Elizabeth Ingram? Who? Who is she? Where did she come from? I am so glad that you asked. I am Elizabeth Ingram. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in New Jersey. I attended undergraduate school at The College of New Jersey where I majored in Criminal Justice and minored in Sociology. In 1997 I came to North Carolina for what I thought was the sole purpose of obtaining a JD from North Carolina Central University School of Law. After achieving that goal in 2000, I decided to sit for the North Carolina bar exam because I was hooked. I was hooked on the charm, the people and the weather that is North Carolina. I persevered in 2001 after taking the exam twice (yes, twice) and became a licensed attorney where I now called home, North Carolina. I was fortunate enough in 2001 to secure employment with North Carolina Prisoner Legal Service, Inc. (NCPLS) where I had interned while in law school and worked while waiting to be licensed. NCPLS assists incarcerated citizens throughout the entire state with varied issues of life in the Department of Corrections. I served in almost every capacity in that office. Before being licensed, I assisted attorneys, answered phones and did transcription. After becoming an attorney, I became part of the post conviction team. We were tasked with reviewing client s concerns about their sentencing, their trials and their guilty pleas. We filed motions for appropriate relief, for jail credit and habeas corpus petitions. I became responsible for supervising a team of paralegals who were specialists in finding errors in the granting of and the application of jail credit. I spent some time on a team of attorneys who reviewed civil claims as well. We investigated excessive use of force claims, negligence, and fielded questions about prison life. We were also obligated to review pro se federal civil right claims filed by clients and determine whether they had merit and would be further litigated with the help of our office. In addition to being sworn in to practice in NC state courts, I was sworn into all three federal districts in order to help clients with those federal civil rights claims. At that time in NCPLS existence, they were endowed with a grant to investigate conditions in the local county detention centers throughout the 100 counties. I was the head attorney who worked together with one paralegal to travel to these jails, tour, and report my findings to the Department of Health and Human Services. Towards the end of my 6 year tenure at NCPLS, I became a senior staff attorney and a team leader. I led a team of three lawyers and four to five paralegal in reviewing every letter and request that came into the office. Our team was the intake team. We were responsible for reading the letters that came in, creating client files and disseminating the cases as needed to the other teams in the office. We also created informational packets and letters to explain issues and requests that did not warrant a full work up or investigation by another team. I gained tons of invaluable experience at NCPLS and was fortunate to travel and see the state while working there, but I longed for more. My longing was for the courtroom. I wanted to know what it was like to be in the fight for the truth as opposed to reading about it in a transcript. I wanted to be a trial attorney. My opportunity came to do just that in 2007 when i was offered a job as an assistant public defender in Durham county. I have represented thousands of indigent clients and had countless bench and jury trials in district and superior court. I live in the courtroom! It is where I am most comfortable and in my element. I have handled abuse, neglect and dependency cases, guardianship hearings and truancy court in addition to criminal
defense. My caseload now consists of class H-D felonies. I love the daily interaction with the clerks, sheriffs, prosecutors and other defense attorneys. The courthouse is my second home. I have been with the PD s office now for 10 years and continue to grow and learn something new every day. While at the PD s office I was truly honored to also serve as an adjunct professor at my alma mater North Carolina Central School of Law. I taught a first year course called Critical Thinking. Teaching had become my second love. At the office I also continue to accept the supervision of law students practicing under the third year practice rule. Giving back to others what I have learned is sincerely a gratifying act. The hardest thing about working as a public defender in Durham, is the commute! I never left Raleigh. I have been blessed to build a life and a family in Wake County. I have been a resident of Wake county now for 14 years. I have two beautiful daughters, ages 11 and 6 who both attend Wake county public schools. My husband, Sean Ingram, is the owner and operator of the Sean Ingram Creative Arts Academy in Raleigh. In addition to being an author and motivational speaker, he works closely with the Wake County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council to operate the Sean Ingram Academy Juvenile Diversion Program. We