When Kingsland Van Winkle and Thomas J. Harkins opened their law office at the Southwest corner of Pack Square in 1907, they laid the groundwork for a practice that would be involved in some of the region’s most notable events.

Van Winkle moved from the Hudson River Valley to Asheville in 1896 to work as a bookkeeper for George W. Vanderbilt. After a year, he went to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill to study law, graduating in 1901 and returning to Asheville to practice. Harkins, who graduated from UNC’s law program the same year, practiced in Oklahoma for a few years (even working with the then-territory’s government on obtaining statehood) before returning to his hometown of Asheville. In June 1907, Van Winkle and Harkins opened a joint practice on Southwest Pack Square.

Early in their practice, the two men assisted George W. Vanderbilt’s widow, Edith, with the transfer of land that would help create Pisgah National Forest, the first national forest east of the Mississippi. (The original title notes for this transaction are still on file at the firm’s office.) More recent work has included helping create Pisgah Legal Services, a community-based nonprofit providing free legal assistance to low-income residents in Western North Carolina, and serving as counsel for Pack Square Conservancy as it revitalizes the area around City-County Plaza, which – coincidentally – served as the original location for The Van Winkle Law Firm.

Early city phone directories show the firm’s location as Southwest Pack Square before it moved into the Legal Building on Market Street, and then into the Jackson Building – Asheville’s first skyscraper – in the 1920s. In subsequent moves necessitated by the firm’s growth, the office relocated to 18 Church Street in 1952 and then, in 1986, to its present location at 11 North Market Street. In the fall of 1988, Van Winkle opened a second office in Hendersonville to serve the booming population in southern Buncombe County and Henderson County.

Today, The Van Winkle Law Firm is one of the oldest practices in the state and the largest firm west of Charlotte. It has expanded its reach to include clients throughout North Carolina and the Southeast while building its list of services as well. The firm’s roster of practice areas (24) is the most extensive in the area, going beyond litigation to include services such as tax, zoning and land use, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, securities, antitrust and trade regulation, employment, healthcare, construction, real estate law, and environmental law.

Media Contacts

Jeremy Carter or Stephanie Smith
The Van Winkle Law Firm Media Representatives
The Brite Agency, 828.350.9500
jcarter@briteagency.com, ssmith@briteagency.com