On December 8, 2021, The North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization named Nelson Mullins Raleigh Partner Martin Warf and Winston-Salem Of Counsel Lorin Lapidus as Board Certified Appellate Practice Specialists. Since inception of the North Carolina Appellate Practice Specialization in 2011, fewer than 40 lawyers across the state have achieved this distinction. The prerequisites to qualify to sit for the exam are demanding. These preconditions include substantial involvement in appellate practice for the five years preceding application, which must average a minimum of 400 such hours per year. Applicants also must complete a sizable number of appellate oral arguments and principal authorship of briefs as well as a rigorous peer review and continuing legal education process before sitting for a multipart exam lasting 10 days. 

Warf and Lapidus spent weeks preparing for the specialization exam in addition to performing their duties serving clients.  Warf and Lapidus are now the only two Board Certified Appellate Practice Specialists in Nelson Mullins' North Carolina offices and look forward to contributing their insight and expertise to the Firm’s appellate practice in North Carolina and beyond.  

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins is an Am Law 100 firms that has more than 850 attorneys and government relations professionals with offices in 11 states and Washington, DC. For more information on the firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com.