Younger Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award: Elizabeth “Brooks” Savage
Elizabeth (Brooks) Savage practices workers compensation and construction litigation as an Associate Attorney with Willson Jones Carter & Baxley, P.A. in Raleigh, NC.
Brooks has experience with a number of practice areas, including disaster and emergency relief programs, procurement, construction, civil rights and fair housing (including disability rights), landlord-tenant, public records, wills and estates, contractor fraud, insurance, and real property (including heirs’ property). Brooks’ practice experience with construction and disaster recovery uniquely positions her to advise clients engaged in public contracting and disaster rebuilding. Brooks also has a background in healthcare, having provided patient care as a Certified Nurse Assistant prior to law school, and obtained her Master of Science in Public Health, which lends a practical perspective to her workers compensation practice.
Brooks previously served the State of North Carolina as an Assistant General Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the Disaster Recovery Division of the NC Office of State Budget and Management. She focused her practice with the State on emergency management and disaster recovery and provided advice and counsel in matters of compliance, contracts, procurement, grant administration, policy and program development, pre-litigation, and risk management. Prior to her role with the State of NC, Brooks worked with Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project, as a W. C. Dawson Fellow and Staff Attorney, to represent North Carolinians who were recovering from disasters. Brooks also practiced business, administrative, and intellectual property law as an Associate Attorney with Matheson and Associates, PLLC, where she represented businesses with a variety of civil matters.
Brooks is an American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Disaster Legal Services (DLS) Program member where she leads DLS implementations across the Nation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, helping with disaster and humanitarian relief. At the state level, Brooks Co-Chairs the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) Construction Law Section Pro Bono Committee, Co-chairs the NCBA YLD DLS Committee, Co-chairs the NCBA YLD Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee, is the ABA YLD District-9 Representative for the NCBA YLD, is a North Carolina Bar Foundation Open Door Fellowship Committee Member, and is a volunteer for the NC Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance and 4ALL Lawyers-on-Call Programs.
Brooks holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) from Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Science, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Exercise Physiology from East Carolina University College of Health and Human Performance.
If she’s not in the office, you’ll likely find Brooks on her motorcycle and spending time with friends and family—whether exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway, finding the best taco place, cheering on the Durham Bulls, or simply road-tripping to nowhere, there’s not much an open road, some guacamole or good company can’t fix.