The House Advantage: Wisdom from In-House Counsel
January 3, 2025
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Allen N. Trask, III
General Practitioner
Allen began his career as a traditional litigator focused on business and real estate disputes. Over time, his practice has expanded to include clients from a variety of markets with a variety of needs. Litigation and dispute resolution remain essential parts of his daily practice, but he also enjoys advising clients on a broad range of general legal, business, regulatory, and practical matters, craving the opportunity to serve as a trusted advisor. His unique and varied journey through the practice of law has led him to his current roles as co-leader of its Community Associations, Insurance Counseling and Recovery, and Hemp and Cannabis Law Practice Groups, and leader of the Firm's Agribusiness Practice Group. Allen also serves the Firm as the co-Geographic Team Leader for its Wilmington office and is a member of the advisory board for Ward and Smith Business Consulting.
Working with North Carolina real estate developers and the community associations that they create was where Allen found his professional footing. He continues to handle a wide range of issues for these clients, including the preparation, amendment, interpretation, and enforcement of restrictive covenants and governing corporate documents, declarant control transition and disputes, fiduciary concerns, and collections. Allen's representation of community associations in disaster recovery cases gave rise to his interest in the insurance space, which he actively leverages for the Firm's clientele. His work with real estate developers goes beyond just their relationship with community associations and embraces both land use and zoning matters and commercial leasing and property management concerns.
Allen also devotes a significant portion of his time to the Firm's diverse base of Agribusiness clients, which include farming and timber operations, crop storage facilities, equipment and inputs suppliers, and agritourism ventures. He coordinates the Firm's resources to address the specialized issues facing these clients, such as bona fide farm designations, farmland leases, crop insurance, corporate organization and succession planning, equipment financing and leasing, environmental concerns, and regulatory compliance and permitting. In 2015, partially as an outgrowth of his Agribusiness practice and borne also of a desire to develop work in emerging domestic markets, Allen began to work with clients in the hemp space, both in North Carolina and beyond. Tracking legal developments over the last several years, that representation has expanded to include clients both in and adjacent to the hemp and greater cannabis markets, and Allen currently helps guide the Firm's practice in those efforts.
Education
- J.D., Campbell Law School, 2009. National Moot Court Team; Chief Articles Editor, Campbell Law Review.
- B.S., Political Science, East Carolina University, 2005
Honors and Distinctions*
- "Future Star," Benchmark Litigation,2024
- The Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers®, 2021-2024
- "Rising Star," Business Litigation, North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2014-2023
- "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, Litigation, 2012 and 2014-2015, 2022-2023, 2025
- "40 & Under List," Benchmark Litigation, 2018-2022
Professional and Community Affiliations
- American Bar Association — Sections: Dispute Resolution; Litigation
- Cape Fear Museum of History and Science (member, Associate Board 2016-2019; co-chair Development Committee, 2016-2017; member, Advisory Board 2010-2016; chair 2013-2015; member, Strategic Planning Committee 2013-2014)
- Community Associations Institute, North Carolina Chapter (member, Coastal Regional Advisory Council 2014 - 2017)
- Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce (Leadership Wilmington Alumnus, Class of 2012; Education Session co-Chair 2013)
- New Hanover County Bar Association, Inc. (member, board of directors 2010-2014; president 2013-2014; vice president 2012-2013; secretary-treasurer 2011-2012)
- North Carolina Bar Association — Sections: Appellate; Litigation (co-chair, membership committee 2014-2015; co-editor, newsletter committee 2014-2015)
- St. James Parish (member, Vestry 2015-2017)
- American Agriculture Law Association (membership committee member, 2021-2022; law seminar planning committee member, 2022-present)
Admitted to Practice
- North Carolina, 2009
- All state and federal courts in North Carolina
- United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina
* Please see the following websites for an explanation of the membership standards for the following recognitions: www.bestlawyers.com; businessnc.com/special-sections/legal-elite/; and www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina.
