Van Winkle announces new practice group, firm leaders

March 14, 2007 — The Van Winkle Law Firm has promoted several attorneys and added a new shareholder to the firm.

Philip J. Smith is the firm’s new president, an office he will hold through January of 2011. Smith chairs Van Winkle’s board of directors (which consists of senior shareholders) as well as the executive committee, and presides at meetings of the shareholders, board of directors and executive committee. He also works with the executive committee to develop the firm’s strategic direction in areas such as policy, practice management and firm governance.

Smith earned his Juris Doctor at Temple University in Philadelphia and joined the firm in 1972. His primary areas of practice include healthcare, construction, professional malpractice defense, products liability, banking, and commercial law. He is a member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and the Defense Research Institute, and served as President of the 28th Judicial District Bar from 1995 through 1996.

Esther M. Manheimer is now a shareholder in the firm. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina and joined the firm in 2002. Her practice focuses on civil litigation and transactional support with a concentration on land use law.

W. Carleton Metcalf is the new practice group leader for the Litigation Practice Group. He joined the firm in 1997, soon after receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina. Metcalf maintains a general practice in the area of civil litigation, handling business and contract litigation, personal injury, and professional negligence matters. He also has a growing practice in the area of civil rights and governmental liability.

John G. Kelso is now co-practice group leader for the Trust and Estates Practice Group. He has been with the firm since 1997, having earned his Juris Doctor at the University of North Carolina and his Master’s in taxation law from New York University. He is a board certified specialist in estate planning and probate law, and his practice focuses on estate planning and tax law.

“We welcome Esther as a shareholder, and we are very pleased that Phil, as president, and Carlton and John, as practice group leaders, will serve the firm in those capacities,” said Larry Harris, managing principal of the firm. “They have each demonstrated exemplary commitment to the legal profession, our clients, and our firm. Their dedication is indicative of the principles of service that are guiding the Van Winkle law firm into its second century.”

Founded in 1907, The Van Winkle Law Firm is now the largest law firm in Western North Carolina and one of the oldest in the state. The firm offers the region’s most extensive list of practice areas, and its force of nearly 40 attorneys and more than 60 support professionals represents clients in every level of the federal and state court systems.