919 854 4454
800 350 7574
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 30303
Raleigh, NC 27622
Street Address ( Map )
1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 208
Raleigh, NC 27607
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Elizabeth F. Kuniholm
ekuniholm@kuniholmlaw.com
Liz has practiced as a civil trial lawyer in Raleigh since 1981. She founded her own firm in 1991, and now heads a five-attorney practice concentrating in medical and HMO negligence, personal injury, sexual abuse, and foster care litigation.
She is a 1980 graduate of Duke University School of Law, where she served on the Duke Law Journal and was a member of the Order of the Coif, a legal honor society. She also earned a masters degree from the Duke University Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs, writing her thesis on the legal rights of children and adolescents in the state mental health system. Since 1987, she has been a senior lecturing fellow at Duke’s law school.
Liz has a history of activism in state, national and international affairs relating to the rights of women, children, and those suffering from personal injury. She has spoken before various conference committees and professional organizations about issues affecting trial lawyers and their clients, and has vigorously opposed attempts by the North Carolina legislature and the U.S. Congress to limit the rights of those affected by personal injury. She has served on the Medical Malpractice Study Committee and the Birth-Related Neurological Study Commission of the North Carolina General Assembly. In 1995 she served on the delegation of the North Carolina Council for Women to the NGO Forum at the United Nations Fourth World Conference for Women in Beijing, China.
In 2000, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America honored Liz and fifteen of her clients with the Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award in recognition of their efforts in exposing the abuses of a physician and the HMOs in which he practiced. The Sharp Award is given annually to those attorneys and their clients whose cases strengthen the civil justice system, safeguard victims’ rights, and help educate state and national policymakers about public health and safety issues.
Also in 2000 she was honored by the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers with the prestigious Walter Clark Award, given in rare instances for extraordinary service to the justice system.
In 2001, Liz received the Gwyneth B. Davis Award from the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys for her outstanding contribution in the promotion of women attorneys in the legal profession and the rights of women under the law.
Liz was president of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers from 1998 to 1999. She is also active in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, currently serving on the Legal Affairs Committee, the Public Affairs Committee, and the Press Advisory Board.
CV: Elizabeth F. Kuniholm
Educational background
* Duke University School of Law, J.D., 1980
* Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs, Duke University, M.A., 1980
* Duke University, A.B., 1970
Academic honors
* B.S. Womble Endowed Scholarship, 1976-1980
* Order of the Coif
* Editorial Board, Duke Law Journal
* United States Law Week Award, 1980
* Public Service Fellowship: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Education, 1977-1978
Employment history
* Kuniholm Law Firm, Founder, 1991-present
* Duke Law School, Senior Lecturing Fellow, 1987-present
* Tharrington, Smith & Hargrove, 1981-1990
Partner (elected 1986). Civil trial practice with concentration in birth injury and medical malpractice cases.
* Law Clerk, The Honorable J. Dickson Phillips, Jr., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 1980-1981
Bar admissions
* North Carolina trial and appellate courts
* U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina
* U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Professional awards
* Listed in Best Lawyers in America
* Listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers 2006, 2007
* Named one of North Carolina's Top 50 Women Lawyers 2006, 2007
* Gwyneth B. Davis Award, conferred by North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, 2001
* Walter Clark Award, conferred by North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2000
* Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award, conferred by Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 2000
* AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell
Activities
* The Private Adjudication Center, Duke University Board of Directors, 1991-2002
* Medical Malpractice Study Committee of the Legislative Research Commission North Carolina General Assembly Public Member, 1998-1999
* Birth-related Neurological Impairment Study Commission North Carolina General Assembly Member, 1991-1992
* Durham County Literacy Council Board of Directors, 1996-1999
Professional associations
* North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers
President, 1998-1999
Vice President for Public Education, 1996-1997
Vice President for Legal Affairs, 1993-1996
Board of Governors, 1990-1993
State Delegate, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1990-1991
* North Carolina Bar Association
Board of Governors, 1993-1996
Litigation Section Council
Chair, 1992-1993
Vice-Chair, 1991-1992
Medico-Legal Liaison Committee, Joint Committee of the N.C. Bar Association and the N.C. Medical Society
* Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Legal Affairs Committee, 1996-present
Public Affairs Committee, 1998-present
ATLA Press Advisory Board, 2001-present
* American Bar Association
* North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys
Publications and presentations
* "The Ongoing Assault on Crist v. Moffatt," Trial Briefs, August 2006
* Faculty, "Overcoming Juror Bias," Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 2006
* "Storytelling and the Trial Story," presented to Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Winter Convention, 2005
* "Foster Care Negligence and Wrongful Adoption: A Survey of Civil Remedies," co-authored with Kim Church for National Crime Victims Bar Association, 2004
* "Finding Justice for the Sexual Abuse Victim," co-authored with Kim Church, for presentation to North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, Annual Conference 2004
* Faculty, ATLA's Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course: The Art of Persuasion, Association of Trial Lawyers of America (March-April 2004)
* Faculty, "Depositions: Hands-On Training," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, February 2004
* "Middle North Carolina Juries and Opening Statements," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, February 2004
* Panelist, "Razing the Bar: Dealing with Rambo Tactics from Opposing Counsel," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, February 2004
* Faculty, "Civil Litigation of Sexual Assault Cases," N.C. Central University School of Law and N.C. Coalition Against Sexual Assault, July 2003
* "Sexual Abuse" in Litigating Tort Cases, West Group/Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 2003, annual updates 2004-2007, co-author, with Kim Church
* "Psychotherapist Malpractice," presented to Association of Trial Lawyers of America, February 2003, co-authored with Kim Church
* "North Carolina's Medical Review System: Protecting Patients... or Physicians?", Trial Briefs (N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, February 2003), co-authored with Lucy N. Inman
* "Finding the Winning Trial Story," Wake County Bar Association, November 2002
* "Winning with Exhibits: Showing How to Tell It," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, October 2002
* Faculty participant, The Art of Persuasion, Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, March 2002
* "Discovering the Case Against the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)," Trial Briefs (N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, Spring 2001)
* Faculty participant, Case Workshop, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, April 2001
* "Tagging the Managed Care Organization (MCO): Corporate Negligence, Credentialing and Peer Review," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, May 2000
* Faculty participant, Advanced Case Workshop, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, April 2000
* Faculty participant, The Art of Persuasion, Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, March 2000
* "Not Gonna Take It Any More: Taking On the Big Boys in North Carolina," Women Trial Lawyers Caucus (Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Summer 1998)
* "From a Plaintiff's Perspective," The North Carolina State Bar Journal, Spring 1998
* "Managed Care Liability: Emerging Issues in Medical Malpractice," Trial Briefs (N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, Fall 1997)
* "Hot Medical Issues," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, September 1997
* Faculty participant, Essentials of Civil Litigation, Trial Advocacy College, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Fall 1996
* "Sexual Abuse by Medical Professionals," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, January 1996
* "Reflections on 'The Runaway Train'," The Litigator (N.C. Bar Association, June 1996)
* "Ruark Revised: The Supreme Court Retreats," Trial Briefs (N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, Spring 1994)
* "Anatomy of a Medical Negligence Case," N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, May 1992
* "Ex Parte Communications With the Plaintiff's Treating Physicians," The Litigator (N.C. Bar Association, December 1988)
