< PreviousOWENS & MILLER THE STARS ALIGNED WRITTEN BY BOB FRIEDMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID MOORE PERSONAL INJUR Y LA W FIRM OF THE MONTH Raleigh personal injury law- yers Kimberly Miller and Will Owens were at a cross- roads. They were working together litigating personal injury cases for a large, Raleigh-based, high volume law firm. After five years, they both loved the practice of personal in- jury law, but each was looking to make a career move. “It just so happened that the star’s aligned,” said Owens of the decision to launch a firm with Miller in 2011. “We were both at the same stage of life both on a personal level and a professional level. We shared the same values and long term vision.” They also knew each other from Campbell Law School. “Our core vision was to remain pur- posefully small. We want to provide the concierge level client service that is possible with a boutique firm that focuses not on a large volume of cli- ent matters, but rather on a smaller number of higher quality cases,” said Owens. After eight years, it is still a two-lawyer firm with a staff of three. “While other injury firms have grown by adding attorneys and case volume, we’ve grown through the ability to handle larger cases,” said Miller. The firm has had cases listed in Lawyers Weekly’s top 25 verdicts and settle- ments over the last few years. “We wanted to replicate the pro- cesses and procedures that made the large firm we were with move very efficiently, and provide that benefit to people who chose to have a smaller law firm represent them,” said Miller. “We want clients to walk away feeling like, ‘they made me feel like family and that they cared about me and were my advocates.” “We want them to feel like they got a fair shake,” said Owens. “I tell clients at the very beginning; you may not get back to 100% from a physical stand- point. Though you may never get back to where you were before the accident happened, monetary damages are the only remedy available under the law for these types of cases,” said Miller. “And as long as the client walks away feeling like they got a fair recovery and they are happy with the services we provided, that is what I call a success- ful outcome.” FLUID AND AGILE The firm handles a broad array of personal injury cases, but their sweet spot is motor vehicle accidents that result in a catastrophic injury or a wrongful death. “Our mantra is, do one thing and do it well, so by handling only injury cas- es, we are not distracted by trying to figure out other practice areas. We do not dabble. As a result, we are able to hyper focus on injury law, and provide efficient service and quality results,” said Owens. “Results don’t just happen. It is a process. From intake to negotiation to litigation to claim resolution, the firm is a well-oiled machine. Whether it is retrieving medical records or schedul- ing depositions/mediations, our staff has mastered each aspect of the injury claim resolution timeline process. As a result, we are both fluid and agile. From the time we take on a client’s case, it assigned to either Owens or Miller and their respective paralegal, and the case never gets transferred to another associate or “team” within the firm.” ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · NORTH CAROLINA TRIANGLE VOL. 7 NO. 6 10The net result is efficiency with quicker resolution of cases and bet- ter results. “We communicate regu- larly with our clients throughout the life cycle of their case, so the case is not sitting stagnant for any period of time,” said Miller. “When the ball is in our court, it should be moving.” CAPABLE OF TACKLING “THE BIG ONE” “When a lawyer with less injury law experience gets a phone call from a potential injury client that the law- yer thinks may be “the big one”, but that lawyer is not comfortable han- dling the matter solo, we take pride that our firm gets the next phone call from that attorney,” said Owens. “We have both the practical injury litigation experience and the finan- cial resources to co-counsel on larger cases.” “We want our colleagues to know that we are here and ready to help work up the larger injury and wrong- ful death claims. Our biggest source of cases, is, and has been for eight years, other attorneys,” said Miller. Owens said their practice is well suited to co-counsel with lawyers less experienced in injury law who may have very successful practices in oth- er areas of the law, but not the band- width or processes/procedures to get a large personal injury case over the finish line. “Some law firms are simply not accustomed to advancing large amounts of their own money to hire experts and such. Associat- ing with an experienced injury firm with the resources to properly work up the case is a win-win-win for ev- erybody…the associating law firm, our law firm, and most importantly, the client.” FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS… “Our humble beginnings give us perspective