is the recipient of the Mecklenburg County Bar's "Young Lawyer of the
Year" award for 2011-12.
Royal is a board certified specialist in estate planning and probate
law whose practice focuses in the area of trusts and estates, with an
emphasis on tax and estate planning for high net worth families. In
addition, Royal has significant experience in assisting clients in
navigating the complexities of the probate process. Her tax law
practice includes the preparation of federal and state estate and gift
tax returns as well as fiduciary income tax returns. She also
represents estates under audit with the Internal Revenue Service.
Recipients of the Young Lawyer of the Year award are selected based on
outstanding overall contributions to the Mecklenburg County Bar, as
well as to the practice of law, the community and clients.
This is the second consecutive year a Robinson Bradshaw lawyer has
been honored with this designation from the Mecklenburg County Bar.
Jennifer Csik Hutchens was the recipient for 2010-11.
At Robinson Bradshaw, Royal serves on the firm's recruiting committee.
She is actively involved with on-campus and in-office interviews with
potential summer associates and lateral candidates. During the summer
associate program, Royal serves as a co-chair "work coordinator" in
which she oversees the summer associates' work experiences and
opportunities while they are at the firm.
In addition to participating in the recruiting efforts at her firm,
Royal is an advocate for increasing summer associate opportunities for
law students of diverse backgrounds. She is actively involved with the
Mecklenburg County Bar's Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship (CLDC)
program, and participates in interviewing and selecting applicants for
the program. Robinson Bradshaw has placed CLDC participants every
summer since the program's inception and has made offers to three
alumni from the program for permanent positions.
Royal has demonstrated her commitment to public service through her
involvement with the Charlotte Women's Bar since 2007. She served as a
co-chair of the public service committee for two years, during which
time she organized community service opportunities for female lawyers
to participate in throughout the year. Royal's volunteerism includes
extensive pro bono efforts as well. She has provided pro bono legal
services through the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Legal Services for
the Elderly and the Wills for Heroes program.
Royal earned her law degree from the University of Georgia, where she
graduated summa cum laude, Order of the Coif, and was a notes editor
of the Georgia Law Review. She received her bachelor's degree from
Rhodes College, where she graduated magna cum laude and was selected
for Phi Beta Kappa.
Robinson Bradshaw is a corporate and commercial law firm with more
than 130 attorneys. For more than 50 years the firm has provided
clients with comprehensive legal services of the highest quality. The
firm has offices in Charlotte, the Research Triangle and Rock Hill,
South Carolina. On the Web at www.rbh.com.
