RALEIGH — Campbell Law School alumnus Matthew W. Smith ’98, ’95 was recently sworn in as president of the North Carolina State Bar.
Smith, a lawyer in Eden, earned his bachelor’s degree from Campbell University in 1995 before earning his law degree in 1998.
Smith, who joined the N.C. State Bar Council in 2014, has served in a number of leadership roles, including vice-chair and chair of the Grievance Committee, as well as vice-chair and chair of the Authorized Practice Committee, according to a news release.
An associate and partner at Maddrey Etringer Smith Hollowell & Toney LLP since 1998, Smith’s work focuses on real estate, estates, guardianships and aspects of small-town legal practice.
“Not only is Matt the type of attorney Campbell set out to educate with the law school, he has ascended up to the top level of the Bar and was elected by his fellow bar counselors to lead the organization this year,” said Jonathan S. Care ’95, a lawyer in Henderson who graduated with Smith from Campbell as an undergrad.
North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby swore Smith in as president during the State Bar’s Annual Dinner on Oct. 31, 2024.
Smith also serves as a member of the board of directors for the Boys’ & Girls’ Club of Eden and served on the Eden Planning and Zoning Board as member and chair from 2009 to 2022.
He and his wife, Michelle, also a Campbell alumna, have two sons, Harrison, 22, and Hunter, 18, both of whom also attended Campbell University.
Learn more about Smith from an interview he gave the N.C. State Bar at this link.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1986, Campbell Law 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 nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law celebrated 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.