Peter Romary
Peter Romary | |
|---|---|
| File:Peter Romary Smile.jpg Peter Romary at the 5th Annual North Carolina Higher Education Safety Symposium in 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leeds, Yorkshire[citation needed] |
Peter Romary is a British-born American attorney[1][2] living in Greenville, North Carolina.[3] He is a lawyer and trainer in the United States.[4] He is best known[5][6][7] for his pro-bono work on behalf of victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes[5][6][7]
Background[edit]
Peter Romary grew up in Cornwall where he attended Truro School. While in school Romary won the Boys' Junior Épée title at the British Public Schools' Fencing Championships in 1986.[8] He holds law degrees from the University of Reading[9] and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[1]
Romary attributed his becoming a lawyer to his desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, John Romary, a retired solicitor and Deputy District Judge in England.[10]
Career[edit]
Romary's legal work most notably included obtaining a then-world record wrongful death jury verdict of $525 million USD[11] in 1998, which still stands as the largest wrongful death jury verdict ever returned in North Carolina.[12] He is known for his Pro Bono (unpaid) work.[13]
Romary was the President of the "International Society of Lawyers for Public Service" [14][15] and is the Membership Committee Chair of "The College of Master Advocates and Barristers".[16]
For over 12 years, Romary represented over one hundred victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse each year on a pro-bono basis; by the time he received the National Law Journal Pro Bono Award in 2003 he had represented 700 victims.[6] Romary also served on the University of North Carolina Campus Safety Task Force.[17] Among its more-contentious recommendations was one calling for criminal background checks for applicants.[18] He also founded the North Carolina Higher Education Safety Symposium.[19] For his work in higher education safety and risk management, Romary was awarded the 2010 John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award by the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments,[19][20] the organization's "highest honor bestowed by the Association upon a member of the University of North Carolina community."[21] In 2011, Romary was also the recipient of the Verizon Men for Change Award for his work on behalf of victims of domestic violence.[7][22] Romary currently works as a Teaching Associate Professor and Director of Student Legal Services at East Carolina University,[23] as well as "Of Counsel" to the law firm of Tanner and Romary, in Clayton, North Carolina.[1] As of June 2020 Romary has no connections to East Carolina University as a member of the faculty nor an employee of the school.[24] He is also a partner in QVerity.[25] Romary also continues to lecture around the US and overseas and advise both private and government clients.[1][25]
Romary rose to the rank of "Worshipful Master" in charge of his masonic lodge by 2003.[26]
From 2007 to 2012, Romary also served as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Namibia to North Carolina, establishing the first honorary unpaid consular post for any African nation in North Carolina.[2][27] The Namibian government and state government press releases and official government directories are readily available showing not only the Namibian Government's announcement of the appointment, but Romary was "State Department Accredited". [28][29] On 6 March 2018, Nottingham Law School, at Nottingham Trent University, hosted the Oath of Office ceremony for Judge Peter Romary, marking the first time that a US judge was sworn into office on UK soil since the 1700s. Romary is an appointed temporary Administrative Law Judge, such appointments can only be made by the Chief Administrative Law Judge of North Carolina, a pre-requisite to serving in such position. The appointed position is on an as needed basis on specific assignment only for individual cases and pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 7A-757 pays a per diem not to exceed $300 per day with travel and subsistence at the regular state employee rates.[30][31][32]
Controversies[edit]
A Hillsborough lawyer with ties to members of the UNC Board of Governors and high level GOP officials in North Carolina has been reprimanded by the North Carolina State Bar.
The action stems from a 2019 episode in which Peter Romary claimed he was working with members of the UNC Board of Governors and leaders of the North Carolina legislature when trying to obtain video that led to the resignation of former Interim ECU Chancellor Dan Gerlach.
The video, from Greenville traffic and security cameras, appeared to show Gerlach stumbling and weaving down a sidewalk after a September night that included drinking and dancing with ECU students at a popular bar. The video showed Gerlach then getting into his car and driving away.
The UNC System investigated the incident. But Tom Fetzer, then a member of the UNC Board of Governors, decided to conduct a parallel and in some instances conflicting investigation of his own for which he enlisted Romary. E-mails and text messages showed Romary and Fetzer – a lobbyist, former mayor of Raleigh and one-time chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party – applied pressure and referenced powerful state lawmakers in seeking the video and not cooperating with the official investigation. They kept this work hidden from the full board of governors, then-UNC System President Bill Roper and the international law firm the system had hired to officially investigate the matter.
In the state bar’s reprimand, summarized in the its Fall 2021 journal, the group said Romary’s actions crossed the line of its code of professional conduct.
“[R]omary asserted that he was representing members of the UNC Board of Governors and the ECU Board of Trustees, members of the North Carolina General Assembly, and the State (and National) Police Benevolent Association,” the group wrote in its summary. “These assertions were misrepresentations in that a reasonable lawyer under the circumstances would not have formed the opinion that these individuals and entities were his clients. During these communications, Romary also alleged without basis in fact that the law firm investigating the matter for the UNC system had potentially engaged in misconduct.”
“Romary later filed a petition with the court to obtain the video footage in which he purported to represent an organization that was not his client,” the group wrote. “Romary was reprimanded by the Grievance Committee for, among other things, making false statements of material fact to a third party and to a tribunal. In determining that reprimand was the appropriate discipline, the committee took into consideration Romary’s lack of prior discipline and the isolated nature of this incident.”
