Chief Justice Paul Newby has designated Judge Adam Conrad to serve as Chief Judge of the North Carolina Business Court, effective August 1, 2026. The announcement can be found here. Judge Conrad’s elevation comes at a transition point for the Court, which will see current Chief Judge Michael Robinson and Judge Julianna Earp retire on the same day.

Judge Conrad has served on the Business court since 2016, and previously was in private practice as an associate and partner at King & Spalding. He also clerked on the U.S. Supreme Court and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Chief Judge Robinson also joined the Business Court in 2016 following a 35-year private practice with Petree Stockton & Robinson, and Robinson & Lawing. Judge Earp joined the Business Court in 2021 following her private practice of more than 30 years with Smith Moore Leatherwood (and its predecessors) and Fox Rothschild. Over here at the blog, we’re especially grateful to Judge Earp for her stewardship as chair of our management committee at SML and as an executive committee member at Fox before joining the Court.

Brad Risinger is a partner in the Raleigh office of Fox Rothschild LLP.