Bob Sumner, founding member of Cranfill Sumner LLP and Partner Emeritus, received the prestigious J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence from the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. The award was presented June 13 during the NCADA 48th Annual Meeting and Seminar in Wilmington.
The J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence recognizes an NCADA member’s contributions to the organized Bar as a whole and to their community. The award is named for NCADA founding member J. Robert Elster and recognizes attorneys that adhere to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethics.
“From his days in the courtroom to the countless hours he devoted to volunteering for the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina State Bar, Bob Sumner left a lasting impact on the legal community and our firm that is still felt to this day. We congratulate him on the J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence which highlights his incredible career and legacy,” said Marshall Wall, Managing Partner of Cranfill Sumner LLP.
Bob is a Retired Member of the North Carolina State Bar who tried more than 100 jury trials to conclusion with a very high number of successful outcomes. Before he retired from Cranfill Sumner in 2014, he handled numerous wrongful death cases and cases involving catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. His career included positions as a Law Clerk at the North Carolina Supreme Court, Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Litigation Section, Chair of the North Carolina State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Wake County Bar Association.
