Interview with Former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell

All Things Judicial

In this episode, we feature an interview with former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell. Mitchell worked in several county and state government leadership positions before serving as a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, as associate justice of the the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. During his tenure as Chief Justice, Mitchell created the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism (CJCP) with the mission to enhance professionalism among North Carolina lawyers.
In this 2006 interview conducted by former CJCP Executive Director Mel Wright, Mitchell reflects on his career's most notable cases, dispenses advice on handling unprofessional lawyers, and explains why professionalism in the legal field is of utmost importance.
"Dean Pound at Harvard Law School wrote 'our profession is not just a job, it's a calling,' and it's a calling whereby a person serves humanity and only coincidentally makes a pretty good living," said Mitchell on the podcast. "If (making a good living) is our focus, we will lose what sets us apart and that has always been the aspect of public service."
This interview is part of CJCP's historical video series. A video of this interview can be viewed on the Judicial Branch YouTube Channel.