LAW
The 29,000 licensed lawyers in North Carolina exert massive influence from Manteo to Murphy. This is a sampling of some of the more powerful attorneys, many of whom work for larger firms in the major metros. Most were chosen because of their leadership positions at their organizations.
STACY
ACKERMANN
partner | K&L Gates
Charlotte
Ackermann leads the national firm’s
global finance practice. She came to
K&L in 2012 after working as a partner at
Alston & Bird. She is a graduate of Furman
University and University of South Carolina
School of Law.
SHERROD BANKS
founder | Banks Law Firm
Durham
Banks, a national expert in affordable
housing and community development,
leads the firm that he founded 28 years ago.
It has offices in Durham, Charlotte,
Atlanta and Houston. He received his
undergraduate and law degrees from
UNC Chapel Hill.
CATHERINE BARNES
managing partner | James, McElroy
& Diehl
Charlotte
Barnes, 59, represents closely-held
businesses and real estate developers
in a wide variety of matters, including
negotiations with lenders, commercial
leases and development agreements, title
and zoning issues. She is a Salem State
College and UNC School of Law graduate.
STEVE BERLIN
partner, office managing partner |
Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton
Winston-Salem
Berlin, 62, has been at the firm for more
than 35 years. His personal practice
focuses on environmental law. He
graduated from Wake Forest University,
where he earned undergraduate and
law degrees.
Key to industry success: Two things — trust and integrity.
Three people to share a meal: Abraham
Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Ulysses S.
Grant.
Proud family accomplishment: We love being with each other.
Where to entertain a visitor: Old Salem
and Reynolda.
DAN CAHILL
managing partner | Poyner Spruill
Raleigh
Cahill, 54, leads the firm’s management
committee and is a commercial litigator
with years of experience in finance and
banking. He has an undergraduate degree
from UNC Chapel Hill and a law degree
from Wake Forest University.
Pre-workday motivation: Working with an
energetic, collaborative organization in an
economically thriving region.
Key to industry success: Client service
— expertise, excellence in practice,
responsiveness and understanding clients’
goals.
Best advice: If you really want to leave a
legacy, be a mentor.
Three people to share a meal: Dean Smith,
Anthony Bourdain and Michael Connelly.
Proud family accomplishment: We are five
unique individuals with different passions
and drivers. However, we make decisions
together with understanding and flexibility.
Favorite hobby: Hiking in the mountains,
golf, gardening and yard work.
Where to entertain a visitor: I have lived
in Raleigh for 50 years, so I like to highlight
old-school places, historic sites and little-known treasures in the city.
LOIS COLBERT
partner | Kilpatrick Townsend &
Stockton
Charlotte
Colbert leads the firm’s employee benefits
practice group. She’s been recognized
by America’s Best Lawyers and in North
Carolina’s Super Lawyers. She graduated
from the University of Illinois and earned
her law degree from the University of
Michigan.
NATHAN DUGGINS
managing partner | Tuggle Duggins
Greensboro
A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Wake
Forest University School of Law, Duggins,
52, specializes in litigation related to
construction, complex business disputes
and real estate. He serves on the board
of directors for Greensboro’s chamber,
merchants and education alliance groups
and is on the board of visitors for the Wake
Forest law school.
Pre-workday motivation: Family and new
opportunities with clients.
Key to industry success: A good bedside
manner and excellent listening skills.
Best advice: Be intrepid in all things
Three people to share a meal: Thomas
Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Elon Musk.
Proud family accomplishment: Loyalty to
each other.
Favorite hobby: Wood splitting and
gardening.
Where to entertain a visitor: Saturday hot
dog sale at Cone American Legion Post 386.
DAVID DUKE
managing partner | Young Moore
and Henderson
Raleigh
Duke, 63, has been with the firm since he
graduated from Wake Forest University
School of Law. He leads its trucking and
transportation practice group. He earned
his undergraduate degree at the College
of William and Mary.
BRADLEY EVANS
co-managing director | Ward and
Smith
Greenville
The Ahoskie native, 46, has a significant
case history in civil litigation, trade-secret
misappropriation, intellectual property
infringement, corporate dissolution and
antitrust disputes. He has undergraduate
and law degrees from Wake Forest
University.
Pre-workday motivation: My morning
workout with a great group of friends.
Doing something strenuous before the sun
comes up makes me feel that I can handle
whatever else I may run into that day.
Key to industry success: Responsiveness
— our clients must feel that their challenges
are our challenges, and we treat them with
the same level of attention and urgency that
they do.
Best advice: Never do anything halfway. If
it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.
Three people to share a meal: C.S. Lewis,
Ernest Hemingway and Jerry Garcia.
