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Practice Areas:
- Appeals
- Civil Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Commercial and Securities Arbitration
- Elections Law
- Civil Mediation and Arbitration
- Wills and Estates
- Trials in Federal and State Court
Biographical Information:
Ten years as a jurist in over 3,000 general civil appeals in state court including: complex business disputes; decisions involving directors; breach of fiduciary duty; corporate dissolution; “fairness” of class action settlements; misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets; and, dissenting shareholder claims. Other cases involved enforcement of construction liens; calculation of equitable adjustments in construction delay claims; worker’s compensation issues; insurance coverage and damage claims; medical malpractice claims; condemnation; zoning; homeowner’s association disputes; and, routine personal injury claims.
Prior to judicial service, trial practice involved labor law, Fair Labor Standards Act, federal securities law, class actions, and real estate and decedent estates as Public Administrator. Practice included substantial time in disputed election contests, redistricting, voting rights, and equal protection claims.
Served as adjunct professor of law at Wake Forest University School of Law, Elon University School of Law, and North Carolina Central School of Law teaching appellate advocacy and the law of democracy.
A certified superior court mediator in the first class of ADR professionals licensed in North Carolina for Superior Court, Farm Nuisance, and Family Mediations Prior to judicial service, mediated approximately 150 cases. As an NASD arbitrator, sat on 30 panels and served as Chairman on 9 panels.
Professional Organizations:
- American Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association
- Greensboro Bar Association
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice
Education:
- L.L.M., Duke University School of Law, 2014J.D., University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, 1973B.A., University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, 1969
Additional Information:
Awards and Honors:
Leadership in the Law Award, Elon Law School and N.C. Lawyer’s Weekly, 2017
McNeill Smith Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities Section Award, 2013
Outstanding Appellate Judge of the Year, 2019, N.C. Advocates for Justice
Professional Licenses:
North Carolina State Bar, admitted in 1973
United States Federal District Court, Middle District of North Carolina, admitted in 1973
United States Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit, admitted in 1974
United States Supreme Court, admitted in 1983
Representative Cases on Request