Caitlin Mitchell is a leading appellate attorney who helps businesses, professionals, and institutions obtain early dismissals and win appeals. Recognized for her extensive judicial experience and passionate advocacy, clients trust Caitlin to distill complex legal issues into persuasive oral arguments, winning briefs, and successful motions.
- Won appeal, which resulted in a published opinion by the North Carolina Court of Appeals, D.V. Shah Corp. v. Vroombrands, LLC, COA22-104.
- Convinced Virgina court to grant early dismissal with prejudice by arguing that the plaintiff failed to sufficiently plead all 12 claims asserted against my clients.
- Won early dismissal with prejudice in medical malpractice action on procedural grounds.
- Secured dismissal with prejudice in a wrongful death matter based on the plaintiff’s failure to prosecute.
- Convinced the North Carolina Court of Appeals to postpone a two-week jury trial in wrongful death action days before the trial was scheduled to begin.
- Served as second chair at five-day, federal jury trial, where Caitlin argued and won most evidentiary motions and led examinations of all expert witnesses and treating physicians.
- Won summary judgment, dismissing entire high-stakes case, based on a complex secured transaction argument arising under U.S. Virgin Island law.
- A Style Manual for the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure, N.C. Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee, June 2023
- Recapping Dean Erwin Chemerinsky’s Civil Updates from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2021 Term, American Bar Association’s Appellate Issues: Winter 2022, Feb. 4, 2022
- Lecturer, The Latest in North Carolina Appellate Practice: Recent Amendments to the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure and Case Law, N.C. Bar Association’s Annual Appellate Practice Section CLE Program, Cary, NC, April 27, 2022
- Additional lecturers of this day-long CLE included Former Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, North Carolina’s Current Solicitor General Ryan Park, and North Carolina’s Former Solicitor General Matthew Sawchak.
- Moderator, Mentoring Law Clerks and Young Lawyers, American Bar Association’s Judicial Division Live Webinar, January 12, 2022
- Panelists included Chief Justice Paul Newby of the Supreme Court of North Carolina and Professor Frank Sullivan, former Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.
- Panelist, Judicial Isolation: Before and During the Pandemic and How to Find Balance, American Bar Association’s Judicial Division Live Webinar, December 8, 2021
- Panelist alongside Chief Judge Donna Stroud of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Justice Steven David of Indiana’s Supreme Court, and U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. District Court of the District of South Carolina.
- Lecturer, The New Appellate Style Manual and Universal Citations, North Carolina Advocates for Justice’s Annual Skills Academy: New Developments in Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy Live Webinar, November 5, 2021
- Additional lecturers during this day-long CLE included Justice Anita Earls of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, as well as N.C. Court of Appeals’ Chief Judge Donna Stroud and Judge Richard Dietz.
Admissions
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Ninth Federal Circuits
Memberships
- American Bar Association’s Council of Appellate Lawyers (CAL), Board Member
- Standing Committee on Diversity in the Judiciary, American Bar Association’s Judicial Division
- North Carolina Bar Association, Appellate Practice Section
- North Carolina Appellate Rules Committee
Community Involvement
- Regular attorney volunteer for Wills for Heroes, a program responsible for drafting wills and power of attorney documents for first responders
Education
- J.D., summa cum laude, Elon University School of Law, 2017
- Class Rank: 2nd out of 111 graduates
- Business Editor of Elon Law Review
- First Place and Best Oral Advocate in Moot Court Competition
- Presidential Scholar
- B.A., magna cum laude, English, Roanoke College, 2013
- Additional Intensive Training Courses:
- National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)’s Building Trial Skills & Advocacy Course, 2023
- The Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Legal Center & School’s Administrative Law for Military Organizations Course (ALMO), 2024
Honors
- U.S. Army’s Civilian Service Achievement Medal, 2024
- For outstanding representation of hundreds of seriously ill and injured U.S. Army Soldiers
- ICE (Interactive Customer Evaluation) Award, 2024
- Top prize among dozens of her attorney peers for receiving the most and highest-rated, voluntary client reviews
- Business North Carolina, N.C. Legal Elite – “Young Guns,” 2021
- North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, Rising Star Award, 2019