Attorneys in Charlotte, North Carolina

Gary J. Welch
Main image for Gary J. Welch

Gary J. Welch

Partner

1065 East Morehead Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28204
704.332.1181
F704.376.1628
O:704.998.2314
F:704.376.1628

Assistant

Tonya Singletary

704.496.6522
tsingletary@jahlaw.com

Outside of
Work

Outside of Work

Outside of the office, Gary is an avid golfer and sports fan. One of his life-long hobbies is to play Golf Digest’s Top 100 Golf Courses, and he is well on his way to accomplishing that goal with his annual buddies’ golf trips.

Also, his youngest daughter plays golf competitively, so he spends many weekends traveling the southeast watching her develop into a fine young golfer herself.

Having grown up in the basketball-crazy state of Kentucky and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, Gary loves rooting for his Wildcats and Tar Heels while still playing some hoops himself. As part of his love for basketball and young people, Gary also serves as an assistant high school basketball coach for a local Charlotte school. Of course, nothing replaces spending quality time with his family.

I tailor every solution to the business, personality and legal temperament of the company owners. Some clients want an aggressive approach and understand the costs associated with that strategy. Others want to steer clear of a lengthy battle, so I find the most expedient way to resolve the problem. Regardless of the solution or style, I keep a cool head and positive attitude and let them know I’m available day and night.

Practices

Industries

Admissions

Bar Admissions
  • North Carolina
Court Admissions
  • All Federal and State Courts in North Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of North Carolina

Education

  • University of North Carolina School of Law (JD, 1994)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BS, with Distinction, 1991)
    • Business Administration

Associations

Professional

  • North Carolina Board Certified Superior Court Mediator
  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • North Carolina Bar Association
    • Construction Law Section, Chair (2008-2009)
    • Construction Law Section, Council Member (2004-2007)
    • Litigation Section
  • Mecklenburg County Bar
    • Board of Directors (2003-2005)
    • Young Lawyers Division, Past President
  • Carolinas AGC
    • Pinnacle Awards Presenter
    • Human Resources Committee, Former Member
    • Supplier Services Committee, Former Member

Community

  • Elevation Church, Expansion Team
  • Charlotte Leadership Forum
  • FCA Charlotte Metro Board Member
  • Queen’s Grant High School, Assistant High School Basketball Coach
  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Academic Internship Program Advisory Board, Past Member

Outside of
Work

My Life Outside of Work

Outside of the office, Gary is an avid golfer and sports fan. One of his life-long hobbies is to play Golf Digest’s Top 100 Golf Courses, and he is well on his way to accomplishing that goal with his annual buddies’ golf trips.

Also, his youngest daughter plays golf competitively, so he spends many weekends traveling the southeast watching her develop into a fine young golfer herself.

Having grown up in the basketball-crazy state of Kentucky and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, Gary loves rooting for his Wildcats and Tar Heels while still playing some hoops himself. As part of his love for basketball and young people, Gary also serves as an assistant high school basketball coach for a local Charlotte school. Of course, nothing replaces spending quality time with his family.

I tailor every solution to the business, personality and legal temperament of the company owners. Some clients want an aggressive approach and understand the costs associated with that strategy. Others want to steer clear of a lengthy battle, so I find the most expedient way to resolve the problem. Regardless of the solution or style, I keep a cool head and positive attitude and let them know I’m available day and night.

Gary Welch assists construction, manufacturing, real estate and other companies facing problems and disputes. He handles large construction, business and employment cases in litigation, mediation and arbitration. When projects are delayed or there are challenges to getting completed on time and within budget, clients come to Gary to resolve the disputes as quickly as possible. When things go awry in a business or real estate deal regardless of industry, clients hire him to work through their rights, obligations and strategies.

Clients find him especially valuable with challenging business and employment matters – theft of trade secrets, unfair and deceptive trade practices claims, non-compete disputes, fiduciary duty claims, shareholders/members disputes, and more. With emotions often running high in such cases, Gary brings the necessary confidence, skill, intellect and calm tailored to the nuances of each situation.

Whether the dispute is in North Carolina or another state, companies also hire Gary to handle product defect claims, purchase order disagreements, investment fraud, breach of contract and other matters. He is a natural problem-solver and is very experienced in arbitrations and mediations with nearly 250 in his career. He is very knowledgeable and comfortable working in the North Carolina federal, state and business courts. Because of his background in problem-solving, Gary is also a natural to work with clients to position them to avoid disputes in the future – negotiating and reviewing contracts, drafting effective non-competes and other business agreements.

As a leading construction law firm in the Carolinas, Johnston, Allison & Hord, P.A. is the sole law firm sponsor of the prestigious Carolinas AGC Pinnacle Awards, which are presented every year. Honoring the work of general contractors and their projects’ key partners, Gary plays an active role as the Awards speaker/presenter and coordinates the judging of the awards.

Representative Experience

  • Represents local and national contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, owners, developers and sureties in construction litigation, arbitrations and mediations.
  • Advises and represents contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, owners and others regarding licensing, bidding, contract negotiations, claims, mechanics liens, bond claims, EEOC matters and other related issues.
  • Represents companies and individuals in commercial/business litigation, including breach of contract claims, non-competition agreements, investment fraud, shareholder disputes and UCC matters.
  • Lead counsel for plaintiffs obtaining judgments in excess of $1 million regarding investment fraud litigation. Assisted Government with prosecution of defendants resulting in guilty pleas and prison sentences.
  • Lead counsel for plaintiff owners obtaining summary judgment of treble damages exceeding $1 million related to contractor's fraud.
  • Lead counsel for defendant subcontractor in obtaining summary judgment in multi- million dollar construction defect case.
  • Lead counsel for main defendant subcontractor in 30 party, $60 million construction defect claim in which client did not have to contribute to large settlement.
  • Lead counsel to defendant engineering firm obtaining dismissal after having been sued for $15 million in gas-to-energy project.
  • Obtained summary judgment awarding major financial institution in excess of $350,000.00 regarding complex commercial paper dispute.
  • Lead counsel in successful defense of numerous employers against various employment claims including Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

News / Events

Honors / Awards

  • Super Lawyers® North Carolina - Construction Litigation (2009-2010, 2012-2018, 2020)
  • The Best Lawyers in America© - Construction Law (2013-2020)
  • Chambers USA, Recognized Attorney - Construction Law (2019)
  • The Best Lawyers in America© Lawyer of the Year - Construction Law (2013)
  • Business North Carolina "Legal Elite" - Construction (2006, 2009, 2010-2012, 2014)
  • ACLEA's Best Program Award - North Carolina Bar Association's CLE "You Understand Construction Law, But Do You Understand Construction?" (February 2005)
  • Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated