Paul Jones

Paul Jones transferred to our club in April 2017 from the Kinston Rotary Club, where he had been a very active member and leader for many years. He loves Rotary and looks forward to continuing his involvement with service in our club.

Background and Family: Paul grew up in Kinston where he spent the majority of his professional life. From 2000 until his recent retirement, however, he commuted from Greensboro to Kinston, where he was then a superior court judge, because his wife Edwina Link Jones, also an attorney, works for the IRS in Greensboro. They have two daughters, Krystle and Erika Jones.

Educational and Professional Background:  After graduating from NC A&T State University with a BS in political science and history, Paul earned his JD degree at NC Central School of Law in Durham. He began his law career clerking for the US Supreme Court in Washington DC after which he spent 3 years in the US Army as an officer in the JAG Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. Happy to return home to NC after his tour of duty with the Army, he continued his legal career as the managing attorney for Eastern NC Legal Services in Wilson for 3 years followed by 10 years of private practice in Kinston. Subsequently he spent 4 years as the supervising attorney for NC Central School of Law prior to entering the judicial sector. He then served as a district court judge in Wayne, Lenoir, and Greene Counties for 3 years and 17 years as a Superior Court Judge in Lenoir and Greene Counties. He retired in 2017, but was commissioned as an emergency superior court judge by the governor.  Upon his judicial retirement, Paul was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Interests and Volunteer Experience: Paul’s hobbies are travel, photography, and golf, but he also has an extensive history of volunteer service.  He joined the Rotary Club of Kinston in 1983 and had 26 years of perfect attendance as well as two separate 3 year terms on their board of directors.  His favorite activity was the position of Four Way Test leader. Upon retirement, in order to continue his involvement with Rotary, Paul transferred his membership to our club. In addition to his long time Rotary participation in Kinston, Paul has been on 25 boards with leadership positions in many. This included the board of a 400 bed hospital as well as the school board, where he served as the board’s attorney for 5 years. In Greensboro he is now a school volunteer and on the board of management of the Hayes-Taylor YMCA.