Battle, Winslow, Scott & Wiley is one of the oldest law firms in North Carolina. The original partnership was formed by Kemp D. Battle and Francis E. Winslow in 1911. Members of the firm have experience and regularly practice in the areas of business and corporate law; taxation; estate planning and administration; health care; commercial and residential real estate; banking law; municipal and governmental law; construction law; insurance law; general litigation; insurance litigation.
Katherine was born and raised in Rocky Mount; however, she spent the first portion of her legal career practicing in High Point with Schoch and Schoch attorneys at law. She joined Battle Winslow in 2000 and became its first female partner in 2003. Katherine’s area of practice is family law, including divorce, child custody, child support, alimony and equitable distribution. She has been active with the Council of the Family Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association since 2004. She served as Chair of the NCBA Family Law Section for the 2014-2015 bar year. Presently she is a board member of the NC Bar Association and NC Bar Foundation Board of Governors serving a three year term. Along with being active in the legal community, Katherine is active in the Rocky Mount/Nash County community. She is a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church in Rocky Mount where she has served as a Deacon and is presently an Elder serving on the Session; current member of the Board of Trustees of Nash Community College; prior board member of Meals on Wheels; prior member of Junior Guild of Rocky Mount, and former Vice Chair of Public Policy of the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce.
Innovative strategy, complex commercial litigation experience, and a depth of knowledge regarding bankruptcy fraud and hidden asset recovery make our firm an excellent choice if you find yourself affected by bankruptcy proceedings.
Our clients routinely consult with us on corporate governance issues involving directors, officers, fiduciaries and partners as well as employment law matters regarding executives and staff employees.
Business Disputes
Limited Liability Companies
The attorneys in our Business and Corporate Practice Group have experience in advising clients on matters ranging from starting a business to negotiating and documenting mergers, acquisitions and sales of businesses. We provide advice to clients regarding the implications of choosing a particular form of business entity and are experienced in the formation, reorganization and dissolution of corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, partnerships and joint ventures.
Our attorneys regularly provide counsel to clients in matters relating to the negotiation, drafting, interpretation and implementation of contracts and agreements such as franchise agreements, stock redemption agreements, asset purchase agreements and employment agreements.
Employment Litigation
Our attorneys in the Local Governmental Law practice group have decades of experience assisting local governments, boards and authorities with a wide range of legal matters including zoning and planning, economic development, economic incentives, contract bidding, open meetings laws, property disposition, acquisition and development as well as personnel and employment issues. The practice group regularly provides counsel to local governments in the drafting of contracts, inter-local agreements, ordinances and policies.
Greg also handles real estate litigation cases, litigation matters involving local government entities, and business and contract disputes. In addition, he has presented at continuing legal education courses and seminars. Greg also contributes pro bono services to the Guardian Ad Litem Program as a volunteer appellate counsel.
Premises Liability
Greg Crumpler focuses his legal practice on civil litigation matters relating to automobile tort cases, insurance coverage issues, premises liability actions, workers’ compensation claims, and appellate litigation. His experience extends to representing individuals, businesses, and insurance companies in the district and superior courts of North Carolina, before arbitration panels, and before the North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
Construction Litigation
W. Dudley Whitley, III (“Dee”) is a litigation attorney with Battle Winslow, having joined the firm in 1990. He practices in all areas of civil litigation, with experience in North Carolina’s Business Court, and District and Superior courts throughout the state. His practice includes business litigation, construction litigation, fiduciary and caveat litigation, and collections. He also practices in Federal Court and Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is trained in collaborative law.
Real Estate Transactions
Business owners understand the benefits of owning the property where their business is located, and investors recognize the unique benefits real estate offers as an element in any portfolio. Battle Winlsow is here to help builders, land developers, business owners, and investors in all types of commercial real estate transactions. Additionally, our real estate transactional attorneys Vince Durham and Mike Gaynor often serve as lender’s counsel in real estate closings.
Please contact one of our estate planning attorneys if you need to set your affairs in order and know that when the time comes, Battle Winslow will be here to help administer the plan efficiently.
Wills
Attorneys with Battle Winslow practice estate planning and estate administration. A person’s estate comprises the assets owned at that person’s death. Estate administration is the legal process of handling those assets according to the person’s estate plan or by the intestacy laws of North Carolina, which govern assets when the decedent died without a valid Last Will and Testament. Certain assets need to go through probate, a process for transferring ownership from a decedent to his or her beneficiaries. Minimizing probate can save work, time and money for the decedent’s family. Our attorneys can help you handle the decedent’s debts and legally distribute any remaining assets to the decedent’s beneficiaries.
Trusts
While in law school, Mr. Urquhart participated in internships at the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia, the Environmental Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the Pender County District Attorney’s Office. After law school, Mr. Urquhart returned to North Carolina and practiced trusts and estates law in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Bankruptcy can be devastating whether you are a debtor or a creditor. If you or your business is suffering the negative consequences of bankruptcy, our firm can help you mitigate your losses and discuss your options in this complex area of the law. Battle Winslow is widely known and respected in bankruptcy law, with an emphasis on creditor representation and creditor rights. We regularly appear before Bankruptcy Courts throughout North Carolina in Chapter 7 liquidations, Chapter 11 corporate reorganizations and Chapter 13 wage-earner cases.
Foreclosure
Battle Winslow may assist you if you need to foreclose on a property or are interested in purchasing a property at a foreclosure sale. We often represent lenders in foreclosures or complete the foreclosure process for creditors serving as substitute trustee.