Gardner v. North Carolina State Bar

FRYE, Justice.

The parties to this action have brought a single question before this Court: May a licensed attorney who is a full-time employee of an insurance company ethically represent one of the company’s insureds as counsel of record in an action brought by a third party for a claim covered by the terms of the insurance policy or appear as counsel of record for the insured in the prosecution of a subrogation claim for property damage? We hold that under North Carolina law, the answer is no.

Petitioners 1 presented this question to respondent Bar on 13 January 1982 with a request that the…