Douglas D. Noreen, managing partner at Howard Stallings Law firm, focuses his practice on estate, trust and guardianship litigation and related matters. His success has earned him recognition as a member of the Best Lawyers in America, Business North Carolina Legal Elite and Super Lawyers.
Douglas is admitted to practice law before all Federal District Courts within North Carolina, and all North Carolina State Courts.
Raised in North Carolina, Douglas earned his undergraduate degree from Davidson College and his law degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C. He gives back to our community through service on the Board of ALS United North Carolina, of which he is the past Chair, and also as past President of the Board for the Friends of the City of Raleigh Museum. Douglas and his wife, Ainslee, are the parents of three children.
PRACTICE AREA
Douglas’ litigation expertise in estate, trust and guardianship cases has resulted in successful outcomes for clients with issues such as will contests, property deed disputes, IRA beneficiary form disputes, real estate property recovery, guardianship disputes, life insurance disputes, and many other issues. The understanding that trust, estate and guardianship matters are often highly personal and emotional for clients is never far from his mind. It is his goal to remain sensitive to these issues while being an aggressive advocate for those he represents. He has extensive experience in mediation to resolve issues as well as successfully representing clients in court.
ESTATE, TRUST AND GUARDIANSHIP LITIGATION EXPERIENCE:
- Successfully removed a trustee who refused to distribute over $20,000,000 in assets from the trust
- Recovered over $600,000 in funds from a friend of the deceased when a beneficiary designation was changed near death
- Recovered real estate property for a client after his father executed a deed to a third party while he was suffering from memory issues.
- Successfully defended a client (who was her father’s caretaker) in a case initiated by her siblings after she inherited the bulk of her father’s estate following his death.
- Successfully petitioned for a client to be appointed guardian of his elderly mother after discovering his sibling was removing funds from the mother’s accounts.
- Successfully defended against an attack on a will written by an elderly person which favored a long-time close friend/caregiver over an estranged child.
EDUCATION AND MEMBERSHIPS
- JD, George Washington University, 2010
- BA, Davidson College, 2007
- North Carolina Bar Association
- Wake County Bar Association
- Business North Carolina Legal Elite (2020, 2022, 2023)
- Best Lawyers in America, Litigation-Trust and Estate (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
- Super Lawyers (2024, 2025, 2026)
*For information on the criteria for selection, visit https://businessnc.com/special-sections/legal-elite/
**For information on the criteria for selection, visit https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection-process/
“We’re sending you our heartfelt thanks for a job well done – thanks for hanging in there for us and getting my Mom out of a horrible situation. Because of your knowledge and hard work, my Mom was able to have… happiness and peace…”
– Bruce and Elizabeth
“We are very grateful to Douglas Noreen for his wonderful handling of the… case. We are pleased with the outcome, thanks to his efforts… Douglas kept me informed every step of the way and took into account all of my input. I have worked with dozens of attorneys in my long career, many of whom were also clients of mine. I consider Douglas a stand-out among them. Moreover, his compassion for two special-needs boys was in evidence throughout.”
– Vincent
“Thank you so much for your assistance. We really appreciate how smooth the process went with Attorney Noreen…. Being informed by you… helped us to endure a difficult situation and respond accordingly through your representation which was always professional.”
– Alvin C. and Pennye C.
