JAMS shares that Hon. Allyson K. Duncan (Ret.) has been elected to the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (AAAL). Judge Duncan was inducted on October 30 as part of the AAAL’s annual fall meeting.
Since its founding in 1990, the AAAL has been committed to advancing the administration of justice and promoting the highest standards of professionalism and advocacy in appellate courts. AAAL membership is by invitation only and is reserved for experienced appellate advocates who have demonstrated the highest skill level and integrity. Nominees are selected by current fellows and thoroughly vetted by the legal and judicial communities in a confidential process, and they must be elected to the fellowship by the board of directors.
Judge Duncan joined JAMS in 2020 following 15 years on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and one year on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She was the first African American woman to serve as justice on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the first African American president of the North Carolina Bar Association and the first African American woman to sit on the Fourth Circuit bench. Earlier in her career, she was a partner at Kilpatrick Stockton and focused her practice within its employment and regulatory groups.
In her role at JAMS, Judge Duncan serves as an arbitrator and mediator, handling business and commercial, employment, environmental, federal, Title IX, intellectual property, product liability, international, utility law and health care disputes.