Prenn, Kathryn J.

Bill is a partner with The Law Offices of Powers McCartan. His practice areas include DWI/DUI, Traffic Offenses, and Criminal Defense. He is the former Chair of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers Annual DWI Conference and former Co-Chair of the Criminal Law CLE Division of the Academy. Bill is a board Certified Criminal Law Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a General Member of the National College of DUI Defense, Inc. Attorney Powers has also been listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine for 2007 and 2008. He has also been listed in Business North Carolina magazine, Legal Elite (2007) .

"Of all the places I've lived in or traveled to, North Carolina is my favorite. From the beach to the mountains, I fell for the scenery. Most of all, I love the people of North Carolina. As far as I'm concerned, there just is no better place to live."

Bill's first professional job was as an Assistant Public Defender in Mecklenburg County. "That was a good experience for me. But I knew ultimately I wanted to start my own practice. I had a strong urge not to be limited handling one type of case or one area of law. I wanted to help people in their different circumstances, establishing long-term relationships."

Bill is proud of his accomplishments in the legal profession. "My single greatest joy, at least professionally, was my certification as a Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist. Yes, being named to SuperLawyers and Business North Carolina Legal Elite was nice; yet, I worked the hardest for that certification."

Bill also worked for years at the Men's Uptown Shelter, serving breakfast to men at the shelter and to those on the streets. "It's funny how I fell into that job. I learned a lot about myself all those Saturday mornings."

Bill adds, "More than anything, I realized I could grow from just listening to those guys. I learned that poverty and more specifically homeless people aren't useless members of our society. It's a humbling experience. I've seen some pretty haughty people reduced to tears hearing the stories in there. I'm so blessed, I have no basis to ever complain the rest of my life."

"When people ask me, ‘why are you a good lawyer?' my response is simple: Because I have compassion. I care for my clients and want to help them through tough times. Because of my background, because of my jobs, because of my education and because of experiences, because of everyone I have met, I can empathize with a lot of different types of people."

He adds, "Often times when I see people, they're not too happy. They've normally done something wrong or something bad has happened to them. They need to know I offer guidance without judgment. I'll give them a straight answer, which sometimes hurts, but it's always truthful. In the end though, they know I truly want to help."

Bill is married to Ann "Sammie" Powers, "a local North Carolina girl." She attended Meredith College in Raleigh. They have a 5 year old daughter, Sarah, who attends Charlotte Preparatory School.