Elder Law Report
Elder Law Report
From Environmental to Elder Law: Introducing Attorney Josh Hunter
Meet the newest member of our elder law team, attorney Josh Hunter—a history major turned lawyer who pairs environmental policy training with a calm, strategic approach to complex family needs. We walk through the realities of apprenticeship in a focused practice: why mastering estate planning, long-term care benefits, probate, trust administration, and litigation takes more than textbooks, and how mentorship builds judgment you can trust when decisions affect generations.
Josh shares how law school flipped on the lights for him, revealing how constitutional principles and precedent actually operate in daily life. He then took a deeper dive into environmental law and policy, a choice rooted in his love for the outdoors and a commitment to stewardship. That same respect for systems shows up in his legal work—translating rules into practical, compassionate solutions for older adults and their families.
Outside the office, Josh recharges with daily hikes and powerlifting, a routine that keeps stress low and focus high, especially after dense research days. He’s also a strategy gamer—Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Pokémon—where creativity thrives inside strict rule sets. That habit maps directly onto elder law: analyze the rules, design the path, and adjust with care and precision. As Josh steps into our Hendersonville office, he’s eager to learn the courthouse rhythms, collaborate with our experienced team, and serve a vibrant retirement community with clarity and heart.
If you value thoughtful counsel that blends empathy with disciplined problem solving, you’ll enjoy getting to know Josh. Subscribe to the show, share this episode with someone navigating estate or long-term care planning, and leave a review to help others find us.
I'm extremely glad for this Elder Law report today to bring you a new attorney, new to you, but not to us. Josh has been speaking to our firm for some time now, been working in our firm with me for some time now, and we're just now releasing him and announcing him to the world. I'm extremely proud to do this. We're adding an additional attorney to our firm, which we did some time ago, but officially, Joshua Hunter, Josh, do you mind if people call you Josh? Josh is perfect. Okay. And, you know, our attorneys have to learn a lot, both with estate planning, the elder law and long-term care components, benefits, probate and trust administration, as well as the litigation components of what we do. So there's a lot on our attorney's plates that they have to really beef up into what seems like a small practice area of estate planning elder law because that's all we do. But to be steeped in the knowledge of each area takes a lot for that attorney. It takes a lot for the team, too, to dedicate the time for that training. Um but it's necessary. The law is traditionally, over the last probably hundreds of years, a couple hundred years at least, an apprenticeship profession for the most part. And I'm really a big believer in apprenticeship and watching the right way to do it, learning, and then moving to the next level. So Josh has really been going through that with us, and we're extremely proud of him. Josh, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I'm going to ask you some questions. Are you ready? I'm ready. All right.
Josh Hunter:Where did you go to undergrad? I went to undergrad at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. UNCG. And how was that experience? It was great. I was a history major. I loved it. I got a lot of experience and learned about a bunch of different cultures, a bunch of different ideologies. I had a really good time.
Greg McIntyre:History is phenomenal and a great starting point or just place to stay as far as learning from the past, right? And understanding the past as to why we're here. And you see it all over the place too. I like talking to Josh about different things because I'm not a history major, but certainly a buff. And and and um you know, to know why things are done in different ways in our society and how they ended up and where they came from is gives you a different context or or at least a broader context of uh, and I don't know, it just makes everything brighter or more meaningful, right? It's fun to do that a little bit. So that's good. So a history major, and and then tell me about where did you go to law school?
Josh Hunter:I went to law school at Elon University School of Law in Greensboro.
Greg McIntyre:So my law partner, Brittany Begley, uh, graduated from Elon. I'm sure you and Britton probably had some Elon conversations. We did. Um, great school. Um, and I know a lot about Elon. I worked as a TA for Leary Davis, who was one of the people who helped found that school, okay? Um, and running all the numbers and getting things together and spreadsheets early on. And Leary Davis was one of the smartest people you'd ever meet, okay? And I was lucky enough to be a TA for Leary. I guess I was a 2-L then. Um, but I remember when that law school came about. And uh that's cool that somehow I played a eatsy teensy small part in it and and was around that when it began. And um, lucky enough to have Brenton Begley, who's a great law partner and attorney in our firm, and now you from Elon as well. So that's really cool. Um, so how was law school?
Josh Hunter:Uh law school was challenging for sure. I think it did a lot for my confidence and just knowing that I could accomplish so much and be as organized as I am, um, and that I have the ability to be a lawyer.
