Martin Lancaster, retiring president of the N.C. Community College System, will join the Raleigh law firm of Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan.

The firm, known as Smith Anderson, announced this week that Lancaster would serve in an “of counsel” role. He will work part-time, serving as a resource to more than 100 lawyers at Raleigh’s largest law firm.

Lancaster, a former Congressman and N.C. House member, was also a special adviser to the president and an assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.

This week, Lancaster received the 2008 Distinguished Public Service Award from the North Carolina Chamber, one of many honors coming to him as he steps down after 11 years as head of the state’s community college system.

Lancaster’s lunch calendar is booked until he leaves the job May 1, he said. He will be on hand to help ease the transition for the system’s incoming president, Scott Ralls.

During an hourlong break Thursday, Lancaster began to empty out his personal file drawers, he said. Lancaster was not in the audience Thursday at Wake Tech for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s appearance: his contract specifies that he not be involved in partisan politics.