in dealing with clients (and jurors) from all walks of life,” said Owens. “I grew up on a dirt road in Oxford, NC. My parents were both schoolteachers. We weren’t rich, but we weren’t poor.” Miller was raised in Lexington, NC, and as she always likes to say, “home of the Barbecue Festival”. “In our firm, whether we are represent- ing a factory worker or an executive from RTP, our backgrounds enable us to relate to everyone,” said Owens. STRONGER THAN EVER… “Will and I decided from the begin- ning that we are a true partnership, and we are here for one another. We’re in this together, through the thick and the thin” said Miller. Having worked together for 13 years, Owens and Mill- er, along with their respective families, have been through the highest of life’s highs, and the lowest of life’s lows together. When Miller and her hus- band, attorney Jason Miller, gave birth to their children, the Owenses were there to celebrate, and Will was there to hold down the fort at the office. While Owens’s wife, Samantha, coura- geously fought, and later succumbed to breast cancer, the Millers were there professionally and personally. “When we formed our partnership, we did so to enjoy the good times, but also to weather life’s storms...we have cel- ebrated, and we have grieved, and we have come out on the other side. We are still here, and we are stronger than ever,” said Miller. In person, Kimberly Miller and Will Owens each have a down-home charm and a sincerity that is reassur- ing. Both are outgoing and possess easy smiles and a warmth that would make it easy for a client to open up to. They are fixtures at Wake County Bar Association events. Miller will be on the board of directors in 2020. They both have chaired alumni asso- ciations, Miller at Campbell Law and Owens for UNCW where he had been an undergrad. When Miller chaired the annual WCBA Bar awards show last Novem- ber, Owens kept the home fires burn- ing at the firm. “The bar awards was probably one of the most rewarding things I have ever done,” said Miller. “We raised $127,500 for Legal Aid who really needs it. For every 8,000 people in North Carolina who qual- ify for legal aid, there is one attorney available to them for basic civil needs such as housing, domestic violence, and family law.” …TO ROCKIN’ IT OUT “There are a lot of great attorneys in this town. Many may be here now, but their long-term plan is to move back home or retire and move to the beach or mountains,” said Owens. “We’re plugged into the Raleigh com- munity. This is our home. When we started the firm, we asked ourselves, where do we want to be in 15, 20, or 30 years? The answer for both of us was that our strategic vision was, we’re gonna be right here in Raleigh rockin’ it out practicing personal in- jury law. We are glad the stars aligned. We are here. We are stronger than ever, and we’re not going anywhere.” OWENS & MILLER PLLC 4030 Wake Forest Rd. Suite 101 Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 719-2750 www. owensmiller.com AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 11Robert Parrott Checkmate WRITTEN BY BOB FRIEDMAN Raleigh attorney Robert Par- rott has practiced criminal and civil law at the appellate, superior, and district court levels, the sum of which he says makes him a better litigator. “Complex cases sometimes touch on multiple practice areas or levels of court,” said Parrott. “For instance, you may have a person who was driv- ing while impaired and was in a traf- fic accident with another car. So, there might be a DWI case and a personal injury case. You need to have experi- ence in both realms to understand how one case affects the other.” Parrott says his point of entry is of- ten where there are gaps in the law. “I like to research where there are gaps or open questions in the law. I make arguments based on them be- cause they present opportunities not only to advocate for your client, but also to flesh out North Carolina’s ju- risprudence,” said Parrott. “The more developed our body of case law is, the more predictable the law will be; and predictability should be one of the seminal goals of the system. “When you can’t find a case that’s directly on point, that’s where a lawyer does his or her job. We rely on tools like the canons of statutory interpre- tation, legislative intent, and public policy considerations to make our arguments. I usually start by drafting the opinion I would want an appel- late court to write and work backward from there.” ALLIGATOR BURRITOS Robert Parrott was born in Raleigh to parents who were both managers at IBM. “They taught me to think analyt- ically, critically, and to think in terms of numbers,” said Parrott. After graduating from UNC-Cha- pel Hill with a degree in psychology, he chose not to pursue a career as a psychologist. “I studied psychology to improve my writing skills and better understand what makes people tick,” said Parrott. Still searching for his call- ing, the first two jobs he