John N. (Nick) Fountain

Background

John N. (Nick) Fountain has assisted clients in more than 80 of the 100 courthouses in North Carolina and before dozens of the numerous boards and commissions in Raleigh. He has addressed complaints and handled hearings for professionals at risk before the Real Estate Commission, the Banking Commission, the CPA Examiners, N.C. Medical Board, the Dental Examiners, the Psychology Board and others. He is General Counsel to the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors and to the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. His experience includes cases with the State Revenue Department and Purchase and Contract matters.

In addition to licensing boards and administrative law matters, Nick has assisted clients in solving business acquisition and shareholder disputes, real estate disputes including boundaries, condemnation, zoning, and restrictive covenants, estate problems and will caveats. Nick is a N.C. Dispute Resolution commission certified mediator in Superior Court and in the Office of Administrative Hearings. His varied practice and contacts with numerous lawyers have given him wide recognition and use as a mediator, particularly in business and healthcare matters. Nick has been involved in more than 40 reported decisions in the North Carolina Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, the Business Court, U.S. District Court and the Fourth Circuit. He has an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Nick heads one of the Business/Administrative practice teams within the firm and serves on our practice management committee. He has served as president of the Wake County and 10th district Bar, on the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association, as a Bar Councilor of the State Bar, and as president of the Raleigh Kiwanis Club. He has received multiple awards for Bar leadership and historic preservation. After graduating from Duke University and receiving his law degree from Wake Forest University, Nick was honored to have begun his practice with a clerkship with Judge (later Justice) David M. Britt.

Practice Areas

• Administrative Law
• Licensing Boards and Commissions
• Business Litigation
• Real Estate Litigation and Land Condemnation
• Business Law
• NCDRC Certified Superior Court Mediator

Education & Bar Admissions

• J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law, 1968
• B.A., Duke University, 1965

Admitted in

• North Carolina, 1968
• U.S. District Courts for North Carolina
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

Awards & Achievements

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America™
• Listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers™ in 2007-2010

Professional & Civic Activity

• Wake County Bar Association
  • President, 1989
  • Chair, Bar Candidate Committee, 2007-2009
  • Chair, Endowment/Scholarship Committee
• North Carolina State Bar Council 2007-
• North Carolina Bar Association
  • Board of Governors, 1985-1988
  • Chair, Administrative Law Section, 2000-2001
  • Chair, Administrative Law Committee, 1982-1984
  • Chair, Administrative Law and Procedure Task Force, 1988-1999
  • Chair, Legislative Advisory Committee, 1991-1992
  • Chair, Alternative Billing Commission, 1996-2000
  • Chair, Endowment Committee, 2001-2004
  • Legal Services of North Carolina
  • Chair, Finance Committee, 1982-1985
  • Chair, Access to Justice Campaign
• Raleigh Kiwanis Club President 2008-09, Past Chair Kiwanis Foundation
• Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, 2004-
• Chair of Hearings Committee

Publications & Presentations

Lecturer on trials of real property cases, the North Carolina Administrative Code, and issues in occupational licensing