Q&A: Employment lawyer sees shift in type of cases

A North Carolina native, Philip Van Hoy is an attorney with Van Hoy, Reutlinger, Adams & Dunn in Charlotte. He graduated from Duke University in 1970 and went on to receive a law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1973.

Before founding the firm with Craig Reutlinger in 1989, Van Hoy practiced employment law with Duke Power. Today, he focuses his practice on litigating complex employment cases. He is a member of the Federalist Society and the Charlotte Rotary Club, among other affiliations.

NCLW: If you weren’t practicing law, what else would you want to do?

Van Hoy: Nothing else would interest me nearly as much as law practice.

NCLW: Looking back, what case did you lose that you might have won had you done something differently?

Van Hoy: I represented a pro basketball coach and left a high school basketball coach on the jury, who turned out to be the foreman and envious of my client’s compensation.

NCLW: What is the biggest problem facing the legal profession today?

Van Hoy: Tasteless and crass advertising by some lawyers, which results in stereotypes about the profession at large.

NCLW: How has being an attorney affected your view of the world?

Van Hoy: I am an optimist, but my optimism is tested by the willingness of some litigants to lie under oath. I am also very impressed by the dedication of business owners to their businesses and employees and the risks they take to stay in business.

NCLW: What is the most memorable case or client you have dealt with?

Van Hoy: Many years of representing police departments. I learned much about municipal politics from the inside.

NCLW: Who was your mentor and what important lessons did they teach you?

Van Hoy: In my early years of practice with Duke Power’s legal department, it was George Ferguson. He said to prepare well and live beneath your means.

NCLW: How do clients find you?

Van Hoy: Referrals to our employment law practice from other lawyers as well as existing clients, and less frequently, the Internet.

NCLW: Is the profession everything you thought it would be when you graduated from law school?

Van Hoy: Yes. Practicing in a small firm representing clients I admire is a calling to me. No two days are alike.

NCLW: If you took the bar exam today, would you pass?

Van Hoy: No. I’ve done nothing but employment law for 37 years.

NCLW: Which professional organization benefits you the most?

Van Hoy: The North Carolina Bar Association. I quit the ABA many years ago due to its advocacy of leftist causes.

NCLW: How effective have social media been for your practice?

Van Hoy: Ask my younger partners. I do not use social media as a marketing tool.

NCLW: Do you feel CLEs are a waste of time? Why or why not?

Van Hoy: Generally, they’re a waste of time due to specialization and duration of my and my firm’s employment law practice.

NCLW: What is the most unusual thing on your desk or in your office?

Van Hoy: A crystal piece of art from Who’s Who in the World.

NCLW: How has the economy affected your practice?

Van Hoy: The volume is there, but the mix has changed to devoting much more attention to clients’ layoff decisions and consequences.

NCLW: How do you manage to take time off during the holidays/vacation?

Van Hoy: My sons are grown and our big expenses are behind us, so my wife and I have time to travel, usually with NCBA trips. I have total confidence in sharing work with my younger partners.

NCLW: Should pro bono be mandatory?

Van Hoy: No. What promotes the public good is in the eye of the beholder, such as my work trying to keep smaller employers and their loyal employees in business.

Editor’s note: If you would like to participate in a Q&A interview, contact Diana Smith at [email protected].