Located in western North Carolina, Asheville was just one area hit hard by severe conditions from Hurricane Helene's landfall in late September.

Situated in a broad valley surrounded by mountains, the town and its neighboring communities were not prepared for the destruction Helene brought. Nearby rivers crested at 26 feet, topping a century-old record from 1916 when two hurricanes swept through western North Carolina.

Attorneys working in private and public practice spoke to Law.com about the devastation left by Helene, reflecting how their day-to-day legal operations were affected and how their professional community pulled together in the aftermath.

'No One Expected It to Be as Bad as It Was' 


Steve Cash, a litigator and criminal defense attorney with Searson, Jones, Gottschalk & Cash, told Law.com that his first priority after the storm hit was stepping away from work to ensure his family and close friends were safe.

"The law practice just went away and we didn't even think about it," Cash said. "My first focus was checking on my family and friends because I didn't have any communication with my mom or dad, friends on the other side of the county that we didn't know how the weather had treated them. I touched base with my law partners and everyone was OK and safe somewhere."

Cash and his family had to wait days before they could return to their home in Marshall, North Carolina, located about 40 minutes north of downtown Asheville, where Searson Jones is based.

"No one expected it to be as bad as it was," Cash said. "It took a few days before we could get back across the French Broad River, and there was no cell service so my family was without power; our house was intact, but no cell service, no internet, nothing; we didn't know what was going on."

In the midst of the devastation, Cash said his law firm benefited from the "hard pause" brought by the North Carolina Supreme Court's Sept. 30 amended order that tolled deadlines for case filing in 28 counties, giving attorneys temporary relief to focus on their personal lives in addition to courthouse closures, property damage, displaced clients, and having to track down inmates in other county jails.

"We were able to talk to opposing counsel and everybody was understanding and great. Everybody sort of pulled together," Cash said.

Others in the legal community jumped into action. Two Charlotte-based attorneys, Aaron Benjamin and Joseph Polonsky of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft transported supplies to disaster-stricken areas. Benjamin, a licensed pilot, joined in Operation Airdrop's Operation Helene, while Polonsky drove an eight-hour round trip from Charlotte to Hendersonville, North Carolina, to deliver supplies.

Attorneys with Womble Bond Dickinson also helped. Partnering with the North Carolina Bar Foundation and Honeywell in "Wills for Heroes," lawyers offered free legal services to emergency personnel in the wake of the devestation.