Amanda Gargis, an attorney at Craige Jenkins, helped readers of the AgeWise column in the Winston-Salem Journal. On September 26, a reader submitted a question regarding inheriting IRAs from an estate. The answer? IRAs are subject to specific rules that affect distributions, taxation and income. Because of the multitude of factors that impact “inherited” IRAs, including the relationship between the beneficiary and the person who owned the IRA, the owner’s age, the beneficiary’s age, whether the beneficiary was named in the IRA or whether the beneficiary inherited the IRA under a Will, individuals inheriting IRAs may find the gift a mixed blessing. AgeWise recommends seeking an expert opinion before making any transfers or withdrawals. In addition to Amanda, CJLW has a number of experienced estate attorneys – Cowles Liipfert, Gordon Jenkins, John Keiger, Rebecca Smitherman, and Luke Wooley – who can help with IRA or other estate-related questions.
The Attorneys and staff at Craige Jenkins understand the importance of giving back to our Community. Although we all have our own favorite nonprofit organizations near and dear to our heart, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a team for a joint project.
The firm decided to bring our individual efforts into a collective one with a Habitat House build.
On September 20, 2016, a group of 16 members from our office consisting of both attorneys and staff worked for a full day on a Habitat House build. It so happened that the house that we were working on needed the roof to be completed to be ready for a group coming a few days later to put shingles on the house.
If you have ever worked on a Habitat House, you know that there is a core group of volunteers along with Habitat Staff that supervises the work. With the help of these very skilled people, a group that may have little or no experience in construction can become a dynamic and efficient work force.
After positioning the scaffolding, we all went to work. Fortunately, it was a one story house so getting on the roof was not too intimidating. By the end of the day, this lawyerly group was an impressive construction crew. The roof was completed!
We enjoyed it so much that we agreed to do it again.
The staff and attorneys at CJLW held its second annual school supply drive, collecting pens, paper, scissors, notebooks, glue, highlighters and other necessities for area elementary, middle and high schools. The teachers and administrators were so appreciative to receive these much needed supplies, and we felt very lucky to be able to help our Triad students.
Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP has been rated by the readers of the Winston Salem Journal as one of 2016’s best law firms! CJLW is rated #1 for Attorneys, #1 for Real Estate Attorneys, with our own Julian Robb rated as #3 in the same category, and #2 for the Best Law Firm. We are very proud to be honored by the community for our hard work and dedication to our clients.
Our law firm was a sponsor of the 2016 Associates in Christian Counseling Fundraising Banquet, which was held in April at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem. The ACC provides mental health counseling services to those of limited means, including psychological assessments, individual, child, marital and family therapy in Forsyth, Rockingham and Surry Counties. We are honored to play a part in helping the ACC make our community stronger.
Gordon Jenkins was selected to the 2016 North Carolina Super Lawyers list, marking his selection on this list for the 11th consecutive year! Rebecca Smitherman and Brent Stephens were also selected this year as “Rising Stars” by North Carolina Super Lawyers, which is the 4th year for Rebecca and the 2nd for Brent. Both Gordon and Rebecca were also selected by their peers as part of the 2016 Best Lawyers in America list in the areas of Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. Gordon was also selected in the area of Litigation. Congratulations to our attorneys!
Attorney Lawson Newton and his assistant Kathy Adams are celebrating an anniversary. They have been working together side by side for 25 years. What an accomplishment! They claim to be able to finish each other’s sentences after so much time together. (They even color coordinate). We are truly proud that we have such a dedicated team and hope we have many more anniversaries to come.
Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker collected and provided much needed school supplies to Forest Park Elementary School. The supplies were a huge surprise, and the teachers – and students – were very excited.
Congratulations to our own Bo Drew and Ann Sugg for a unanimous N.C. Supreme Court decision in favor of our clients. In High Point Bank and Trust Company v. Highmark Properties LLC, decided September 25, 2015, the Court addressed issues of first impression regarding guaranty payments, bank powers, foreclosures and deficiency judgments. We are proud of our trial attorneys for their months of hard work and their success on behalf of our clients.
In July, 2015, our newly merged law firm was featured on the cover of Forsyth Woman magazine, along with a feature article on the merger and our mission to be the best comprehensive full-service firm in the Triad. The new Craige Jenkins Liipfert & Walker LLP provides exceptional legal services to individuals, families and businesses in a caring, responsive, and dedicated manner. CJLW is excited for its future!
