Member Spotlight: Brandon A. Robinson
In the first month of his first year at North Carolina Central University Law, Brandon attended a reception hosted by the North Carolina Bar Association – and he has been “showing up” for the NCBA ever since.
He became a member of the NCBA as a law student, and as a new admittee, he quickly affiliated with the Membership Committee, becoming the committee’s youngest member at that time. Serving on that panel through the 2022-23 bar year, Brandon is its longest-serving member currently. Anyone who knows Brandon will not be surprised at this level of dedication, or his attraction to the legal profession – which called to him as early as grade school.
“I was blessed with what I know was a gift of discernment and self-knowledge at a very young age,” says Brandon. His childhood passion for history and an early appreciation for how many of America’s Founding Fathers and presidents were lawyers is what ignited Brandon’s romance with the law – an attraction that led him solidly down the path to his successful solo practice, as well as a life-long immersion in reading and writing about history.
“I think of the legal profession as a civic priesthood,” says Brandon. “We are stewards of the public good and of our local communities.” And Brandon feels strongly that a connection to the NCBA and to his local Durham County Bar are logical extensions of this stewardship. Brandon asserts that state and county bars provide the relationship infrastructure that ultimately enhances the quality of legal service that is provided at the community level while strengthening connections among North Carolina lawyers, jurists, paralegals and law students.
One of his biggest fears is the breakdown of bonds in the community, and he feels bar associations can be vehicles for fostering these important connections. Taking a step further, Brandon asserts that the work he does with the NCBA, and with the North Carolina Bar Foundation, is a way to push back against the cynical misconceptions many hold about lawyers.
Unless he is traveling, Brendon spends at least 60 minutes each day doing pro bono work. In fact, he was recognized at the 2022 NCBA Annual Meeting for leading the state in most clients served through NC Free Legal Answers, a pro bono program offered through the NCBF.
This steady drumbeat of service of course extends to Brandon’s law practice, where he has served a variety of clients, honed his focus and sharpened his skills since 2014. While service is his drumbeat, his muse is classical music. He starts each day with strains of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel and other masters of the genre, and they remain the steady backdrop for every contract, litigation pleading or motion and estate planning instrument that he drafts.
In addition to his passion for the classics and his dedication to community and client service, Brandon is equally dedicated to inspiring law students, volunteering his time to speak regularly at school orientations and similar gatherings.
“When I speak to students, I underscore that they are already members of the legal community, and with this status comes the imperative that NCBA embrace young lawyers, and that young lawyers connect with the same.”
An account of Brandon’s relationship with the NCBA would be sorely incomplete without a mention of his service on the Board of Governors. Upon ending his term on the board in June of 2022, Brandon reflects on what an honor it was to join distinguished colleagues in this capacity.
Standing still is clearly not an option for Brandon. Though he says he is a patient man and seldom feels the need to see immediate, dramatic results for his efforts, the difference he has made in the lives of clients, fellow lawyers and in the community at large is abundantly evident. His example inspires young lawyers to realize their potential, fellow NCBA members to serve and connect and all of us to reflect on the power of following a dream.