WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / August 4, 2026 / After a rousing introduction by stellar New Orleans attorney James Williams and swearing in by the legendary Judge Kern Reese, the National Bar Association on July 30, 2026 installed nationally accomplished trial attorney and civic leader James J. Carter as its 84th President. In addition to NBA Past Presidents, leaders, members, friends and family from around the world, the great international leader, President and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc H. Morial, was in attendance, who gave James his first significant leadership opportunity more than 30 years ago. James's presidency begins a term shaped by the responsibility of leading the organization as it continues its fight for equal justice under the law. He will be only the second person in the NBA's 101 year history, after the late Justice Revius Ortique, to serve as President while residing in Louisiana. President Carter's bar year theme is "Meeting the Moment: A Continuing Legacy of Social Engineering and Empowerment."
"I accept this responsibility with a clear understanding of what the National Bar Association has represented for generations of Black lawyers and for the communities we serve," Carter said. "Our next century requires courage, discipline and practical action. We will strengthen civic activism, defend access to the ballot, advance financial independence, and address the conditions that affect the health, and safety of our communities."
Founded in 1925 after Black attorneys were excluded from membership in the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association has spent a century advancing civil rights, professional excellence and equal access to justice. Carter assumed the presidency at a consequential point in that history, with a mandate to honor the institution's legacy while preparing it for the demands of the next 100 years.
During his term, Carter will work with NBA members, affiliates, sections, divisions, law schools, corporate partners and community organizations to translate the Association's national reach into measurable civic and economic impact.
"The National Bar Association begins its next 100 years with a strong foundation and a clear obligation," Carter said. "We will protect what prior generations built, respond to the realities facing our communities now, and create the systems the next generation will need."
About James J. Carter
A native New Orleanian, James Carter is the Managing Partner of The Cochran Firm-Trials & Mass Torts and serves on The Cochran Firm's national Board of Directors. He has practiced law for over two decades. James graduated from prestigious Howard University undergrad and Howard University School of Law, where he serves on the Board of Visitors. He is a formidable trial attorney who is responsible for recovering millions of dollars on behalf of clients, both personal and corporate, throughout the United States. His skillfully aggressive approach to the civil jury trial world gained him elite membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, he was recognized by Law Dragon 500 for excellence and leadership in the legal profession. James is a member of Litigation Counsel of America, limited to less than one-half of one percent of North American lawyers, judges and scholars. In 2006, he was elected to the first New Orleans City Council seated after Hurricane Katrina and played a significant role in the City's recovery. He is currently one of seven Commissioners of the globally important Port of New Orleans. For his accomplishments as an attorney and public servant, Grambling State University and the University of New Orleans awarded him honorary doctorate degrees.
About the National Bar Association
Founded in 1925, the National Bar Association is the nation's oldest and largest network of predominantly Black attorneys, judges, law professors, law students and legal professionals. For more than a century, the Association has advanced civil rights, professional excellence, judicial independence and equal access to justice in the United States and abroad.
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SOURCE: National Bar Association
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/government/james-j.-carter-installed-84th-president-of-the-national-bar-association-1201179