have been fortunate enough to enjoy membership at the City Club Raleigh. We also are blessed to members of New Hope Baptist Church in north Raleigh. I have been a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated for 22 years. I hope to soon become a member of the Raleigh chapter Beta Lambda Sigma and work with my capital city sorors to participate in various community activities and service. My law degree is only as good as my integrity. I fought hard to get my law degree and I have no qualms about telling clients how much I like having it. My reputation for honesty has always been the strongest tool in my arsenal. Whether in trial or in plea negotiations, if I tell you I know it to be true, you can take that to the bank. All of the judges, defense attorneys and prosecutors that I have worked with know that I am a straight shooter, even when the facts are stacked against me. It's not always about winning or losing. Most of the time in our adversarial system, it's about living to fight another day. I would much prefer to lose a clean fight than to fight dirty just to win. The Honorable James Hill has said many times in the courtroom that if Ms. Ingram tells him that it is snowing in July, he believes it. This is the type of reputation I take pride in and hope to always have no matter where I go. Service to one and all regardless of where they are from, what county they reside, or what walk of life they have travelled. That is what I have learned in my time to be important as a legal professional. Even though I now practice primarily in Durham, not all my clients are residents of that county. People these days are very transient. Trouble and the need for help knows no bounds. I often have to collaborate with attorneys, private and public, from other counties when clients have multiple charges that cross county and sometimes even state lines. I believe that the judge sets the tone of the courtroom for all those who pass through. As humans we all have our biases and pet peeves. However, the mark of a good judge is to be able to treat everyone and every case with the same fair and firm hand. I believe that my personal and professional experiences thus far have equipped me to be able to look at
everyone with the same eyes. I know what it is like to come from another country, from a different state, and frequently from a different point of view. I have dealt with clients from all walks of life and they all receive the same zealous representation. None of us are perfect, and will fall short at times. However, humility and respect will always prevail even in our weakest moments. There would be no greater joy than to be able to reach out my hand to help my fellow Wake County residents. Through this letter, I humbly present myself to my colleagues of the 10th judicial district to consider nominating me for the bench.
Umeandkayla@aol.com EDUCATION ELIZABETH INGRAM 5600 Cardinal Grove Blvd. Raleigh, NC 27616 919-599-1259 (c) North Carolina Central University School of Law Durham, North Carolina 1997-2000 Juris Doctor The College of New Jersey Trenton, New Jersey 1993-1997 Bachelor of Science CERTIFICATION Acceptance to North Carolina State Bar March 24, 2001 Sworn to Practice in Untied States District Court Western District of North Carolina & Eastern District Of North Carolina July 3, 2001 Sworn to Practice in Untied States District Court Middle District of North Carolina July 13, 2001 WORK EXPERIENCE Office of the Public Defender 14 th Judicial District Assistant Public Defender May 14, 2007-Present Represent indigent clients in criminal District and Superior courts.
North Carolina Central University School of Law Adjunct Professor August-November, 2012 August-November 2011 September-November, 2010 Part of a team of lab professors who teach a first year course titled Critical Thinking. Course was intended to assist first year law students with study habits, time management, outlining, case briefing, and essay writing. Prisoner Legal Services, Inc. Senior Staff Attorney/Team Leader Raleigh, NC May 2005-May 2007 Provided legal counsel to indigent clients incarcerated in the North Carolina Department of Corrections as well as in all 100 county detention facilities. Responsible for the supervision of three attorneys and five paralegals in responding to client correspondence via mail. Also, responsible for reviewing client correspondence and determining case file distribution to the entire office. Office of the Public Defender 14 th Judicial District Assistant Public Defender January 2005-May 2005 Represent indigent clients in criminal District court. Provided representation to indigent clients in Abuse Neglect and Dependency civil cases. Investigated and wrote reports for the elected Clerk of Court in guardianship special proceedings. Prisoner Legal Services, Inc. Staff Attorney Raleigh, NC May 2001-December 2004 Provided legal counsel to indigent clients incarcerated in the North Carolina Department of Corrections as well as in all 100 county detention facilities involving post-conviction, tort and federal civil rights claims. REFERENCES Provided upon request