Attorney Annemarie Pantazis is a Board-Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist, a distinction held by a select few North Carolina lawyers. She is the author of several publications on workers’ compensation and frequently teaches continuing legal education classes on the subject.

Annemarie is from Stafford, Virginia,  a suburb of Washington D.C.  Her grandparents came to the US after World War II from Greece, Portugal and Sicily, and she was the first in her family to attend college.  She worked for a small law firm in high school and college summers where she realized how the law could not only help people but how it could open doors to create opportunities for herself and others.

Annemarie earned her B.A. from the College of William & Mary in 1994 and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1999, where she was a published member of the Wake Forest Law Review and Chief Justice of the Moot Court Board. After law school, she joined a firm defending workers’ compensation and personal injury claims.

“The time I spent defending workers’ compensation claims was a great learning experience.  I learned how to practice in this area, but more importantly, I learned how insurance companies value claims and how I could use that knowledge to help people.”

In 2002, Annemarie left the defense side to devote her career to representing those who have suffered work-related and other injuries in North Carolina.

“I love practicing workers’ comp law, and I’ve done everything I can to become an expert in this field,” she said. 

To that end, Annemarie has held leadership positions in all of the major national workers’ compensation organizations as well as those in North Carolina.  She has been recognized extensively as a subject matter expert by publications such as US News & World Reports, the Charlotte Business Journal, and North Carolina Lawyers Weekly,

“The practice of law has become more specialized over the last 20 years,” said Pantazis. “I think it’s important to continuously learn, teach and be involved in the evolution of the law by actively participating in the legal organizations that support our clients.”

Annemarie currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), which is a nationwide organization of workers’ compensation advocates. She is a Fellow and on the Board of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, which is an invitation only organization for workers’ compensation lawyers compromised of claimants’ lawyers, defense lawyers, and judges from around the country who have practiced 20+ years and who have substantially impacted the practice area. She chaired the NC State Bar Workers’ Compensation Specialization Committee where she was responsible for helping to write and grade the specialization exam.  She’s also a member of the Executive Committee for the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Workers’ Compensation Section (NCAJ), which is a statewide organization of trial attorneys. In addition, she served on the NCAJ Board of Governors from 2008 to 2014.

Outside of law, Annemarie’s interests include politics, traveling, and sports. She was the captain of her college rugby team and earned All-State honors at her position. Fitness is still a big part of her life even following a knee replacement.  She and her husband, Steven, have built their marriage on a strong, Christian foundation.  Annemarie brings that same Christian foundation and leadership to the firm.  She considers her most important life accomplishment to growing a small solo firm to a 20-person organization spanning three cities.  The growth has allowed her to achieve that childhood vision of using the law to create better opportunities for her family, her colleagues, and her clients.