Marie Claire (“MC”) practices general litigation, which includes contract disputes, landlord/tenant issues, real property disputes, trust and estate litigation, business disputes, medical malpractice defense, and additional defense related work. She enjoys the variety and the chance to work with all Van Winkle’s litigation partners. MC started her career at a small criminal defense firm in Wilson, NC, which put her in the courtroom every day. She still seeks out the courtroom now as much as possible and you might see her at one of Western North Carolina’s courthouses. MC is licensed in North Carolina and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Buncombe County Bar Association, and the Buncombe County Bar Pro Bono Committee. MC volunteers with Pisgah Legal Services’ Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyers program and is a part of Pisgah Legal’s Housing Fellows program.

Education

  • American University Washington College of Law, J.D., Cum Laude, 2019.
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., 2019; Majors in English and Political Science.
  • Hendersonville High School, Top 5% of Class, 2012.

Professional Affiliations

  • Admitted to Practice in North Carolina;
  • NC Bar Association;
  • Buncombe County Bar Association.

Community Involvement

In April 2020, MC started an Instagram Account @ladylawyergang because she wanted to show law students what the day to day life of a lawyer is really like. MC has always been interested in fashion, so of course she wanted her account to have a fashion angle. She started sharing her daily “lady lawyer looks” to lady law students, and other young lady lawyers. Your wardrobe matters, but a legal education doesn’t typically include a class on professional dress. So MC decided to try to help fill that gap and @ladylawyergang was born. She’s been a guest on podcasts like Ladies Who Law School, a featured speaker for events with Elon Law and Duke Law, and she volunteers her time to grab coffee with law students in the Triangle.

MC enjoys hiking with her husband and both of their families. She also enjoys running, yoga, and tennis. Although she is not musically talented herself, MC loves all types of music, from live concerts, to Spotify playlists, and collecting Vinyl Records. MC and her husband both graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, so of course they are huge Carolina Basketball fans. MC loves her home state and is so happy to be back home in the mountains.