Janet Ward Black

Janet Ward Black is the principal owner of the personal injury law firm, Ward Black Law located in Greensboro. The 36-person firm is one of the largest woman-owned law firms in our state. Ward Black Law has represented over a thousand clients in the past 4 years with client settlements of over 34 million dollars.* Ward Black Law represents people in personal injury, workers’ compensation and defective product actions.

A graduate of Davidson College cum laude in economics and Duke Law School, Black served as the third woman president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers and the fourth woman president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She is only the second lawyer in history to serve as president of both organizations.

The program she created while president of the 16,000 member Bar Association, “4 ALL,” has been used as a model in the United States and Canada for providing free legal services to the poor.

Black is a frequent lawyer educator and motivational speaker. She is a Trustee Emeritus of Hood Theological Seminary and has served on many non-profit boards and on many international mission trips. She received the North Carolina State Bar’s Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Charles Murphy Award for public service by Duke Law School in 2010. Black has been named in North Carolina Super Lawyers, North Carolina’s Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America. She also retains an AVVO rating of 10, which is the highest rating that can be achieved. Black is a member of the Women’s Presidents Association and C12 Christian CEOs and Business Owners’ Group.

Attorney, Ward Black Law, Greensboro, North Carolina, 2006 – present
Attorney, Donaldson & Black, P.A., Greensboro, North Carolina, 1992 – 2006
Wallace Whitley Pope & Black, Salisbury, North Carolina, 1989 – 1992
Assistant District Attorney for Cabarrus and Rowan Counties, 1985 – 1988

Native of Kannapolis, North Carolina
1982 Graduate of Davidson College cum laude in Economics
Lunsford Richardson Honors Scholar
Charles A. Cannon Scholar in Chemistry and Economics
Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society
1985 Graduate of Duke University School of Law

Member, C12 Christian CEO and Owners Group, Greensboro, 2005 to present
Member, Women Presidents’ Organization, Greensboro, 2008 to present
Board of Advisors, First Citizens Bank, Greensboro, 2009 to present
Master of the Bench, Joseph Branch Inn of Court, 1995 to present
Trustee Emeritus, Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury
Member, Academy of Catastrophic Injury Attorneys
Volunteer, International Cooperating Ministries – China and India, Appalachian Service Project, Save a Generation – Nicaragua and El Salvador, and Habitat for Humanity – Honduras
National Advisory Committee, Win-Win Resolutions, Inc., Greensboro
Member, Plaintiffs Steering Committee, Asbestos Multidistrict Litigation, appointed by Hon. James Giles, US District Judge, Eastern District Pennsylvania 2007 – present
Elder, Christian City Church, Greensboro, 2010 to present
Attorney in Greensboro, NC
Professional Organization Memberships
American Bar Association
American Association for Justice
Christian Trial Lawyers Association
North Carolina Bar Association
North Carolina Advocates for Justice
North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys
Women’s Professional Forum, Greensboro

President, North Carolina Bar Association 2007 – 2008(16,000 members)
Board of Governors Member, American Association for Justice 2005 – 2008
President-Elect, North Carolina Bar Association 2006-2007
Member (2002-2005) and Co-Chair (2005), Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Advisory Panel
President, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers 2002-2003 (3900 members)
Chair, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers Political Action Committee 2004-2006
Co-Chair, Access to Justice Campaign Statewide, Legal Aid of North Carolina– Triad Division 2006-2010
Trustee, Roscoe Pound Foundation 2006- 2007
Board of Directors, Mercy Mission Teams, Greensboro 2000 – 2010
Trustee, Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, NC 2000-2008
Co-chair, NC Access to Justice Campaign for Legal Services of North Carolina 2006
Board Member, NC Center for Entrepreneurship, 2010 to 2014, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Advisory Panel Member, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Greensboro 2002-2009
Board of Directors Member, Volunteer Center of Greensboro 2001-2005
Board of Directors Member, Women’s Resource Center of Greensboro
Chair, Strategic Planning Committee, North Carolina Bar Association, 2001-2002
President-Elect, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2001-2002
Legislative Vice President, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2000-2001
Chair, Litigation Section of the North Carolina Bar Association (1900 members)
Member, Long Range Planning Committee, NCBA and Chair of Subcommittee on Image and Leadership 2000-2001
Steering Committee Member, NC Institute of Government Judicial Education Fund
Board of Governors and Executive Committee Member, North Carolina Bar Association 1998-2001
Vice-President of Membership, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers 1998-2000
Co-Chair, PAC Task Force, Association of Trial Lawyers of America 1998-1999
Co-Chair, NC Access to Justice Campaign for Legal Services of North Carolina
Co-Chairman, Ethics Committee, Litigation Section, North Carolina Bar Association
Member, Task Force on Women in the Profession, NCBA
Member, Rules Committee, NC Business Court
Board Member, Vice-Chair, Chair, Presbyterian Counseling Center, 1993-1997
Rowan County Bar Association, President 1992, President Elect 1990 – 1991
Rowan County Democratic Women, President 1991-92
Board of Governors Member, NC Academy of Trial Lawyers 1995-1998
Stewardship Campaign Co-Chairman, Fellowship Presbyterian Church
Elder and Co-Chair of Building Committee, Fellowship Presbyterian Church
Piedmont Players Board of Governors, Rowan County
Member, North Carolina Democratic Party Judicial Nominating Committee
Crisis Council Shelter Board of Directors, Rowan County
First Vice-Chairman 1989 – 1991, Rowan County Democratic Party
First Woman Member, Salisbury Rotary Club
Board of Trustees, Rotary Foundation, Paul Harris Fellow
Subcommittee for Legal Profession- Member, Hobbie Center for Values and Ethics, Catawba College
Liaison Counsel for the State of North Carolina for Federal Court Breast Implant Litigation

Recipient of Woman of Justice Award, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, 2012
Recipient of the Athena Award, Partnership Greensboro 2012
Recipient of Duke Law School Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service 2010
Recipient of the North Carolina Bar Distinguished Service Award 2010
Recipient of “Women in Business” Award, The Business Journal, 2009
Named a “Woman of Achievement” by General Federation of Women’s Clubs of North Carolina 2007
Named in North Carolina “Superlawyers” by Law & Politics Magazine 2006 - 2017 including one of the top 50 women attorneys in North Carolina 2006-2015
Listed in Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers 2010, 2011
Rated with a AV Preeminent Rating in Martindale-Hubbell’s American Registry of Lawyers (20 years)
Named in“North Carolina Legal Elite” by Business North Carolina 2007, 2010
Named in “Best Lawyers in America” 2007-2017
Named a “2008 Impact Law Leader” by Triad Business Leader Magazine
1980 Miss North Carolina and recipient of Grand Talent Award at 1981 Miss America Pageant
Recipient of N.C. Jaycees Award of Excellence, 1980
Recipient of “Outstanding Community Leaders of America” – 1987
Ward Black Law listed in “Best Law Firms in America” by U.S. News & World Report 2010-2016
Motivational speaker to over fifty civic, community and youth organizations since 1985
Girls’ State Speaker on the Judiciary and Law as a Profession for Women since 1989
Continuing Legal Education speaker since 1989 for North Carolina Bar Association, Wake Forest University, and North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers