RALEIGH – Campbell Law School alumna Katherine Frye ‘01 is the newest leader of the North Carolina State Bar and the fourth law school alumni to serve as president since 2019.
Frye, who co-founded Oak City Family Law in 2024, was installed as president of the State Bar on Oct. 30, 2025, at the organization’s annual dinner making her the first female Campbell Law graduate to lead the State Bar. She was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby. She replaces Campbell Law alumnus Matthew W. Smith ’98, ’95 who served as president of the State Bar for the past year.
In her new role, Frye says she intends to build on Smith’s initiatives of focusing on forward-looking efforts that support the profession while upholding the State Bar’s core responsibility of protecting the public.
“I value leadership and professionalism,” she says on her law firm website. “I’ve served on the N.C. State Bar for many years, and have been selected to take the role of president in October 2025. I have great respect for the legal professionals in our state and am gratified to give back to the professional community. Local reputation and the ability to work with colleagues is important — likely far more important than clients may realize. The confidence my peers have placed in me is something I appreciate and carefully guard.”
Frye’s service to the State Bar spans nearly a decade. Since 2016, she has represented Wake County’s 10th Judicial District on the Bar Council,and she later advanced through the officer ranks as vice-president and then president-elect. Her leadership style reflects the same level-headedness she brings to her practice, emphasizing composure and perspective even in challenging moments.
Rather than beginning her career in a large firm, Frye launched directly into solo practice after graduating from law school in 2001. Two years later, she established Frye Law Offices, laying the foundation for what would become a long-running family law career. In 2024, she joined with former Wake County Bar Association (WCBA) president Sarah Privette to create Oak City Family Law, a practice known for its steady, practical approach to guiding clients through difficult family transitions.
Frye has been recognized for her professional achievements as a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in family law and a certified mediator with the N.C. Dispute Resolution Commission.
Two other Campbell Law alumni have served as State Bar president: Colon Willoughby ’79, who was the first Campbell Law alumnus to be elected North Carolina State Bar president in 2019 and Darrin Jordan ’90, who became the second alumnus to serve as president after his election in 2021.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law School has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law will celebrate 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.