Team - The Wortman Law Firm

The Wortman Law Firm PLLC was founded in 2008 by David Wortman. The firm’s practice areas include real estate, civil litigation, criminal and traffic matters.

Meet the Team

David Wortman

David Wortman earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina and graduated from the Widener School of Law. He founded The Wortman Law Firm PLLC in 2008 and has assisted countless individuals with a variety legal matters since that time. David’s practice focuses on real estate in Brunswick and New Hanover Counties.

Ellen Wortman

Ellen Wortman has over twenty years of legal experience. She focuses her practice on Community Association Law and litigation, representing hundreds of planned communities in all aspects of development, formation, and governance. She has tried dozens of cases to verdict in North Carolina State Courts and regularly handles cases in arbitration settings, both as an advocate and an arbitrator. Her professional honors include election to leadership in the North Carolina Bar Association’s Insurance Council and to the Board of Directors of North Carolina Lawyer’s Mutual Insurance Company. She has been named a “Super Lawyer” on several occasions and was elected to the Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” for 2024. Ellen is active in CAI (Community Associations Institute), including the North Carolina Chapter, attends the national Law Seminar and regularly presents at Law Day events throughout North Carolina. In 2021, Ellen was honored to join CAI’s Attorney Roundtable, a small group of attorneys who collaborate and present on developing legal topics to management executives and assist in creating CAI-NC’s educational initiatives for both managers and board members.

Rick Parrotte

Rick grew up in New Bern, North Carolina and has lived in Southeastern North Carolina since 2009. He primarily practices in the areas of criminal/traffic defense, and civil litigation in Brunswick and New Hanover Counties. Rick holds an accounting degree from North Carolina State University and earned his Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law in Charleston, South Carolina. He has been an active member of the North Carolina State Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association, and Brunswick County Bar Association since 2009.

Rachel Purvis Stanley

Rachel earned her undergraduate degree from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and went on to attend the Campbell University School of Law. She is based in the firm’s Shallotte office and primarily handles real estate matters.

Samuel H. Helton

Sam was born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. In 2013, he received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sam attended the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he served as the executive editor for the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology. Following law school, Sam clerked for the Honorable Cheri Beasley at the North Carolina Supreme Court. Since the fall of 2018, Sam has practiced law in Wilmington, North Carolina, diligently serving clients in the areas of insurance defense, community association law, and general civil litigation. In his free time, Sam enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs, watching UNC sports, and competing in fantasy football with friends.