Greg McIntyre:Right.
unknown:Yeah.
Greg McIntyre:I probably gained a lot of comp of confidence from that as well. Absolutely. Right. Yeah. Yeah, just through that experience. In law school, what's interesting, I don't know if you found this, like we all law students, worked super hard to get into that position only to complain about it the entire way through and hate it and talk about how much was horrible or is horrible. I actually loved law school. I don't know. I don't know if I don't know if you can say you loved it, but what did you think?
Josh Hunter:Well, I certainly did my fair amount of complaining. Sure. But that said, I loved learning new things. I loved learning why things work the way they do. I think that was probably my favorite part about going to law school, is just learning about all of these systems and basically how the world functions and as our society functions.
Greg McIntyre:I don't think I really understood how how the con just basics when I was in law school that were revealed to me my how little I understood about the different constitutional amendments, um, the different um uh way interplay between them, like like it was very revealing to me how little I knew and how much I kind of came online and learned and said, oh, that's how those things fit together, those work, that's where that comes from, where that you know is is grounded, right? Yeah. Um, so that that was huge. And then um law school is a lot of work and a lot of long hours, day after day after day, and way too much information, drinking from a fire hose on purpose, if it's engineered that way. Um, you know, that's that's why you hear the complaining, and and it's it's it's adjusting to that. And then figuring out, oh, you know, gaining confidence from success in that system, right? Yeah, which is cool, really cool. And uh so but you didn't stop there. You went on above and beyond and and and received another degree, which is I think a master's of laws, right?
Josh Hunter:Uh it's a master's of environmental law and policy.
Greg McIntyre:Master's in environmental law and policy for Matt Law in graduate school. Okay. So tell me about the master's in environmental law and policy that you received. Tell me, tell me about that. And why did you go receive, you know, toward that direction? Yeah.
Josh Hunter:Well, first and foremost, uh part of the reason I went to Elon was because they had a joint degree program with Vermont. And I was interested in the time of learning more about environmental law and saw that as a path that I wanted to pursue. And so I did the joint degree program. I made the grades to get into it, and I decided I was gonna go up there in the summers and take classes. And uh I loved it.
Greg McIntyre:It was great, but that's really close to to your personal interest as well, right? I mean, you know, you grew up and live close to a lot of nature. Yeah, you spend a lot of time in nature, and you have a real, really deep love of the environment and a desire to preserve it. And and, you know, so that's what I gather from my time I've spent with you and talking to you. Tell me a little bit about how about those personal interests and then how that really, really jives with that education as well.
Josh Hunter:Yeah. So I grew up right next to the URIs and kind of close to Baden Lake, a small town called Albemarle, North Carolina. And I grew up visiting Moore Mountain State Park and hiking a lot as a little kid. Uh, once I got older, I started going off and hiking on my own. And I also started doing uh wildlife photography, and I would upload those to databases so that scientists could uh help monitor their populations. Right. And so I started learning about species identification and really got to enjoy my time in nature and learn more about the world around me.
Greg McIntyre:So much, I mean, you you like to go take walks through the woods and spend time in nature daily, don't you? Yeah, every day. Did you know, and I'm sure you do, there's a real correlation between stress and creativity. Um both studies that are done, if you spend a certain amount of time, like say each day, with a walk through the woods or around nature, right? And out in the world, in the real world, anyway, which is nature. Yeah. Um, I mean, brings down stress. There's been studies about increased creativity, like extreme increases in creativity with people who will make sure that they go out and spend their time outside in the woods through with in nature on a regular basis, as opposed to just in the concrete jungle or in their in our rooms or in the house, right?
Josh Hunter:Yeah.
unknown:Yeah.
Josh Hunter:I try to go outside at least an hour a day and spend time walking around. It makes me feel a lot better. I always find I have a much clearer head, and especially after a long day of doing a bunch of legal reading, it can you can be really tiresome. And so when you go outside, it just rests you.
Greg McIntyre:Sure.
Josh Hunter:So, any other interest and hobbies? Yeah, so I play DD. I also play Magic the Gathering, and I'm a big fan of Pokemon. So I'll play Pokemon cards and the Pokemon video games. Sure. A new one just came out, and I'm really excited about that.
