Attorneys

David B. Puryear, Jr.

David Puryear is also a Member-Manager of the firm and a seasoned litigator. His main areas of practice are complex commercial litigation, employment law, including a focus on WHISTLEBLOWER LAW, transactional law and general business law . He has lectured on equal employment opportunity to bar groups, spoken at continuing legal education (CLE) seminars on trial techniques and administrative hearings, and held community resource lectures on various employment law issues. He was admitted to practice law before North Carolina state and federal district courts in 1983; before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit in 1984; and before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990. Mr. Puryear served in the US Air Force before entering law school.

Areas of Practice

• WHISTLEBLOWER claims, WHISTLEBLOWER retaliation

• Business Law (including commercial litigation, contract disputes; transactional work; antitrust; unfair trade practices and general corporate law)

• Employment Law (including sexual harassment, discrimination; wrongful termination; anti-competitive covenants; whistleblower and Sarbanes-Oxley claims; retaliation; ERISA; ADA; FMLA; ADEA; REDA)

• Elder Law (including wills, trusts, estate planning and administration, Medicare issues, nursing home care)

Education

• 1983 - Juris Doctor, University of North Carolina School of Law (Chapel Hill)

• 1980 - B.A., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Professional Associations

• Greensboro Bar Association

• North Carolina Bar Association (member, Labor and Employment Law, and Business Law sections)

• American Bar Association (member, Labor and Employment Law Section)

• North Carolina Advocates for Justice (member, Employment Law Section)

Publications

• Author, Current Employment Laws You Need to Know About, appearing in FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN NORTH CAROLINA HUMAN RESOURCES LAW (2001)

• Author, “Americans with Disabilities Act” appearing in EMPLOYMENT LAW 2006, Wake Forest University School of Law Continuing Legal Education Publication

Representative Cases

• Peterson v. M.G. "Pat" Robertson, 1999 WL 33545509, 1999 NCBC 2, N.C. Super. (May 25, 1999)

• Wagner v. Dillard Department Stores, Inc., 17 Fed. Appx. 141, 2001 WL 967495, C.A.4 (N.C.) (August 27, 2001)

• Brodar v. McKinney, 378 F. Supp. 2d 634, M.D.N.C. (April 13, 2005)

• Seager v. James M. Walter Profit Sharing Plan, 2004 WL 2186328, 33 Employee Benefits Cas. 2659, M.D.N.C. (July 29, 2004)

• Alston v. North Carolina A and T State University, 304 F.Supp.2d 774, 186 Ed. Law Rep. 169, M.D.N.C. (February 6, 2004)

Robert J. Lingle

Attorney Robert J. Lingle has retired and is no longer handling cases. All information below pertains to the period when he was in active practice with the Firm.

Mr. Lingle served as a Member-Manager of Puryear and Lingle, PLLC, practicing primarily in the areas of business and corporate law, employment law, and wills & trusts. He began practicing in the Triad area in 1991. He represented both individuals and companies and engaged in both plaintiff-side and defense work. Mr. Lingle also handled trials and appeals in state and federal court. He prided himself on maintaining a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the laws in his areas of practice and on relentlessly pursuing the best possible outcome for all of his clients. He was frequently asked to lecture on various business and employment-related legal topics. He was admitted to practice law before North Carolina state and federal district courts in 1991, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit in 1992.

Areas of Practice

• Business Law (including business formation, business disputes, contracts, fraud and other business torts, trademark infringement, corporate law, unfair and deceptive trade practices, the sale of companies and businesses, stock sales, asset sales, mergers and other transactions)

• Employment Law (sexual harassment, discrimination, WHISTLEBLOWER claims, non-compete agreements, employee benefits, retaliation, ADA; FMLA; ADEA; REDA)

• Entertainment Law (contract drafting and review)

• Elder Law (including wills, living wills and advance directives, trusts, general and healthcare powers of attorney, etc.)

Education

• 1991 - Juris Doctor with Honors , University of North Carolina School of Law (Chapel Hill); Member, NORTH CAROLINA LAW REVIEW; Managing Editor, ACADEMIA (American Association of University Professors); received American Jurisprudence Award (Lawyers Co-Operative Publishing Company) for excellence in the field of legal research and writing.

• 1988 - B.A., B.A. with minors, magna cum laude , University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Phi Eta Sigma

Professional Associations

• Greensboro Bar Association

• North Carolina Bar Association (member, Entertainment Law, Labor and Employment Law, Elder Law, Estate Planning sections)

• American Bar Association (member, Business Law Section)

• American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America)

Publications

• Co-Author, Business Torts, appearing in NORTH CAROLINA TORT LAW (1992)

• Author, Employment Practice Issues and Protecting Business Interests, appearing in EMPLOYMENT LAW ISSUES (2003)

Representative Cases

• Farr Associates, Inc. v. Baskin , 138 N.C. App. 276, 530 S.E.2d 878 (June 06, 2000)

• Peterson v. M.G. "Pat" Robertson , 1999 WL 33545509, 1999 NCBC 2, N.C. Super. (May 25, 1999)

• Baker Construction Company, Inc. v. Phillips , 333 N.C. 441, 426 S.E.2d 679 (March 12, 1993)

• Wagner v. Dillard Department Stores, Inc. , 17 Fed. Appx. 141, 2001 WL 967495, C.A.4 (N.C.), (August 27, 2001)

• Lowe v. Unifi, Inc. , 292 F. Supp. 2d 773, M.D.N.C. (October 28, 2003)

• Jackson v. Kimel , 992 F.2d 1318, 143 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2203, 61 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1111, 61 Empl. Prac. Dec. P 42,233, 61 USLW 2685, 125 Lab. Cas. P 10,664, 8 IER Cases 859, C.A.4 (N.C.) (April 30, 1993)