Meet Our Team

HomeAbout The Kania Law Firm, North CarolinaMeet Our Team

Richard J. Kania

Partner

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Rick has practiced in a wide variety of areas in his 40+ years as an attorney, including real estate title litigation, residential and commercial real estate closings, estate planning and administration, bankruptcy law, and collection litigation, and has since 2012 concentrated solely on tax collection and tax foreclosure sales. As managing partner of the Firm, he has overseen the collection of delinquent taxes in excess of 28 million dollars.

EDUCATION:

B.A. Political Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1979)
J.D. University of North Carolina School of Law (1982)

ADMISSIONS:

North Carolina State Bar (1982)
North Carolina Licensed General Contractor (1985)
United States District Court, Middle District of North Carolina (1986)
United States District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina (1987)
United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina (1990)

MEMBERSHIPS:

North Carolina Bar Association
Federalist Society
AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers)

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

His immediate family of his wife, son and daughter, and extended family of brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces of 60 and counting; 4-wheeling, woodworking, motorcycling, and astrophotography.

Jay A. Kania

Partner

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Jay has practiced real estate law for the last 36 years of his 39-year legal career. His primary focus for as long as he can remember has been the review and certification of real estate title searches. He is fully conversant with every issue arising in a title search context, marketability and insurability issues, and the corrective measures needed when faced with title defects.

EDUCATION:

B.S.B.A. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1981)
J.D. University of North Carolina School of Law (1985)
Kenan Scholar
UNC Law Review
Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Law Review
Order of the Coif

ADMISSIONS:

Texas State Bar (1985)
North Carolina State Bar (1987)

MEMBERSHIPS:

Federalist Society

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

Family; conversations about faith, suffering and obedience; all things Italy; some things Buffalo; crossword puzzles; cosmogony

E. Lauren Watson Hubbard

Partner

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Lauren is a Partner with The Kania Law Firm, P.A., where she focuses her practice solely on tax collection and tax foreclosure. Before joining the Kania Law Firm as an Associate Attorney in 2019, Lauren gained extensive experience involving mortgage foreclosure practice and creditors’ rights and financial services litigation.

EDUCATION:

B.A. English University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2008)
J.D. Florida Coastal School of Law (2013)

ADMISSIONS:

North Carolina State Bar (2014)
United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina (2023)

MEMBERSHIPS:

Buncombe County Bar Association

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

A native of Murphy, North Carolina, Lauren made Asheville her home in 2019. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter.

Hunter Frederick

Partner

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Hunter began his professional career as a mortgage foreclosure attorney in North Carolina. He subsequently moved to New Mexico, where he served as in-house counsel for a local bank. Afterward, Hunter relocated to Colorado, where he audited legal and regulatory compliance in the mortgage industry. He later acquired his real estate broker’s license in order to assist aspiring homeowners. Hunter returned to North Carolina and joined the Kania Law Firm in 2020, and has since focused his practice on tax foreclosure law.

EDUCATION:

B.A. Hampden-Sydney College (2006)
J.D. Campbell University School of Law (2009)

ADMISSIONS:

North Carolina State Bar (2009)
United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina (2023)

MEMBERSHIPS:

Buncombe County Bar Association

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

Hunter enjoys live music, hiking, photography, international travel, and spending time with his family.

Sarah E.G. Pilon

Attorney

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Sarah E.G. Pilon
Attorney

A former elementary school teacher, Sarah looks forward to the opportunities and challenges that each day brings at the Kania Law Firm. Prior to joining the firm, she practiced as a Staff Attorney at the North Carolina General Assembly, specializing in elections, ethics, and redistricting. While earning her law degree, Sarah held positions in a nonprofit and community legal clinic, worked as a teaching scholar and research assistant in legal writing, and held internships in local government and state and federal judicial systems.

EDUCATION:

B.A. History Marshall University (2009)
M.A. Elementary Education West Virginia University (2013)
M.A. Reading West Virginia University (2013)
J.D. Campbell University School of Law (2020)

ADMISSIONS:

North Carolina State Bar (2020)

MEMBERSHIPS:

North Carolina Bar Association
Buncombe County Bar Association

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

A West Virginia native and Durham transfer, Sarah and her family are enjoying all of the Wild and Wonderful similarities Asheville has to offer.

Jonathan Fernandez

Attorney

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Jonathan S. Fernandez was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law. After law school, Jonathan relocated to Asheville, North Carolina. In 2021, Jonathan was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar. Since then, Jonathan has focused his practice on tax collection and tax foreclosure sales law, and commercial and residential real estate law.

EDUCATION:

B.S. Hospitality Management Florida International University (2013)
J.D. University of Florida School of Law (2017)

ADMISSIONS:

North Carolina State Bar (2021)

MEMBERSHIPS:

Buncombe County Bar Association

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

Cooking (and eating) barbecue, spending time on WNC’s trails and rivers, and playing fetch with his dog – Tilly

Chad Haight

Attorney

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Chad Haight hails from Tampa, Florida and traded the glittering waters of the Gulf for the gleaming Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina in 2021. Prior to joining the Kania Law Firm as an Associate Attorney, Chad’s legal work experience included construction law, complex business litigation, and insurance defense. As a first-generation college graduate, Chad has always put an emphasis on maintaining perspective and showing appreciation towards the countless people that have helped him along his journey through life.

EDUCATION:

B.S. Health Care Administration University of Central Florida (2016)
J.D. University of Florida School of Law (2020)

ADMISSIONS:

Florida State Bar (2020)
North Carolina State Bar (2023)

MEMBERSHIPS:

Buncombe County Bar Association

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

In his free time, you will almost always find Chad outdoors- reading a novel in an Adirondack chair, hiking in the mountains with his dog Franklin, or enjoying a whimsical beverage at one of Asheville’s many breweries with his wife.