Horton & Mendez adds veteran workers' compensation lawyer J. Michael Mackay

Horton & Mendez, Injury & Car Accident Attorneys, has brought on J. Michael “Mike” Mackay as Of Counsel, adding more than 30 years of North Carolina workers' compensation and civil litigation experience. The move strengthens the Wilmington firm’s workplace injury practice as it handles claims, denials and appeals statewide.

Why it matters: - Horton & Mendez is expanding a core practice area with a lawyer who has worked on nearly every side of North Carolina workers' compensation cases. - Mackay’s background includes defense work, plaintiff-side representation and claims administration at the North Carolina Industrial Commission. - The hire gives injured workers another attorney with deep experience in how claims are evaluated, contested and appealed.

What happened: - Horton & Mendez added J. Michael “Mike” Mackay as Of Counsel. - Mackay brings more than 30 years of experience in North Carolina workers' compensation and civil litigation. - The firm is based in Wilmington, North Carolina. - Nick Mendez, the firm’s managing partner, said Mackay has seen the workers' compensation system from every angle.

The details: - Mackay started as an insurance defense lawyer at a large Raleigh firm, representing insurance companies and self-insured employers. - He later spent about two decades as managing partner of the workers' compensation department at one of North Carolina’s largest plaintiffs’ firms. - Mackay also served as Director of Claims Administration at the North Carolina Industrial Commission, which oversees workers' compensation claims in the state. - Mackay was a Board Certified Specialist in North Carolina Workers' Compensation Law from 2006 to 2022. - He is a Certified Mediator through the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission. - Mackay is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association Workers' Compensation Section, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Workers' Compensation Section and the Durham County Bar Association. - Mackay earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. - He also earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from UNC-Chapel Hill. - Mackay worked as a newspaper journalist before attending law school. - He was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1993 and lives with his family in Raleigh.

Between the lines: - Horton & Mendez was founded by former insurance defense lawyers, so Mackay’s experience fits the firm’s stated strategy of understanding how insurers evaluate claims. - The hire signals continued growth in the firm’s workers' compensation practice, one of its main areas of focus. - Mackay’s career path gives him credibility with both claimants and the system that decides their cases.

What's next: - Horton & Mendez said it will continue handling workplace injury cases throughout North Carolina. - The firm handles matters from initial claims to denied claims and appeals before the Industrial Commission. - Mackay’s role is expected to support that statewide workers' compensation work.

The bottom line: - Horton & Mendez is betting that Mackay’s rare view from all sides of the workers' compensation system will sharpen its workplace injury practice.