New legislation protecting general contractors from double payment liability on public projects and protecting title insurers from "hidden liens" on private projects made splashy headlines in North Carolina in the second half of 2012. I'll be delving into the nuts and bolts of those significant changes as this five-part series continues. This article, however, is dedicated to addressing a less-publicized, but no less substantial, alteration to the lien law that every potential lien claimant will need to bear in mind in 2013, and beyond: the process by which lien rights are "perfected."

[Read entire article, below].