May 15, 2007

Catawba County Attorney Debra Bechtel has been elected to serve as a member of the Government and Public Sector Section Council of the North Carolina Bar Association. She will serve a two year term, through 2009, on the fifteen member council.

The Mission of the Government and Public Service Section is to promote the role of attorneys who serve in the governmental and public sector by fostering relationships among its members; the private Bar and the public, by promoting public comment and debate on policy, legislation and social justice; by providing continuing education to its members and reinforcing ethical behavior by its members; and by encouraging attorneys to enter the practice of law in the public sector.

The council itself works to provide the means by which these attorneys can come together to discuss relevant issues, exchange information and ideas, develop continuing education and other programs pertinent to their responsibilities, and deal with legislation touching on or affecting the Section’s areas of interest.

“I am excited and honored that my peers have elected me to this position,” Bechtel said. Attorneys who work in the public sector, as opposed to private practice, face unique challenges. I personally find it an excellent opportunity to engage in a pure practice of law, something I truly enjoy. Working with the Board of Commissioners, managers and citizens is very rewarding. One of my goals in serving as a council member is to attract some of the best and brightest new lawyers into public service.”

Ms. Bechtel, who was admitted as a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 2004, served as president of the Catawba County Bar Association in 2005 and as president of both the North Carolina Association of Police Attorneys and the 25th Judicial District Bar in 2006.

A graduate of the University of Florida College of Law, Bechtel began working with Catawba County in January 1996, after having served as an Assistant District Attorney in the 25th Judicial District since 1992. She provides legal service and support to all County departments including the County Manager's Office, Sheriff's Office, Emergency Services, Public Health Department, Planning, Development and Parks, and Tax Office. She was appointed by the Catawba County Board of Commissioners as County Attorney, and charged with providing legal advice to the Board, on December 4, 2006.

Bechtel created the first EMS legal training course used in the county, and did a complete revision of the Catawba County Code. She has taught numerous groups on legal issues related to planning and zoning, and has taught human services and law enforcement issues and been a guest lecturer at Wake Forest University.

Bechtel is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Public Health Lawyer's Association; is a founding member of the Legal Advisor Section of the National Sheriff’s Association; is chair of the Catawba County Criminal Justice Partnership Board and is Vice-President of the Catawba County Parenting Network.

Bechtel and her husband, Ken, a professor of sociology and criminology at Wake Forest University, live in Conover. They have two sons, Greg, 18, a sophomore at Wake Forest and a member of the football team, and Stephen, 10.