John Chilson has been exclusively representing individuals and families who have suffered severe injuries and losses caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing for the past 18 years. A trial attorney with 25 years of legal experience on both sides of the aisle, Mr. Chilson provides tenacious, empathetic advocacy and support to clients everywhere in the State of North Carolina in all types of personal injury and wrongful death claims, including tractor trailer, aviation, and auto accidents, medical malpractice, unsafe property conditions, and defective product claims. As a retired Naval Officer with 20 years of service on both active duty and in the Navy Reserve JAG Corps, he also possesses considerable criminal law, administrative law, and appellate advocacy experience.
Mr. Chilson has achieved significant success securing favorable outcomes for his clients both inside and outside of the courtroom, recovering substantial settlements and verdicts for his clients. In recognition of his outstanding professionalism and superior client service, he has also earned an AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell and consistent recognition from Super Lawyers magazine and in The Best Lawyers in America in the categories of Personal Injury Litigation and Medical Malpractice Litigation. He has previously been recognized as Best Lawyers’ Personal Injury “Lawyer of the Year” in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad Region, was recently placed by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly on its 2024 Power List of Medical Malpractice attorneys, and was named by Super Lawyers to its list of Top 100 lawyers in North Carolina in 2024.
A 1991 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in economics, Mr. Chilson obtained his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999. He is licensed in North Carolina and admitted to practice before all U.S. District Courts in North Carolina as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 4th and Federal Circuits, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Along with maintaining a successful legal practice, Mr. Chilson is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Association for Justice, the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, the American Inns of Court, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and the North Carolina State Bar Association. He has published articles and is regularly invited to present at seminars on a variety of litigation and trial practice topics.
John spends much of his free time with his family enjoying outdoor activities and sporting events. John has coached a number of softball and baseball teams, including an all-star baseball team that won a state championship.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished, and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Areas Of Practice
- Plaintiff's Personal Injury and Wrongful Death
- Appellate Practice
- Business Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Constitutional Litigation
- Criminal Litigation
- Personal Injury Litigation
- Products Liability
Bar Admissions
- Michigan, 1999
- North Carolina, 2003
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina, 2003
- U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, 2003
- U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, 2003
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2003
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 2014
- U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, 2014
