Attorney Profiles

Douglas J. Brocker
Deanna S. Brocker
Carolin Bakewell
Beth Y. Smoot

 

Douglas J. Brocker

EDUCATION

• The University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D. with Honors 1992, Law Review
• University of Rochester, B.A. Psychology 1989, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa

EXPERIENCE

• The Brocker Law Firm, P.A. - Principal/Shareholder
• Millberg, Gordon & Stewart, PLLC, Raleigh, NC - Member/Shareholder
• North Carolina State Bar, Raleigh, NC - Trial and UPL Counsel
• Everett, Gaskins, Hancock & Stevens, Raleigh, NC - Associate
• Jenner & Block, Chicago, IL - Associate
• Judicial Clerkship: U.S. District Court Judge Franklin T. Dupree, Jr., Raleigh, NC

PROFESSIONAL ADMISSIONS AND ACTIVITIES

• President, 10th Judicial District Bar, the largest local bar organization in North Carolina, 2009
• Wake County Bar Association: Board of Directors (2004-05); Professionalism and Professionalism Award Committees
• North Carolina and Illinois State Bars
• United States Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina, Northern District of Illinois, and Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
• North Carolina Bar Association’s Administrative Law Section
• FRIENDS Committee, Lawyers Assistance Program, NC State Bar

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Past-President, Board of Directors, Executive and Finance Committees - Community Workforce Solutions (formerly Raleigh Vocational Center)
• Former Vice Chair, Administrative Council, Former Chair, Board of Trustees - Macedonia United Methodist Church
• Advisory Committee, Meredith College Paralegal Program
  

Doug Brocker has many years of experience before numerous professional licensing boards, state and federal trial and appellate courts, and other administrative agencies. He has had a wide variety of experiences from which he draws in representing clients. Doug has worked in both state and federal government and also in private practice with large, medium, and small law firms in both North Carolina and Illinois. He has an "AV" rating, the highest awarded by the Martindale Hubbell National Law Directory.

Doug concentrates his practice in representing various professionals in disciplinary investigations and proceedings before their respective licensing boards and administrative agencies. He also utilizes his other varied experiences to represent clients in professional malpractice and liability matters, professional disputes or breakups, and in civil litigation in state and federal courts. Doug served as Trial and UPL Counsel for The North Carolina State Bar for more than 6 years, where he investigated and prosecuted disciplinary violations, the unauthorized practice of law, and other similar matters. Testimonials from clients and others on this site attest to Doug’s preparation, commitment and dedication. Doug also provides consultation and testimony as an expert witness in matters involving professional services.

Doug was privately retained by the North Carolina State Bar as special prosecutor in the disciplinary case against Michael B. Nifong.  Mr. Nifong is the former Durham County District Attorney who pursued the Duke Lacrosse case. Mr. Nifong was disbarred after a nationally-televised disciplinary trial. Mr. Brocker’s closing argument was covered live on CNN, Court TV and others. Mr. Nifong was found to have made numerous improper pretrial statements, withheld DNA evidence, and made repeated misrepresentations and false statements to the Court and others.  To read the disbarment order in the Nifong case, click here.

Doug regularly publishes articles on issues of professional ethics, discipline and liability for various publications, including the State Bar Journal, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, the Wake County Bar Flyer, Trial Briefs, the Washington Legal Foundation, among others. He also frequently lectures in continuing professional education seminars on such topics for various local, state and national organizations, including Lawyer’s Mutual Liability Insurance Company of North Carolina, the North Carolina Bar Foundation, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Wake County Bar Association, and the National Association of Bar Executives. Doug is active in several organizations that advocate professionalism and civility among lawyers and in others that assist and support professionals suffering from mental health or substance abuse problems.

Doug is a leader in attorney, civic, charitable, educational, and religious organizations in the Triangle community. He is the President of the 10th Judicial District Bar, the largest local bar organization in North Carolina with approximately 4,000 lawyer members in Raleigh and Wake County. Doug also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees while his church approximately doubled its physical facilities with a $1.5 million expansion and currently serves as the Vice Chair of its Administrative Council. He also served as Vice President and currently as President during the expansion of the Raleigh Vocational Center’s program into six additional counties, the identification of a potential new facility, and the changing of its name to Community Workforce Solutions. These changes have considerably increased the ability of this nonprofit organization to fulfill its mission of training and placing handicapped individuals in permanent, private employment.

When not practicing law, Doug enjoys the outdoors, bluegrass music, and spending time with his extended family, most of whom live in the Triangle area.

Deanna S. Brocker

EDUCATION

• The University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D. 1992, Dean’s List Honor Roll Student, Law Review
• The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, B.A. Biology and Political Science 1989

EXPERIENCE

• The Brocker Law Firm, P.A. - Principal/Shareholder
  
• The North Carolina State Bar - Assistant Ethics Counsel
• Foley and Lardner, Chicago, IL - Associate
• Maupin Taylor, Raleigh, NC - Associate
  
• Judicial Clerk: N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Hugh A. Wells, Raleigh, NC

PROFESSIONAL ADMISSIONS AND ACTIVITIES

• North Carolina State Bar (active)
• Illinois State Bar (retired)
• North Carolina Bar Association - member
• Ethics Chair of the Law Practice Management Section of the North Carolina Bar Association
• Wake County Bar Association - member

Prior to reentering private practice, Deanna served as Assistant Ethics Counsel for the N.C. State Bar for over 10 years. She fielded thousands of telephone ethics questions and provided advice and written ethics advisory opinions to attorneys throughout the state. In addition, as staff liaison to the Ethics Committee of the Bar, she drafted proposed formal ethics opinions for consideration by the Ethics Committee. Deanna concentrates her practice in providing advice and compliance counseling, drafting employment, fee, and other agreements, and writing responses for professional clients. Testimonials from other lawyers on this site attest to her sound advice and professionalism.

