Leann Alaine Gerlach

Leann grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, but moved south for college in order to be closer to family. She graduated summa cum laude from Washington and Lee University in 2009, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Spanish. In college, she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies. In 2012, she earned her J.D. and graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina’s School of Law in Chapel Hill. During her time in law school, Leann worked as both a staff writer and a contributing editor of the North Carolina Law Review, a volunteer coordinator for Carolina Street Law, and a member of the Faculty Selection Committee. She was elected to serve as an Honors Writing Scholar and council for the graduate honor court. She also received the Gressman-Pollitt Oral Advocacy Award during her first year.

Leann began her career defending employers, insurance companies, and third-party administrators in workers’ compensation claims, so she brings a unique and informed perspective to her cases on behalf of injured workers. She has successfully handled cases at both the Deputy Commissioner and Full Commission levels before the North Carolina Industrial Commission, as well as before the Court of Appeals of North Carolina. She has experience with all types of workers’ compensation cases, including traumatic injury by accidents, repetitive motion injuries, occupational diseases, and catastrophic claims. Leann has an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and she was elected to The Best Lawyers in America for 2020 and 2024 due to her work in workers’ compensation law*. In 2022 and 2023, she was also selected to the North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars® list. She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Wake County Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group, and she recently spoke at a continuing legal education seminar about the impact of immigration on workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina. Leann uses her prior experience and her broad knowledge of workers’ compensation law to help her clients obtain all the benefits they deserve and need to continue their lives after being hurt on the job.