2021 Legal Legends of Color: Karen Bethea-Shields, Durham
When Karen Bethea-Shields learned that she was being honored by the Minorities in the Profession Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association as a recipient of the Legal Legends of Color Award, she admittedly did not know much about the award.
So she did her homework.
“I was completely surprised and very humbled,” Bethea-Shields said. “You don’t work in order to get honors, so when honors come your way, it is a blessing. I was speechless, and it is hard for me to be speechless!”
Bethea-Shields is familiar with many of the new and previous honorees.
“About all of them! I was in law school with Dan Blue, and I know about Justice Frye and of the honorees with me this year. I never had a chance to meet Judge Elreta Alexander personally, but when I was sworn in as a judge the first time, she was on the bench herself that day and unable to attend.
“But she sent me a dozen roses – I will never forget that. It is quite an honor to be in the company of all of the honorees.”
As for the distinction of becoming the first woman elected to the bench in Durham County, Bethea-Shields was hesitant about putting her name on the ballot.
“It is interesting that as you get older, you reflect a lot more on the past,” Bethea-Shields said. “When I was initially asked to put my name in the running for the judgeship, I was reluctant to do that. I like practicing law and especially defense work, and I knew I would be the first and did not want to make mistakes to hamper anyone behind me.
“But once I was on the bench, I enjoyed the people who came to the court. I felt I was able to help them – especially the juveniles. I love people anyway and I love the law, and want the law to work the way it should. I hope I gained some influence in making the system work like it should work.”
As one of the first Black women to graduate from Duke University School of Law, Bethea-Shields went to work immediately upon passing the bar in 1974 by serving as co-counsel in the successful defense of Joan Little.
Bethea-Shields and the rest of the defense team, as David Cecelski recounts in “Karen Bethea-Shields: In Joan Little’s Cell” (“Listening to History,” News & Observer), turned a seemingly simple murder trial into a question of “Did a Black woman in the American South finally have the right to defend herself against a sexual assault by a white man?”
Bethea-Shields, who was honored by the National Conference of Black Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in 1976, served as a judge from 1980-86. She has served as a defense attorney ever since.
“I am still a defense attorney and still doing trial work,” said Bethea-Shields, who added that she was pleased to return to the courtroom as some of the pandemic-related restrictions have been eased. “I had my first jury trial three weeks ago in Wake County.
“I had to get used to the way the court is set up now, but it was good to get back into the courtroom. It is difficult for a jury trial, but something you have to do. I will be glad when we can get back like we used to and not have to adjust in order to keep the criminal justice system rolling and make sure the defendants get a fair trial.”
Receiving the Legal Legends of Color Award, Bethea-Shields said, carries special meaning.
“Because I had researched somewhat the history of the North Carolina Bar Association, it did mean a lot more to me than some other awards,” Bethea-Shields said. “The NCBA knew the issue was not perfect – it was flawed – and one of the recommendations was to make it more diverse. And that is something I am glad to have been a part of.
“I look at it as being a drop in the bucket, but those drops add up to waves. I am standing on somebody’s shoulders and therefore some people will be standing on my shoulders. It is a continuous struggle and battle to make sure we get it right, and not just for the history but for the future. It is the justice system and not the ‘just us’ system, and we need to make sure that we live up to the ideals in the constitution.”
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.