All licensed lawyers in North Carolina must be members of the state bar, a government agency, and adhere to its code.
Romary misrepresented himself in the ECU episode, the state bar concluded, including in e-mails to the Greenville City Attorney’s office.
“I have been retained by some private parties, including a couple members of the ECU Board of Trustees and UNC Board of Governors,” Romary wrote. “This in response to an ever changing story from Dan Gerlach and an allegation of a ‘set up’ by him and some who support him.”
“I have also spoken to a Judge, friend of 25 years, and they are quite annoyed about this,” Romary wrote. “So, I am writing, requesting access to or copies of GPD surveillance camera footage.”
Fetzer also applied pressure, contacting Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne), the House majority leader, to enlist his help in obtaining the footage through Romary.
In text messages obtained by Policy Watch, Fetzer informed Bell of Romary’s work.
“John—Don Phillips is the Asst City Atty for Greenville overseeing the police Dept,” Fetzer texted Bell. “Please call him and tell him you are aware that Peter Romary (Ro’maree w emphasis on the first syllable), an attorney representing me as a BOG member, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Assoc, has requested the preservation and release of video tapes showing Interim Chancellor Gerlach getting in his car and driving away around 2:20 am on 26 September.”
“Tell him the General Assembly has an oversight role and that you would like the tapes released,” Fetzer wrote in a text to Bell about getting in touch with the Greenville city attorney. “Please do this today if possible.”
“It goes without saying, but keeping this QUIET is essential,” Fetzer said in the text.
“I’ll try to work out something,” Bell texted back.
After that exchange, Romary began representing himself as connected to Bell and the legislature.
“I was informed that House Majority Leader John Bell will be retaining me in support of PBA // FoP and as part of legislature oversight,” Romary wrote in an Oct. 21 text to the assistant city attorney overseeing the Greenville Police Department. “Of course legislature folks want them yesterday.”
After the episode was made public, the Police Benevolent Association and members of the General Assembly denied Fetzer or Romary were working on their behalf.
The ECU incident was not the only controversy in which Romary and Fetzer were involved during Fetzer’s tenure on the board from 2017 to 2020.
In 2018, Fetzer and Romary were also involved in the scuttled search for a new chancellor at Western Carolina University. Fetzer gave confidential candidate information to Romary, who suggested the final candidate had lied on their application. Other board members said that wasn’t true. The candidate ultimately withdrew their application amid concerns about confidentiality. [33] [34][35][36]
References[edit]
Other articles of the topic Cornwall : List of Doc Martin episodes, Augustus Smith (actor)
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Attorneys - Tanner & Romary, P.A." tannerandromary.com. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "New honorary consul for Namibia". The Namibian. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Peter Romary, 27858". watchdog.net. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Liberty and Justice for All". University of Reading, reading.ac.uk. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Spring 2012 Newsletter, "Peter Romary Honored with the 7th Annual Men of Change Award"" (PDF). North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, nccadv.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Peter Romary "Helping the sheriff"". Law.com. January 13, 2003. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "WINNING WORK: 'Getting involved…saves lives'". East Carolina University, ecu.edu. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Public School Fencing results for 1986". Francisfencing.org.uk. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Reading University past student profiles". Reading.ac.uk. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ "US delivers a glowing verdict to lawyer Peter". This is Cornwall. July 6, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Campbell University Experts Directory". Campbell University. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ↑ "University of Reading Press Release". Reading.ac.uk. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ↑ https://www.nccourts.gov/locations/pitt-county/pitt-county-courthouse
- ↑ "ISLPS Home Page Archive". islps.org. Archived from the original on February 4, 2001. Retrieved September 20, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "International Society of Public Interest Lawyers names honorary fellows". Florida Bar. 1999. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ "The College of Master Advocates and Barristers". cmabarristers.org. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ "UNC Campus Safety Taskforce Final Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2012. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Colleges consider background checks on applicants". USA Today. July 1, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "ASG focuses on risk management in new website". The Daily Tar Heel, dailytarheel.com. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Resolution 31, An Act Honoring Peter J. M. Romary with the 2010 John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award" (PDF). University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ↑ "ASG Statutes Chapter 1, Article 5: John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award" (PDF). University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments, iwantmydollarback.org. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ↑ "ECU News Bureau". Ecu.edu. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ "About the Director > Student Legal Services". East Carolina University, ecu.edu. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ https://www.ecu.edu/directory/people
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "QVeritys profile page". Qverity.com. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Proceedings Of The Grand Lodge Of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons Of North Carolina" (PDF). Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Bridge established between Namibia and North Carolina". theeastcarolinian.com. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ↑ "New Honorary Consul". allafrica.com. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ "Consul List" (PDF). sosnc.gov. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ "Temporary ALJs". google.com. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ "Definitions". ncpaboard.gov. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ "NC General Assembly Enacted Laws". ncleg.net. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/attorney-involved-in-ecu-scandal-reprimanded-by-north-carolina-state-bar/
- ↑ https://www.ncbar.gov/handlers/DisciplinaryOrderHandler.ashx?url=%5CRomary,%20Peter%20Rep%2019G1124.pdf&keyword=
- ↑ https://www.wbtv.com/2019/11/04/unc-system-lawyer-with-ties-bog-members-cease-desist-following-gerlach-investigation/
- ↑ https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/reflector.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/76/57691497-2820-5900-8715-f22c2068fdbd/607737401ae4b.pdf.pdf
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