I received my undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Tennessee in 1975. I went on to graduate from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1978. I served for several years as managing attorney for Appalachian Research and Defense Fund, a legal aid office in Kentucky, and as managing attorney for Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, a legal aid office in Charlotte, North Carolina. I entered private practice in 1995.
While practicing law in Kentucky and North Carolina, I represented clients in class action lawsuits, as well as individual matters. I have appeared before judges and magistrates in many different forums, including administrative proceedings, military tribunals, state court actions, and federal court matters, all on both an original and appellate basis.
Throughout my entire legal career, I have advocated for disabled individuals and people facing severe financial and other hardships. I served as a consumer law and unemployment law specialist. I worked on an extensive legal project to assist individuals in Mecklenburg County who had credit and other problems become eligible for home loans. I represented a rural Gaston County community in an effort to ensure that it received safe and appropriate sanitation services.
I am a member of many professional organizations, including: Mecklenburg County Bar Association; North Carolina Bar Association; North Carolina State Bar; North Carolina Trial Lawyers Association; and National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR).
I was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1985, having previously been a member of the Commonwealth of Kentucky bar before relocating to Charlotte. I am also admitted to practice in the following federal jurisdictions: United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina; United States District Court, Middle District of North Carolina; 4th Circuit Court of Appeals; and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