Proud family accomplishment: Someone
once wrote of my grandfather, “He loved
the land of eastern North Carolina and the
people who live close to it.” I would love for
that to be said of all of us.
Favorite hobby: Bird hunting in winter and
offshore fishing in summer.
Where to entertain a visitor: Dickinson
Avenue corridor in Uptown Greenville, which
has seen a wonderful rebirth in recent years.
TODD EVESON
managing partner | Wyrick Robbins
Yates & Ponton
Raleigh
Eveson specializes in banking law and has
significant experience in securities law,
mergers and acquisitions, and corporate
law. He co-founded Gaeta and Eveson in
2000 and joined Wyrick Robbins when
they acquired it in 2013. He is a graduate
of Duke University and UNC School of Law.
Key to industry success: Be lucky enough
to have a great mentor and be a very good
listener.
Best advice: Once you make a commitment,
you have to follow through. My parents
taught me that.
Three people to share a meal: Hugh McColl,
John Belk and James B. Duke.
Proud family accomplishment: My wife and
I are both lawyers. Somehow we juggle our
careers, kids and everything else that comes
with being working parents. I am very proud
of that.
Favorite hobby: Anything related to music.
JAMES FARRIN
founder, president, CEO | Law
Offices of James Scott Farrin
Durham
Farrin’s well-known “call the hurtline”
broadcast advertising campaign has
helped him build one of the state’s
biggest personal injury and product
liability practices since its formation in
1997. He is a Trinity College and Duke
University School of Law graduate.
CHARLES FRANCIS
founder, managing partner |
The Francis Law Firm
Raleigh
The Raleigh native was a federal prosecutor
before opening his firm, which has handled
a series of high-profile cases. He has been
active in Democratic Party politics in Raleigh,
serving briefly on the Raleigh City Council.
He is a director at UNC Rex Hospital. He has
an undergraduate degree from Princeton
and a Duke University law degree.
KIMBERLY
BULLOCK GATLING
partner, chief diversity and
inclusion officer | Fox Rothschild
Greensboro
Gatling’s practice focus is intellectual
property, licensing and litigation. A
graduate of N.C. A&T State University and
George Washington University, she is
past chair of Greensboro United Way and
serves on the Cone Health Foundation
and Truliant Federal Credit Union.
Pre-workday motivation: Definitely, coffee.
Although I wouldn’t call myself a natural
morning person, I think the most clearly
and am most productive in the mornings.
I’ve grown to appreciate an early start.
Key to industry success: Integrity,
quality performance, responsiveness and
networking.
Best advice: Be willing to take risks.
Three people to share a meal: MacKenzie
Scott, Barack Obama and [Walgreens Boots
Alliance CEO] Rosalind Brewer.
Proud family accomplishment: As a wife
and mother to three sons, I am proud that
my family continues to be healthy and
whole through the busy grind of life. There
are many moving parts with a large family,
requiring tremendous levels of flexibility
and grace. It’s not always easy, but we make
it work.
Favorite hobby: I love to swim and play
tennis. Catch me poolside or on the tennis
court, especially in summer.
Where to entertain a visitor: The beautiful
campus of my alma mater, N.C. A&T State
University.
CLARK GOODMAN
managing partner | Womble Bond
Dickinson
Charlotte
The business litigator is a Duke University
and Harvard University Law School
graduate. Womble Bond, created in the
2017 merger of U.S. and United Kingdom-based firms, has more than 950 lawyers in
19 U.S. and eight U.K. offices.
Key to industry success: Dedication to
developing and maintaining a high level of
professional skill and a constant focus on
clients’ interests and priorities.
Best advice: Be confident that your
difficult decisions are right but willing to
acknowledge and learn from your mistakes.
Proud family accomplishment: We
genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
Favorite hobby: Golf and guitar.
THOMAS GRIFFIN III
managing partner | Parker Poe
Charlotte
Griffin, 63, focuses on the energy industry,
including environmental litigation and
issues related to renewable energy. The
former Army Corps of Engineers attorney
is a graduate of Wake Forest University
and University of Virginia School of Law.
Pre-workday motivation: : Coffee and
exercise, in that order. Without those, the
day often feels a bit foggy.
Key to industry success: Retaining and
growing your people. Everything flows
from that — growth, culture, cohesiveness,
creativity and a compelling place to work.
Best advice: Always be calm and
courteous, especially under fire, because it
matters. That tidbit came from my father,
who was a celebrated combat leader and
lived by that principle.
Three people to share a meal: The Dave
Matthews Band, which is actually seven
people. It would make for a cool dinner.
