Nan E. Hannah
Hannah Sheridan Loughridge & Cochran LLP | Raleigh
“Harry Potter provides a wonderful glimpse of what it is to be a fighter for justice and good without being a perfect person. Harry is the most human of heroes who consistently strives to protect the weak and do what is right, while at times falling victim to human foibles.”
[/mk_blockquote]
Vita: 57; born in Greensboro; bachelor’s from Furman University, master’s from Baylor University and law degree from Washington & Lee University.
Why she chose to specialize in this field: I concentrate my practice in construction law in large part because subconsciously I absorbed a lot from my father, Walter Hannah, one of the founders of the construction-law section of the North Carolina Bar Association. I more fell into it than aimed for it, but the lawyers and clients in this area of the law are very good people who make construction law enjoyable while also being intellectually stimulating.
What she’d be if not a lawyer: A basketball coach and a teacher, which I was for eight years. I loved my students and the teaching process (both classroom and on the court). The politics and external challenges of being a teacher caused me to seek out and find another challenge.
Favorite place: Hard question, but broadly stated, any National Park service unit.
Hero: My father. He was an incredible role model.
Recent reading: I read continuously and widely. As I complete this, I am reading The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton by William E. Leuchtenburg. In the wings are some mystery novels.
Passions: Cooking, reading, volunteering (not necessarily in that order).
Don’t ask her to: Decorate — I am fond of saying that I completely missed the aesthetic gene.
2017 Construction winners:
Nan E. Hannah, Hannah Sheridan Loughridge & Cochran LLP, Raleigh; Greg C. Ahlum, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Christopher K. Behm, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington; Eric H. Biesecker, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; Steven Allen Bimbo, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; H. Arthur Bolick II, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Matthew C. Bouchard, Lewis & Roberts PLLC, Raleigh; Thomas M. Buckley, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP, Raleigh; Robert L. Burchette, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; B. David Carson, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Keith E. Coltrain, Wall Templeton & Haldrup PA, Raleigh; Paul E. Davis, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Raleigh; A. Holt Gwyn, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Greensboro; H. Mark Hamlet, Hamlet & Associates PLLC, Wilmington; Scott C. Harris, Whitfield Bryson & Mason LLP, Raleigh; J. Patrick Haywood, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Jason B. James, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Charlotte; Tracy Thompson James, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; E. Wyles Johnson Jr., White & Allen PA, Kinston; Neale T. Johnson, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro; W. James Johnson, Smith Terry & Johnson, Asheville; Gilbert C. “Gib” Laite III, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Aaron Lay, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Nancy S. Litwak, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; John I. Mabe Jr., Nexsen Pruet LLC, Raleigh; Peyton D. Mansure, Sparrow Dennis & Medlin PA, Greensboro; Ben Martin, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Jason A. Miller, Miller & Monroe PLLC, Raleigh; Parker E. Moore, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Joseph W. Moss Jr., Erwin, Bishop, Capitano & Moss PA, Charlotte; Thomas L. Ogburn, Poyner Spruill LLP, Charlotte; J. Anthony “Andy” Penry, Penry Riemann PLLC, Raleigh; Stacey Bailey Pharr, Pharr Law PLLC , Winston-Salem; Elizabeth LeVan “Liz” Riley, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP, Raleigh; Whitaker B. Rose, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Erik Rosenwood, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Perry R. Safran, Safran Law Offices, Raleigh; Bryan G. Scott, Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC, Winston-Salem; David A. Senter, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; Gregory L. Shelton, Horack, Talley, Pharr & Lowndes PA , Charlotte; M. Riana Smith, Strauch Green & Mistretta PC, Raleigh; Jason T. Strickland, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Walter L. Tippett Jr., Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Raleigh; Jay P. Tobin, Young Moore and Henderson PA, Raleigh; Judson A. Welborn, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Allen West, Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Martin L. “Marty” White, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Jay M. Wilkerson, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Raleigh; Brian Wolfe, Baucom, Claytor, Benton, Morgan & Wood PA, Charlotte