a multidisciplinary effort to promote the Rule of Law around the world.
Mr. Silkenat received his BA Degree from Drury College, his JD from the University of Chicago School of Law (where he was Editor of the University of Chicago Law Review) and his LLM (International Law) from New York University School of Law.
Mr. Silkenat is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute, has served as Fellow in the U.S. State Department Scholar/Diplomat Program, and was a Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A prolific writer, he has authored more than 100 articles on law and business for various national and international publications and is the Editor of numerous books including: The Imperial Presidency and the Consequences of 9/11: Lawyers React to the Global War on Terrorism (2007); The Law of International Insolvencies and Debt Restructurings (2006); The ABA Guide to International Business Negotiations (1994 and 2004 Editions); and The ABA Guide to Foreign Law Firms (1998, 1993, 1999 and 2004 Editions). He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has served as National Chair of the Fellows. Mr. Silkenat is also a former Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. In 2000, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award for Career Achievement from Drury University.
Ms. Slovak is a partner in Schiff Hardin LLP's Labor and Employment Group, resident in the firm's Chicago office. She concentrates in labor and employment law on behalf of management and has extensive experience representing management in all facets of labor and employment relationships. Ms. Slovak litigates employment and labor claims in federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies. She represents employers in arbitrations, mediations, and collective bargaining negotiations. Her clients include retailers, universities, utilities, manufacturers, and assembly operations.
Ms. Slovak is the immediate-past Chair of the ABA's Section of Labor and Employment Law; she also served as the Section's liaison to the Commission on Women in the Profession from 2004-07. Ms. Slovak has served as the Employer Co-Chair of the ABA Committee on the Development of Law Under the National Labor Relations Act. Ms. Slovak serves on the Kenneth M. Piper Endowment Advisory Board of the Institute for Law and the Workplace in addition to serving as the Firm's representative to the Institute. She is a frequent author and lecturer on various employment law issues, and she has been an editor of The Developing Labor Law and is on the Advisory Board of the HR Advisor. Her many other related professional affiliations include membership on the Employment Law Committee of the National Retail Federation and service as Co-Chair and member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance for Women Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. She is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Ms. Slovak also is member of the boards for the Theatre School of DePaul University and Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project, Inc. She has been elected as a Fellow of both the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and the American Bar Foundation.
Ms. Slovak received her undergraduate degree (B.A., 1973) from Saint Louis University and her law degree (J.D., 1977) from the University of Chicago Law School.
Mary L. Smith recently served as Senior Litigation Counsel at Tyco International (US) Inc. where she managed the securities class action multi-district litigation relating to the Dennis Kozlowski era – the largest case pending at the Company and one of the largest cases pending in the country. Recently, the major portion of the litigation was settled for approximately $3 billion. The settlement, reached after five years of litigation and the production of over 80 million pages of documents by the Company represents the single largest payment from any corporate defendant in the history of securities class action litigation. As part of her responsibilities, Ms. Smith managed a multi-million dollar budget, over 40 outside counsel, and over 60 contract attorneys.
Previously, she was an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C. While at Skadden, Ms. Smith specialized in governmental investigations and securities class actions. Ms. Smith has litigated in various state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court, where she filed an amicus brief on behalf of several members of Congress in support of the University of Michigan’s affirmative action programs.
Prior to her time at Skadden, Ms. Smith served in the Clinton White House as Associate Counsel to the President and Associate Director of Policy Planning where she was responsible for a number of policy areas including domestic violence, equal pay, homelessness, transportation safety, food safety, Internet gambling, Native American issues, civil rights issues, and hate crimes.
Ms. Smith also served as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice Civil Division where she served as principal attorney for a number of trials and appeals.
Ms. Smith graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law, cum laude, where she was a member of the Law Review. Ms. Smith clerked for the Hon. R. Lanier Anderson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She received a B.S., magna cum laude, in mathematics and computer science from Loyola University of Chicago. Ms. Smith is Native American and is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.
Ms. Smith is a member of the Council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities. She is also the National Native American Bar Association’s delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates. She is a member of the ABA’s Commission of Women in the Profession. Ms. Smith also is Co-Chair of the District of Columbia Bar’s Section of Litigation Steering Committee.
Ms. Smith has taught trial advocacy for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. She is also a member of the Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation.
Hon. Patricia A. Timmons-Goodson
Justice Patricia Timmons Goodson was appointed to the Supreme Court of North Carolina on February 1, 2006. In the 2006 November General Election, the voters elected her to a full eight year term. She is the first African American woman to sit on North Carolina's highest court.
Justice Timmons-Goodson earned a B.A. in Speech at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also received her Juris Doctorate from the UNC School of Law in 1979. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Twelfth Prosecutorial District in North Carolina. She later left the district attorney's office to work as a legal aid attorney. In 1984 she was appointed to the district court bench where she was elected in 1986 and subsequently re-elected twice. In 1997, she was appointed judge for the North Carolina Court of Appeals and elected for a full term in 1998. Her election marked the first occasion an African-American woman was elected to an appellate court in North Carolina.
Justice Timmons Goodson is Co-Editor of the American Bar Association Judges Journal and Secretary of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar Association. She is a member of the Central Selection Committee for the Morehead Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a previous Board Member of the UNC Chapel Hill General Alumni Association Board of Directors and the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors. From 1990 to 2003, she co hosted and co produced a cable television program "Dimensions of Justice" in an effort to increase the confidence of citizens in the court system.
Justice Timmons-Goodson has been awarded the UNC Chapel Hill Distinguished Young Alumna Award, the North Carolina General Federation of Women Achievement Award, and the Gwyneth B. Davis Award, which is presented to persons who promote the participation of women attorneys in the legal profession and the rights of women under the law. She has also received honorary degrees from Johnson C. Smith University and St. Augustine's College. She is a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and was named a Woman of Achievement by the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Other past awards include Save Our Schools (SOS), Cumberland County Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Governor's Award; Service Award, Fayetteville Chapter of NAACP; Leadership Award, North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus; Minority Business and Professional League Legal/Justice Award; Citizen of the Year, Beta Chi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; Citizen of the Year, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority; Order of the Valkyries (UNC-Chapel Hill's highest women's honorary recognizing scholarship and leadership); and the Order of the Old Well (UNC-Chapel Hill's honorary recognizing distinguished service to the university).
Her passion outside of the law is young people. Whether mentoring or speaking to youth organizations or classes, she seeks to encourage and influence our next generation of leaders.