landed after college were selling credit card termi- nals door to door and rolling alligator burritos at music festivals. He quickly decided to pursue a graduate degree. “I had a friend who came back from his first year of law school and was interning for a local criminal defense firm. He told me about a murder case he was working on, and I fell in love instantly.” Parrott was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Alabama’s School of Law, which was ranked within the top 25 nationally. After re- ceiving his Juris Doctor, he returned to Raleigh to practice. TRIALS LIKE A GAME OF CHESS Parrott is a former member of MENSA, a voluntary organization comprised of people with IQs in the top 2%. “There are plenty of smart people out there who maybe lean on that and rely on it. I try to put that out of my head and focus instead on being a hard worker.” Parrott’s work includes analyzing the various paths litigation can take. “I think of litigation like a game of chess,” explained Parrott. “The object is to checkmate your opponent. You have to know the rules of procedure, just like you have to know the rules of chess. The next step is to understand the universe of possible moves you’re allowed to make. Then you craft a strategy that optimizes your expected outcomes.” OPEN MINDED AND WELL ROUNDED “I like to be well rounded,” said Parrott. Before law school, he spent a year teaching English in Beijing, stud- ied abroad in Italy, and has learned to speak several languages. He also played soccer, lacrosse, and ran track competitively. One of his current passions is play- ing guitar. As he does with the law, he has deconstructed and reconstructed the music he loves. Parrott has built a wall of electronic components and guitar pedals to process the way his guitar sounds. “I wanted to know what legends like Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) did to create their signature sounds. “I come from the school of thought that you should live life to the fullest every single day. I think that parallels my legal career,” said Parrott. “What I enjoy most is working with open- minded and, above all, skilled litiga- tors.” PARROTT LAW PLLC 300 Parham Street, Suite A Raleigh, NC 27601 (919) 424-0204 www.parrottlawfirm.com Y OUNG A TT ORNEY SPO TLIGHT AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 13The start of a new year is always an exciting time – new resolu- tions and plans, both personal and professional, new opportunities to help people that come to your firm, and more. One thing we learned a long time ago is to hit an annual goal, you need to break it down into smaller, action- able chunks. With that in mind, we’ve put together some great quarterly goals for your 2020 marketing plan to help get you to the next level. Q1 GOAL – AUDIT YOUR INTAKE PROCESSES The first thing you’ll want to make sure you have in place is a solid in- take process. A recent experiment done by Clio across 500 firms showed that 39% of firms didn’t answer their phone live, and of those 39% where a voicemail was left, 57% didn’t return the voicemail within 72 hours. That’s a huge amount of potential lost busi- ness! How do you handle it when a po- tential client emails you? Starts a chat through your website? Calls you? You need to have standards and processes around how you handle each of these intake venues, how you guide them through your process to become a cli- ent, and standards for response times. If it’s just you, these processes will come in handy when you’re so busy that it’s time to hire staff to help – if you already have staff, this will help set expectations and make your firm run smoothly. Q2 GOAL - REDESIGN YOUR WEBSITE Best practices for websites have come a long way in the past few years, and even if your site is only 3-5 years old, odds are it needs an overhaul. Mar- keting for law firms is a unique verti- cal, with specific best practices as well as rules set down by the Bar – you should select a marketing partner that specifically serves law firms, as op- posed to a jack of all trades who may occasionally do a law firm’s website. EVERY LAW FIRM’S WEBSITE SHOULD: 1. Be mobile-responsive, or even be designed mobile-first (over 50% of traffic across our client base comes from mobile devices). 2. Focus on speed. For every second your site takes to load, you lose visitors, and it’s a ranking factor for Google. 