They grew up together, were roommates in college, and now own law firm in their NC hometown
Attorneys Evan Rowe and Alex King have been friends for most of their lives.
They went to preschool together, were roommates in college at N.C. State University, went to law school together, practiced at a firm in Charlotte and then opened their own firm in Newton in 2012.
King and Rowe came back to Catawba County because they wanted to be in a place where they had familiarity. They also wanted to contribute to the community where they were raised.
Alex King and Evan Rowe sit on a couch in their office in Hickory. The two lawyers have been friends for most of their lives.
Rowe and King, both Hickory natives, moved their office from Newton to Hickory in the past year.
They purchased the building at 2017 N. Center St. in the Viewmont area. The space was formerly occupied by Liazzo’s restaurant. The 90-year-old building was vacant for some time before the attorneys purchased it, they said, and they put in extensive renovations.
The attorneys work together but practice different parts of the law. Rowe is a criminal defense attorney. King focuses on family law. They both assist clients with estate planning.
Rowe said that when he goes to court, he wants to show a judge or jury that a person who is on trial made a poor decision that is not indicative of who they are as a person.
“A minor speedbump, not a pattern,” Rowe said.
King was adopted as a child. That experience drew him to family law. As part of his practice, he assists clients with divorce, child custody and other matters.
He encourages collaboration between parties, especially when a child is involved.
“We’re going to try to collaborate and do this together with two attorneys and two different clients without going into court and, for lack of a better term, biting each other’s heads off,” King said. “Once you do that, in my experience, the relationship is severed or is very much hurt.”
They started practicing law because of a shared interest in helping people solve legal problems.
Rowe said that for some clients, the first time they walk into a lawyer’s office is the first time they have had to deal with the legal system.
Alex King and Evan Rowe stand in front of their office on North Center Street.
Rowe said managing expectations is one of the hardest parts of practicing law.
“A lot of times, someone will say, ‘How often do you win?’" Rowe said. “On the criminal side of things, a win can mean different things to different people. Having a trial and being found not guilty, that’s a win. If you’re charged with something and facing life in prison and we get a plea deal for 15 years, that in itself is a win too.”
Rowe is in his third term as the Catawba County Bar Association president. King is a tennis coach for Hickory High School and a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church in Hickory. King also assists with high school and middle school advisement at the church, he said.
The King and Rowe law firm is located at 2017 N. Center St. in Hickory.
Billy Chapman is a reporter with the Hickory Daily Record.
