Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service or… outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a rigorous multi-phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area.

The Rising Stars lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers magazines and in leading city and regional magazines across the country. For more information about Super Lawyers, go to superlawyers.com.

Mr. Kyles enjoys making his presentations dynamic and interactive with extensive participation from the attendees, as well as substantive and informative.  Mr. Kyles and other attorneys from Stuart Law Firm are available to present continuing education and other programs concerning their respective areas of practice.  Contact Stuart Law Firm to inquire about a presentation or seminar for your organization.

The Women in Business awards program recognizes Triangle women who have proven to be dynamic and outstanding leaders with established track records of significant accomplishments in business and/or community service.

“Our winners this year represent a consummate balance of business success and community building,” says Bryan Hamilton, publisher of Triangle Business Journal. “These are leaders who not only have an impressive list of achievements, but are also looked to as role models and mentors for women hoping to follow in their footsteps.”

Following is an interview of Cathy conducted by Triangle Business Journal:

Catherine Stuart
Stuart Law Firm
Title: Managing member.

Family: Husband, James L. Stuart; son, Alexander; daughter, Channing.

Describe your main achievements in the past year.

Maintaining positive and nurturing relationships with family and friends; unwavering determination, leadership and attention to detail to problem solve for my clients in the boardroom and in the courtroom; mentoring young people and empowering all members of our law firm, serving as a resource and adviser to networks and organizations to better serve those in need; maintaining my fitness goals; learning about new cultures, new ideas and developing ways to positively affect the human condition.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Being a mother to my 21-year-old son, Alexander, and my 16-year-old daughter, Channing. Being a parent is an awesome challenge, and they have helped me understand about the vicissitudes of life as expressed in a Chinese proverb: “Happiness is someone to love, something to do and something to hope for.” My work and my law firm have provided great happiness as well. I have had the opportunity to be involved in issues and projects bigger than myself that have changed lives and left a legacy. Both the U. S. Olympic Festival and the Special Olympics World Games had immediate and long-lasting impacts on the economy of the Triangle, the spirit of our community, as well as on the participants from across our country and around the world.

How have you contributed to your organization’s growth in the past year?

I have led our firm in adjusting to changing economic times and business priorities. In the past year, we have added new clients and expanded our practice areas.

What have you done to get through the Great Recession, both personally and professionally?

I am guided by an attitude of gratitude to recognize blessings. During the recent recession, we kept our professional team together and I have maintained an entrepreneurial spirit, both in my personal and professional life.

What is the best example of your leadership ability?

It was 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning and the phone rang. It was the lead singer of a famous pop group that was booked to sing for my client before 35,000 people that evening. He said, “Ms. Stuart, we are not coming to North Carolina today. Members of our group were removed from our flight to the Triangle.” I listened to their story and realized something impossible had to be done immediately. I reached out to the correct people and was able to obtain complimentary tickets on a competing carrier. By 6 p.m., the group was in the Triangle and the concert proceeded as planned.

What charity have you invested time in during the past year?

The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, Highland United Methodist Church, the Salvation Army, North Carolina Amateur Sports and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. I am also part of civic organizations like the Raleigh Rotary Club and other networks. Another network is the National Charity League.

What has been the biggest factor in your success?

Unfaltering tenacity and a sense of humor.

What is your favorite song?

“Carolina in my Mind” and Pachelbel’s Canon.

If you want to make me laugh …

Let me tell you about my irrepressible golden retriever, Bumba Stuart, who lets himself in and out of our house, has eaten my Blackberry, likes to sit behind the wheel of a convertible and is a sucker for bread in zip lock bags.

Nothing makes me madder than …

Fear masked by a big ego and low self-esteem, which often manifests itself as incompetence or the failure to take responsibility.

If your house caught fire and you had time to grab two things, what would they be?

The portrait of my children so they would not lose this visible link to their childhood and letters from my mother to our family before she died as a powerful link to the past and a window to appreciate her dramatic flair for language.

Super Lawyers magazine names attorneys in each state who received the highest point totals, as chosen by their peers and through the independent research. Rising Stars names the state’s top up-and-coming attorneys.