Attorneys

	Daniel A. Merlin Associate
	Tel: 704-998-2249 Fax: 704-376-1628 Email: dmerlin@jahlaw.com Download vCard Download Bio

Mr. Merlin’s principal areas of practice are construction law, real estate and title claims litigation, and general commercial litigation. His clients include title insurance underwriters, commercial contractors, subcontractors, landowners and banks, among others. He is a member of the Construction Law and Litigation Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation and the Chair of the Mecklenburg County Bar Young Lawyers Division.

Practice Areas

• Construction Litigation and Arbitration
• Commercial Litigation
• Civil Litigation
• Real Estate and Title Claims Litigation

Representative Work

• Metcalf v. Black Dog Realty, LLC, 684 S.E.2d 709 (N.C. Ct. App. 2009). Successfully obtained reversal of trial court’s denial of developer’s right to purchase property from City of Asheville. Unanimous Court of Appeals panel directed that summary judgment be entered in favor of developer.
• Effectively defended 12 homeowners from 67 claims of lien and 38 lien enforcement lawsuits threatening to prime the owners’ interests in their houses after builder declared bankruptcy. Successfully recovered losses from third parties involved in the disputes.
• Rice v. Coholan, 2010 N.C. App. LEXIS 1160 (N.C. Ct. App. 2010). Successfully obtained reversal of trial court’s summary judgment order restricting clients’ right to develop their property. Unanimous Court of Appeals panel directed that summary judgment be entered in favor of clients.
• Assisted in orchestrating settlement among 20+ landowners, investors and banks (15 of which were clients) in a $6 million, 25-acre overlapping deed dispute in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Education

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.S. Business Administration, with Honors, 2003)
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (J.D., with Honors, 2006)
  
  • Managing Editor, North Carolina Law Review (2005-2006)
  • Clerk of Court, Holderness Moot Court Bench (2005-2006)
  • Member, Invitational Moot Court Team (2005-2006)
  • President, Entrepreneurial Law Association (2004-2005)
• Admitted to North Carolina Bar in 2006

Honors and Awards

• Business North Carolina Magazine’s “Legal Elite”
  
  • Young Gun – Top North Carolina Attorneys Under 40(2010)
• Law & Politics Magazine’s North Carolina “Super Lawyer”
  
  • Rising Star (2010)
• Graduate of Mecklenburg County Bar Leadership Institute (2009)
• Order of the Barristers (2006)

Professional Organization

• American Bar Association
• North Carolina Bar Association
  
  • Co-Chair Charlotte Division, NCBA 4ALL Service Day(2009- )
  • Construction Law Section
  • Civil Litigation Section
• Mecklenburg County Bar
  
  • Chair, Young Lawyers Division (2010-2011)
  • Bar Leadership Institute Committee (2009- )
  • Law & Society Committee (2006-2009)
  • Litigation Section
• Mecklenburg Bar Foundation
  
  • Board Member, MCB Appointee (2009-2012)
  • Development Committee (2009- )
• Justice William Bobbitt Inns of Court

Publications

• Co-Author, “Construction Claims,” North Carolina Construction Law Deskbook (5th ed. 2009)
• Co-Author, “Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina,” North Carolina Construction Law Deskbook (5th ed. 2009)