“My practice is one person at a time and I believe I can make a difference in each one of my client’s lives,” said Raleigh attorney Carson Crooms. “Advocating for others is what I enjoy.”
Crooms is the owner of Old North State Law. He practices out of a cramped, spartan office on St. Mary’s Street by design. “My life is very much about monitoring expenses. That leaves me with more money I can put into cases and use to advocate for my clients.” His practice focuses principally on personal injury work, real property disputes and some civil litigation matters.
Crooms is quiet, humble and unassuming. Yet when you spend time with him, with his sincerity, his commitment to his clients and his compassion, you begin to view him as a gentle giant.
Reasonable Housing
Housing ranks high on his list of causes he champions for his clients. “I think everybody should have a reasonable place to live. I do a lot on the contract side representing residential tenants. If I think there is a landlord who is not maintaining a safe place, I’ll take that case even though I may not make much from it; and that happens sometimes and that’s OK, because otherwise those issues may not get addressed. The goal is to get landlords to do things the right way. I’d love it if all landlords treated tenants fairly and I never had another residential case.”
Crooms earned a degree in business administration at UNC and then returned home to St. Petersburg, Florida. He was involved in developing affordable homes until the real estate bubble burst. He returned to North Carolina and earned his Juris Doctor at Campbell Law School. After passing the bar, Crooms was immediately drawn to personal injury law.
“I like this area of law because it holds people responsible for the decisions they make,” said Crooms. “I think that if you have hurt somebody else you should accept responsibility for that.” Then sounding much like one of his mentors, John McCabe, he adds, “I like being able to hold insurance companies accountable. If they stepped up and compensated people fairly, I wouldn’t have a whole lot of work to do.”
While Crooms is eyeing a second office in Pinehurst and growing the firm, for now he appreciates the freedom afforded him as a solo attorney. “I invest a lot of time getting to know my clients. My approach is fairly client intensive. We go to breakfasts, lunches, we spend time together and that helps us achieve better results. Getting to spend time with clients and understanding how their particular problem has impacted their lives makes practicing law worthwhile.”
Coach Carson
Crooms competed in moot court and negotiations competitions as a student at Campbell and is now a coach. “Campbell has a great network of alumni and adjunct faculty that invest time in its students. I was fortunate to be on the receiving end during my time at Campbell and it’s been great for me to be on the opposite side, teaching students the skills I learned and use every day in my practice.”
Crooms is also passionate about golf. He played at Franklin and Marshall College for two years as an undergraduate. When his practice allows, he conveys his love of golf by coaching for The First Tee, a nonprofit junior golf program. “Golf has rules and so does life. We teach kids concepts like respect, integrity and honesty through exercises on and off the course,” said Crooms. “A lot of kids hate homework but when you tie it to the game of golf, they tend to do it and coaches like me hold them accountable if they don’t.”
Problem Solver
“A lot of times I’m a last resort for folks. I think of my job as a problem solver and I’d like people to know that if they have a problem, I’m committed to making sure they have somewhere to turn,” said Crooms. “It’s my job to be proactive in their representation and to use the laws of North Carolina to find a positive solution for them. I enjoy being a part of that process and I enjoy being a part of making folks whole again.”
