Overview

Joan has over thirty-five years of experience in eminent domain and condemnation law and has taught seminars to other lawyers on how to handle condemnation cases involving commercial property. She has a wide range of civil litigation experience in federal district court, federal bankruptcy court, and many state court systems, including personal injury and wrongful death cases as well as real estate disputes.

Joan has been inducted as a Lifetime Member of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums for obtaining multiple recoveries for her clients in excess of One Million Dollars. She has also been given an AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale Hubbard for holding herself to the highest ethical standards.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

Joan represents Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 clients, as well as real estate developers, shopping centers, and retailers and lenders. For example, she is regional condemnation counsel for McDonald’s Corporation, Walgreens Co. Harris Teeter, Sheetz, and Sam’s Mart just to name a few. She also represents lenders, developers, and landowners in complicated real estate matters and land condemnation cases.

EDUCATION AND BACKGROUND

Joan graduated from the University of North Carolina law school with honors. While in law school, she served as the Articles Editor for the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, where she received the William T. Joyner award for excellence in legal writing. She has published numerous articles on eminent domain issues including ” What Commercial Landlords, Tenants and Lenders Need to Know about Eminent Domain” and “Eminent Domain and Condemnation: 5 Essential Steps to Protect Your Commercial Property“. Her work was recently included in the National Anthology of Best Practices for Eminent Domain and Economic Growth. (McFarland & Company, Inc. 2018).

Joan is active in our community. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Cary Academy and is an active member of their Governance and Diversity & Inclusion Committees. She has served on the executive committee and and chaired NCAJ’s land condemnation section. She has also chaired the NC Women Attorneys Association’s Education Committee. She was a founding member of the board of trustees for Art for Hospice, Inc, and TriRecSports. She has also served on the board of trustees for the Montessori Community School, as chair of the Master Plan Committee, and currently chairs the architectural review committee for her homeowners association.