Thirty years ago, Yates McLamb and Weyher was founded by a small group of experienced defense trial lawyers. They shared a vision for a new firm built exclusively on civil defense litigation and appellate practice. Together, they built a firm characterized by legal expertise and skill, tenacity in defense of their clients’ interests, and civility and professionalism in the practice of law.

In the quarter century since, the firm has grown to nearly thirty lawyers and more than thirty support staff; but its focus has never changed. The lawyers at YMW have received numerous individual accolades, including recognition in The Best Lawyers in America, North Carolina Super Lawyers, Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, and Business Leader Magazine’s Legal Leaders. Attorneys in the firm have been selected to the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, the International Association of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Inns of Court, and the Litigation Counsel of America.  More important than any of these recognitions, however, is the trust our clients place in us to always put their interests first and to protect their livelihoods and reputations. We devote all of our efforts to earning and maintaining that trust.

As our numbers have grown, the firm’s practice  has expanded to cover a broad range of litigation and administrative disputes. Lawyers in our professional liability group have successfully defended doctors from almost every specialty, nurses, hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies in cases all across North Carolina. Our attorneys include a Board Certified physician and three registered nurses, giving us special insight not only into the substantive medical areas in which our clients practice, but also the culture in which health care providers live and work. We appear before licensing boards to defend professionals against complaints that threaten their ability to practice, and we work with clients to strengthen their practices in ways that help them avoid lawsuits and complaints. We are also actively involved in the representation of attorneys in legal malpractice cases arising from all aspects of the practice of law.

Our general liability attorneys have built an equally respected practice, defending a variety of clients in virtually every possible kind of tort claim. We handle cases for construction companies, manufacturers, property owners, schools and businesses. We have defended claims arising out of massive plant explosions, catastrophic fires and building collapses. We have experience with suits alleging mold infestation, lead paint exposure, premises liability, inadequate security, and product defects. Throughout the firm’s history we have represented parties in automobile accident and roadway construction cases. Our practice also includes a wide range of insurance coverage issues including extra-contractual damages and bad faith claims, under many different kinds of insurance policies, liability trusts and self insured retention agreements.

We are proud of the history of our firm, and the reputation we have built with our clients and in the legal community. It is a reputation based on listening to our clients’ needs, and representing them with pragmatism, efficiency, creativity, and professionalism–values we have embraced since the beginning. We believe in excellence and integrity in the practice of law, and we strive each day to live up to those beliefs in representing our clients.