Catherine L. Wilson

Catherine Wilson’s practice focuses on estate planning, special needs planning, guardianship proceedings, and trust and estate litigation.

Catherine is uniquely positioned as both an estate planner and a litigator to advise fiduciaries and help family members resolve legal claims and disputes. As part of her special needs practice, Catherine advises on persons with disabilities and their family members on estate planning m, as well as the post-litigation establishment of special needs trusts designed to receive personal injury awards.

Catherine grew up in Opelika, Alabama. She attended David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2001. In 2005, Catherine earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University, where she was an Honors Scholar and served as Executive Articles Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. That same year, she also earned a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School with a focus in patristics. She is a past Fellow of the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions at Vanderbilt University.

Catherine joined the firm in 2011 when her family relocated to Durham. Prior to her move, Catherine practiced with the Birmingham law firm of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. (now Dentons Sirote), working exclusively in its trusts and estates practice group. She is a member of the American, Alabama, and Durham Bar Associations, and the North Carolina Bar Association (Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section). She is the current Vice Chair of the Legislative Committee of the NCBA’s Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section. She is a past Director and Treasurer of the Sixteenth Judicial District Bar, the Durham County Bar Association, and the Durham Bar Foundation. She has been a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law since 2016. She is an active member of St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, where she serves as a past Treasurer and current Director of Religious Education.

Catherine and her husband, a professional chef, are raising their son in Durham. Catherine is also an avid gardener, board game enthusiast, and passionate sports fan.