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Caroline Trautman

Caroline TrautmanCaroline is an advocate willing to put in the work, time, and individual attention her clients and cases require for success. In her more than fourteen years in private practice, she has handled a variety of civil business and commercial matters in North Carolina and South Carolina, with a strong focus on construction law. Caroline has represented owners, contractors, subcontractors, sureties, and design professionals in construction matters including mechanics’ lien and bond claims, contract disputes, and large defect claims. Caroline is on the American Arbitration Association’s Panel of Arbitrators and has completed North Carolina Civil Collaborative Practice Training.

With mediation, arbitration, and trial experience, Caroline has the skills to represent clients for the duration of a dispute. Her litigation experience gives her the perspective needed to help her clients avoid and de-escalate troublesome disputes when possible. In counseling her clients, she emphasizes preventative measures like contract drafting, review, negotiation, proper job site documentation, and other best practices to help her clients succeed in their everyday operations and in the event of a dispute. She has presented and led seminars and roundtable discussions for construction professionals on issues including risk management, contract issues, immigration law, construction claims, and legal ethics issues.

Caroline is Vice Chair of the NC Bar Association Construction Section and served as managing editor of the North Carolina Construction Deskbook 8th Edition.

Education

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill – B.A. 2004, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

University of South Carolina School of Law – J.D. 2007

Bar Associations and Admissions

North Carolina State Bar, Admitted 2008

South Carolina Bar, Admitted 2007

Admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the District of South Carolina and the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina

Prior Legal Employment

Associate, Anderson Jones, PLLC, 2009 – 2019

Staff Attorney, State of South Carolina, 2007 – 2009

Law Clerk, Whetstone, Myers, Perkins & Young, LLC, 2005 – 2007

Association Memberships and Community Involvement

Chair, North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) Construction Council and Construction Section (2024-2025)

Deskbook Committee Chair and 8th Edition Managing Editor, NCBA Construction Section

Member, Durham/Orange Women Attorneys (local chapter of NC Association of Women Attorneys)

Neighborhood Coordinator, PORCH Chapel-Hill Carrboro

Co-Chair, NCBA Young Lawyers Division Law Day and Liberty Bell Committee (2016 – 2018)

VolunteerDisaster Legal Services and NC Legal Aid (assisted victims of Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, and Michael)

Member, NCBA Young Lawyers Division Law Day and Liberty Bell Committee (2010 – 2016)

Member, North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association

Volunteer, SAFEChild NC, 2010 – 2013

Publications and Seminars

Managing Construction Risks – May 16, 2019, Jones Keystone-sponsored seminar with the Homebuilders Association of Raleigh – Wake County

Proper Documentation Can Be the Key to Dispute Resolution – January 24, 2019, Roofing Magazine

Ethical Issues in Representing Multiple Clients in Construction Defect Cases and Construction Injury Actions – Mar 8, 2019, North Carolina Advocates for Justice

Managing Construction Risks: Emerging Issues – September 27, 2018, Jones Keystone-sponsored seminar focused on the joint employment doctrine

Discovery 101: Getting the Most out of Basic Discovery Tools – September 9, 2016, North Carolina Bar Association Construction Section

What Contractors Need to Know about E-Verify and IRCA – Mar 28, 2016, Roofing Magazine

North Carolina Lien and Bond Law: Deadlines, Drafting, and New Developments in the Law – Mar 18, 2016, North Carolina Paralegals Association

Single Insurance Policies that Insure All Parties on a Specific Construction Project Offer Benefits and Risks – Mar 30, 2015   Roofing Magazine

Forum-selection Clauses and Their Impact on the Construction Industry – 2014, Roofing Magazine