NCSB Journal Summer 2026

mutual support.” Colonel Bert Kemp, who serves as the staff judge advocate and manages this group of high-profile leaders, points out that the operational hierarchy is vital to their success. “It’s ironic that you have the AG, or the judge, or a senior senator, all calling me sir!” Colonel Kemp notes, “These individuals are so successful, they could just leave the guard and go do something else...But everybody checks their ego at the door when they get here.” State Senator and Lieutenant Colonel Danny Britt echoes this sentiment regarding their shared meals. “We sit at the table together...and you know, despite our political differences, we’re still brothers in arms.” That quick Chipotle lunch—soldiers shoulder to shoulder, laughing over burritos and swap ping stories—captured the culture better than any formal explanation could. Whatever status they carry Monday through Friday simply doesn’t make it to drill weekend. The lessons these soldiers absorb while wearing the uniform offer more than military discipline; they provide a blueprint for how the legal profession might strengthen its own culture. Servant Leadership LTC David Thorneloe talks about leader ship in terms of shared effort rather than authority. “I don’t ask anybody to do any thing here that I either haven’t done myself or wouldn’t be willing to do with them,” he says. “You put your time in here and you work through those hard things and then you’re ready to lead others.” A Sense of Urgency MAJ Jefferson Griffin sees a clear contrast between military tempo and the pace of civil ian legal work. “I think often, on the civilian side, people get comfortable where they are because it’s not as imminent or it doesn’t feel like we need to move faster,” he notes, advo cating for a greater sense of urgency in the profession. Respect Up and Down the Chain MAJ Jeff Jackson measures leadership by how someone treats the person with the least authority. “You can tell within 90 seconds if this is the type of person who’s going to abuse his power, or whether he’s the type of person who’s going to use it to lift everybody up,” he explains. “The way you tell is whether he e p e . e ” e d y t l g e l t o - r r y Translating Military Values to the Civilian Bar

Left to right: Colonel (ret.) Mike McCann, Lt. Colonel Danny Britt, Major Jefferson Griffin, Colonel Bert Kemp, Lt. Colonel Davis Thornloe, Major Jeff Jackson

treats the lowest ranking soldier with the same respect as the highest-ranking officer.” Civility and Professionalism Colonel Bert Kemp has watched many soldiers set aside their civilian political identi ties the moment the uniform goes on. He believes the profession could benefit from that same discipline. In the guard, he explains, personal philosophies take a back seat to the standards and values of the organ ization. As he put it, “There’s the right way. There’s the wrong way. And there’s the army way.” Our Shared Mission: A Call to Action The North Carolina National Guard’s JAG Corps is a reminder that the legal profes sion, at its best, is an act of public service. Whether they are responding to a natural dis aster in the mountains or advising command ers overseas, these attorneys show how differ ent the work feels when the mission eclipses ego. Politics falls away, personal ambition fades, and the focus shifts to the people who depend on you. The civilian bar has a mission of its own: upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice is done. That responsibility deserves the same

clarity of purpose these soldiers carry into every drill weekend. What I saw in Raleigh were lawyers who checked their titles at the door and put the work first. The legal profes sion could use more clarity. When we treat our shared calling as the priority, not the backdrop, we elevate both the work and the people we serve. n Peter G. Bolac is the executive director of the North Carolina State Bar.

President’s Message (cont.)

Katherine Frye is a founding attorney of Oak City Family Law in Raleigh, where she blends practical strategy with genuine compassion to guide clients through separation, divorce, cus tody, support, and alimony matters. A Campbell Law graduate, she opened her own practice straight out of law school and is now a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

7

THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR JOURNAL