Peter Romary

Peter Romary grew up in Cornwall where he attended Truro School. While in school Romary won the Boys' Junior Épée title at the British Public Schools' Fencing Championships in 1986.[8] He holds law degrees from the University of Reading[9] and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[1]

Romary attributed his becoming a lawyer to his desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, John Romary, a retired solicitor and Deputy District Judge in England.[10]

Romary's legal work most notably included obtaining a then-world record wrongful death jury verdict of $525 million USD[11] in 1998, which still stands as the largest wrongful death jury verdict ever returned in North Carolina.[12] He is known for his Pro Bono (unpaid) work.[13]

Romary was the President of the "International Society of Lawyers for Public Service" [14][15] and is the Membership Committee Chair of "The College of Master Advocates and Barristers".[16]

For over 12 years, Romary represented over one hundred victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse each year on a pro-bono basis; by the time he received the National Law Journal Pro Bono Award in 2003 he had represented 700 victims.[6] Romary also served on the University of North Carolina Campus Safety Task Force.[17] Among its more-contentious recommendations was one calling for criminal background checks for applicants.[18] He also founded the North Carolina Higher Education Safety Symposium.[19] For his work in higher education safety and risk management, Romary was awarded the 2010 John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award by the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments,[19][20] the organization's "highest honor bestowed by the Association upon a member of the University of North Carolina community."[21] In 2011, Romary was also the recipient of the Verizon Men for Change Award for his work on behalf of victims of domestic violence.[7][22] Romary currently works as a Teaching Associate Professor and Director of Student Legal Services at East Carolina University,[23] as well as "Of Counsel" to the law firm of Tanner and Romary, in Clayton, North Carolina.[1] As of June 2020 Romary has no connections to East Carolina University as a member of the faculty nor an employee of the school.[24] He is also a partner in QVerity.[25] Romary also continues to lecture around the US and overseas and advise both private and government clients.[1][25]

Romary rose to the rank of "Worshipful Master" in charge of his masonic lodge by 2003.[26]

From 2007 to 2012, Romary also served as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Namibia to North Carolina, establishing the first honorary unpaid consular post for any African nation in North Carolina.[2][27] The Namibian government and state government press releases and official government directories are readily available showing not only the Namibian Government's announcement of the appointment, but Romary was "State Department Accredited". [28][29] On 6 March 2018, Nottingham Law School, at Nottingham Trent University, hosted the Oath of Office ceremony for Judge Peter Romary, marking the first time that a US judge was sworn into office on UK soil since the 1700s. Romary is an appointed temporary Administrative Law Judge, such appointments can only be made by the Chief Administrative Law Judge of North Carolina, a pre-requisite to serving in such position. The appointed position is on an as needed basis on specific assignment only for individual cases and pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 7A-757 pays a per diem not to exceed $300 per day with travel and subsistence at the regular state employee rates.[30][31][32]