We’ve worked hard for decades to earn a reputation among our clients, our legal peers, judges, friends and communities as attorneys you can trust. High ethical standards are an integral part of our high performance metrics, and while we are excellent negotiators – this is an area where there can be no negotiation.

About the Firm

Founded in 1980 by managing partner Terry Hutchens, Hutchens Law Firm LLP began with a staff of five in one small location.

As the firm grew, new partners came on board and our services expanded. Today, the firm has multiple offices throughout North Carolina and South Carolina and over 200 staff including 36 attorneys. We serve clients here in the Carolinas in a variety of Areas of Practice (AOPs):

Individuals and Businesses in our community who need legal services relating to Business/Corporate matters, Civil Litigation, Family Law including Collaborative Divorce, Military Law, Real Estate Law, SSD/SSDI, and Wills/Trusts/Estate Planning and Probate; and

National, state, and local lenders, mortgage companies and bankers who seek solutions for Creditors’ Rights including Bankruptcy, Debt Collection, Evictions, Foreclosure, Litigation, REO, and Title Curative.

H Terry Hutchens photo, managing partner

Our Values.

Everything we do for our clients is done with Ethics, Integrity, and Hard Work. We've been driven by this instinct for nearly four decades because we recognize it's what our clients expect and deserve. We never forget that the outcome of every case we handle is a measurement of our skills and abilities.

H. Terry Hutchens | Managing Partner

Litigation

Industry Leaders

To date, thirteen attorneys at Hutchens Law Firm LLP have received an AV Preeminent® rating by Martindale-Hubbell, which is an objective indicator of a lawyer's high ethical standards and professional ability.

Ratings are generated from evaluations of outside lawyers, other members of the bar, and the judiciary in the United States and Canada. Ranking high in both the General Ethical Standards and Legal Ability process ratings — including adherence to professional standards, legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, and more — yields an AV Preeminent® rating, which is considered a significant accomplishment in the legal world.

Our firm has a strong presence in the mortgage servicing industry and has been recognized for our commitment to HIGH PERFORMANCE LAW™. We're active leaders with the USFN, National Mortgage Bankers Association, North Carolina Bankers Association, Mortgage Bankers of the Carolinas, North Carolina Creditors Bar Association, American Legal & Financial Network, and the Women in Legal Leadership. Our attorneys travel across the country to speak at seminars and conferences held by the above organizations, and we provide updates on recent court decisions as well as continuing education courses and on-site training to our clients.

The USFN has recognized our Firm each year since 2007 with the USFN Diamond Award of Excellence. To be chosen, the firm must demonstrate their commitment to excellence by their active participation and leadership with USFN, other mortgage banking organizations, the legal profession, and through significant contributions to industry education, on-going staff development, client relations, and community charitable contributions. No more than 40 law firms across the nation receive this award.

Our Firm has been included yet again in the 2020 Edition of Best Law Firms in America in several practice areas including Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law¹, Workers Compensation Law–Claimants². Managing partner Terry Hutchens has been included in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers in America list for Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law; partner Joe Vonnegut has been included in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers in America list for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; partner Susan Benoit has been included in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers in America list for Real Estate, partner J. Scott Flowers has been included in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers in America list for Commercial Litigation; and partner Bill Senter have been included in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers in America for Workers Comp - Claimants. One of our associates, Davis Puryear for Corporate Law have been included in a new category, Best Lawyers - Ones to Watch. The U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking in a particular practice area and metro region, a law firm must have at least one lawyer who is included in Best Lawyers in that particular practice area and metro.

Several of our attorneys have also been selected by their peers to be included on the Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rising Stars lists. Law firms throughout the nation are asked to nominate peers they feel meet twelve indicators of professional achievement including: verdicts/settlements, transactions, representative clients, experience, honors/awards, special license/certifications, position within the law firm, bar and professional activity, pro bono and community service, scholarly lectures/writings, education/employment background, and other outstanding achievement. Details on the attorneys included on the Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rising Stars list can be found on their individual profile pages.

Business North Carolina has selected partner J. Scott Flowers for inclusion in Business NC Legal Elite - Litigation (2018), a listing of the state’s top lawyers in business-related categories. Winners are chosen not by BNC editors but by the state’s lawyers. Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite has become the model for other awards and lists, but it remains unique as the only award that gives every active lawyer in the state the opportunity to participate. Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite includes the top lawyers chosen using this statewide ballot.

¹Metropolitan Tier 2 - Raleigh - Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

²Metropolitan Tier 2 - Raleigh - Workers’ Compensation Law – Claimants and Metropolitan Tier 3, Wilmington NC

Rock-solid integrity is one of the primary reasons why our industry has honored the attorneys at Hutchens Law Firm LLP with a long list of awards and accolades including Best Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell's AV Pre-eminent ratings, Superlawyers, the USFN Diamond Award, and many others. Our ethics are our bond and always will be.

See above paragraph for details.

U.S. News and World Report Best Lawyers Best Law Firms 2017

Community Support

Whether we volunteer our time at Operation InAsMuch to feed the less fortunate, provide pro bono legal services to Habitat for Humanity, host blood drives for the Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center and food drives for Second Harvest Food Banks, or sponsor the Fayetteville Symphony, YMCA, or Walk to End Alzheimer's, our firm and employees are actively involved in the communities we serve.

Several of our attorneys serve on boards within our communities. If you would like a member of our firm to serve on your nonprofit board, please Email us at lawfirm@hutchenslawfirm.com.

While we know there are many important organizations in need of financial support, we've established our own method to help the communities we serve in the most impactful way. This is not a grant program; it's simply a way of aligning the numerous requests we receive with our Firm's mission. Priority is given to those organizations where our partners serve on boards.

If you would like us to consider a sponsorship for the next fiscal year, please send an email with the amount you request, the purpose of the donation, a summary of your organization, and how the donation benefits the community.