Valerie Johnson Receives Ebbie Award

Johnson & Groninger PLLC congratulates Valerie Johnson for being selected by the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) as a recipient of the 2019 Ebbie Award.

The award is named after Ebbie Bailey, who helped her husband establish the North Carolina Advocates for Justice more than 50 years ago. NCAJ created the award in 2003 in Ebbie Bailey’s  honor to “recognize service and inspired commitment to NCAJ and its mission.”

This year, Valerie was recognized for her strong advocacy for justice, particularly for those who have been injured by the wrongdoing of others. She received the award during the NCAJ Annual Convention, which took place in Wilmington from June 20-23.

The award is well-deserved because Valerie has always made it her mission to help personal injury victims and those who have been wronged by unfair and unethical workplace practices. She has even written a book on the subject: North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim, which is now in its third edition, and taught workers’ compensation law at the Wake Forest University School of Law.

The North Carolina Advocates for Justice, which includes more than  3,500 legal professional members, is the state’s largest organization dedicated to plaintiffs’ rights. Valerie currently serves on the Board of Directors as Communications Vice-President: she previously served as the Education VP, the Legislative VP, and chair of the NCAJ Workers’ Compensation Section (2013-14).

As an attorney, she has dedicated her career to protecting individual rights, especially those of workers and people whose lives have been impacted by sexual harassment.

Valerie, who has been board certified in workers’ compensation law since 2000, is a member of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers and serves on the Board of Directors of Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of North Carolina. She also teaches trial advocacy at UNC Law School.

Her other accomplishments include:

• Inclusion in the National Black Lawyers Top 100
• 10 years as a Best Lawyer in the area of workers’ compensation
• Membership in the National Academy of Social Insurance
• Membership in The College of Workers’ Compensation

Please join us in congratulating Valerie for her Ebbie award. It is a huge honor and, in her case, highly deserved.