McCuiston Law Offices, PLLC

W. Thomas McCuiston Managing Partner	Mary Herberger Paralegal

Florence M. DuPalevich Attorney	Susan Kennedy Paralegal
Marie Bauschka Marketing Director	Lynn Goldrick Human Resources Consultant

W. Thomas McCuiston - Managing Partner

Tom is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Accounting and Tax from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as well as, his Juris Doctor degree from the UNC School of Law. Tom lives in Apex with his wife.

Upon graduation, Tom joined the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles, California, as a CPA, focusing on tax planning, tax compliance, and IRS representation. As a Tax Senior with the firm, Tom specialized in tax planning and formulated tax strategies for clients in both the English and Japanese languages. During his time in LA, he was an officer of the local UNC Alumni Association chapter as well as a tennis coach for the Torrance Special Olympics.

Six years later, Tom returned to Chapel Hill, and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the UNC School of Law. While in law school, he managed the apartment complex where he lived and also worked at a local accounting firm. He graduated from law school, and after several years working for a local Cary law firm, established McCuiston Law Offices in 2001.

Today Tom is a Board Certified Estate Planning Specialist practicing in the areas of corporate law, estate planning, estate administration, IRS representation, and litigation. He enjoys these practice areas because they allow him to interact with small business owners and individuals in formulating strategies to simplify their lives and provide for the future.

In his spare time, Tom enjoys traveling, running, participating in church and community activities and spending time with friends and family.

Bar Admissions

North Carolina, 1998

Licenses

CPA, North Carolina
CPA, California

Court Admissions

All state courts in North Carolina
United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
United States Tax Court

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bachelor of Science in Business, with distinction, 1989
Master of Accounting Tax Concentration, 1991
Juris Doctor, 1998

Memberships

North Carolina Bar Association, including the following sections:

Estate Planning
Law Practice Management
Business Law

Wake County Bar Association
Tenth Judicial District Bar Association
Cary Chamber of Commerce
Apex Chamber of Commerce

Honors & Accomplishments

Phi Beta Kappa
Beta Alpha Psi
Beta Gamma Sigma
NC Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation
NC Banking Institute

Civic and Community Activities

Current:

Cary Chamber of Commerce, Governmental Affairs Committee
St. Michael Catholic Church, Parishioner & Eucharistic Minister
North Carolina Museum of Art, Member
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Pathfinders, Member (Former Board Member)

Former:

Cary Central Rotary Club, Treasurer
Raleigh Jaycees
Life Experiences, Inc. (Non-profit), Board Member
Sister Cities, Treasurer and Member
Dale Carnegie Institute, Graduate

Miscellaneous

Instructor, Practical Skills Course, Law Practice Management

Author, Note, “National Bank Operating Subsidiaries: How Far Has the OCC Opened the Door to Non-banking Activities,” North Carolina Banking Institute, Vol. 2, April 1998, p. 264.

Florence M. DuPalevich - Attorney

Florence is originally from Denton, North Carolina but has called the Triangle home since 1994 when she started college at UNC. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Florence lives in Raleigh with her husband and dog

Before joining McCuiston Law Offices, Florence worked as an analytical chemist with several different companies in RTP for five years before attending law school at North Carolina Central University School of Law. Directly after completing law school, she attended Villanova University School of Law Graduate Tax Program in Villanova, PA, where she also worked part-time at the law school’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic representing clients before the IRS.

Florence joined McCuiston Law Offices in 2007 as an attorney practicing mainly in the area of tax representation. In her spare time, Florence enjoys traveling, attending concerts, watching movies and spending time with her family.

Bar Admissions

North Carolina, 2006

Court Admissions

All state courts in North Carolina
United States Tax Court

Memberships

North Carolina Bar Association
American Bar Association – Tax Section
Wake County Bar

10th Judicial District Bar

Mary Herberger - Paralegal

Mary is a North Carolina native from Sparta, North Carolina. She earned Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), with a double major in Information Systems and Management from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Upon college graduation, Mary moved to the Triangle area and currently lives in Cary with her husband and three children.

Before joining McCuiston Law Offices, Mary worked for Nortel for 16 years as Information Systems Consultant, Systems Support Specialist, and Software Release Manager. In addition to technical training, Mary completed training in Covey Leadership Series, First Things First, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Project Management, and Legendary Customer Service. In recognition of her hard work, Mary received awards for Exceptional Management in two key Nortel programs and an Award of Merit for Teamwork, Organizational Effectiveness, and Customer Commitment.

Mary joined McCuiston Law Offices in November of 2001. As a paralegal, Mary works in all areas of the practice, including drafting of estate planning documents, estate administration filings, contracts, agreements, and business entity formation. She also contributes to the administrative aspects of McCuiston Law Offices in the areas of payroll and accounts receivable.

In her spare time, Mary enjoys her kids’ soccer games and marching band competitions, working on her family photo albums, reading, beach vacations and visiting extended family in Alleghany County.

Susan Kennedy - Paralegal

Susan is from Upstate New York. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York. She lives in Cary with her husband and three children.

Before joining McCuiston Law Offices, Susan worked at IBM in Personnel in Boston and New Jersey. She worked for Wake County Public schools as a teacher’s assistant in the Special Education Program and as a media assistant at Northwoods Elementary School in Cary.

Susan joined McCuiston Law Offices in 2006 as a marketing assistant. She currently works in other areas of the practice, including drafting estate planning documents, business incorporation and accounts receivable. In her spare time, Susan enjoys reading and boating with her family.

Marie Bauschka - Marketing Director

Marie is from Atlanta, Georgia. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She lives in Cary with her husband and three children.

Before joining McCuiston Law Offices, Marie worked in sales and marketing for Manpower Temporary Services in Seattle, Washington and as a sales assistant for a television representation firm in Atlanta, Georgia. She also taught pre-school for several years in Cary while her children were young.

Marie joined McCuiston Law Offices in 2006 as a marketing assistant and currently manages all areas of the firm’s marketing, advertising and sponsorship. In her spare time, Marie likes to paint, workout at the local Y and spend time with her family.

Lynn Goldrick - Human Resources Consultant

Lynn is a Florida native born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida and now resides in the Central Florida community of Apopka. She received her AA from St. Petersburg Junior College and graduated magna cum laude from Webber College in Babson Park, Florida in 1981 with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration on Personnel Management. Lynn has been employed by a Fortune 250 company for 33 years and has held a variety of individual contributor and supervisory positions during this time. The most memorable and rewarding positions have been in the 15 years in the Human Resources arena. Her positions have included training and development, recruiting, employee relations, labor relations, benefits and compensation. Due to her longevity with the corporation, she is viewed as the historian for company policies and procedures. She is an active member of Society for Human Resource Development (SHRM) and has her Professional Human Resource (PHR) certification.

When not at work, Lynn spends her time enjoying her two Bichon Frise dogs, Bailey and Lacey and doing home improvement projects and gardening. Lynn also enjoys shopping and relaxing in the pool with a good book by James Patterson, Iris Johansen, Patricia Cromwell or John Sandford. She enjoys spending time with her friends and neighbors and can often be found playing practical jokes on her neighbors. Although never married, she feels honored to have the opportunity to be called “Aunt Lynn” or “Miss Lynn” to nine very special children in her life.