JAMES W. LEA III
| E-Mail:
jwl@lrlawfirm.com |
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Areas of Practice:
Domestic
and Family Law
Class
Actions/Complex Civil Litigation
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| Admitted: |
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1980,
North Carolina Bar Association;
1981, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North
Carolina and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
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| Law
School: |
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Campbell University,
J.D., 1980.
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| College: |
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University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., 1976.
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Member:
New Hanover County (Secretary-Treasurer,
1987; President Elect, 1991; President, 1992) and
North Carolina (Member, Family Law Council) Bar
Associations; North Carolina State Bar (Member,
Family Law Council); North Carolina Academy of Trial
Lawyers (Member, Political Action Committee, 1987-1988);
National Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Biography:
James W. Lea III, Lea, Rhine & Associates' Senior
Partner, practices exclusively in the area of family law and has done so
for the last seventeen years of his twenty three years of experience. Mr.
Lea has served on the North Carolina State Bar’s Family Council, a
selected group of family lawyers that sets policy and recommends changes
to family law on behalf of the North Carolina State Bar. He was selected
to serve on the North Carolina State Bar’s Committee on Mediation
and Arbitration in family law cases and has spoken at numerous seminars
sponsored by the North Carolina State Bar on issues relating to family law.
Mr. Lea and the firm of Lea, Clyburn and Rhine has been included in the
Martindale
Hubbell's (the National Lawyers Rating Service) Register of Preeminent Lawyers
in America.
Mr. Lea has extensive experience in the practice
of family law, having handled all aspects of this
area of the law, including but not limited to, child
custody and support, post separation support and
alimony, equitable distribution and termination
of parental rights. Mr. Lea has gained extensive
knowledge in the intricacies of equitable distribution,
including but not limited to the valuation of small
closely held corporations, division and evaluation
of pensions and other complex property issues that
arise in family law litigation. He has handled cases
involving millions of dollars worth of assets as
well as dealing with the difficult emotional issues
that are inevitable in marital break-ups.
Mr. Lea has an experienced and extremely talented legal staff that have
been with him for many years and have also gained extensive knowledge in
dealing with family law issues. His staff includes Kathy Bodge, Candy Hewett
and Donna Leeuwenburg, experienced paralegals, and Lori Rosbrugh, an attorney
who works with him exclusively in family law cases and who has been with
him for seven years. All of his staff members have assigned duties in processing
a domestic case and have gained extensive knowledge in their areas of expertise.
The firm prides itself on the organizational aspects of processing family
law cases but takes more pride in the sensitivity, care and compassion in
which we handle extremely difficult period of time for our clients. We like
our clients to feel as if they are with a second family during this emotionally
difficult time and do everything possible to quickly and promptly meet the
needs and concerns of our individual clients.
Mr. Lea has been married for twenty-three years,
has one son and has been extensively involved in
the Wilmington community. He has served as President
of the New Hanover County Bar Association, on the
Board of Trustees for Cape Fear Community College,
is a Past Chairman of the New Hanover County Democratic
Party, and has served on boards of the Historic
Wilmington Foundation, YMCA and Residents of Old
Wilmington as well as numerous other community activities.
He is a well known and respected member, not only
of the legal community, but the community as a whole
in Wilmington.
Born:
Atlanta, Georgia, November 3, 1954. |
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