March 18. Gov. Roy Cooper announced four nominations to serve as Special Superior Court judges with designations to the Business Court. Two of these nominations are for re-appointments of current Business Court judges, the Hon. Adam Conrad and the Hon. Michael Robinson, and two nominations are for new appointments.

—Hon. Adam Conrad to be re-appointed as a Business Court Judge after his term expires on December 23, 2021. Since 2016, Conrad has been on the North Carolina Business Court, where he has served on multiple eCourts committees. He previously worked at King & Spalding LLP and was a clerk for the Hon. Clarence Thomas in the United States Supreme Court. Conrad earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia.

—Hon. Michael Robinson to be re-appointed as a Business Court Judge for another term starting July 1, 2021. Robinson has served on the North Carolina Business Court since 2016 and recently became an Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law. He has more than 30 years of legal experience in North Carolina and has served on a variety of boards and committees across the state. Robinson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Davidson College and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

—Julianna Earp to be appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge and designated as a Business Court Judge starting July 1, 2021, filling the vacancy created on January 1, 2021. Earp served as an Office Managing Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP. Previously, she was Chair of the Management Committee at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP. She was recognized on the Triad Business Journal’s Power Players List in 2019 and 2020. Earp earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia and her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia.

—Hon. Mark Davis to be appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge and designated as a Business Court Judge for a term beginning July 1, 2021. Judge Davis served as a Visiting Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Elon University School of Law and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Previously, he was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of North Carolina and an Associate Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Judge Davis earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law and his Master of Laws from Duke University School of Law.