Hal concentrates his practice on business litigation and creditor’s rights matters. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust, business tort, and breach of contract cases. He represents creditors in creditor’s rights and bankruptcy cases, and defends lenders in predatory lending and lender liability suits. He has experience in complex commercial, product liability, construction and real estate litigation.
On behalf of Fortune 100 manufacturing firms, he has defended against antitrust and unfair trade practice claims in several suits brought by competitors, as well as by classes of consumers. In those cases, he and his colleagues have obtained early dismissals or summary judgment in favor of their clients.
He has handled complex intracompany business disputes among directors, shareholders, partners and officers, including defense of derivative claims brought by shareholders against officers and directors. He has also represented companies in suits against former employees for theft of trade secrets, unfair competition, breaches of fiduciary duties, and outright fraud and embezzlement.
He has represented landowners and developers in disputes over land ownership, breaches of sales contracts, and development rights. He has prosecuted and defended against foreclosures of commercial properties, and has litigated lien claims and other construction disputes. He also represents institutional and private lenders in debt restructuring, commercial workouts and liquidations.
In addition to his law practice, Hal is active in community affairs. In 2013, he served as Chairman of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as Chairman of the Cape Fear Future Foundation and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He has also recently served on the boards of the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Foundation and the Coastal Horizons Center.
Hal attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a John M. Morehead Scholar. While attending Wake Forest School of Law, Hal served on the Wake Forest Law Review as a Notes & Comments Editor, and also served as a member of the Moot Court board.
