Education
- UNC-Chapel Hill, School of Law, J.D., 1979 – 1982
- UNC-Chapel Hill, 1976 – 1978
- Appalachian State University, Watauga College, 1974 – 1976
- Sanderson High School, 1974
- Public School in Iredell County and Raleigh, NC
Experience
- Private Practice in Boone, North Carolina since 1986 including now or formerly as Attorney for Watauga County, as provisional counsel for the North Carolina Capital Defender, as attorney for Child Support Enforcement Agency
- Assistant District Attorney in Iredell County, North Carolina, 1984 – 1986
- Law Clerk for Honorable Hugh A. Wells, North Carolina Court of Appeals, 1982 – 1983
Practice Areas
Workers’ Compensation
- Representing injured workers in all levels of the legal process
- Member of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ)
Personal Injury and Civil Trial Practice
- Representing injured and disabled persons in settlement negotiations and jury trials
- Has handled automobile, truck and motorcycle collisions, premises and structure liability claims, intentional tort liability (including victims of clergy sexual abuse) and wrongful death claims
Settlements and Mediations
- Certified mediator for Civil Superior Court and Workers’ Compensation cases
- Believes that cases must first be fully prepared, be seriously and aggressively negotiated, and if not settled to the clients’ satisfaction, then carefully, zealously, and thoroughly presented to a judge or a jury
Criminal Defense
- Worked as an Assistant District Attorney to H.W. Zimmerman in the 22nd Judicial District from 1983 – 1986
- Represents criminal defendants in court matters, from minor traffic cases to capital murder trials
- Often appointed by the North Carolina Capital Defender to represent persons charged with capital murder in Northwestern Carolina
- Record of successful use of mental health defenses in murder cases
Interests
- Medicine, Mental Health and Rehabilitation
- Spanish Language
- Forestry, Fisheries, Farming and Livestock
- Mapping and Geology
- Engineering, Machinery
- Furniture and Metal Fabrication/Machine Work Industries
- Automotive and Truck Design and Operation
- Religion and Ethics