Fox Rothschild congratulates Afi S. Johnson-Parris, who was selected to the 2024 class of Citizen Lawyers from the North Carolina Bar Association.

The award honors lawyers who, in addition to their legal work, volunteer for community or civic causes to improve the quality of life of those in their local or statewide communities. The recipients of this award inspire other attorneys to invest their time and talents in service-oriented activities.

An advocate of public education, Johnson-Parris works with the Guilford Education Alliance (GEA), an independent nonprofit that galvanizes the community for quality public education, uniting people and organizations to support Guilford County Schools (GCS).

She previously served as Co-Chair of the GEA Advocacy Project, where she worked to build relationships with legislators, decision-makers and other stakeholders in the community on a year-round basis. With her team, she aimed to combat misinformation in the community and shared messaging and information to foster a deeper understanding of the GCS’ needs.

Johnson-Parris is secretary of the board of the GEA which was instrumental in helping to secure $2 billion in bonds for GCS, a historic investment by Guilford County in its schools and helped form the “Build S.M.A.R.T” program for facility improvements.

Due to Johnson-Parris’ efforts, Fox is now a member of the GEA’s Corporate Education Council and commits to a yearly contribution to support the organization’s work.

Johnson-Parris is the current chair-elect for the over 25,000 member American Bar Association Law Practice Division and will assume the role of chair in the 2024-2025 bar year.

A partner in the Family Law Department and a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist, Johnson-Parris represents clients in a full range of family law matters. She advises clients on a variety of complex legal issues related to absolute and collaborative divorce, equitable distribution, alimony, child custody and support and name changes.