3. Have a clear call to action – what do you want the visitor to do on your site? Make it obvious for them. In addition to making sure it’s fast, speaking to your target market, se- cure, and accessible on mobile de- vices, there are a myriad of different things that need to be in place from a technical SEO and accessibility stand- point. A good marketing partner will han- dle all of this during the development of a new site, in addition to making sure Google Analytics and Search Console are set up to properly track your traffic and conversion goals. Want to get even more metrics? Consider tracking phone calls, and tracking new consultation and case sources on a granular level to attribute spend to each part of your marketing plan. This will allow you to see what’s working and what’s not working, and optimize your spending based on that. Q3 GOAL - PUT A PROCESS IN PLACE FOR REVIEWS Ask your clients to review you. Make it easy by sending them a cus- tom link for your Google My Business profile that goes directly to the dialog box to review your firm. If you aren’t sure how to create one, e-mail me, I’ll create one for your firm at no charge. Since most of your clients are going to come through Google My Busi- ness on the local side of things, that is where we recommend you focus your efforts. Q4 GOAL – START GENERATING CONTENT Ongoing content is a great way to stay in front of potential clients. You have lots of different options here – you can write quarterly, monthly, weekly, or whenever you want, as long as it’s on a consistent cadence. You can also either do it in house or have a trusted marketing partner write it for you. If you outsource it, make sure it’s to someone who knows how to write legal content and has all the content vetted by an attorney be- fore it’s published. The best thing about this content is you can reuse it in multiple places. Re- post it occasionally on social. Change it slightly and repost it on a guest blog somewhere. Use them as content for your email newsletter. The possibili- ties are endless! GET STARTED NOW Getting started towards your goals is often the hardest part, but now is the best time to start putting things in place. When you’re looking back on progress at the end of the year, you’ll be glad you put in the work to get your firm where you want it to be in 2020. Your Firm’s 2020 Legal Marketing Plan BRIAN CRAIG | Legal Marketing Brian Craig is the founder and CEO of LegalScapes, a full-service digital marketing agency that works solely with law firms. With over 15 years of experience in online marketing, Brian helps lawyers across the United States get more clients through the Internet. When not working with clients, you’ll find him playing basketball, going to Carolina games, and planning the next adventure with his wife and two daughters. Drop Brian a line at brian@legalscapes.com, call (919) 646-8707, or visit LegalScapes on the web at www.legalscapes.com. ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · NORTH CAROLINA TRIANGLE VOL. 7 NO. 6 14LA W FIRM OF THE MONTH “This is a special place,” Laura Noble heard a client say at the firm’s annual holiday party this past December. The client described how she was “a total wreck” after a year working without pay in a start-up and then getting fired. “She expressed her gratitude to the entire team at Noble Law, who understood the injustice of her situation and were eager to be her advocates,” recalled Noble. Laura Noble, Managing Partner of the law firm she cre- ated more than a decade ago, said that this client’s experi- ence epitomizes one of her primary reasons for forming her employment law firm. “Social justice and the law have been my life’s focus, so a career as an employment law- yer made perfect sense. I also wanted to revolutionize the practice of law. My goal was to create a 21st-century law firm that believes in what we describe as a ‘Triple Bottom Line.’” The elements of the triple bottom line are client impact, financial impact, and societal impact. Their commitment focuses on three pillars - creating transparent value in the client experience, generating financial resources to sustain competitive advocacy, and creating lasting social change to give employees equitable protections. “As part of that change, we have created a work environment that isn’t typical for law firms. To us, a healthy work culture is as important as a healthy balance sheet,” explained Noble. CLIENT IMPACT The firm leans heavily on technology and client feed- back to achieve its goals, particularly in client impact. “We are deeply invested in improving the client journey as they work through their legal issue with us,” said Josh Kalish, the firm’s CFO and Director of Client Services. “Our technology enables us to access our client con- tacts, communications, client portals, and matter data from anywhere,” says Kalish. “Additionally, we look at the entirety of the client experience and ask at the end wheth- er the client is satisfied - not just with the outcome but with the experience. The outcomes are sometimes closure, companionship, validation and financial runway - we lis- ten to our clients about what they need and then use our technology and systems to enhance those personal inter- actions and access to our legal team,” said Kalish. Noble Law Firm Leveling the Playing Field WRITTEN BY BOB FRIEDMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY MANU JARVIS FROM BOTTOM LEFT CLOCKWISE, LAURA NOBLE, KATIE ABERNETHY, MONA KARPOUZOS, EVAN DANCY, HILARY HARRIS KLEIN, CHRISTINE A. RODRIGUEZ, NICHOLAS J. SANSERVINO, JR., AND JENNIFER BILLS IN CENTER PICTURED AT A FIRM OFF-SITE IN WILD DUNES, SC. ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · NORTH CAROLINA TRIANGLE VOL. 7 NO. 6 16FINANCIAL IMPACT The firm’s ability to generate investments in technology, infrastructure, and analytics help “level the field” for clients fighting large com- panies, according to Noble. She explained that the firm is cognizant that law firms have been historically slow to adapt to change. “We embrace systems and process optimization borne out of forward-thinking law practice management trends,” said Noble. “Using leading-edge technology, we improve our footprint, our capabilities, and level the field.” SOCIETAL IMPACT The #MeToo movement took center stage several years ago following sexual harassment charges against such high-profile people as Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. Noble Law became an outspoken advocate in the move- ment, providing expert context to O Maga- zine, the New York Times, and USA Today. And while the story has faded from the front pages, Noble Law continues to remain engaged on the issue. The firm conducted and published a survey of state laws addressing sexual harassment. North Carolina is one of those states that does not have a state law pro- tecting employees from sexual harassment. “We need to get the message out that our state should protect its citizens from workplace ha- rassment,” said Noble. Noble said the firm is proud of its involve- ment with the National Women’s Law Center and the Times Up Legal Defense Fund. “The Fund helps low-income victims of sexual ha- rassment pursue legal action by partially fund- ing the cost of litigation,” said Noble. “Many of our impacted clients would not have access to the courts without the Fund,” she added. As part of its social impact mission, Noble said her firm feels strongly about creating healthier environments for law service provid- ers. “We realize that our effectiveness relies on the cohesiveness and satisfaction of our teams. We work hard to create a sense of community here. For example, our staff works remotely on their schedules to accommodate childcare or eldercare issues. We purposively bring our staff and paralegals into our decision-making process because it makes us more efficient and gives us insight into the client experience that we might not otherwise have,” said Noble. THOUGHT LEADER – LAURA NOBLE Laura Noble’s interest in employment law can be traced to her childhood in Michigan, where her parents gave her “a strong sense of middle-class, mid-western values.” Noble said, “My parents and grandparents taught me to treat people with dignity and compassion. Those values guide our firm every day.” Noble went to The University of Vermont, where she earned a degree in political science. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Univer- sity of Maryland School of Law. After law school, she took a position as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn. Fol- lowing the ADA role, she worked for a NY corporate litigation firm but found it wanting. She left the corporate world and signed on as a Deputy Director of Advocacy and Legal Services for Covenant House in New York, a CHRISTINE A. RODRIGUEZ WITH LAURA NOBLE AND JENNIFER BILLS LAURA NOBLE “Social justice and the law have been my life’s focus, so a career as an employment lawyer made perfect sense. I also wanted to revolutionize the practice of law. My goal was to create a 21st-century law firm that believes in what we describe as a ‘Triple Bottom Line.’” AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 17non-profit serving homeless youth. “I loved the intensity and energy in New York City, but I am exceedingly happy we chose to move to Chapel Hill. North Carolina has been an outstanding place to raise our family.” After moving to North Carolina, Noble explored different areas of law and decided to build an employment practice. “Starting my own employment law firm felt right,” said Noble. “I am a big believer in do what you love, and the success will follow.” Over the past five years, the firm has tripled in size and opened offices in Charlotte and New York City. VETERAN LITIGATOR – KATIE ABERNETHY Kathryn Abernethy, a veteran litigator whose career has included representation of some of the world’s largest companies, said she wel- comes the challenge of fighting large, expensive, and over-confident law firms using exceptional strategy and cutting-edge technology. “Clients sometimes feel overwhelmed when their employer’s law firm outnumbers and outspends their own. Sometimes you must engage in some litigation jiu-jitsu – using the employer’s own weight and mo- mentum against them to level the playing field,” Abernethy explained. Abernethy, whose practice focuses primarily on glass ceiling, preg- nancy discrimination, and gender compensation issues, frequently sees clients who are concerned about how imbalances in resources will