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01-30-24

Roberts & Stevens attorneys recognized in Business North Carolina’s 2024 Legal Elite

Roberts & Stevens is pleased to announce that 10 of the firm’s attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2024 Business North Carolina Legal Elite, a listing of the state’s best attorneys in their fields. The attorneys recognized by this year’s annual publication are: Vincent D. Childress, Jr., William Clarke, Ann-Patton Hornthal, Mary Robinson Hervig, Gregory D. Hutchins, Kathryn Maultsby Madison, Dennis L. Martin, Jr., John D. Noor and Gracie K. Paulson.

For more than two decades, Business North Carolina has invited active members of the N.C. State Bar to vote for their most-esteemed peers. Attorneys cannot vote for themselves nor for members of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame, which is made up of top vote-getters of each category from previous years. This year, only 3% of the state’s 28,000 active attorneys were selected for Legal Elite recognition.

Vincent D. Childress, Jr., a partner of Roberts & Stevens, is recognized this year in the Business category. With more than 35 years in practice areas of business and corporate law, trust and estate planning and probate, and healthcare law, Childress has significant experience handling entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, business financing, corporate contracts, tourism and healthcare organizations.

William Clarke, a partner with the firm, is a member of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame in the Environment category. He focuses on environmental permitting and compliance, environmental and administrative litigation, water quality issues and the representation of local governments on environmental matters.

Ann-Patton Hornthal and Dennis L. Martin, Jr., both partners with the firm, are each recognized in the Litigation category. Hornthal represents clients in litigation and pre-litigation matters in the commercial, professional liability and personal injury setting. She regularly practices in state and federal courts, appellate courts and before licensing boards.

Martin handles a broad range of litigation matters focusing on fiduciary litigation involving wills, trusts, and estates. He also represents clients in catastrophic personal injury cases and wrongful death actions.

Mary Robinson Hervig, a partner with the firm, is recognized in the Tax & Estate Planning category. Hervig helps clients with advance medical directives, powers of attorney, wills and trusts, including tax planning as necessary, and is a Bar Certified Specialist in estate planning and probate law.

Gregory D. Hutchins is recognized in the Business category. A partner with Roberts & Stevens, Hutchins handles corporate law, business transactions, commercial real property, estate planning and administration, healthcare and taxation.

Kathryn Maultsby Madison is recognized in the Real Estate category. A partner with Roberts & Stevens, Madison represents first-time home buyers, developers and nonprofits in complex real estate matters.  She assists clients in traditional purchase and sale transactions, reviewing and drafting easement agreements, and restrictive covenants.

John D. Noor, a partner with the firm, is recognized in the Antitrust category. Noor regularly litigates complex business, antitrust and commercial cases, in addition to environmental and real property disputes. Noor regularly appears before administrative bodies and trial and appellate courts throughout North Carolina.

Gracie K. Paulson, a partner with the firm, is recognized in the Young Guns category. Paulson represents buyers and sellers in complex commercial and residential real estate transactions.

In addition, the firm proudly notes that Wyatt S. Stevens has been recognized posthumously in the litigation category.  Wyatt was previously honored as part of Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Business North Carolina magazine has honored Tar Heel lawyers in this way since 2002, giving the state’s lawyers an opportunity to support and recognize their peers. Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite is the only award that gives every active lawyer in the state the opportunity to participate. 

01-23-24

Roberts & Stevens attorneys selected for 2024 North Carolina Super Lawyers list

One of the firm’s attorneys also appeared on 2024 North Carolina Rising Stars list

Roberts & Stevens is pleased to announce that six of its attorneys have been selected for inclusion on the 2024 North Carolina Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers from across the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Attorneys selected for the 2024 North Carolina Super Lawyers list are:

In addition, the firm proudly notes Wyatt S. Stevens has been recognized posthumously.  Wyatt was previously honored in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Additionally, John D. Noor, a partner with the firm, was selected to the 2024 North Carolina Rising Stars list. This category, eligible to candidates age 40 or younger or to those who have been practicing for 10 or fewer years, is given to no more than 2.5 percent of the eligible lawyers in the state. Individuals are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.

01-10-24

We mourn the loss of Wyatt Stevens

With deep sadness, Roberts & Stevens shares that our beloved colleague, Wyatt S. Stevens, passed away at his home, surrounded by his family, on January 10, 2024. 

Throughout his life and career, Wyatt cherished spending time with his loving and dynamic family; practicing law with unwavering commitment to his clients; dedicating time, expertise, and resources to numerous community interests; enjoying the company of his esteemed colleagues and friends; jogging in his neighborhood and around the Asheville area; hiking the trails of Western North Carolina; and cheering for his beloved Heels.

