Wade Barber

Wade Barber, former Superior Court Judge of North Carolina, retired from the bench in January of 2006. In June 2007, he returned to private practice in Pittsboro, North Carolina, opening [http://www.barberfalcone.com Barber & Falcone, PLLC] .

Education

Judge Barber graduated from Davidson College in 1967 and received his JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970.

Career

Judge Barber began his career with the Mecklenburg Legal Aid Society. In 1971 he joined the general practice law firm Barber, Holmes, and Barber in Pittsboro. In 1977, Judge Barber left private practice to serve as the District Attorney of Orange and Chatham counties until 1984, when he left to join the firm Barber, Bradshaw & Vernon in Pittsboro. In 1998, he began his tenure as Senior Superior Court Judge of District 15B, serving Chatham and Orange Counties.

In June, 2007, Barber returned to private practice in Pittsboro, North Carolina. In July, 2007, Barber was named legal counsel to the committee investigating the Durham Police Department's handling of the Duke lacrosse case. The committee is chaired by Justice Willis Whichard.

Public Service

Judge Barber has been dedicated to community leadership and public service throughout his career. In 2006, he accepted a nomination to join the North Carolina Environmental Defense Fund, Board of Directors. From 1993-1998, Judge Barber served as Chairman of the Committee on Structure of the Courts for the North Carolina Courts Commission. From 1989-1990, he served as President of the District Bar Association. From 1985-1988 he serve on the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association. His long interest in environmental issues in North Carolina is notable. He served as Chairman of the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission from 1981-1985. From 1977-1983, Judge Barber served as President of the North Carolina District Attorneys Association. Judge Barber has been active in Democratic politics throughout his career and has supported his alma mater, serving on the University of North Carolina School of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1996-2002.

Awards

Over his career, he has been awarded the Chatham County Smart Start Distinguished Service Award, the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union Award, the North Carolina Mediation Network Service Award, and the North Carolina Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section Service Award.

Family

Judge Barber and his wife Marina currently reside in Chapel Hill. Marina was a professor in speech at Peace College in Raleigh. They have two daughters: Claire graduated from the Loyola School of Law in Los Angeles and is raising three children, and Elizabeth is currently attending the University of North Carolina School of Law. Judge Barber's son-in-law and Claire's husband is Rabbi Joshua Fenton, Director of Jewish Life & Learning at the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center in San Jose, California.