affect their case. “I think for most of our clients, it’s not about the big paycheck. It’s about get- ting a fair result and feeling like an equal at the table instead of being bullied.” “We’ve heard from so many people, ‘you were the first person who believed me or listened to me. Or didn’t think I was crazy or didn’t think it was my fault and understood what I’ve been through,’” said Abernethy. “For some, it’s them telling us ‘I hope that what happened to me won’t happen to someone else at the company.’” NEW YORK STATE OF MIND – NICK SANSERVINO This past November, the firm opened an office on Park Avenue in Manhattan. There were some very compelling reasons to open an office in New York for Noble Law, said partner Nick Sanservino. “New York is a model state for employee protections, and we want to represent cli- ents in that jurisdiction.” The office also con- nects the country’s top two financial services markets. “New York is number one; Charlotte is number two,” said Sanservino. He grew up in northern New Jersey and started his legal career at a large management-side firm in Manhattan twenty years ago. He has been with Noble Law for over nine years. “New York has some of the most sophisti- cated and wide-ranging legal protections for employees, and I look forward to servicing clients back in and around the Big Apple,” said Sanservino. A former management attorney who some clients have affectionately dubbed a “bulldog,” Sanservino largely represents C-suite execu- tives in complex contract negotiations and disputes. “Although a fair number of the firm’s executive clients reside in the Charlotte area, we are usually dealing with company lawyers located in New York, as many of these clients’ companies are headquartered there. We know the ins and outs of each market, so it just made sense to expand,” he said. JOSH KALISH JENNIFER BILLS, HILARY HARRIS KLEIN AND EVAN DANCY AT THE NC / SC ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT LAW CONFERENCE. ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · NORTH CAROLINA TRIANGLE VOL. 7 NO. 6 18At a Glance THE NOBLE LAW 141 Providence Rd. Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 251-6008 thenoblelaw.com OTHER LOCATION Charlotte Chapel Hill New York City Founded in 2009 RECOGNITIONS Top 50 Women North Carolina Super Lawyers Super Lawyers, Rising Stars National Women’s Law Center Legal Network for Gender Equality NC Advocates for Justice Order of Service NC Business Legal Elite Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico Award Time’s Up Legal Defense fund multiple recipient ADMISSIONS New York, North Carolina, Illinois and Massachusetts State Bars U.S. District Courts Eastern, Middle and Western Southern and Eastern Districts of New York U.S. Court of Appeals Second, Third, Fourth and Seventh Circuits LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP ROLES ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee ABA Law Practice Management, Productivity and Knowledge Management Committee ABA Law Practice Management, Leadership Committee American Bar Fellows, Employment Law National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), NELANY and NCNELA Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), National, Charlotte, RDU and New York Hispanic National Bar Association Puerto Rican Bar Association, Society for Human Resources Management North Carolina Advocates for Justice Past-Chair Employment Law Section NC Bar Association, Small Firm and Technology Section Council NC Bar Association Employment Law Section New York State Bar Association NYC Bar Association’s Committee Chair for Minorities in the Court SANSERVINO, NOBLE AND ABERNATHY AT THE FIRM’S STRATEGY OFF-SITE IN WILD DUNES, SC. “We will practice the full range of employ- ment law cases as we do now: discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract claims, sexual harassment as well as wage and hour class ac- tions.” DEFENDER OF CIVIL RIGHTS – CHRISTINE RODRIGUEZ Christine Rodriguez is Noble’s newest part- ner in the Charlotte office. Rodriguez is a sea- soned litigator with over twenty years’ expe- rience who grew up in New York City. Like Noble, Rodriguez started out as an ADA in New York before she moved to employment law. “Even in New York City, where the laws are more favorable to employees than in a lot of other jurisdictions, employment cases are hard. From the highly compensated executive to the restaurant server, it’s about leaving that toxic work situation and moving on with their lives on their own terms.” THE FUTURE IS NOW “We see the future of law firms changing, with greater emphasis on client purchasing power, transparency of pricing, and the use of analytics to optimize client outcomes and in- ternal performance,” observed Noble. “Some are predicting major disruption in big law in the new decade - that’s why we are building the law firm of the future today.” AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 19Next >