When Advocacy and Ethics Collide: Two Recent North Carolina Decisions on Attorney Disqualification

Two recent North Carolina decisions, Sloan‑Oudeh v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. (N.C. Ct. App. Feb. 18, 2026) and WP Church, LLC v. Whalen (2026 NCBC Order 10) offer timely and instructive guidance on attorney disqualification, underscoring the judiciary’s increasing willingness to enforce ethical boundaries even when doing so disrupts ongoing litigation. Although arising in different contexts, both cases emphasize that courts will closely scrutinize counsel’s role when representation... By: Cranfill Sumner LLP