David W. Hood, Partnership Chair of the Firm, is a trial attorney in a wide-ranging civil practice with over 200 jury trials to his credit. His concentrations include Business Disputes, Construction Law, Personal Injury and Collections. He is also a certified mediator, helping to settle cases pending in both state and federal court. He recently finished his term as President of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the organization for lawyers representing business interests in civil litigation. Mr. Hood has spoken to lawyers and industry groups on such topics as evidence rules, contractor liens on real estate and contract funds, underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage, litigation ethics, and real estate claims. He has also written for legal and industry publications on various subjects including trial tactics, use of local rules in litigation, and contribution claims among defendants. Mr. Hood and his wife, Sandi, reside in Hickory. Sandi, an ordained minister, also serves as Director of Community Relations at Carolina Caring. Their son, Wilson, is a Harvard Divinity School graduate who serves as a hospice chaplain in Providence, Rhode Island, while their daughter, Callie, is pursuing her PhD in Astronomy at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Education
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – B.A. 1988
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – J.D. 1991 with honors

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Recipient of American Jurisprudence Awards for Top Grade in the class, in the subjects of Torts, Business Associations, Constitutional Law, Probate, Criminal Procedure, Income Taxation and Trial Advocacy
  • Staff member of the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation
  • Associate Justice of the Holderness Moot Court Bench
Admissions/Memberships

ADMISSIONS/APPEARANCES

  • North Carolina State Courts – Trial Courts, Business Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court Cherokee Tribal Court
  • North Carolina Federal Courts – Western, Middle and Eastern Districts
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court – Western District of North Carolina

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Western NC Chapter
  • North Carolina Bar Association – Insurance Law (Council Member), Litigation and Construction Sections,
  • North Carolina Creditors Bar Association
  • North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys – Past President, Past General Liability Practice Group chair, Past Board Member
  • Catawba County Bar Association and Thirty-Sixth Judicial District Bar Association (Past President of each)
  • Insurance Law Section Council for the North Carolina Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute
Recognition/Community

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

  • Certified Mediator practicing in both State and Federal Courts
  • North Carolina Super Lawyer – 2013-2021
  • Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America – 2015

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Current Director, Historical Association of Catawba County
  • Counsel to Catawba County Board of Commissioners
  • Past Chair of the Alumni Engagement Committee for the UNC Law Alumni Association
  • Past member of the North Carolina Access to Justice Commission
  • Past Chair and Current Member, Catawba County Board of Elections
  • North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission
  • Past President of the Church Council for Peace United Church of Christ
  • Past President of the Green Room Community Theatre Board of Directors
  • Featured performer with Green Room Community Theatre and Hickory Community Theatre (Best Actor 2006 and Best Supporting Actor 2011)
  • Former Member, Coordinating Council of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
  • Member of Lake Hickory Rotary Club
  • Past President 25th Judicial District Bar
  • Past President of the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry
  • Past Chairman of Viewmont Baptist Church Board of Deacons
  • Past Member of the Catawba County Board of Adjustment
  • Past President of the Catawba County Republican Men’s Forum
  • Past Chairman of the Leadership Catawba Committee through the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce
  • Served several years as emcee of the Mrs. North Carolina Pageant
Opinions
  • Catawba County ex rel Rackley v. Loggins, N.C. | September 29, 2017 | 152PA16 (Child Support)
  • Stein v. Asheville City Bd. Of Educ., N.C. | March 03, 2006 | 360 N.C. 321 (Governmental Liability)
  • Hickory Orthopaedic v. Nicks, N.C.App. | September 05, 2006 | 179 N.C.App. 281 (Contract)
  • Bowen v. ABF, N.C.App. | September 05, 2006 | 179 N.C.App. 323 (Workers Compensation)
  • Caldwell v. Smith, N.C.App. | May 04, 2010 | 203 N.C.App. 725 (Commercial)
  • Hollifield v. City of Hickory, N.C.App. | February 04, 2003 | 156 N.C.App. 217 (Governmental Liability)
  • Barringer v. Hoffman, N.C.App. | January 18, 2005 | 168 N.C.App. 239 (Real Property)
  • Mathis v. Dowling, N.C.App. | November 05, 2013 | 749 S.E.2d 284 (Malicious Prosecution)
  • Gagne v. Best Advantage Marketing, N.C.App. | October 18, 2005 | 173 N.C.App. 756 (Trade Secrets)
Publications