Nine Van Winkle attorneys honored in state, national publications

December 27, 2007 -- As The Van Winkle Law Firm wraps up its centennial year, the firm announces that nine of its attorneys have been honored by their peers in the latest editions of the top legal directories in North Carolina and the United States.
   
Nine lawyers from Van Winkle were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2008*: Jones Byrd (in the Construction Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, and Personal Injury Litigation categories), Cynthia Eller (Real Estate Law), Robert Haggard (Trusts and Estates), Craig Justus (Land Use and Zoning Law), Barry Kempson (Trusts and Estates), Brian Lavelle (Tax Law as well as Trusts and Estates), Larry McDevitt (Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation), Philip Smith (Commercial Litigation) and Albert Sneed (Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law). Kempson, Lavelle, Smith and Sneed have been honored 10 years or more in this publication. The current edition of The Best Lawyers in America® is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 25,000 leading attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties. The Van Winkle Law Firm has more lawyers listed in the publication than any other firm in Asheville.

Business North Carolina magazine’s 2008 Legal Elite edition recognizes Haggard for his Tax and Estate Planning practice. Only three percent of the State Bar membership appear on the list, which is determined from the results of more than 17,000 ballots sent to every member of the Bar living in the state.

Founded in 1907, The Van Winkle Law Firm is the largest practice west of Charlotte 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. For more information, visit www.vwlawfirm.com.

*The Best Lawyers in America® 2008 is copyright 2007 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.