Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby

What Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby does

Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby, P.A. is a North Carolina-based litigation and defense law firm founded in 1990 and headquartered in New Bern, with a secondary satellite office in the region. The firm operates as a professional association owned by its partner attorneys, with no parent company, external capital, or private equity involvement. It maintains roughly five active attorneys supported by three paralegals and four administrative staff, alongside four retired attorneys who remain listed on the firm's roster, suggesting an established 30-plus-year history. The firm is licensed to practice in North Carolina state and federal courts and limits its geographic focus to the Southeast United States.

The firm delivers legal services through thirteen practice areas, anchored in personal injury defense and extending into medical malpractice, products liability, insurance defense, construction law, business and corporate litigation, healthcare law, municipal and government law, non-medical professional negligence, risk management, appellate practice, alternative dispute resolution, and a limited plaintiff-side personal injury practice for severe cases. Its core technology consists of standard legal practice management and case management systems used to manage litigation, insurance defense, and personal injury matters; no proprietary technology platform is indicated. The firm markets primarily through a content-driven blog and SEO-optimized website targeting business owners, healthcare providers, insurance carriers, and licensed professionals in North Carolina.

The revenue model is professional services billing on an hourly basis with monthly invoicing, supplemented by free initial consultations for serious personal injury cases. Client acquisition is sales-led and driven by professional reputation, peer referrals, and direct consultation requests through office visits, telephone, and online contact forms. The firm competes on depth of specialized knowledge in North Carolina's contributory negligence framework and on credentials including Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Ratings, SuperLawyers recognition, and Business North Carolina Legal Elite designations.

Name

Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby

Legal name

Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby, P.A.

Website

https://hcwb.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby is a New Bern, North Carolina-based litigation and defense law firm founded in 1990, serving businesses, healthcare providers, insurance carriers, and professionals across thirteen practice areas anchored in personal injury defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services — Litigation Defense

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) (FSAJADAB)

Keywords

• Personal injury defense
• Medical malpractice defense
• Insurance defense litigation
• Professional negligence defense
• Risk management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

New Bern

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Litigation & Defense: Hourly billing for litigation, defense, and general legal services. Free initial consultations offered for serious personal injury cases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby is a North Carolina litigation law firm that represents defendants in personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, insurance, construction, business, municipal, and professional negligence matters, while also providing appellate, alternative dispute resolution, and risk-management services. Its core revenue-generating practice is defense-side representation in state and federal courts across North Carolina, with limited plaintiff-side personal injury work in unusually serious cases. The firm supplements litigation with risk-reduction consulting to help clients minimize liability exposure.

Product overview

Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby is a North Carolina law firm offering legal services through 13 distinct practice areas. The firm operates primarily as a personal injury defense firm, providing litigation and counseling services across medical malpractice, products liability, insurance defense, construction, business litigation, healthcare law, and professional negligence. The core offering is litigation defense services, supplemented by risk management consulting and alternative dispute resolution. The firm also occasionally represents plaintiffs in serious personal injury cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Injury Defense Legal representation for defendants in personal injury cases, including premises liability, auto accidents, and wrongful death claims, with command of North Carolina contributory negligence law.
• Medical Malpractice Defense Defense representation for healthcare professionals and institutions against medical malpractice claims, with regulatory and licensing board support.
• Products Liability Defense Defense of manufacturers, distributors, and sellers against claims involving defective products.
• Insurance Defense Defense of insurance companies against bad faith claims and policy coverage disputes.
• Business Law & Corporate Litigation Corporate litigation services including commercial disputes and business tort defense for commercial entities.
• Construction Law Legal services for construction-related disputes including contractor liability and project litigation.
• Health Care Law Legal counsel for healthcare providers including regulatory compliance and litigation defense.
• Municipal & Government Law Representation for government entities and municipal authorities in litigation matters.
• Non-Medical Professional Negligence Defense Defense of professionals including attorneys, accountants, engineers, and architects against malpractice claims.
• Risk Management Consulting services to help clients minimize liability exposure and implement risk reduction programs.
• Litigation General civil and commercial litigation services across state and federal courts.
• Appellate Practice Appeals representation in state and federal appellate courts.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediation and arbitration services as alternatives to traditional litigation.
• Plaintiffs Personal Injury Representation Occasional representation of plaintiffs in complex or unusually serious personal injury cases, including matters involving permanent incapacity or wrongful death. Free initial consultation available for qualifying cases.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA)minorOthers · 1 August 2021Attorney Jay Salsman was appointed to the NCADA Board of Directors, with term running through 2024. Salsman previously served as Chair of NCADA's Medical Malpractice Practice Group.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP: Established North Carolina-headquartered full-service firm with significant litigation, insurance, and healthcare practices. Targets similar insurer and healthcare clients but offers expanded transactional and regulatory capabilities beyond pure defense.
• Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP: National firm with strong insurance coverage and bad faith defense practices and a North Carolina office. Overlaps with HCWB's insurance defense and coverage dispute work, though serving it within a much broader practice portfolio.
• Adams and Reese LLP: Multi-state firm recognized for insurance defense, professional liability, and commercial litigation. Serves similar carrier and professional-defendant clients through a regional platform that includes a Charlotte, NC office.
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP: Large Southeast-based firm with a substantial North Carolina presence and recognized insurance defense practice. Competes for the same insurance panel and corporate defense work but at materially greater scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Southeast-focused defense firm with strong insurance defense, medical malpractice, and professional liability practices. Directly comparable on client verticals and defense orientation, with comparable mid-size regional profile though broader geography.
• Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, P.A. Premier North Carolina litigation firm with deep healthcare, insurance, and professional liability defense practices. Competes for many of HCWB's healthcare-provider and professional-defendant clients from a larger platform.
• Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP: Transatlantic law firm with significant North Carolina presence and active insurance, products liability, and commercial litigation practices. Overlaps on defense matters but operates from a substantially broader geographic and service footprint.

Direct peers

• Young Moore and Henderson, P.A. North Carolina defense firm serving insurance carriers, businesses, and professionals across premises liability, products liability, medical malpractice, and professional negligence. Comparable on client verticals, defense orientation, and regional depth.
• Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP: Charlotte-headquartered litigation firm focused on insurance defense, professional malpractice, and commercial litigation. Matches HCWB on client mix (carriers and professionals), litigation orientation, and reliance on state and federal court defense work.
• Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog, LLP: North Carolina-based defense firm with parallel practice mix including personal injury defense, insurance defense, medical malpractice, workers' comp, and professional negligence. Directly comparable based on overlapping defense-side clients, similar headcount range, and shared NC-only geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harris, Creech, Ward & Blackerby