On Thursday, September 24^th, 2009, entrepreneurs can learn more about the various types of entity formation from Anna Mills of The Van Winkle Law Firm. In addition, participants will also learn how selecting an incorrect business entity could limit options for growing one’s business while increasing personal and tax liability.

Ms. Mills works with clients to help them successfully buy, sell and finance their businesses. She also counsels businesses and nonprofits regarding corporate, contract and intellectual property issues and emerging issues related to sustainable products and services. 

The class is presented by NC LEAP (NC Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Project) which is a public service program of the NC Bar Association Foundation.  Ms. Mills serves as Vice-Chair of NC LEAP.  For more information, call Christy Ramm at 828.254.1921 ext. 5857 or register online at: http://abtech.edu/ce/registration/default.asp.

Total Registration Fee: Free

Thu, Sep 24, 6:00PM - 9:00PM

215 Haynes, A-B Tech/Enka Site

Course #: SBC-7898-700

Van Winkle attorney Carolyn Coward will be speaking at the North Carolina Society of Healthcare Attorneys annual conference and meeting October 16, 2009.  The theme of this year’s conference is Health Law Challenges: Practicing in an Environment of Change.

Click the link for a PDF of the conference brochure NCSHA2009.

Best Lawyers in America, the nation’s preeminent legal referral guide, honors nine attorneys of The Van Winkle Law firm in its 2010 edition. First published in 1983, Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive annual peer-review survey. For the new U.S. edition, more than 24,126 leading attorneys cast more than 2.8 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in the same and related specialties.

The Van Winkle Law Firm attorneys named to the list and the areas in which they have been recognized are: Jones P. Byrd (Construction Law, Eminent Domain/Condemnation Law, Personal Injury Litigation and Medical Malpractice Law), Cynthia W. Eller (Real Estate Law), Robert H. Haggard (Trusts and Estates), Craig D. Justus (Land Use and Zoning Law), Barry B. Kempson (Trusts and Estates), Brian F. D. Lavelle (Trusts and Estates), Larry S. McDevitt (Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation), Philip J. Smith (Commercial Litigation), and Albert L. Sneed, Jr. (Bankruptcy, Creditor-Debtor Rights and Commercial Litigation).
Because of the rigorous and transparent methodology used by Best Lawyers, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel Magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Dale Curriden, an attorney at The Van Winkle Law Firm in Asheville, has successfully defended a Union County chiropractor against a $1.5-million medical malpractice suit brought by a hairdresser and her husband alleging battery, negligence and loss of marital relations. After a nearly four-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the chiropractor on all counts.

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On March 27, The Van Winkle Law Firm participated in the statewide Legal Feeding Frenzy sponsored by the North Carolina Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. The Firm’s employees and staff collected donations of food as well as money to purchase food, resulting in 248 pounds of food for MANNA Food Bank in Asheville.

The Feeding Frenzy was launched in conjunction with the Bar Association’s 4ALL campaign, which seeks to make legal assistance available to all North Carolinians, focusing on those at or below the poverty level. The goal was to raise 250,000 pounds of food for food banks throughout the state.

Attorneys and staff from both of The Van Winkle Law Firm’s offices participated in the drive. Pictured are some of the participants in the Asheville office: (from left) Frieda Blount, Theresa Privett, Denise Gaskin, Tracy Logan, Teresa Smith, Kim Burchfield, JoAnn Naeger, Nancy Fowler, Stephanie Bridges-Bledsoe, Judy Derr, Sandy Holder, Katie Craig, Melanie Miller, Diane Hanson, Carole Brezeale, Lisa Ridge, Anna Mills, Katie Kalarovich, Karen Thomas, Lindsay Parris Thompson, Becky Henderson, Lynn Kmieciak , Jennifer Dover, Lisa Shepard, Patience Earley, David Gaddy, Larry Harris, Jr. and Marc Smith.

Anna S. Mills, an attorney with The Van Winkle Law Firm, has helped draft a Statement on Professionalism for North Carolina Business Lawyers. As co-chair of the Ethics Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association, she worked with other committee members on the statement. It was adopted at the end of February by the Business Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and distributed to all members of the section. The statement reads as follows:

STATEMENT ON PROFESSIONALISM
FOR NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS LAWYERS

This Statement on Professionalism describes aspirational professional goals for business lawyers in North Carolina. The Statement’s principles should serve as a reminder to experienced lawyers and a guide to newer lawyers of ways to practice business law that enhance the reputation of business lawyers in North Carolina. The goals described in the Statement are in addition to the North Carolina State Bar’s Rules of Professional Conduct and do not establish a basis for discipline or standards of conduct.

Service to the Client

I will endeavor to continually develop my legal knowledge, professional skills and understanding of my clients’ businesses and the environment in which they operate. In the course of representing my clients, I also will endeavor to understand and be guided by my clients’ principal business goals and objectives. I will seek to explain all relevant legal issues to my clients and advise them of the important legal risks. I will strive to achieve efficiencies in time and legal expense.

Working with Other Lawyers

I will be professional and courteous toward other lawyers during negotiations and other interactions. When making transactional due diligence requests, I will endeavor to request only relevant and necessary information appropriate to the size and scope of the transaction. I will strive to draft documents that reflect the agreement of the parties and that are appropriate for the transaction. If called for, when exchanging documents with other lawyers, I will clearly mark any revisions. When requesting a legal opinion or responding to a request for a legal opinion, I will follow the “Golden Rule” enunciated n the American Bar Association’s Guidelines for the preparation of Closing Opinions.(1) I will seek to ensure that all signed documents in my control are in the form agreed to by the parties involved.

Service to the Legal Profession

I will endeavor to participate in the continuing business legal education and training of other lawyers and law students. I also will strive to participate in organized bar activities to improve business laws.

Pro Bono Service

I will strive to contribute to business development in North Carolina by providing pro bono business legal services to deserving individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

(1) 57 Bus. Law. 875 (2002).

On Friday, March 6, 2009, three attorneys from The Van Winkle Law Firm participated in a phone bank offering free legal information to callers throughout North Carolina. Sponsored by the North Carolina Bar Association via its 4ALL campaign, the Statewide Service Day allowed callers to ask questions about topics ranging from foreclosures to speeding tickets to workers compensation. The Bar Association operated five call centers statewide. Van Winkle attorneys taking calls at the Asheville center were Jeffrey G. Dunlop, Larry S. McDevitt and Anna S. Mills.

The 4ALL campaign serves to make legal services available to all North Carolinians, focusing on those at or below the poverty level. For more information about the 4ALL campaign, visit http://4allnc.ncbar.org/.

Founded in 1907, The Van Winkle Law Firm is one of the oldest practices in North Carolina and is the state’s largest firm west of Charlotte. The firm offers the region an extensive list of practice areas and includes attorneys who represent clients throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Eleven attorneys at The Van Winkle Law Firm have been honored by their peers in the latest editions of the top legal directories in North Carolina and the United States.

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Denise Gaskin, Ph.D., has joined The Van Winkle Law Firm as chief operations officer. She oversees all day-to-day business operations of the firm, including budgeting, marketing, vendor relationships, human resources, strategic planning and staff management.

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The Van Winkle Law Firm has welcomed three new attorneys to the firm.

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