Cindy Adcock worked as a capital defense attorney in North Carolina for approximately 13 years, from 1993-2006. During that time, five of her clients were executed. She witnessed the execution of four of them, electing to sit with the family of the fifth client while another member of the legal team witnessed this execution. It was soon after this fifth execution that Cindy decided that she had enough, that she could not risk losing another client to an execution. She went on to become a Professor at Charlotte School of Law in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cindy has also served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Law and Interim Director of Residencies at Elon University School of Law, in Greensboro, NC. There is so much more to Cindy Adcock, who has dedicated a lifetime of service to social justice. Check out her personal website to learn more about her incredible life and work. The following excerpts were taken from her website, found at https://www.cindyadcock.com/
"Here I share my thoughts, writings, information, and photos gathered through my journeys: child of a loving mother, absent father, strange stepfathers, and protective grandparents; southern country girl raised with modest means in the foothills of Appalachia and the panhandle of Florida; first generation college graduate who earned three graduate degrees; progressive Baptist lawyer of death row inmates, broken by the work but made stronger; empathic introvert who came to love teaching adults; advocate of restorative justice and storytelling for peace and justice; world traveler and class-straddler.
My career spans work as a civil rights advocate, death penalty defense lawyer, legal educator, and social entrepreneur. I left full-time employment shortly before the Covid pandemic to spend more time with family, friends, and community and to discern where I could best plug in to make a difference consistent with my values. My long-held values include the rule of law, social justice, especially racial justice, storytelling, and community. The last few years have led me to add to this list: keeping house" .
The link below leads to an article published by INDY Week, describing the toll that it took on Cindy Adcock to lose some of her death penalty clients to an execution:
Death Penalty Attorney Says She Has Had Enough (INDY Week)
On August 31, 2023, I sat down with Cindy Adcock at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina to learn more about her work as a death penalty attorney and the toll that it took on her to witness the execution of four of her clients, and a 5th client as she elected to sit with the family of this final client of hers to be executed.