Proud family accomplishment: We all
get along and enjoy sitting and talking at
dinner, mostly without using electronic
devices.
Favorite hobby: Long rides on my road bike.
Where to entertain a visitor: A good meal
at a dive joint. If not there, then the U.S.
National Whitewater Center.
ROBERT
HARRINGTON
shareholder, litigation department
co-chair | Robinson Bradshaw
Charlotte
Harrington, 59, represents corporate
clients in a variety of business matters.
Both his undergraduate degree and his
law degree are from Duke University. He
is a past president of the Mecklenburg
County Bar.
Pre-workday motivation: The opportunity
to partner with clients to solve complicated
legal challenges and the chance to improve
our community.
Key to industry success: Dedication,
preparation and attention to detail.
Best advice: Demand that every project is
the best work you’ve ever done.
Three people to share a meal: Sonia
Sotomayor, Barack Obama and Bill Gates.
Proud family accomplishment: Commitment to excellence in education.
Our two parents were born in segregated
South Carolina before 1920. They earned
two college degrees of their own and their
five children have five terminal degrees.
Favorite hobby: Reading.
Where to entertain a visitor: Riding or
walking on tree-lined streets.
HARPER HECKMAN
board of directors member |
Nexsen Pruet
Greensboro
One of three North Carolinians inducted
into the American College of Construction
Lawyers, Heckman, 56, has been an
adjunct professor of construction law
at UNC School of Law for nearly two
decades. Both his undergraduate and law
degrees are from UNC Chapel Hill.
JON HEYL
partner | Fox Rothschild
Charlotte
The Athens, Georgia native is president
of the North Carolina Bar Association. His
practice focus is construction litigation. He
earned his undergraduate degree at East
Carolina University and law degree from
UNC School of Law.
Pre-workday motivation: Sweat — I start
nearly every day with a workout in the gym.
Key to industry success: As with most
industries, lots of hard work. And playing it
straight. Reputation among repeat players
is key.
Best advice: It might not be applicable in
today’s world of instant communication,
but the advice when I started was that if
you get a letter from opposing counsel that
makes you really angry, put it in a drawer for
three days before responding. The principle
still applies.
Favorite hobby: Nothing is better than a
hike in the North Carolina mountains.
PATRICIA HOSMER
partner | McGuireWoods
Charlotte
Hosmer’s practice focuses on transactions
involving aviation and other equipment.
A member of the firm’s executive
committee, she is a Yale University and
UNC School of Law graduate. Chambers
USA included her in its America’s Leading
Lawyers for Business from 2016 to 2019.
TERRY HUTCHENS
managing partner | Hutchens
Law Firm
Fayetteville
Hutchens leads the 250-employee firm
that he founded 42 years ago. He is a
graduate of N.C. State University and
Wake Forest University, where he earned
an MBA and law degree. His personal
practice focuses on real estate. He has
been a member of the UNC Board of
Governors since 2019.
Pre-workday motivation: Exercise and
meditation.
Key to industry success: Honesty,
dependability, candor and 110% effort.
Best advice: Do what you say. Be on time.
Finish what you start. Say “please” and
“thank you.
Three people to share a meal: Mark Twain,
Coach Jim Valvano and Richard Pryor
Proud family accomplishment: Our
children’s love for one another and our
incredible, remarkable grandchildren.
Where to entertain a visitor: My back
porch.
BETH TYNER JONES
office managing partner | Womble
Bond Dickinson
Raleigh/Durham
Jones, 58, leads the firm’s education and
school law team, building on her experience
in human resources and as a college
faculty member. She has bachelor’s and
law degrees from Campbell University.
Pre-workday motivation: A solid workout
and some word puzzles are a great warmup
for a workday loaded with interactions with
interesting clients, talented colleagues and
opportunities to contribute.
Best advice: Love what you do, and don’t
take yourself too seriously
Favorite hobby: Hiking and following
women’s college basketball.
Where to entertain a visitor: The Triangle
is packed with great things to do. Umstead
State Park, Duke Gardens and North Carolina
Museum of Art are fun places to enjoy with
visitors and get outside.
C. MATTHEW KEEN
managing shareholder | Ogletree
Deakins
Raleigh
Keen has practiced at one of the largest
U.S. labor and employment law firms
since 1987. He is on the Greater Raleigh
Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors
and Raleigh Sports Council Steering
Committee. He is a graduate of N.C. State
University and UNC School of Law.
BYRON KIRKLAND
managing partner | Smith Anderson
Raleigh
Kirkland, 61, practices corporate
and securities law and has extensive
experience advising venture capital
and private equity funds. He became
managing partner in 2020 after more
than 30 years at the firm. He had
undergraduate, MBA and law degrees
from UNC Chapel Hill.
Pre-workday motivation: I wish I could tell
you I run 10 miles every day, but I find work
motivating enough.
Key to industry success: Caring and hard
work.
Best advice: Take care of your people,
products and profits in that order.
Three people to share a meal: Ina Garten,
Gordon Ramsay and Chris Lilly.
Proud family accomplishment: I am
most proud of the people my two adult
children have become. They are goal-oriented, incredibly hard-working, and most
importantly have big hearts and a great
moral compass.
Favorite hobby: Travel.
PAUL LAWRENCE
managing partner | Hedrick
Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo
Charlotte
Lawrence’s practice is focused on civil
litigation, employment law and workers’
compensation. A member of the North
Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
and Defense Research Institute, he earned
a bachelor’s from the University of Scranton
and a law degree at Villanova University.
VALECIA MCDOWELL
partner | Moore & Van Allen
Charlotte
McDowell is co-head of the firm’s white-collar, regulatory defense and investigations
practice and has extensive experience in
internal investigations for corporations.
She is a former chair of the Charlotte Arts &
Science Council and co-chair of the firm’s
diversity committee. She has bachelor’s and
law degrees from Duke University.
TOM MITCHELL
managing partner | Moore & Van Allen
Charlotte
Mitchell is chair of the firm’s management
committee and a veteran attorney in the
financial services field. He has a bachelor’s
degree from the University of Illinois and
is a Washington and Lee University law
graduate. He joined the firm in 1993.
JARED MOBLEY
managing partner | K&L Gates
Charlotte
Mobley is a taxation specialist who leads
the firm’s estate planning and trusts and
estates group. He has undergraduate and
law degrees from the University of South
Carolina. He also holds a master’s of law
in taxation from New York University
School of Law.
MARIFRANCES
MORRISON
shareholder | Ogletree Deakins
Raleigh
Morrison specializes in complex employment immigration issues, particularly at
Fortune 500 companies. The graduate
of University of Massachusetts and New
England School of Law is on Ogletree’s
nine-member board of directors.
LESLIE PACKER
managing partner | Ellis & Winters
Raleigh
Packer focuses her practice on commercial
litigation with particular attention to health
care product liability. A member of a
regional and national trial team in breast
implant litigation, she also has assisted
corporate boards with internal investigations.
The Durham native is a graduate of Brown
University and UNC School of Law.
REID PHILLIPS
managing partner | Brooks Pierce
Greensboro
Phillips is a litigation attorney. He
represents companies and their owners
in antitrust, copyright and other business
disputes. He holds a bachelor’s degree
from UNC Chapel Hill and is a graduate of
University of Texas School of Law.
Pre-workday motivation: No two days
are alike, so you need to be prepared for
anything, and you need to be flexible.
Key to industry success:: Understanding
what our clients need to make their
businesses more successful and figuring
out how we can deliver those services
better — better than our competitors do
now and better than we did last week.
Continuous improvement is one of the
pillars of our culture.
Best advice: Read “The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People.” Make those your habits.
Three people to share a meal: Jesus,
Muhammad and Buddha.
Proud family accomplishment: Every one
of them is a caring and kind person who
lives by the Golden Rule.
Favorite hobby: Reading about history.
Where to entertain a visitor: Haw River
State Park, Greensboro Aquatic Center,
Steven Tanger Center for the Performing
Arts, LeBauer Park and GreenHill Center for
North Carolina Art.
ALLEN ROBERTSON
managing partner | Robinson
Bradshaw
Charlotte
Robertson is in his second term as
managing partner at Robinson Bradshaw.
The Harvard University Law School graduate
is a public finance and bond attorney and
one of only two North Carolinians to serve
as president of the National Association of
Bond Lawyers.
PERRY SAFRAN
president | Safran Law Offices
Raleigh
Safran is a construction law expert who
founded his firm 41 years ago. He has
a bachelor’s degree from N.C. State
University, an MBA from Wake Forest
University and a law degree from
Campbell University. The former Raleigh
city councilman is a trustee at N.C. State.
Pre-workday motivation: Staying healthy,
you have to keep moving, and helping my
clients through the legal maze.
Key to industry success: Listen. It’s a hard
lesson to learn, but you have to listen first.
Best advice: Never look down on anyone.
All of us are worthy.
Three people to share a meal: Condoleezza
Rice, Morgan Freeman and Lou Holtz.
Proud family accomplishment: Our
friendships. Susan and I are, of course,
proud of our accomplishments but being
friends with our sons and siblings is most
important.
Favorite hobby: Grandchildren.
Where to entertain a visitor: PNC Arena.
JASON SOLOMON
partner-in-charge | Alston & Bird
Charlotte
A corporate law specialist, Solomon
has been at Alston & Bird for 17 years.
He practiced law in Delaware before
coming to Charlotte in 2004. He earned
a bachelor’s degree at UNC Chapel Hill
and a law degree at Washington and
Lee University.
WYATT STEVENS
partner | Roberts & Stevens
Asheville
The Asheville native, 52, has practiced personal injury and commercial litigation law for more than 25 years after attending UNC Chapel Hill. He represents a diverse clientele and is admitted to argue in the Cherokee Tribal Court. He is a member of the Association of Ski Defense Attorneys.
Pre-workday motivation: Strong black
coffee.
Key to industry success: Relationships.
Best advice: From my Mom and Dad — Do
the right thing, tell the truth and always do
your best. And be home in time for dinner.
Three people to share a meal: Abraham
Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Winston
Churchill.
Proud family accomplishment: We love
each other. We support each other, and we
have fun together.
Favorite hobby: Trail running.
Where to entertain a visitor: Hiking in the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
MARSHALL WALL
managing partner | Cranfill Sumner
Raleigh
Wall, 47, is part of the first class of North
Carolina lawyers certified in privacy and
information security. The Raleigh native
is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Campbell University School of Law.
Pre-workday motivation: A run, preferably
with some of my F3 friends.
Key to industry success: Attention to
detail, perseverance and flexibility.
Proud family accomplishment: My older
son just earned his Eagle Scout rank,
and my younger son is close behind. The
commitment required is significant, and
getting teenage boys to focus on anything
can be a challenge.
Favorite hobby: Running the streets of
Raleigh or the trails at William B. Umstead
State Park.
Where to entertain a visitor: Umstead
State Park.
DEVON WILLIAMS
co-managing director | Ward and
Smith
Raleigh
Williams, 35, joined Ward and Smith after
graduating from Campbell University
School of Law. She specializes in labor and
employment law. She is a member of the
Junior League of Raleigh and the Young
Lawyers division of the American Bar
Association.
Pre-workday motivation: My
rambunctious toddler and coffee.
Best advice: “Things happen for a reason.” —
my parents. From an early age, my parents
raised me to believe that God is in control,
and He has a plan. This advice, faith or life
lesson, however you want to interpret it,
taught me to see roadblocks and detours
as having a purpose in setting me on the
right path toward success and happiness.
It helps me keep things in perspective and
see the bigger picture.
Three people to share a meal: Kate
McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy and Rebel
Wilson.
Favorite hobby: I love cycling and the great
outdoors.
Where to entertain a visitor: We live within
walking distance of Bond Brothers Beer Co.
in downtown Cary and enjoy taking friends
to its courtyard.
KEVIN WILLIAMS
president | Bell, Davis & Pitt
Winston-Salem
Williams has been with Bell Davis &
Pitt since graduating from Wake Forest
University Law School in 1998. He assists
clients with business, commercial,
professional negligence and fiduciary
disputes. The Elizabeth City native
received his undergraduate degree from
UNC Chapel Hill.
Pre-workday motivation: Strong coffee
and a few quiet moments with a book and
my furry four-legged children.
Key to industry success: Empathy,
preparation and hard work.
Best advice: Don’t buy green bananas.
Three people to share a meal: Abraham
Lincoln, Muhammad Ali and Jerry Garcia.
Proud family accomplishment: My
wife, Aimee, and our three children,
Sydney, Ethan and Trevor, are all fiercely
independent while, at the same
time, warm, caring and conscientious
contributors to the world around them.
Favorite hobby: Spending time with friends
and family.
Where to entertain a visitor: WinstonSalem’s revitalized downtown.
JAMES WYATT III
managing partner and founder |
Wyatt & Blake
Charlotte
Among the state’s best-known trial
lawyers, Wyatt, 64, specializes in whitecollar defense, whistleblower cases and
class-action cases. He is a Vanderbilt
University and Duke University School
of Law graduate. He oversees a family
foundation, One by One Costa Rica, that
assists at-risk youth in that country.
Pre-workday motivation: Prayerful
reflection and exercise.
Key to industry success: Thorough
preparation and strategic judgment.
Best advice: Famous trial lawyer Jim Neal
once said, “If you beat a dead horse enough
it will fly.” He means that if you work hard
enough, and read and reread evidence, you
will eventually see angles to it that others
miss.
Three people to share a meal: Charlemange, John Adams and Teddy
Roosevelt
Favorite hobby: Hiking. My wife and I
recently completed the Tour du Mont Blanc
in Europe.