Biography
Chip was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1958. His family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina when he was seven and has been there ever since. He served as a missionary for his church in Italy for two years from 1977 to 1979 and learned to speak Italian fluently. He received a BS from Brigham Young University in 1982 and a Juries Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985. Chip married his wife, Dawn, in 1981. They have been blessed with six children, all are now married, and have 9 grandchildren.
After passing the North Carolina Bar Exam in 1985, Chip served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate trying scores of courts-martial. He left active duty in 1988 as a Captain and joined the law firm that later became known as Duffus, Younce, Melvin & Vtipil, founding its Raleigh office. In 2001 Chip and David Vtipil founded the Younce & Vtipil law firm.
Chip is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the Wake County Bar Association. He has been heavily involved in church and community service throughout his career, including five years as bishop of the Cary Second Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Scoutmaster, and District Committee Chair for the Crosswinds District of the Boy Scouts.
Chip concentrates his law practice in personal injury and workers’ compensation law. He has tried over 100 workers’ comp cases to Opinion and Award and about a dozen personal injury jury trials to verdict. He has been board-certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a specialist in workers’ compensation law since 2001.
“I believe in giving quality, personal service to my clients. I become friends with most of my clients during the course of the case. Most of my cases are referred to me through past clients who trust me and were satisfied with what we did for them. I tell the absolute truth to my clients at all times — whether it’s what they or anyone else wants to hear or not. I also receive a substantial number of referrals from doctors, therapists, or other attorneys who know me, know my character, and know my abilities.”
Chip Answers Common Legal Questions
