Whether you find Lars Simonsen in his downtown Edenton office, in an art gallery showing his collection of original paintings and sculptures, in the Sunday School class he teaches or playing in his church band, on the sports field coaching his three sons, or playing bass at local festivals, on the radio, or in the music recording studio, you can bet he’s giving it his all!
Lars Simonsen is truly a renaissance man, he can do everything well.
— former partner, William Pritchett, 1944–2001
University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1990
Doctor of Jurisprudence
HONORS: Order of the Coif
HONORS: Graduation with Honors
Staff Member, North Carolina Law Review
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1987
Bachelor of Arts in Biology
HONORS: Graduated with Distinction
North Carolina Bar, 1990
U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, 1991
U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina, 1991
U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, 1991
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 1995
Certified Superior Court Mediator, 1999-2016
“Petroleum Industry Legal Update” live seminar, North Carolina Petroleum and Convenience Marketers’ Management Institute, April 26, 2022.
“Crisis Management” live seminar, North Carolina Petroleum and Convenience Marketers’ Management Institute, April 27, 2022.
“Crisis Management for Petroleum Marketers,” live seminar, North Carolina Petroleum and Convenience Marketers’ Management Institute, April 21, 2021.
“Introduction to Environmental Law” live webcast, Law to the People, LLC, February 27, 2019.
“Introduction to Environmental Law” live webcast, Law to the People, LLC, November, 29, 2018.
North Carolina Environmental Law Desk Manual, published by the NC Bar Association Foundation (2015), “Coastal Zone Management Act” by Lars P. Simonsen.
The Times They are A-Changin’: The Evolving Landscape of North Carolina Administrative Law, North Carolina Bar Association, April 18, 2013
Covering Your Healthcare Bases: Healthcare Powers of Attorney and Living Wills Vidant Hospital, March 14, 2013.
Are They Right, or Should I Fight? Deciding whether to Appeal Agency Decisions, NC Petroleum and Convenience Marketers Institute, April 29, 2009, instructor
What on Earth? A Primer on Environmental Law, North Carolina Bar Association, October, 11, 2007, instructor
Public Health, Ground Water, and Water Wells, Legal Issues for Customers, Consumers, and Private Wells, American Groundwater Trust, June 4, 2007, instructor
Basics of Environmental Law, NCBA CLE Seminar, October 3, 2003, program planner
From Wetlands to Brownfields: Allocation, Protection, Contamination, and Reclamation, NCBA Annual Meeting of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section, May 9 10, 2003, program planner
Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act, North Carolina Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 10, 2002 May 11, 2002, instructor
“Leader in the Law” North Carolina Lawyer’s Weekly, 2022.
Super Lawyers, 2012–2023 (www.superlawyers.com)
Best Lawyers 2013 Top Listed: Simonsen Law Firm, P.C. (selection criteria: www.bestlawyers.com)
US News and World Report, 2013–2023 Best Law Firms, Tier 1 Environmental Law, Tier 1 Environmental Litigation (www.bestlawfirms.usnews.com)
Best Lawyers 2012 Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Law, Norfolk Area (www.bestlawyers.com)
Best Lawyers 2014–2021 Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Law, Norfolk Area (www.bestlawyers.com)
The Best Lawyers in America 2008–2021 (www.bestlawyers.com)
Listed in Business North Carolina magazine’s 2010 Legal Elite (www.businessnc.com)
First District Bar Association, member
North Carolina Bar Association, member, Environmental Section
NCBA Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources, Section Council Member
North Carolina Petroleum and Convenience Marketers Association
Rotary Club 1993–2017
Association of Launderers and Dry Cleaners
1965, Raleigh, NC, first generation American
1987 married Chamblee R. Burch of Windsor, NC.
Children, 3 sons
German