Family Law

• Divorce
• Child Custody and Visitation
• Guardianship
  Jim also manages the firm's estate administration (probate) and estate planning division. He has gained substantial experience as a court appointed administrator in navigating complex contested estates, and guardianships. Jim and his knowledgeable team work daily with our area Clerks of Court in Manteo and Currituck and their probate clerks to ensure your loved one’s North Carolina estate is handled timely, accurately, and with minimal stress to you and your family.

Criminal Law

• Wrongful Death
  Mr. Rose maintains a very active general litigation practice seeking justice for his clients. He concentrates his practice mainly in the area of serious personal injury, construction defects, worker's compensation, wrongful death and business litigation.
• Traffic Violations
  We help our clients with matters ranging anywhere from employment disputes, personal injury, real estate and family law to estate planning and traffic violations. Learn more about each practice area below.
• Sex Crimes
  Dennis began his legal career as a defense attorney with the law firm of Anderson Cox and Ennis in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he worked for insurance companies defending accident claims. In 1993, Dennis moved back to the Outer Banks, and he began his general practice of law by handling various types of criminal and civil cases throughout North Carolina. He continued to develop his trial practice by defending various clients who had been charged with serious felonies, including rape and capital murder.
• Murder

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  While Mr. Harrison is transitioning away from the practice of law, he remains associated with the firm as “of counsel.” In this role, he assists the lawyers in the firm with legal matters, primarily focusing in his past practice of employment law, wage and hour claims, corporate law, asset purchases, business acquisition and sales, and real estate.
• Business Formation
• Business Disputes
  As the years went by, Dennis continued to develop a civil trial practice by helping his clients resolve contract disputes, employment matters, construction disputes and assisting those persons seriously injured on their job or in other accidents. In 1995, he and his law partner and long-time family friend, Peebles Harrison, began the law firm of Rose & Harrison. In 2000, attorney James R Gilreath, Jr., joined Dennis and Peebles. In 2019, attorney David B Powers joined the firm.
• Business Transactions
  In 2010, David embarked on his legal education and enrolled as a law student at Regent University in Virginia Beach. He was a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board and represented Regent as a competitor in the regional ABA Negotiations Competition. David was also a member of the Business Transactions Law Society, and he worked as a summer legal associate for Rose Harrison & Gilreath, P.C. in 2012.
• Limited Liability Companies

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
  A. If by chance you were on the job working at the time of your injury you can submit your claim to your employer’s workers compensation insurance company and receive weekly income equal to 2/3 of your average weekly wages. If you were not on the job at the of your injury, you can apply for unemployment benefits. However, to qualify you must be available for work. If your treating doctors say that you can perform limited work, you must indicate this on your application. If you have Disability Insurance, you can submit a claim to the insurance carrier. If your income is below a certain level, you can apply to Medicaid for financial assistance. There may be churches and certain charitable organizations in your local community who could possibly provide some financial assistance. Another option would be to apply to your bank or friends for a loan to get you through.
• Wrongful Termination
  From the employee’s perspective, we provide guidance and counseling regarding termination or payment issues. Over the past couple of years, we have prosecuted breach of contract cases, sexual harassment cases, and other wrongful termination matters.
• Employment Contract
  In addition to our business formation services, we can assist existing businesses with their legal needs. We draft or review contracts and protect your interests in other areas including, but not limited to, employment contracts, services agreements, employee policies and handbooks, and contracts for customers, clients and vendors.
• Employment Litigation
  We have seen our fair share of employment issues on the Outer Banks since 1995. If you own a business and have questions about how to properly handle employment matters or if you are an employee with questions about your rights under the federal and state statutes, we can help.
• Severance Agreement
  From the employer’s perspective, we assist with drafting contracts, severance agreements, handbooks and offer general counsel regarding various labor and employment compliance issues Mr. Harrison has represented a company with approximately 2,500 employees for the past 20 years. In that capacity, he has defended sexual harassment lawsuits, wage and hour class actions, retaliation cases, and other wrongful discharge cases throughout the country.
• Sexual Harassment

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  We routinely assist both out-of-state/out-of-area clients and attorneys dealing with real estate matters involving vacation homes and condominiums located on the Outer Banks. If you are out of state or out of the area and need assistance, feel free to contact us.
• Construction Litigation
  Our law firm represents property owners, both residential homeowners and commercial business owners, who have discovered substantial deficiencies in work performed by a General Contractor they hired. There are several common issues that typically arise in litigation involving construction defects. The following is a brief summary of certain legal issues that a property owner may face when he or she discovers defects in construction.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Jim currently manages Rose Harrison Gilreath & Powers real estate team where he routinely helps realtors, buyers, sellers and their lenders bring their Outer Banks real estate transactions to a successful conclusion. In addition, Jim and the firm have extensive experience assisting the interval ownership industry with their real estate needs on the Outer Banks when they need local experienced lawyers.
• Land Use and Zoning
  Beyond sale or purchase, our team can continue to help if you are involved in real estate issues such as boundary disputes, bank financing, short sales, foreclosure, 1031 exchange transactions, permitting/land use issues, partition actions, covenant violations/enforcement, construction liens, and adverse possession. We routinely work with tax accountants and other professionals if your situation is more complex.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  There is no substitute for experience when it comes to navigating our legal system. The attorneys at Rose Harrison Gilreath & Powers, P.C. have over 75 years of combined experience. Our firm has represented clients on the Outer Banks and throughout Northeastern North Carolina and Virginia. Our practices focus on contract and employment disputes, personal injury, real estate, estate planning and administration, collections, and corporate matters. We work hard to help guide you through your case and to protect your rights.
• Medical Malpractice

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Should you need more complex planning, we routinely work with tax accountants and other professionals to make sure your estate planning goals are accomplished. We maintain a trusted network of skilled companies and individuals who can help if needed.
• Wills
• Power of Attorney
  It is an exciting time of year for recent high school graduates as many make the transition to life outside the home and head off to college. If your child has reached his or her eighteenth birthday, they are no longer a child in the eyes of the law as they have reached the age of majority. Along with the right to vote, register for the draft, and all the other benefits of being 18, your child now takes the reigns on making legal decisions. As a parent you no longer have the right to your child’s private information, including critical healthcare information, unless your child gives you permission. As parents ourselves we appreciate the potential nightmare scenario that might unfold due to an accident when your child lands in an emergency room in some other state and no one will give you critical healthcare information. Likewise, your access to your child’s financial information could be cut off without the proper documents in place. We recommend your child consider executing: 1) a financial power of attorney; 2) a health care power of attorney (which includes the requisite HIPAA release language); and 3) an education records release. These three documents can keep you involved and informed as your child navigates the next steps in his or her life journey. We are happy to work with your child to prepare and execute these crucial documents, and offer a discounted student rate to your recent graduate to equip them as they continue their journey to adulthood.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Foreclosure
• Tax Law
  In addition to our estate planning practice, our firm routinely assist executors or personal representatives with the administration of an estate. The estate administration process can be daunting for some. We work with you to create an administration plan customized for an efficient administration of the estate. We assist out-of-state attorneys with ancillary administration as many of their clients may have owned second homes or investment properties on the Outer Banks. And we have much experience dealing with the collection, inventory, accounting and distribution of property in an estate. In addition, we routinely work with local accountants to assist with tax issues and maintain relationships with specialized tax lawyers should your estate administration need the involvement of other professionals.