Ward Black Law Mourns the Passing of Founder and Owner, Janet Ward Black
A life devoted to justice, service, and community
Janet Ward’s career reflected remarkable achievement and steadfast service. A graduate of Davidson College and Duke University School of Law, she held leadership roles in some of North Carolina’s most respected legal organizations. In 2025, she was inducted into the North Carolina Bar Association’s Legal Practice Hall of Fame, an honor conferred on only eight attorneys each year from more than 27,000 lawyers statewide.
A trailblazer, Janet Ward was the first female assistant district attorney in Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. For 35 years, she spoke at Tarheel Girls State, encouraging young women from across North Carolina to consider careers in law and public service. She most recently served as Vice Chair of the Board of Legal Aid of North Carolina, the state’s largest free civil legal services provider to low-income residents. She was the third woman president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers, now North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the fourth woman president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was the second lawyer in history to serve as president of both organizations. Her professional excellence was recognized in Best Lawyers in America® for 20 consecutive years.
As NCBA president, Janet Ward created the widely recognized 4ALL program, which provides free legal information to North Carolinians each spring through a statewide call-in service. Since its launch, more than 129,000 residents have received assistance from over 7,000 volunteer attorneys, and the program has generated a $3.1 million endowment through the NC Bar Foundation to support attorneys serving in Legal Aid of North Carolina.
Her service and leadership earned some of North Carolina’s highest honors, including the North Carolina State Bar’s Distinguished Service Award in 2009, Duke Law’s Charles Murphy Award for Public Service in 2010, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice’s Thurgood Marshall Award in 2021. She received the NCBA Litigation Section’s Advocate’s Award in 2018, was named the Greensboro Community Foundation’s Woman of the Year in 2018, and was recognized as Personal Injury “Lawyer of the Year” in the Triad by U.S. News & World Report in 2020. She was a longtime member of the C12 community of Christian business leaders and was named a C12 Hero in 2021. Earlier in life, she served North Carolina as Miss North Carolina 1980 and earned a Grand Talent award at the Miss America pageant.
Guided by her faith and a heart for service, Janet Ward shaped Ward Black Law’s mission to seek justice, give generously, and love lavishly as a Christian-led law firm. Since 2013, the firm has donated ten percent of its gross revenue each year to nonprofits in our community, our state, our nation, and around the world. Ward Black Law has been recognized in Best Law Firms in America® since 2011.
“Janet Ward’s life was a masterclass in servant leadership,” said the Ward Black Law team. “She set the standard for excellence in advocacy, kindness in community, and integrity in every decision. We will honor her legacy by continuing the work she loved, caring well for our clients, and investing in the people and places she championed.”
After Janet Ward was diagnosed with ALS in May of 2025, she prepared the Ward Black Law team to continue her life’s work. The firm remains fully committed to serving clients with the compassion, skill, and determination that defined her leadership.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, November 14, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to ICM (ICM.org), an international Christian ministry that partners with local churches to build worship centers and equip disciples in underserved communities around the world.
About Ward Black Law
Ward Black Law is a Greensboro-based plaintiff-side law firm representing individuals in personal injury and wrongful death matters; motor-vehicle cases, including car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle accidents; workers’ compensation; asbestos-related diseases and mesothelioma; and injuries caused by defective and dangerous products and medical devices.
Media Contact
Elizabeth Myers
Marketing Manager
Ward Black Law
336-333-2244 | emyers@wardblacklaw.com