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Support the John B. McMillan and W. Gerald Thornton Justice Funds

Honor the lives and legacies of these Manning Fulton attorneys with a gift to the

North Carolina Bar Foundation Open Door Fund

Make a Gift Make A Pledge

 

The NCBF Open Door Fellowship is a unique, competitive opportunity for first-year North Carolina law students who are members of groups that have been historically underrepresented in the legal profession, including first-generation college students and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Students who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion through their activities, background, and life experiences are strongly considered for this highly sought-after fellowship.

The Fellowship provides access to hands-on legal experience through a 10-week program with an employer host as well as a professional network to create an “open door” to the legal profession.  Fellows are paid a $10,000 stipend and also participate in a professional development programming series throughout the summer with the NCBF.

The future of the Open Door Fellowship will be secured through the NCBF Open Door Fund, providing direct support for Open Door Fellows and future DEI programming for many years to come. We hope you will consider a gift or pledge to honor the legacy of John and/or Gerald while supporting Manning Fulton as an “Open Door Champion for Change” for this important initiative.

John B. McMillan (1942-2019)

John B. McMillan had been an attorney with Manning Fulton & Skinner, P.A. in Raleigh since graduating from UNC School of Law. For most of his career, he combined a general civil litigation practice with government relations work for clients with state legislative and administrative issues. In recent years, he concentrated his litigation practice in the area of eminent domain law representing property owners. In his government relations practice, he represented national and state trade associations and corporations before the North Carolina General Assembly and various state agencies. For his legal work, McMillan was recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of eminent domain and government relations in each year since those categories were established. He was named Best Lawyers Government Relations “Lawyer of the Year” in 2011, 2014 and 2018 as well as Best Lawyers Eminent Domain and Condemnation “Lawyer of the Year” in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

W. Gerald Thornton (1942-2023)

On September 1, 1970, Gerald joined Manning Fulton & Skinner to concentrate on the practice of business and tax law. Over his career, he represented clients of all sizes from individuals to large corporations; tangled with most sections of the Internal Revenue Code; drafted documents and handled closings for the purchase of businesses ranging into the hundreds of millions of dollars in almost every state, Canada, and Mexico. He had major clients in the distribution business, agricultural business, publishing business, automotive business, and manufacturing business. Gerald was a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and the American College of Tax Counsel and had been selected for twenty-five consecutive years to be listed in Best Lawyers in America©. He was recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers (2006-2015) and had an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and many other honors for his service in the legal profession, in his church, and in the community.

How to Donate:

  • Pledge: We welcome pledges for larger gifts, which can be paid over up to five years.  Please use the “Make a Pledge” button above.
  • Credit Card: Please use the “Make a Gift” button at the top of this page.
  • Checks: Payable to: North Carolina Bar Foundation (memo: John B. McMillan and/or W. Gerald Thornton Justice Funds). Please mail checks to: NCBF, 8000 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513.
  • Gift from IRA or QCD from retirement account: (memo: John B. McMillan and/or W. Gerald Thornton Justice Funds).
  • Electronic Funds Transfer: (memo: John B. McMillan and/or W. Gerald Thornton Justice Funds).
  • Gift of Stock: visit ncbarfoundation.org/stocks (memo: John B. McMillan and/or W. Gerald Thornton Justice Funds).
  • For assistance or more information, please contact Michael Lowery ([email protected] or 919.677.0992).