Landon
Van Winkle

Associate

Smith Debnam Experienced Lawyers in Raleigh, NC
4601 Six Forks Road
Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27609

Landon credits his time serving as a mortarman in the United States Marine Corps for instilling in him the values of honor, leadership, perseverance, flexibility, precision, and attention to detail. Landon’s military background provides the perfect foundation for his work at Smith Debnam, representing some of the nation’s leading institutions in the consumer financial services industry in compliance, civil litigation, and bankruptcy matters.

Committed to getting it right, Landon makes it his mission to understand the client’s primary and secondary goals. As Landon would say, knowing the details is ‘mission-critical’ because the difference between what is material and what is irrelevant in a legal matter frequently turns on subtle details. With calm precision, he can quickly zero in on the friction points in an adversarial legal matter, saving his clients valuable time and expense. Similarly, Landon’s attention to detail proves invaluable in assisting clients in prospectively minimizing litigation and administrative enforcement exposure through sound compliance and risk management advice.

A member of the construction law, business litigation, and bankruptcy teams, Landon received his J.D. summa cum laude from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Finance, with distinction, from the University of Hawai’i at West O’ahu. Following law school, Landon clerked for the Honorable Joseph N. Callaway, Bankruptcy Judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Before joining Smith Debnam, Landon represented both corporate and individual debtors in chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy cases and numerous individuals in consumer protection litigation—experiences he credits with his ability to see all sides of a legal issue and to maximize the strength of his client’s position.

Proven Record of Excellence

My Credentials

Admissions

North Carolina State Bar, 2017
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 2017
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, 2019
U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, 2019
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2017

Education

J.D., summa cum laude, Campbell University – Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, 2017
B.A., with distinction, the University of Hawai’i at West O’ahu, 2014, Economics & Finance

Certifications

Board Certified Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, 2024

Professional Affiliations

American Bankruptcy Institute, Member, 2017-present
American Bar Association; Business Bankruptcy Committee, Webinars & Podcasts Subcommittee, Vice-Chair – June 2024-Fall 2026; Member, 2017-present
North Carolina Bar Association, Member, 2017-present
Conference on Consumer Finance Law, Member, 2021-present
North Carolina Creditor’s Bar Association, Member, 2021-present

Awards & Recognition

National Creditors Bar Association – “2024 Member of the Year”
Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch – 2025
Medal of Excellence, American Bankruptcy Institute, 2017
Listed among North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars – 2021 – present
Listed among Business North Carolina Legal Elite (Bankruptcy) – 2022

Published Articles

Landon G. Van Winkle, Separation of Powers or Abdication of Power? How Transunion v. Ramirez Reshaped the Role of Federal Courts in Enforcing Federally-Created Private Rights, 75 Consumer Fin. L. Quarterly Rep., no. 4 (2022)
Peter Maskow & Landon G. Van Winkle, Student Loans: The Future of Collections and Repayment, ABA Business Law Section: Business Law Today (July 2022)
Landon G. Van Winkle, Anatomy of the § 1111(b) Election, ABA Business Law Section: Business Law Today (June 21, 2021)
Landon G. Van Winkle, Mere Retention of Property of the Estate Does Not Violate Section 362(a)(3), N.C. Bar Ass’n: NCBarBlog (Jan. 26, 2021)
Caren Enloe & Landon Van Winkle, The CFPB’s Debt Collection Rule & Communications: What Banks Need to Know, Carolina Banker, Fall 2020 at 35
Elizabeth Blackwell Ross & Landon Van Winkle, PPP Litigation Outcomes Offer Insight to Lenders Preparing to Embark on Round 3, Carolina Banker, Spring 2021 at 42
Landon G. Van Winkle, Civil Contempt in Bankruptcy: Exploring the Limits of the Bankruptcy Courts’ Subject Matter Jurisdiction, N.C. Bar Ass’n: NCBarBlog (Jan. 25, 2019)
Landon G. Van Winkle, Comment, To Exit the Quagmire, Follow the Bright Line: How Stern Can Guide the Split Circuits Toward a Uniform and Efficient Approach to Enforcing Arbitration Clauses in Bankruptcy, 33 Cal. Bankr. J. 371 (2016)

My Practices & Services

Creditors’ Rights

Litigation

My Experience

Sullivan v. Groce, No. 21-CVS-219 (Chatham Cnty. Super. Ct. Aug. 13, 2024)
Logland Co. Ltd. v. IVP Forest Prods., LLC, No. 22-CVS-3313 (New Hanover Cnty. Super. Ct. Dec. 5, 2023)
Hoffman v. NC Classic Restorations, No. 20-CVS-8472 (Wake Cnty. Super Ct. Apr. 21, 2023)
Leonard v. Echerd (In re Echerd), No. 22-50592, Adv. No. 22-06014 (Bankr. M.D.N.C. Feb. 28, 2023)
Mansfield Oil Co. of Gainesville, Inc. v. Grace Food Distrib., Inc., No. 22-CVS-10176 (Wake Cnty. Super. Ct. Feb. 2, 2023)
Stalzer v. EBF Holdings LLC (In re Classic Acquisition, LLC), No. 21-10164, Adv. No. 22-01003 (Bankr. W.D.N.C. Jan. 19, 2023)
The Aminey Grp. LLC v. Argos, LLC, No. 22-CVD-1511 (Wake Cnty. Dist. Ct. Apr. 19, 2022)
Lee v. Camba, No. 22-CVS-7972 (Wake Cnty. Super. Ct. Aug. 18, 2022)
Stalzer v. Byram (In re Brown), No. 19-10515, Adv. No. 21-01008 (Bankr. W.D.N.C. Aug. 18, 2022)
Townes v. Portfolio Recovery Assocs., LLC, 382 N.C. 681, 878 S.E.2d 797 (2022)
United States v. Yeruva, No. 5:18-CR-480-D, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 233133 (E.D.N.C. Dec. 11, 2020)
D. Russell Constr., Inc. v. Consol. Staffing, Inc., No. 7:19-CV-221-BO, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54829 (E.D.N.C. Mar. 30, 2020)
Honeycutt v. Webster, No. 19-CVS-168 (Warren Cnty. Super. Ct. Oct. 21, 2019)
Bendlin v. Santander Consumer USA, Inc., No. 18-CVS-2184 (Harnett Cnty. Super. Ct. Aug. 21, 2019)
Robert L. Dawson Farms, LLC v. Meherrin Agric. & Chem. Co. (In re Robert L. Dawson Farms, LLC), No. 18-02433-5-DMW, Adv. No. 18-00127-5-DMW, 2019 Bankr. LEXIS 1567 (Bankr. E.D.N.C. May 20, 2019)
Billy Haddock & Son Farms v. AgCarolina Farm Credit ACA (In re Billy Haddock & Son Farms), No. 18-05179-5-JNC, Adv. No. 18-00112-5-JNC (Bankr. E.D.N.C. Nov. 9, 2018)