Full Name
Justice Cheri Beasley (Ret.)
Job Title
Mediation & Arbitration
Company
JAMS
Speaker Bio
Chief Justice Cheri Beasley (Ret.) is a distinguished former jurist, private practitioner and seasoned ADR professional. Her legal career has been marked by a series of historic achievements and a deep commitment to public service and upholding the rule of law.
In 2019, Chief Justice Beasley made history as the first African American woman to serve as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. During her tenure, she advocated for judicial reforms such as expanding access to treatment courts and introducing electronic filing systems to improve court accessibility. She also created the Rules Advisory Commission to recommend updates to the N.C. Rules of Civil Procedure and N.C. General Rules of Practice to prepare for electronic filing, telehearings and cloud-based access to court files.
Chief Justice Beasley took her place on the North Carolina bench in 1999, serving for a decade as a district court judge, where she presided over thousands of civil, family, juvenile, criminal and traffic cases. In 2008, she was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and in 2012, she became an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Prior to her judicial career, she served as an assistant public defender in Cumberland County, North Carolina.
As a jurist, Chief Justice Beasley presided over numerous cases through pretrial rulings, bench trials, judgments and settlement conferences. She handled and resolved the most challenging and multifaceted matters across a wide range of industries, including those in the complex business and commercial, civil rights, employment, insurance, personal injury and product liability arenas.
After a judicial career that spanned over two decades, Chief Justice Beasley practiced as a partner at McGuire Woods in the Business and Securities Litigation Section and, just before joining JAMS, as a shareholder at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, where she focused on complex business and commercial litigation and economic development.
Chief Justice Beasley is active in bench and bar presentations and events and supports community initiatives that advance education and hunger relief.
In 2019, Chief Justice Beasley made history as the first African American woman to serve as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. During her tenure, she advocated for judicial reforms such as expanding access to treatment courts and introducing electronic filing systems to improve court accessibility. She also created the Rules Advisory Commission to recommend updates to the N.C. Rules of Civil Procedure and N.C. General Rules of Practice to prepare for electronic filing, telehearings and cloud-based access to court files.
Chief Justice Beasley took her place on the North Carolina bench in 1999, serving for a decade as a district court judge, where she presided over thousands of civil, family, juvenile, criminal and traffic cases. In 2008, she was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and in 2012, she became an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Prior to her judicial career, she served as an assistant public defender in Cumberland County, North Carolina.
As a jurist, Chief Justice Beasley presided over numerous cases through pretrial rulings, bench trials, judgments and settlement conferences. She handled and resolved the most challenging and multifaceted matters across a wide range of industries, including those in the complex business and commercial, civil rights, employment, insurance, personal injury and product liability arenas.
After a judicial career that spanned over two decades, Chief Justice Beasley practiced as a partner at McGuire Woods in the Business and Securities Litigation Section and, just before joining JAMS, as a shareholder at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, where she focused on complex business and commercial litigation and economic development.
Chief Justice Beasley is active in bench and bar presentations and events and supports community initiatives that advance education and hunger relief.
Speaking At
