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The History of Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker
Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP is North Carolina’s oldest law firm, having been founded by Burton Craige in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1832.
Burton Craige opened his law office in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1832. In the tradition of the time, he was very active in government affairs, and he served four terms in the U.S. Congress until he resigned in 1861. After the war, he continued his law practice until his death in 1875.
His son, Kerr Craige, joined his father’s law practice in the late 1860s. His sons, Kerr Craige, Jr. and the second Burton Craige, later joined the firm. After 10 years with the firm, Burton Craige moved to Winston-Salem in 1911 to become counsel for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. In 1917, he rejoined his brother in the private practice of law. The firm maintained offices in both Salisbury and Winston-Salem under the name of Craige & Craige from 1917 to 1959, when the firm’s Salisbury office was closed, leaving the Winston-Salem office as the surviving office.
Prior to World War II, Burton Craige was joined in the Winston-Salem office by his son and nephew, Archibald Craige and Robert V. Brawley, both of whom served in the military during the war. Burton Craige died in 1945 and both his son and nephew returned from military service and rejoined the Winston-Salem office of Craige & Craige. Archibald Craige retired from the firm in 1964 and Robert V. Brawley continued to practice law until 1980, when a stroke forced him to withdraw from active practice. Cowles Liipfert joined the firm in 1964 and is currently the most senior partner at the law firm.
In 2015, the firms of Craige Brawley Liipfert & Walker LLP and Jenkins Law Group merged to form Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP. The merger was a perfect opportunity for both firms to enhance their capabilities and increase the breadth and depth of services that they offered to their clients. The Jenkins Law Group was founded in 1965 by F. Gaither Jenkins, the father of Gordon W. Jenkins, a senior partner with that firm. The Craige Jenkins name honors the notable legal history represented in that merger.
