Richard F. Prentis, Jr.

Richard F. Prentis, Jr. (“Rick Prentis”) is the senior managing member of the Law Firm. Rick was born in 1946, raised primarily in the Midwest (Iowa) and came to Durham in 1964 to attend Duke University. In 1969 he married his wife Sandi and the couple has two daughters, Courtney who is a licensed clinical social worker in Atlanta and Molly who is a certified second grade bilingual teacher in Dallas. They have two grandsons, Richard and Henry, and one granddaughter, Elizabeth.

Rick received his Bachelors degree from Duke University in 1968 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill in 1972. He also studied the summer of 1971 in London, England and received a certificate in international law. Rick received the prestigious offer of a federal judicial clerkship for the calendar year 1973 and, while awaiting the beginning of that clerkship, he served as a law clerk with the Stubbs Cole law firm for the last six months of 1972. After a year clerking for the Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat, United States District Court Judge, in the Middle District of Florida, Rick returned to the Stubbs Cole law firm in January 1974 where he continues his legal practice to this day. He is admitted and licensed to practice law in all courts in the states of North Carolina and Florida. For almost twenty years, Rick has been designated by Martindale Hubbell as an AV preeminent lawyer meeting the highest standards of ethics and legal competence as judged by an annual vote of other lawyers conducted in confidence by Martindale Hubbell. That designation also qualifies the Stubbs Cole firm to be rated as an AV firm. Rick has also been selected by McClatchy Media, Legal Leaders, as one of North Carolina’s Top Rated Lawyers. Click the image to see a copy.

In addition to the practice of law, Rick has been chosen and served as a continuing legal education seminar speaker on Real Estate and Bankruptcy and on Real Estate and Ethics. He also served six years as an instructor for the American Institute of Banking teaching Banking and Uniform Commercial Code law to mid level bank management personnel as part of their certification curriculum. He has also served as a four session seminar speaker on estate planning for the United Methodist Foundation and as a seminar speaker on employment contracts for the Duke University Physicians Assistants School. Over the years he has also served his community in a variety of ways including President of the North Durham Rotary Club, President of the Duke Durham Alumni Association, and founding member of the Board of Directors of the Adult Oncology House of Durham, Inc.

Rick’s self proclaimed strength is his versatility and broad experience. He has provided quality representation in all areas of real estate law including land use, planning, zoning and special use permit representation in all local and surrounding governmental jurisdictions. He is knowledgeable, experienced and skilled in all areas of real estate development and financing, estate planning and estate administration, and small business organization and management. Necessarily in today’s world, he is also well versed and experienced in all tax issues relating to these areas of practice and has provided representation before the Internal Revenue Service and in the United States Tax Court. His lengthy and multi-disciplined experience provides a perfect foundation for the law firm.