Deanna also has published articles for the Ethics Page of the State Bar’s Journal and has lectured at continuing legal education seminars sponsored by Lawyer’s Mutual Liability Insurance Company and the North Carolina Bar Foundation, among others. She is a member of the Wake County Bar Association and the Law Practice Management Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Prior to working at the State Bar, Deanna practiced with the law firms of Foley and Lardner, in Chicago, IL and Maupin Taylor in Raleigh, NC. She concentrated her practice in compliance counseling, advice, and litigation in environmental matters. Before entering private practice, Deanna clerked for North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Hugh A. Wells.

When not practicing law, Deanna enjoys spending time with her two boys, JP and Luke, volunteering at their school, hiking, getting together with her book club, and playing the piano. She also enjoys scuba diving, but hasn’t found the time lately to pursue this interest.

Of Counsel to the Firm

Carolin Bakewell

EDUCATION

• The University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D. with Honors 1983
  Law Review
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. Journalism, 1975

EXPERIENCE

• The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners, Counsel
  2006–2009
• The North Carolina State Bar, General Counsel
  1991–2006
• The North Carolina State Bar, Deputy Counsel
  1988–1991
• Mays Valentine, Richmond, Va., Associate
  1987–1988
• Bailey, Dixon & Wooten, Raleigh, N.C., Associate
  1984–1987
• Judicial Clerkship, Hon. Hugh A. Wells, N.C. Court of Appeals
  1983–1984

PROFESSIONAL ADMISSIONS

• The North Carolina State Bar
• The Virginia State Bar, Associate
• United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina
  

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Volunteer, Meals on Wheels of Wake County
• Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteer, Church Mission to Biloxi, Miss. following Hurricane Katrina
  

Carolin Bakewell has more than 25 years of experience, most of which has been spent practicing before professional licensing boards and the state appellate courts. As Counsel to the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners, she investigated and prosecuted disciplinary matters involving dentists and dental hygienists and fielded ethics calls from members of the dental professions.

As Counsel of the North Carolina State Bar, she led the department of the Bar responsible for the investigation and prosecution of disciplinary violations and personally tried numerous disciplinary cases before the State Bar. She also appeared on behalf of the State Bar in state and federal court cases involving discipline, contempt, tort claims and first amendment issues. Prior to becoming Bar Counsel, Carolin fielded ethics questions from attorneys throughout the state and prosecuted disciplinary cases before the State Bar and in the court system.

While in private practice, Carolin was involved in prosecuting cases before the N.C. State Board of Pharmacy and the state appellate courts.

When not practicing law, Carolin enjoys spending time at the beach with her Springer Spaniels and with her husband, Rob Belo, a partner in the Durham firm of Kennon Craver Belo Craig & McKee.

Beth Y. Smoot

EDUCATION

• The University of North Carolina School of Law, J.D., 1992, Holderness Moot Court
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., International Studies, 1986

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

• The Brocker Law Firm, P.A., Raleigh, NC – Of Counsel
• N. C. Attorney General’s Office – Special Counsel For Development and Diversity (for Attorney General Roy Cooper) and Associate Attorney General in Consumer Protection Section (for Attorney General Mike Easley), Raleigh, NC
• Yates, McLamb & Weyher, L.L.P., Raleigh, NC – Associate
• Judicial Clerk to N.C. Supreme Court Justice Henry E. Frye, Raleigh, NC

PROFESSIONAL ADMISSIONS AND ACTIVITIES

• North Carolina State Bar, Tenth Judicial District (active)
• North Carolina Real Estate Broker (active)
• Accredited Staging Professional (active)
• Certified Superior Court Mediator (inactive)
  

Beth Smoot was a law school classmate of Doug and Deanna Brocker. She began her legal career as a law clerk to Justice Henry E. Frye, later Chief Justice, of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She then entered private practice, with Yates, McLamb & Weyher, LLP, where she was involved in civil litigation, primarily defending medical malpractice and personal injury cases.

Beth later represented the State of North Carolina as an Associate Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Section, where she monitored and settled claims of unfair and deceptive trade practices in North Carolina, including a large scale bait and switch lawsuit, travel scams and unfair automotive sales practices. In that capacity, she also advocated on behalf of North Carolina consumers for a fair settlement of the nationwide synthetic stucco (EIFS) controversy and participated in negotiations to ensure fairness in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield conversion bill, prior to its final passage by the legislature. Later, under the current Attorney General, Beth served as a Special Counsel responsible for developing departmental policies and programs aimed at recruiting, training and retaining the most qualified attorneys to provide legal representation to the State and its agencies.

Beth is native North Carolinian who grew up in Winston-Salem. When not practicing law, she enjoys pursuing her long-standing interest in real estate, by evaluating investment opportunities, representing buyers and sellers in the local market and staging homes to optimize their appeal. She is active in her church through Bible Study, as a member of the Board of Trustees, a former member of numerous other committees and a former Sunday school teacher. Beth has volunteered for several years with AFS (the American Field Service), an international exchange student organization, serving both as a liaison to visiting students and as a host mom to a daughter from Berlin, Germany. She enjoys traveling, attending her monthly book club, playing tennis, antiquing, cheering at her daughter’s soccer games, son’s cross country meets and husband’s road races and spending as much time as possible with her family and friends.