Wyatt brought his positive spirit, kindness, and intelligence to every encounter and endeavor. At Roberts & Stevens, he led by example. He will always be remembered for his passion, humility, and ability to connect with people, making those he was with the center of his attention and always ensuring others were honored for their contributions.

Wyatt was predeceased by his father, Jack Stevens, a founding partner of the firm. He had the joy and privilege of practicing law with his father and, together, the Stevens name became synonymous with excellence, integrity, and professionalism.

Roberts & Stevens, along with Wyatt’s family, is grateful to all in the community for their love, support and many acts of kindness during Wyatt’s illness. 

Celebration of life services will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church on Monday, January 15, at 2:00. A reception for family and friends will follow the service.

Obituary: https://www.grocefuneralhome.com/obits/wyatt-shorter-stevens/

Celebration of life service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJmCsNqj-j0

01-04-24

Attorney Gracie K. Paulson becomes partner at Roberts & Stevens law firm

Roberts & Stevens is pleased to announce that attorney Gracie K. Paulson is now a partner with the firm. Paulson’s practice at Roberts & Stevens primarily focuses on property law, and her clients include both buyers and sellers in commercial and residential transactions.

Paulson initially joined Roberts & Stevens in 2019 as a real estate closing paralegal while working to obtain her North Carolina bar license, having previously practiced law in Georgia. In 2021, she began practicing with the firm as an associate attorney.

“I feel extremely fortunate to be a partner at Roberts & Stevens,” Paulson said, “and to have the privilege of working closely with attorneys of the highest caliber as they continue the legacy started by Jack Stevens and Landon Roberts over five decades ago.”

Paulson graduated summa cum laude from Georgia College in 2010 with a BBA in marketing. After graduating cum laude from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in 2014, Paulson had the honor of clerking for Judge Verda M. Colvin in Bibb County Superior Court, honing her skills in advanced legal writing, research and drafting and gained experience in a variety of practice areas, both civil and criminal.

Paulson then joined a small firm in her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia, where she focused on residential real estate law. Since moving to Western North Carolina and beginning her practice at Roberts & Stevens, Paulson was named in 2024 The Best Lawyers in America on its “Ones to Watch” list. She also recently graduated from Leadership Asheville, a program that hones effective leadership skills and strengthens participants’ connections to the community.

Paulson joins a team of partners who hold decades of experience in more than 30 practice areas and industries. No matter the complexity, Roberts & Stevens delivers outstanding service and conscientious legal work performed by experienced and well-prepared lawyers who put their clients’ interests first.

01-02-24

Attorney Cindy M. Rice joins Roberts & Stevens law firm

Roberts & Stevens is pleased to announce that attorney Cindy M. Rice has joined the firm as a partner. Rice’s diverse practice area with Roberts & Stevens includes construction law, employment law, litigation and the representation of governmental and quasi-governmental entities. She also has extensive experience representing landlords and homeowners’ associations in a variety of matters.

An Asheville native and graduate of Asheville High School, Rice received an undergraduate degree from the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. While in law school, she served as both a writer and an articles editor for the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology.

Rice joins Roberts & Stevens after a 20-year legal career with another Asheville law firm. When she’s not hard at work for her clients, Rice enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with her family.

“I am thrilled to be joining the incredible group of talented attorneys at Roberts & Stevens,” Rice said. “I am also grateful for the opportunity to seamlessly transition my clients to one of the best full-service law firms in Western North Carolina.”

11-07-23

Roberts & Stevens Earns 2024 ‘Best Law Firms’ Metropolitan Tier 1 Rankings for Asheville

Roberts & Stevens is pleased to announce that it has earned Best Lawyers© 2024 “Best Law Firms” Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings for Asheville in the following practice areas:

  • Appellate Practice
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Construction
  • Litigation – Environmental
  • Litigation – Health Care
  • Litigation – Insurance
  • Litigation – Trusts & Estates
  • Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Law
  • Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
  • Real Estate Law
  • Trusts & Estates Law
  • Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers

Roberts & Stevens also earned a Metropolitan Tier 2 ranking for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) for the Asheville market.

The annual Best Lawyers© “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. Achieving a tiered ranking in Best Lawyers© “Best Law Firms” signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America© list for that location and specialty.

The 2024 “Best Law Firms” rankings can be viewed in their entirety by visiting bestlawfirms.com.