Thursday, October 30, 2025
Katherine Frye, a native of Hickory and a Raleigh family law attorney, has been sworn in as president of the North Carolina State Bar on October 30, 2025. Chief Justice Paul Newby administered the oath during the State Bar’s Annual Dinner, where Frye officially stepped into her new leadership role.
Frye took the road less traveled at the start of her career—skipping the big firm route and instead opening her own practice straight out of law school in 2001. In 2003, she founded Frye Law Offices, and in 2024, she joined forces with Sarah Privette, a former president of the Wake County Bar Association, to create Oak City Family Law. Together, they have built a “no-drama” family law practice that helps clients navigate some of life’s hardest moments with practical advice and a steady sense of humor.
Frye previously represented Wake County (the 10th Judicial District) on the NC State Bar Council since 2016. Over nearly a decade of service, she has served as vice-chair of the Grievance Committee, chaired both the Communications and Ethics Committees, and most recently served as an officer (vice-president and president-elect) before assuming the presidency.
A graduate of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University, Frye is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in family law, and a certified mediator with the NC Dispute Resolution Commission. She has been known to say that while credentials matter, “what really counts is keeping your sense of humor intact when life throws a family-sized curveball.”
Frye plans to use her lengthy small-firm experience to continue the work of Past-President Matt Smith in finding new ways to improve the profession while still maintaining the need to protect the public. She hopes that her balanced, down-to-earth approach continues to inspire confidence among clients, colleagues, and now, the entire North Carolina legal community.
