LEGAL BACKGROUND

Professional

Associate Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court, January 2001-present
•  Elected in November, 2000
•  Frequently teaches Continuing Legal Education courses in appellate practice and ethics

Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals, January 1999-January 2001
•  Elected in November, 1998

Partner, Stern & Klepfer, LLP, Greensboro, North Carolina, 1993-1998
•  Highest rating, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
•  Board Certified Specialist in State and Federal Criminal Law, 1993-present
•  Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Appellate Practice, 1994-present
•  State and federal litigation
•  Capital litigation
•  Litigated state and federal appeals

United States Attorney, Middle District of North Carolina, 1986-1993
•  Appointed by President Ronald Reagan with advice and consent of United States Senate
•  Managed and supervised office that represented United States in federal court
•  Litigated a wide variety of criminal cases, oversaw investigations, resented matters to United States grand juries, personally tried numerous cases, briefed and argued appeals to United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
•  Chair of Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee that assured cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies
•  Distributed assets forfeited to United States by criminals and illegal organizations to participating state and local agencies
•  Established “Law Enforcement Run for Victims”, a 5k race held annually
•  Taught advanced courses for veteran prosecutors at United States Attorney General's Advocacy Institute
•  Chair of Attorney General's advisory subcommittee on federal sentencing guidelines
•  Testified before United States Congress and United States Sentencing Commission as spokesman for United States Department of Justice
•  Member of Attorney General's advisory subcommittee on controlled substances

Assistant United States Attorney, Middle District of North Carolina, 1982-1986
•  Responsible for coordinating the investigation, preparation, and trial of criminal cases, including drug trafficking, food stamp fraud, credit card fraud, smuggling, bank fraud, bank robbery, firearms violations, Social Security crimes, and other federal offenses
•  Briefed and argued appeals to the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
•  Litigated federal probation and parole violations

Assistant District Attorney, North Carolina's Eighteenth Prosecutorial District (Guilford County) 1978-1982
•  Charter member, career criminal prosecution unit
•  Tried over one hundred criminal jury trials to verdict
•  Taught at Institute of Government's school for new prosecutors



Education

University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, VA: Master of Laws in the Judicial Process (LL.M.) 2004

University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC: Juris Doctor (J.D.) 1975
•  Justice, Holderness Moot Court
•  Order of the Barristers

Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY: Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) 1971
•  Graduated with honors
•  Soccer, lacrosse

Williams College, Williamstown, MA: 1967-1969

Woodberry Forest School, Woodberry Forest, VA: 1967
•  Graduated with honors
•  Soccer, lacrosse


Bar Memberships

North Carolina Bar Association, admitted 1975
•  Appellate Rules Study Committee
•  Vice President (2002-2003)

Virginia Bar Association, admitted 1977

American Bar Association

Greensboro Bar Association
•  Secretary, 1996-1997

Eighteenth Judicial Bar

Wake County Bar Association


Professional Organizations

National Association of Former United States Attorneys
•  Board of Directors

North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, former member

Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, former member
•  Board of Directors, 1997-1998.

Guilford Inn of Court

North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys

North Carolina Association of Black Attorneys


Admitted to practice

North Carolina state courts

Virginia state courts

United States District Courts for Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina

United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Supreme Court of the United States


Awards, recognitions and honors

Prosecutor of the Year, Carolinas Chapter of International Association of Credit Card Investigators, 1988

Certificate of Appreciation from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration for outstanding contributions in the field of drug law enforcement, 1990

United States Department of Justice, 1993

North Carolina Department of Justice, 1993

Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1993

Internal Revenue Service, 1993

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 1993

Drug Enforcement Administration, 1993

United States Customs Service, 1993

United States Secret Service, 1993

United States Department of Treasury, 1993

Justice Edmunds' identification card when he was United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

 

Selecting a jury in a federal public corruption trial.

 

Taking the oath of office as a Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, January 1999

 

Taking his seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, January 2001

.

In discussion with Professor Earl Dudley, then-director of the LL.M. program at the University of Virginia School of Law,
Summer 2002.

Graduation from University of Virginia School of Law and receipt of LL.M degree, June 2004.
   
 

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