Greg McIntyre:But I'm really excited about it. That that's awesome. You know, I again, you know, you heard me on the phone with my son Tucker yesterday, who loves those things and other things too, right? He's extremely creative. But um, you know, one of the great things about strategy games and adventure games, role-playing games, is they're rule-based. They're all rule-based, which there are tons of studies out there as well that those that gamers like that with role-playing games, real strategy games, they they they are great problem solvers. They are creative problem solvers, right? The creativity part and and problem solving part, which is not just logical. It's it is, it's like creative problem solving within rule sets, right? Which is exactly what lawyers do every single day. And that's what it is, right? The rules are the statutes, the case law, right? Precedent. And uh, so that I mean, that just really jives with a phenomenal attorney who can really creatively problem solve within the within the law and under the law and within the set of rules. Any other hobbies?
Josh Hunter:Yeah, I mean, I noticed the other day when I was doing legal research, I felt the exact same way I felt when I was building my newest deck for magic, right? Just trying to fine-tune everything and that Eureka moment of finding exactly what you need.
Greg McIntyre:Yeah, yeah, that's that's that's what it is. That's that's what it is. Um, and I know I'm a big fan of health and fitness also. You lift. Yeah, I'm a power lift. You have your time in the gym regularly, right?
Josh Hunter:Yeah, I try to go for at least an hour a day.
Greg McIntyre:Yeah. Tell me what that does for you, the hour a day in the gym. I can't I know what it does for me. What does it do for you? Why do you go?
Josh Hunter:Uh it bumps me up, it helps relieve a lot of stress.
Greg McIntyre:Yeah.
Josh Hunter:And it just makes me feel good. Makes me feel good about myself, uh, about how I look. And I think that allows me to perform better at work too, because I can focus more. I'm not worried about uh these external things like how I look, or if I feel bad that day, I typically feel really good because I've worked out and made sure that I did.
Greg McIntyre:Agreed. Yeah. I like to say I've never felt worse coming out of the gym than I went in. Yeah. Even on a bad day that I don't feel well. Plus, you get this satisfaction of accomplishment that you did it anyway, which is really good from a work ethic standpoint, as well as um health and longevity, not just a one-off, I feel good today, but this is a commitment and I want to feel good like forever, you know, and make this a part of who I am. But you're doing a little bit of both. You're getting out in nature. I mean, that's just sounds like a really healthy recipe for success and longevity.
Josh Hunter:No, it definitely is.
Greg McIntyre:I've never felt better than I feel now, and I'm not getting any younger, so well, none of us are, unless maybe we can turn back the clock. And I think if you get really healthy, you can turn back a clock a year, some years. How about that? Um, well, I look forward to working with you even more. I think I look forward to getting the in the gym with you one of these days. You can come work out with us. And uh come work out with you. Absolutely. And um Josh, you're you're gonna be ultimately landing in our Hendersonville office, which is uh in just a suburb uh on this side of the east side of Asheville in Henderson County, right outside of Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, um, which is a huge retirement community where we have a lot of clients for state planning, Elder Law, and other issues. Um, great office there, great team. And you're going to be an attorney there, seeing clients day to day. Yeah. And serving that community. You know, I would encourage you to uh get to know the court system there. The clerk of courts great up there. There's some great judges and clerks. Um spend some time at the courthouse, get to know our team there, you know, whom you've met, as well as you know, take some role to integrate into the community and really serve that community. And that's that's a recipe, you know, get in the gym up there, make friends, you know, and uh there's no shortage of nature up there to explore from hiking trails, biking, mountain climbing, probably rafting, whatever you want to do, that's a playground up there.
Josh Hunter:So yeah, and we do have an amazing team up there, and I'm looking forward to working with them. And I know we're going up there every Thursday and getting to know them, and I think that's an excellent opportunity for me to get in the courtroom and uh really explore the court system there.
Greg McIntyre:Absolutely. So I I I I'm I'm really, really glad that you're on with our firm. And uh um, you know, I I look forward to you guys out there. Please welcome Josh to our firm. And I think you guys are really gonna love Josh. Um, you know, certainly um Josh, even more than all the attributes that he's already told you, is a caring, very friendly and kind person who I think cares a lot about his work and as well as other people. So, so um, you know, welcome to our firm, Josh. And uh if you guys will help welcome him as well, thank you for letting me introduce you today. Of course. Thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely to be here. Stay tuned for the next Elder Law Report.