In the Footsteps
OF HIS FATHER
SECOND-GENERATION ATTORNEY
BRENT ROSSER LETS INTEGRITY AND HONESTY
GUIDE HIS PRACTICE AND PRO BONO WORK
BY BETSY GRACA PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAVOTTA
It’s rare to find islands with beaches as
unspoiled as Bear Island, parts of which
haven’t changed since Blackbeard hid
along its shores in the early 1700s. The
island, part of Hammocks Beach State
Park, remains one of North Carolina’s most
treasured pieces of land, and is one that
Brent Rosser, partner at Hunton & Williams
in Charlotte, is trying to preserve for its
recreational and educational value.
“My favorite thing about practicing law
is the opportunity to help others,” Rosser
says. “Being in a position of trust to look
at [a] problem, look at the facts and help
identify solutions to that problem, I enjoy
very much.”
The 34-year-old business and
environmental litigator has been one of the
most active pro bono attorneys in his firm,
spending hundreds of hours each year on
such cases.
Last year, Rosser spent more than 400
pro bono hours on the Bear Island case
alone. At stake is approximately 300
acres of undisturbed land that Rosser’s
client, a nonprofit organization, had been
maintaining for decades. Descendants
of the land’s original owner sued the
organization, claiming rightful ownership.
After a two-week trial in 2010, in which
Rosser was a lead attorney, a jury
determined the nonprofit did not have the
financial means to continue upkeep that
would reflect the required educational
and recreational value. “The whole case
was fascinating given the history of the
property and the people who are close to
it,” says Rosser. (At the time of publication,
the case was awaiting a hearing before the
Court of Appeals of North Carolina.)
