North Dakota Law

Updates from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

Kara Gansmann ’07 listed among 2023 legal elite

Alumnus Kara Gansmann recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as part of the magazine’s Legal Elite program

Business North Carolina magazine has honored North Carolina lawyers by publishing Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, a listing of the state’s top lawyers in business related categories, since 2002.

Kara Gansmann devotes her entire practice to elder law and estate planning in the Wilmington office of Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law).  Kara is especially well-suited for this practice thanks to her strong interpersonal skills, her diplomatic demeanor, and pragmatic approach to problem-solving.  She brings a solid sense of collegiality to her work with both clients and professionals, alike.

In private consultations, Kara counsels individuals and families on tactics for estate planning, asset protection, and long-term care planning.  Kara drafts Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Trusts, including Pet Trusts, Revocable and Irrevocable Living Trusts, and Special Needs Trusts. Kara also advises clients on eligibility for public benefits like Veterans’ Aid & Attendance and prepares applications for Medicaid and Special Assistance.

In the courtroom, Kara represents clients in trust and estate administration matters, Will caveats, guardianship/incompetency proceedings, and fiduciary litigation.  Kara also represents clients in administrative hearings for denials of public benefits such as Medicaid.

Kara leads a team of experienced professionals who also focus on elder law needs.  The team’s paralegals assist clients in matters ranging from probate to caregiver agreements to promissory notes or real estate deed transactions intended for asset protection. Kara’s team also includes a certified geriatric care senior advisor, who assists with placement in care facilities.  Kara’s entire team understands the urgency and stress associated with seniors’ needs.

Prior to joining CSH Law, Kara served as a staff attorney on an appellate court in Houston, Texas.  There, she managed all aspects of complex civil and criminal appellate matters and drafted over 200 judicial opinions for court justices in over six years.

Kara frequently presents on elder law issues to community organizations, churches, and neighborhood associations across Southeastern North Carolina.  She is a prolific writer on legal issues affecting seniors.  Kara volunteers for and actively supports local and state organizations that benefit seniors’ lives.

Kara hails from a small town in North Carolina, where she grew to appreciate the value of a hand-shake, hard work, and the trust placed in someone’s word. As a proud North Carolina native, she’s happy to raise her family in her home state where her favorite people call her wife, mom, daughter, sister, niece, and cousin.

Voting for the 2023 Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite was conducted in 2022. Winners are chosen by their fellow North Carolina lawyers from a statewide ballot. The ballot asks attorneys living in North Carolina one question – “Of the Tar Heel lawyers whose work you have observed firsthand, whom would you rate among the current best in these categories?” The attorney with the most votes in each category becomes a member of Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite Hall of Fame and is ineligible to win again.

The complete list of 2023 winners appears in the January 2023 issue of Business North Carolina.