WS Chronicle

Forsyth County Clerk of Superior Court Renita Thompkins Linville, a lifelong resident of Forsyth County and an attorney with more than 30 years’ experience, has announced that she will run to retain the Clerk’s position in the 2020 election. In announcing her bid, Linville said, “The Clerk of Superior Court is a vital civil servant job, and I am honored to serve in this position. My decades of experience in the legal profession, including serving as a court-appointed attorney representing indigent criminal defendants in District and Superior Courts, will allow me to best serve the people of Forsyth County.”

Linville was appointed to the position in June by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Todd Burke after the retirement of Susan Frye. Linville was sworn in as Forsyth County Clerk of Superior Court on July 1, and a public installation was held on July 8. She is the first African American to hold the position. As Clerk, Linville manages the office responsible for recording and maintaining thousands of documents, including pleadings, court calendars, subpoenas, judicial orders, injunctions and judgments. Her office has nearly 100 employees.

Linville began practicing law in Winston-Salem in 1983. She practiced in the areas of family law and divorce, which includes child support and custody actions, criminal law including traffic offenses, and estate planning and administration. She has extensive experience in real-estate transactions and has handled various matters pertaining to title searches, residential and commercial loan transactions, partition proceedings, drafting of leases, deeds, deeds of trust, promissory notes, tax and assessment foreclosures, and loan foreclosures.

Linville has a passion for giving back to her community, having been either a board member or a volunteer with the following organizations: Winston-Salem Urban League, Legal Aid Society of Northwest NC, Mediation Services Inc., Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministry, Bethlehem Center, Winston-Salem Historic

District Commission and the Winston-Salem State University Foundation. She also taught Legal Environments of Business in the Department of Business Administration and Economics at Winston-Salem State University.

Linville graduated with honors in 1979 from North Carolina Central University with a degree in business administration. She earned her Juris Doctor in 1982 from the Howard University School of Law. Her professional affiliations include the North Carolina State Bar, the Winston-Salem Bar Association and the Thirty-First Judicial District Bar. She is married to Dr. James F. Linville, pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church of Winston-Salem Inc.