July 28, 2014.
Dear Editor, I would like to announce that I am a candidate for the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the seat being vacated by Chief Judge John Martin.
Briefly, I have been a licensed attorney in NC since 1989. I spent eight years as a member of staff counsel at the Court, during which I wrote over 600 proposed Opinions for the Court.
For the past 12 years I have been a deputy commissioner for the NC Industrial Commission and have heard workers’ compensation cases across the state in nearly every county. For the past three years I have been one of two deputies who hear tort claims against the state and the more complex workers’ comp claims designated as “special set” cases.
I am the only deputy who hears claims brought under the Erroneous Conviction Act and the Death Benefits Act for Police, Firemen and EMT workers. During my tenure at the Commission, I have been assigned well over 2,000 cases and have written close to 700 opinions. I am a registered independent and I believe my lack of a political agenda is one of my strongest attributes.
I have support across party lines and from both the plaintiff and defense bars.
Brad Donovan