Barry Jennings
I am a native North Carolinian born and raised in a small town in Camden County. If you’ve ever heard the expression “one-stoplight town,” you know where I’m from. There were only seventy people in my high school graduation class.
I went to North Carolina State University and majored in Animal Science. I hoped to work in the poultry or swine industry which is so vital to the Eastern part of our state which I call home. During college I had the opportunity to work with the North Carolina Pork Council and developed an interest in the political process. I thought I’d go to law school so I could work in politics. Once in law school, I realized you didn’t have to be a lawyer to be a politician, but I really liked the law and didn’t want to quit.
I found myself excited and challenged by the law, and after law school I found work with an insurance defense firm. For over two and a half years I enjoyed the challenge of dealing with the intricacies and complexities of workers’ compensation cases. Workers’ compensation practice allows a lawyer to really develop legal “muscles” and flex them on a regular basis. I enjoyed interpreting the law and making arguments, and felt very comfortable with workers’ compensation issues. But working for an insurance defense firm did not provide the opportunity for real job satisfaction that I desired.
I came to the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin because of the reputation of their workers’ compensation practice. The lawyers here have a familiarity with the workers’ compensation system and several of them have worked with the North Carolina Industrial Commission. I knew that as a lawyer working from the “other side of the table,” I would be able to help the working people of North Carolina, with whom I relate so much, feel comfortable within the legal settings in which they find themselves thrust when they become injured on the job. Through no fault of their own, our clients can quickly become overwhelmed and even feel demeaned by the bureaucracy of the workers’ compensation system. I enjoy helping people work their way through that to a successful resolution that they can live with. I enjoy explaining the law and helping people. It’s much more rewarding to be able to help real people with real problems.
Practice Area:
Law School:
University of North Carolina School of Law 2003 J.D., with honors
Chapel Hill, NC
Colleges:
North Carolina State University 2000 B.S., Magna Cum Laude Animal Science
Raleigh, NC
Minor in Poultry Science and Ag Business
Memberships:
North Carolina State Bar
North Carolina Bar Association
North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina