North Carolina § 84-16 - Membership and privileges.

§ 84-16. Membership and privileges.

The membership of the North Carolina State Bar shall consist of two classes, active and inactive. The active members shall be all persons who have obtained a license or certificate, entitling them to practice law in the State of North Carolina, who have paid the membership dues specified, and who have satisfied all other obligations of membership. No person other than a member of the North Carolina State Bar shall practice in any court of the State except foreign attorneys as provided by statute and natural persons representing themselves. Inactive members shall be: All persons who have obtained a license to practice law in the State but who have been found by the Council to be not engaged in the practice of law and not holding themselves out as practicing attorneys and not occupying any public or private positions in which they may be called upon to give legal advice or counsel or to examine the law or to pass upon, adjudicate, or offer an opinion concerning the legal effect of any act, document, or law. Persons allowed by the Council solely to represent indigent clients on a pro bono basis under the supervision of an active member employed by a nonprofit corporation qualified to render legal services pursuant to G.S. 84-5.1. All active members shall be required to pay annual membership fees, and shall have the right to vote in elections held by the district bar in the judicial district in which the member resides. If a member desires to vote with the bar of some district in which the member practices, other than that in which the member resides, the member may do so by filing with the Secretary of the North Carolina State Bar a statement in writing that the member desires to vote in the other district; provided, however, that in no case shall the member be entitled to vote in more than one district. History (1933, c. 210, s. 2; 1939, c. 21, s. 1; 1941, c. 344, ss. 1, 2, 3; 1969, c. 44, s. 60; c. 1190, s. 52; 1973, c. 1152, s. 1; 1981, c. 788, s. 2; 1983, c. 589, s. 1; 1985, c. 621; 1995, c. 431, s. 8; 2007-200, s. 1.) Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2007-200, s. 1, effective July 8, 2007, in the second paragraph, substituted "have obtained a license or certificate" for "shall have heretofore obtained, or who shall hereafter obtain, a license or certificate, which shall at the time be valid and effectual," deleted "shall" preceding "have paid," substituted "specified, and who have satisfied all other obligations of membership" for "hereinafter specified, unless classified as an inactive member by the Council as hereinafter provided," and added "and natural persons representing themselves" at the end; in the third paragraph, inserted the (1) and (2) designations, inserted "who have obtained a license to practice law in the State but who have been" in subdivision (1) and added subdivision (2); and, in the fourth paragraph, deleted "Provided, that" at the beginning of the second sentence and made minor stylistic changes. Legal Periodicals. - For comment on the 1939 and 1941 amendments, see 17 N.C.L. Rev. 341 (1939), and 19 N.C.L. Rev. 453 (1941). For article, "Reginald Heber Smith and Justice and the Poor in the 21st Century,” see 40 Campbell L. Rev. 73 (2018).