As of July 1, 2024, the The Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) bifurcated into two entities:
The 26th Judicial District Bar (26th JD Bar - mandatory bar) and the Mecklenburg Bar Association (MBA - voluntary bar).
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April 15, 2024 Update
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation closed on the sale of the property at 511 Yellowstone Drive, Charlotte on April 10, 2024.
Previous Updates
January 29, 2024 Update
Beginning the week of February 12, 2024, our new offices will be located in the Addison Building. Read the full update from Executive Director Leah Campbell.
August 21, 2023 Update
We had hoped to share with you earlier this month the good news that we had closed on the sale of the Mecklenburg County Bar & Foundation Center. Regrettably, we are unable to do that. Despite extensive negotiations, accommodations by the Foundation and Bar, and efforts to finalize the transaction, the prospective buyers informed us that they will not be able to close on the purchase of the property due to internal funding issues having nothing to do with the property or the building. The building went back on the market effective immediately.
Despite this setback, the leadership of the Bar & Foundation are committed to working together to move forward with both relocation and bifurcation. This decision was made possible, in part, because of the earnest money deposit that was forfeited upon the buyer’s termination of the purchase contract. The Foundation, as the owner of the existing Bar Center, will use those funds to cover its mortgage payments if there is a timing gap between the Bar’s relocation and the completion of the building sale.
Additionally, leadership has made the strategic decision to rearrange the existing landlord (MBF)/tenant (MCB) relationship. A prospective site in Midtown has been identified and the Bar plans to proceed with a lease agreement in the coming weeks. The new location would require reconfiguration with an anticipated move-in date sometime in the third quarter of our fiscal year (Jan.-March). We will share additional details once a lease is signed and relocation plans are finalized.
Thank you for your understanding and continued commitment to the Bar & Foundation. We are excited about our future and look forward to embarking on this new chapter together.
Cary B. Davis, Mecklenburg County Bar President
Thomas E. Powers III, Mecklenburg Bar Foundation President
January 26, 2023 Update
The Bar & Foundation Center went under contract in late August 2022. Since that time, the landscape for commercial real estate and commercial lending has changed, leading to a more protracted due diligence period than originally anticipated. While we remain optimistic that the sale will close in the coming months, there are too many unknowns for us to say with any certainty if and when that will happen. As a consequence, we are hindered in our ability to identify the best options for our new location. Finalizing the location of our new headquarters—and identifying the occupancy costs associated with the new location—must occur before bifurcation to ensure the viability of both the judicial district bar and the new bar association.
Given the current status of the sale of the building, among other considerations, the MCB Board of Directors voted at its January 26, 2023 meeting to implement bifurcation on or after July 1, 2024. We understand this news may come as a disappointment to some, and perhaps many. We believe, however, that this decision is necessary to ensure that an undertaking of this magnitude is carried out thoughtfully, thoroughly and in the best interest of our members and staff.
We are pleased to report that a great deal of work has already gone into the bifurcation process. MCB leadership has spent much of this year crafting the vision, mission, and strategic focus for the new voluntary bar association. Our next steps will be to finalize the governance and dues structures for both organizations. We look forward to sharing the details of the exciting new future for the Mecklenburg County legal community in the coming months.
[1] The Mecklenburg Bar Foundation (MBF), an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization, owns the building and the MCB leases the building. Thus, the proceeds from the sale of the building will belong to the MBF. It is anticipated the organizations will retain their landlord-tenant relationship.
May 26, 2022 Update
On May 26, 2022, the members of the Mecklenburg County Bar voted in favor of bifurcating our current organization into two separate organizations – a mandatory district bar that still reports to the NC State Bar and a voluntary bar association.
As discussed during the Annual Meeting on May 26, 2022, the earliest bifurcation would begin is July 1, 2023, dependent on the sale of the Bar & Foundation Center. It is important to stress that bifurcation will NOT be immediate. If there are other prevailing factors, such as not closing on the sale of the building until late in the 2022-23 fiscal year, the bifurcation date would be moved to July 1, 2024 at the earliest.
January 27, 2022 Update
MCB staff and leadership spent months examining the pros and cons of bifurcation. Bifurcating means splitting the MCB into two separate entities. Membership would still be mandatory for the judicial district bar (per Chapter 84 of the NC General Statutes) and it would retain all statutorily mandated functions, but with a significant reduction in the dues amount to reflect the reduction in programming on the mandatory side. Membership would be voluntary for the newly formed bar association, which would absorb all other functions and programs of the MCB. While the prospect of completely restructuring our organization is a daunting one, we ultimately felt that it is time to bring this issue before the full Bar for consideration as we believe it is the best decision for our future. As such, on January 27, the MCB Board of Directors voted in favor of bringing the question of whether to bifurcate to the full Bar at the Annual Meeting on May 26.
2021-22 Bar President Fred DeVore answered all five frequently asked questions about the potential for bifurcation in this quick video above.