Caroline T. Knox

Shortly after graduating from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 2000, Caroline joined The Van Winkle Law Firm as a member of the firm's Trust and Estate Practice Group. She practices out of the firm's Hendersonville and Asheville offices. While at Wake Forest, she was Notes & Comments Editor of the Wake Forest Law Review. Her primary practice areas are estate planning, estate administration, elder law and guardianship.

In 2009, Caroline was certified as an elder law specialist by the North Carolina State Bar. She was among the first class of ten attorneys to be certified in North Carolina and is currently one of only thirteen attorneys in the state certified as an elder law specialist (CELA) by The National Elder Law Foundation.

Caroline’s practice centers on traditional trust and estate planning and administration, with an emphasis on special needs trusts and other planning tools for clients with disabilities or with children with special needs. She also advises on guardianship, Medicaid and other public benefits planning.

Practice Highlights

• Routinely creates special needs trusts for Medicaid/SSI recipients who would otherwise be disqualified from public assistance because of inherited assets or lawsuit recovery. These assets are sheltered for use in supplementing care provided by Medicaid/SSI.
• Assists clients in “spending down” excess assets in order to enable a spouse in a nursing home to qualify for benefits, thus preserving assets for a surviving spouse and ultimately inheritance for the next generation.
• Routinely files Medicaid and SA applications for clients.
• Often serves as Trustee, Guardian, Executor and Power of Attorney when there are no suitable alternatives.

Professional Affiliations

• 29th Judicial District Bar
• North Carolina State Bar
• North Carolina Bar Association
  • Council of Elder Law Section, 2002 - 2006
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, NAELA Chapter, 2001 - Present
• North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization - Board Certified in Elder Law

Caroline has lived in Hendersonville since 2003 and is married to Ashby. They have three children: Eleanor, born in 2002; Turner, born in 2006; and Henry, born in 2007. She and her family are active members of St. James Episcopal Church.

Together with her children, Caroline is currently enjoying re-experiencing the things she loved as a child. She’s a Brownie mom and enjoys horseback riding lessons with her daughter. She also enjoys hiking, reading, creative writing and genealogical research.

Favorite Food
Shrimp and grits

Favorite Book
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Last Place Visited
Appalachicola, Florida

Guilty Pleasures
Chocolate and People magazine

Community Involvement

• Hendersonville Council on Aging
  • Board, 2006 - Present
• Vocational Solutions of Hendersonville
  • Board, 2009 - Present
• Housing Assistance Corporation
  • Board, 2009 - Present
• Kanuga Conferences
  • Board of Visitors, 2001 - Present
• Junior Welfare Club of Hendersonville, 2001 - 2006
  • President, 2006
  • Parliamentarian, 2005
  • Secretary, 2002
• Children and Family Resource Center
  • Board, 2001 - 2003
  • Secretary, 2002
• Junior League of Asheville, 2000 - 2002
• MemoryCare
  • Board Member