Ty Hands
District Court Judge District 26 (Hands)
Legal Experience:
Currently:
Mecklenburg County District Court Judge (March 2009 - December 2010; March 2011 - present) - appointed by Governor Beverly Perdue.
Prior:
Clerkship, Chief Justice Frye, North Carolina Supreme Court;
Clerkship, Justice Becker, Nevada Supreme Court;
Associate, Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore, Charlotte - complex commercial litigation (firm became Helms Mulliss & Wicker and is now McGuire Woods);
Associate, The Dummit Law Firm, Winston-Salem - personal injury, workers compensation and district court criminal cases;
Founder/Partner, Baker & Blake LLP, Charlotte - general district court practice;
Partner, Hands Law Office, Charlotte - general district court practice.
Bar and Court Admissions:
North Carolina State Bar (1999);
Western District of North Carolina Bar (2001);
United States Supreme Court (2004
Education:
Winston-Salem State University, Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude;
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill School of Law, Juris Doctor;
Forester Instituto Internacional, (Costa Rica), fluent in Spanish
Professional Involvement:
· Member, Rotary of Charlotte
· Member, Bar Leadership Institute committee
· NC Association of Women Attorneys
· North Carolina Bar Association Member
· Former Mecklenburg County Bar Board of Directors Member
· North Carolina Bar Association, Pathways to Leadership Scholar, 2008
· Bar 2010 Committee, 2006-08 " John S. Leary, Jr. Bar Assoc., 2007 Chair
· Student Defense Project, Volunteer
· Lawyer Referral Service, 2006-07 Chair
· Bar Leadership Institute, 2006 Graduate
· Student Defense Project Scales of Justice Award: 2006 Law Firm of the Year
· Mecklenburg County Bar Association 2007 Small Firm Pro Bono Award
Civic and Community Involvement:
· 2012 Women of Justice Award winner (Lawyers Weekly) " Winston-Salem State University Board of Visitors Member since 2008
· Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee Member since 2006
· The International House Board of Directors/ Advisory Board member since 2005
· Big Brothers Big Sisters Volunteer 1994-2010
· Charlotte-Mecklenburg Domestic Violence Advisory Board, 2006-08
· Mecklenburg County Bar Lunch with a Lawyer program Volunteer, 2007-09
· 2007 Woman of the Year, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Western North Carolina Chapter
· North Carolina Center for Women in Public Service Graduate, 2008
· Fellowship Home Board of Directors Member, 2004-08
· NAACP Lifetime Member
· Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
Please describe why you would be the best candidate for the open judicial position:
I am the best candidate for the Hands seat because of my proven experience. After two Supreme Court clerkships, I practiced law for a large and small firm before I opened my own law firm. Before I became a judge, I practiced law in every area of district court and appeared in state and federal court in over fifteen counties on a daily basis. I have a commitment to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community from volunteering countless hours on domestic violence initiatives and boards and mentoring law students and young attorneys to serving on bar committees and boards. As a sitting district court judge, I have presided over thousands of district court cases. It is proven experience because I maintain a solid reputation for making knowledgeable and impartial decisions. My hard work and service are further exemplified by being the second-highest rated judge in Mecklenburg County in the NCBA judicial performance evaluation.
Campaign telephone number: 704-353-5000
Campaign email address: info@judgehands.com
Campaign web site: www.judgehands.com