Legal Practice Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Robert B. “Bob” Long, Jr.
Bob Long grew up in Asheville and finished high school there. He received a Pre-Law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1963 and then an LLB Degree with honors from the UNC School of Law in 1965. While attending the University School of Law, Long was an Associate Editor of the North Carolina Law Review and inducted into the Order of the Coif.
After passing the Bar examination, Long says he was very fortunate to secure employment back in Asheville with a most accomplished attorney with whom he practiced for a number of years. The less specialized practice of law at that time allowed him the opportunity to learn about many different areas of the practice. Later his law practice became more court oriented in both civil and criminal matters until he limited it to civil matters in 2000.
Long is a longtime Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been named in the Best Lawyers publication in multiple areas of practice for over 25 years.
Long credits much of his success in the practice to the attorneys with whom he has worked over the years. He says “working with good lawyers makes the practice of law a fun and rewarding learning experience.”
After being the senior partner in a small law firm for many years, Long is now a senior attorney at the much larger Van Winkle Law Firm in Asheville, where he continues after nearly 59 years to enjoy the practice of law today.
Bob is married to Judy Long. Bob has two sons, a step-son, and three grandchildren. Outside his law practice, Bob maintains an interest in local and state Republican politics and a cattle farm he has had for a number of years.