Linda Stephens was born and raised in Woodruff, South Carolina. She attended the University of South Carolina as one of the first Carolina Scholars, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Linda attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned her JD in 1979. She was the first female law clerk for the Honorable Fred Hedrick at the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 1979-1980.
Linda Stephens went on to become a Deputy Commissioner for the North Carolina Industrial Commission, hearing and deciding workers' compensation cases from 1980-1984. In 1984, Stephens joined Teague Campbell Dennis & Gorham, LLP as the firm's first woman associate. She later became the first female Partner (later Senior Partner) with the firm.
From 2001-2002, Stephens served as the first woman President of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. She was appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2006. Linda Stephens was named one of the Top 50 women lawyers in North Carolina by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2006, and was listed in Best Lawyers in America for 11 years.
Judge Stephens is married to Donald Stephens, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for the 10th Judicial District. The photo shows Linda and Donald Stephens at the first annual Tuxedo Cat Ball, a fundraiser for SAFE Haven for Cats.
A true animal lover, Linda Stephens works to make sure that cats and dogs have good homes and good veterinary care. Her involvement includes:
Linda Stephens wrote Ode to Oliver, a poem about her former office cat. Ode to Oliver was published in Success Briefs for Lawyers: Inspirational Insights on How to Succeed at Law and Life, 2001.
Judge Linda Stephens was surprised and touched to learn that her grandson Jack had written a letter to the Governor asking him to appoint his grandmother to the NC Court of Appeals. Judge Stephens suspects that Jack's mother might helped Jack more than a little with the letter, but she'll let you be the judge of that.
Here's one of his reasons. Click on it to see the rest.
