
Ann-Patton Hornthal
Ann-Patton Hornthal, a shareholder of Roberts & Stevens, is devoted to handling litigation and pre-litigation matters on behalf of commercial clients in complex trial, regulatory, and appellate matters in state and federal courts and licensing boards, with an emphasis on professional liability defense and commercial disputes. Ann-Patton has represented clients in healthcare, legal, manufacturing, alternative-energy, and law enforcement sectors. She devotes a substantial portion of her practice to appellate work.
Ann-Patton’s peers have honored her in North Carolina Super Lawyer publications, and she has served as the President of the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of North Carolina. She recently served as the Vice Chancellor of the Harry C. Martin American Inn of Court and completed six years of service on the Board of Directors for Pisgah Legal Services, a nonprofit that provides free civil legal aid to the most vulnerable people in Western North Carolina. Ann-Patton is also an active member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, Defense Research Institute, and North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys.
Experience
- Commercial litigation and complex business disputes
- Personal injury and wrongful death litigation
- Local government matters
- Professional liability defense, including legal malpractice defense on behalf of law firms and attorneys and medical malpractice defense on behalf of hospitals, physicians, and medical practices
- Estate litigation
Professional
- Western District of North Carolina Federal Bar Association, President (2017-2018), Vice President (2016-2017), Treasurer (2014-2015), Member (2010-Present)
- Federal Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel, U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Member (2018)
- The Harry C. Martin American Inn of Court, Vice President (2017-2018), Treasurer (2015-2018), Member (2015-Present)
- North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, Co-Chair of the Women Litigator Committee (2015-2016) and Member (2006-Present)
- North Carolina Business Court Rules Revision Committee, ADR Rules Subcommittee member (2015-present)
- Defense Research Institute, Member, 2006-present
- National Association of Women Lawyers, Outstanding Woman Law Graduate, 2006
- Mercer Law Review, Georgia Survey Editor, 2005-2006
- National and Georgia Intrastate Moot Court Teams, 2006
- North Carolina Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association for the Western District of North Carolina
- American Bar Association
Awards and Accolades
- The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2021-present
- Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite: Young Guns, 2017; Litigation and Appellate, 2021-Present
- North Carolina Super Lawyers: Civil Litigation: Defense, 2021-Present
- North Carolina Super Lawyers: Civil Litigation: Defense, Rising Star, 2011-2013, 2016