North Carolina Lawyers Weekly

A Charlotte lawyer who failed to pursue underinsured motorist coverage and instead settled a personal injury case without his client’s knowledge is subject to punitive damages, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled. The case is Patrick v. Williams ...

Even though a promissory note called for an attorney’s fee of 15 percent if the borrower defaulted, the attorney that collected the fee had to prove it was reasonable, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled April 2. The case ...

A Senate bill to shorten the time frame for creditors to file claims against decedent’s estates is drawing mixed reactions from lawyers. Under Senate Bill 399, creditors would have three months to submit claims against the estate of a decedent. ...

Even though an underinsured motorist recovery must be reduced by any workers’ compensation benefits a wreck victim might get, it cannot be cut by more than the net benefits paid to the victim, the Court of Appeals decided last week. ...

The families of two 20 year-olds killed in a Carolina Beach motel fire have been awarded $1.45 million, including $358,000 in punitives, in a New Hanover Superior Court jury trial held late last month. The consolidated cases are Vassallo v ...

Should North Carolina lawyers be required to take a five hour CLE course on professionalism? That question was put to the state’s lawyers at a March 22 public hearing held by the State Bar Professionalism committee. While the substance of ...

Lawyers may face another bar exam the next time they go to a three-hour CLE ethics course. The reason: CLE providers are showing more creativity in their ethics seminars. And the State Bar is encouraging that trend by proposing more ...

Courts and lawyers are being blamed by auto insurance companies for recent hikes in premium rates, while in the General Assembly a bill has been introduced which would negate a Supreme Court ruling that has been singled out for criticism. ...

Expert witnesses are playing an increasingly bigger role in civil trials in North Carolina, and the trend worries some lawyers. Some lawyers say expert assistance at trial is needed more than ever in a litigation environment that is becoming increasingly ...

Lawyers Weekly asked attorneys to identify the latest developments in the use of expert witnesses. Here are some of the trends they’re seeing: Pre-trial uses. Experts are taking increasingly active roles in pre-trial proceedings. For example, in a 1990 auto ...