vCard: Stephanie M. D’Atri

About Attorney Stephanie M. D’Atri

Stephanie M. D’Atri is an experienced real property litigation attorney who focuses her law practice on representing residential and commercial landlords, investors, owners, and property management firms across North Carolina, including in Wake, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Nash, New Hanover, Orange, and Wilson counties.  Stephanie represents clients in both Small Claims and District Court, in addition to the North Carolina Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and the North Carolina Supreme Court.

As part of her practice, she:

• Files evictions and monies owed cases for residential and commercial landlord clients
• Defends landlords in fair housing, collection, security deposit, lease, purchase/sale contract, and other civil disputes
• Drafts residential and commercial leases, lease addenda, lease termination and modification agreements, demand letters, and other contracts/documents relating to landlord-tenant law
• Advises clients on conventional and subsidized housing matters (including for Section 8 project-based and voucher-based, low-income housing tax credit, rural development, and mobile home park properties)
• Handles atypical property matters, including ejectment and trespass cases, estate and post-foreclosure occupancy issues, neighbor disputes, and partitions
• Negotiates and counsels clients on commercial leasing transactions
• Assists clients with business formation and registration

In addition to her daily law practice, Stephanie also regularly teaches landlord-tenant seminars for the City of Raleigh, the Triangle Real Estate Investors Association, the North Carolina Realtors’ Association, the Triangle Apartment Association, private property management companies, and legal associations.

Publications

• “Representing Children: Spotlight on The Child’s Advocate” Wake Bar Flyer (November/December 2015, at 14-15)
• Co-Author, “The Intersection of Housing and Domestic Violence: An Overview of Which ‘Court Orders’ Apply When (Part One),” Apartment Times Magazine for the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association (Mar./Apr. 2015, at 9-10)

Background

Prior to joining HLB in 2015, Stephanie worked as a trial attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina where she represented clients in District and Superior Court on a wide range of civil cases including landlord-tenant, contract, domestic violence, consumer protection, and mortgage foreclosure matters.  After 4 years at Legal Aid, Stephanie “switched sides” to represent hundreds of large, multifamily landlords and property management companies across North Carolina, litigating thousands of evictions across the State of North Carolina for Loebsack and Brownlee, PLLC.

With an extensive litigation background representing both sides of the coin, Stephanie understands and appreciates the practical importance of amicable resolutions.  As a result, Stephanie works to strategically, effectively, and diligently to negotiate fair, amicable settlements so that her clients’ costs are minimized, court expenses and public resources are conserved, and unnecessary, protracted litigation is avoided where possible.

Education and Professional Involvement

Stephanie received her undergraduate degrees in English and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006 and her Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2010.  Following law school, Stephanie received the NCCU School of Law H.M. Michaux Award for Public Service, the UNC School of Law Pro Bono Publico Award, the N.C. State Bar Pro Bono Service Award, and the Capital City Sertoma Club Service to Mankind Award for her significant pro bono and community involvement.  Among many of those public service commitments, Stephanie has advocated for abused and neglected children as a volunteer through the Guardian ad Litem Program for over 14 years.

In December of 2015, Stephanie was elected by her peers to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the 10th Judicial District and the Wake County Bar Association for a three-year term from 2016-2018 and, in April of 2017, Stephanie was honored to receive the Charles B. Hunt Award from the Young Lawyers Division of the Wake County Bar Association.  Stephanie is a member of the Wake County Bar Association and the Susie Sharp Inn of Court.  During any free time, Stephanie enjoys traveling and watching UNC basketball.