A lifelong resident of Shelby, North Carolina, David Teddy was raised with a strong desire to help the people of the community he grew up in. It was this desire to help others along with his appreciation of the art of debate that first spurred his drive to practice law. Thirty-two years later, he still maintains that passion, drive, compassion and determination as he seeks justice on behalf of his clients. Every day he and the other experienced attorneys at Teddy, Meekins & Talbert, P.L.L.C., not only seek justice for their clients, they also believe that it is their role to preserve the Constitution. It is their goal to act as part of the system of checks and balances against the government by being exceptional criminal defense lawyers and fighting for the underdog.
Through the years he and his fellow attorneys have learned something more vital than the role they play as part of the Constitutional checks and balances and more valuable than anything they could ever be taught in law school, it is that the most important part of practicing law is listening to their clients. Every client has a story and Mr. Teddy has found that it is his job to “discover that story”. He and his associates have found that the key to the best representation is “listening more and talking less”. Why a client is in his office (the facts of their case) is important, but it isn’t usually the most important part of the client’s situation. “If a lawyer spends time during the client interviewing listening more and talking less, they just might find the answers to the questions that will help their clients the most,” said Teddy.
A Southerner and a North Carolinian through and through, Mr. Teddy left North Carolina for only a brief period to attend the University of Tennessee where he graduated with honors in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing. Upon graduation from UT, Mr. Teddy went on to attend Campbell University School of Law where he was elected President of the Student Bar Association and was a member of the National Moot Court Team. Mr. Teddy was also honored by the Student Bar Association with the origination of the SBA “David R. Teddy Innovative Leadership and Service Award”, which is bestowed annually upon the Campbell Student who demonstrates a keen sense of leadership and service to the law school. In addition, Mr. Teddy was also the recipient of the Fred O. Dennis Citizenship award. He proudly received his J.D. from Campbell in 1988.
With a continued desire to help those in his local hometown community, Mr. Teddy returned to Shelby as an associate with Shelby City Attorney, Michael S. Kennedy. After year later, Mr. Kennedy extended an offer to Mr. Teddy to become a partner and the firm of Kennedy & Teddy was formed in 1989.
Sharing common core values and a strong focus on helping those in need, Mr. Teddy and his friend and fellow Campbell Alumnus, Ralph Meekins, decided to start their own firm. So, in 1995, the firm of Teddy & Meekins opened its doors. 25 years later, the firm of Teddy, Meekins & Talbert, P.L.L.C., has 6 practice areas, 5 attorneys, 13 staff and 2 locations. The Teddy, Meekins & Talbert, P.L.L.C., team is proud to serve the Cleveland, Rutherfordton, Lincolnton, Gaston and the surrounding Counties of Western North Carolina.
Mr. Teddy’s love of people and enjoying & experiencing his time with them to the fullest, spills over into his time away from the law as well. Like many Southerners, the thing he enjoys most is spending time with family and close friends, cooking, eating and enjoying excellent food together. And if he’s not doing that, he’s most likely playing or watching his other favorite great Southern past-time – golf! His favorite golf related activity other than watching one of the “Great Tournaments” is playing in a tournament to help raise money for a local charity to help give back to the community that has given him so much over the years.
“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy
