Rachel Fuerst, the youngest daughter of Robert L. Fuerst, was born and raised in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. After graduating from Rocky Mount Senior High, Rachel received the prestigious Morehead Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated with honors in 1998 and went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law in 2001.
After graduation, Rachel practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia for ten years, focusing her practice on catastrophic liability cases, as well as litigating and managing cases in Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia.
Rachel’s practice has been shaped in large part by her close relationship with her grandfather, Dr. Herbert Fuerst, and her concern for the rights and needs of elders and those who live with disabilities related to old age. She continues to work with families of individuals living with disabilities, including dementia and other brain injuries.
Through her work, she became involved in Disability Rights NC, North Carolina’s federally mandated non-profit organization charged with protecting the rights of children and adults living with disabilities in North Carolina.
Rachel is passionate about making sure her clients have the opportunity to be heard and to receive a fair chance to live the lives they choose. She and her family are staunch advocates for improving the lives of everyone in their community.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, especially to Spanish-speaking countries. Rachel and her husband, Kepler Knott, lived in Costa Rica for two years, where Rachel learned most of her conversational Spanish. Rachel and her husband have two children, Sylvie and Minnie, as well as an Australian Cattle dog named Bullet.
She and her family spend their summers swimming at Atlantic Beach and hike through Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall. Rachel enjoys baking and is almost always in the middle of a mystery novel and a new home improvement project.
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Juris Doctorate – University of North Carolina School of Law
Bar Admissions
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Multiple Federal Courts in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia
- Department of Veterans Affairs Accreditation
Main Practice Areas
- Catastrophic Liability
- Medical Malpractice and Birth Injury
- Nursing Home, Assisted Living, and Group Home Liability
- Life Insurance Litigation
- Mass Tort/Class Action
Professional Associations
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ)
- Nursing Home Section Chair – 2019-2020
- Chair of Communications
- North Carolina Bar Association, Justice and Judiciary Committee
- Wake County Bar Association
- Virginia State Bar
- American Association for Justice
Civic Involvement
- Disability Rights NC Board of Directors, Vice-Chair – 2017-2019
- Girl Scouts, Brownie Troop Leader
- North Carolina State Library Commission, by appointment of Governor Roy Cooper
Recent Notables
- Gay v. Saber Healthcare Group, LLC, (N.C. Supreme Court – March 12, 2021), winning appeals at the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Court of Appeals, 842 S.E.2d 635 (N.C. App. April 21, 2020), following a trial court ruling denying a North Carolina nursing home conglomerate’s demand to force arbitration on a family. The trial court determined that the nursing home conglomerate breached a fiduciary duty owed to the patient and the terms of the documents were in conflict. On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, Rachel Fuerst argued on behalf of the rights of a family of a nursing home resident at the North Carolina Supreme Court following the nursing home corporation’s appeal. After winning the nursing home corporation’s appeal at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Ms. Fuerst continued to stand up for nursing home residents by arguing that a nursing home must provide all pages and parts of a contract to a nursing home resident. The video of the oral argument at the North Carolina Supreme Court can be viewed by copying and pasting the following link into your browser search bar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gGetEW5voA&t=3217s or, by clicking here.
- “Subpoenas” presentation to Fall Conference for Paralegals, October 27, 2020.
- Register v. Wrightsville Health Holdings, LLC, 853 S.E.2d 464 (N.C. App. May 5, 2020), winning appeal at the North Carolina Court of Appeals following the trial court ruling denying a North Carolina nursing home conglomerate’s demand to force arbitration on a family after 18 months of litigation in a North Carolina court.
- “Trial Strategies for Female Attorneys” panel presentation to Women’s Caucus of North Carolina Advocates for Justice, March 6, 2020.
- “Building a Winning Case from Intake Through Trial – How to Impact at Trial” presentation to North Carolina Advocates for Justice, February 14, 2020.
- “Stand Your Ground in the Courtroom and with Opposing Counsel” presentation to Women’s Caucus of North Carolina Advocates for Justice, September 19, 2019.
- “Top 10 Tips for Elder and Special Needs Lawyers Who Plan to Never Set Foot in a Courtroom” presentation at 2018 Basics of Elder & Special Needs Law at the North Carolina Bar Association, October 12, 2018.
- Vandevender v. Blue Ridge of Raleigh, LLC, 901 F.3d 231 (4th Cir. 2018), successful oral argument at the United States 4th Circuit Court of Appeals following jury trial awarding punitive damages in a North Carolina nursing home case. This is the first published opinion involving punitive damages in a nursing home case in North Carolina. In its first opinion on the appropriate date for interest following a reinstated award, 756 Fed. Appx. 230 (4th Cir. 2018), the United States 4th Circuit Court of Appeals also awarded interest backdated to the original judgment.
- “Preparing to File a Successful Lawsuit” presentation at 2017 Basics of Elder & Special Needs Law at the North Carolina Bar Association, October 27, 2017.
- “What To Do and When – Litigation” presentation at 7th Annual North Carolina NAELA UnProgram, September 8, 2017.
- “Philanthropy: How to Get Involved”, Women in Leadership panel at City Club Raleigh, August 17, 2017.
- “Analyzing a Potential Case of Liability Against a Nursing Home/Assisted Living Facility” presentation at 21st Elder Law & Special Needs Symposium of the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation, February 23, 2017.
- “The Good, the Bad and the Injunction: New Protections for Nursing Home Residents” webinar presentation, February 21, 2017.
- “Is the New Rule Barring Nursing Home Pre-dispute Binding Arbitration Dead in the Water,” Trial Briefs Magazine, January 2017.
Raleigh Office
Raleigh, NC 27612 P (919) 781-1107
F (919) 781-8048
Rocky Mount Office
Rocky Mount, NC 27804 P (252) 443-2111
F (252) 443-9429