Haggard Receives Distinguished Service Award
Robert H. (Bob) Haggard of Fletcher became the fifth recipient of the NCBA Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Section’s Distinguished Service Award at the section’s recent annual meeting in Kiawah, S.C.
The award was presented by Jimmy Narron, who along with Graham Holding, Betty Quick and the late Rudy Ogburn are previous recipients of the award.
“Honestly, I know the previous four recipients of this award very well,” Haggard said, “and it is a little hard for me to see that my accomplishments measure up to those who have been honored previously.”
Haggard was a partner with The Van Winkle Firm for more than 40 years prior to his recent retirement. He is a 1971 honors graduate of Davidson College and completed his law degree at Florida State University in 1974. He also joined the firm in 1974 and was carried on leave the first four years of his career while serving active duty as a U.S. Army JAG officer.
Haggard has been a member of the section since its inception in 1979 and served as chair in 2010-11. He is also a former member of the NCBA Board of Governors and NCBF Board of Directors.
On receiving this award during what was the 43rd Annual Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Program, he recalled a pivotal moment in his career from four decades ago.
“One of the speakers on the first day of this year’s program mentioned Mark Edwards, who was a very well-known and respected attorney, and the author of the North Carolina Probate Handbook,” Haggard said. “Apparently Mark was a mentor of the speaker, which reminded me of a kind gesture Mark Edwards extended toward me years ago.
“I actually spoke to the section for the first time at the third annual meeting of the Estate Planning Section, and I had not been a trust and estates attorney all that long. I knew I would be speaking to people with far more experience and knowledge than me, which motivated me to learn all that I could about will caveats. I prepared extensively and read every published decision on will contests, and there was not much that had been written at that point.
“I knew who Mark Edwards was, and when I finished that program, which was at the Holiday Inn at Wrightsville Beach, he got out of his seat and intercepted me coming down the aisle after I delivered my talk. I was afraid he was going to tell me I had gotten something wrong, but Mark reached out his hand and told me I had done a great job.”
The gesture, Haggard said, meant the world to a young attorney from the North Carolina mountains.
“You can never really overestimate what it means to reach down and give words of encouragement to those who are following in our footsteps.”
To that end, Haggard offered up words of encouragement to the younger attorneys who attended this year’s program. He urged them to become N.C. State Bar board-certified specialists in Estate Planning and Probate Law, and to become aware of the achievements that would earn them consideration for election as a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Every recipient of the Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Section’s Distinguished Service Award is a Fellow of ACTEC.
“It is the pinnacle of achievement in this area of practice, and it does require people to be actively involved in the bar, speaking on professional topics and writing on professional topics. And the speaking opportunities afforded me through the bar association and the bar foundation eventually made me eligible for consideration as a fellow.”
Haggard was nominated for the Distinguished Service Award by Practice Group Leader B.J. Kilgore on behalf of the Trusts, Estates, and Elder Law Practice at Van Winkle. He described Haggard as a partner, teacher, mentor and friend.
“Bob has contributed much toward the leadership and scholarship in his area of the law,” Kilgore stated.
“During his legal career, Bob was a frequent speaker and lecturer at CLE events offered by the Section. From personal experience, I can say that Bob was incredibly committed to serving and bettering the Section. Bob counts many of the Section’s past and current members as some of his best friends and colleagues in the industry.”
Haggard, he added, routinely provided pro bono service throughout his career, and continues to take an active role in mentoring and training new trusts and estates attorneys at the firm.
“At Van Winkle,” Kilgore concluded, “we recognize Bob as one of the most impactful and influential attorneys in our practice and we are certain that the NCBA will want to recognize him as well.”
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.