Amos C. Dawson III Williams Mullen, Raleigh

My special place is our retirement home near Saluda, about a half-mile north of the Greenville, S.C., watershed, which is all totally undeveloped and protected mountain land. My wife, Gail, and I went to Saluda on our honeymoon. We stayed in a cabin at the Orchard Inn, and every year we would go back for our anniversary. Two years ago, we bought a lovely home on top of a ridge on Little Mine Mountain with seven acres of woods. It’s a magical, peaceful, beautiful place with wonderful people.

Vita: Born Feb. 15, 1948, in Southern Pines; bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC Chapel Hill; wife, two sons and two daughters. Why he chose this field: Environmental law was a new area that seemed to show a lot of promise and was more interesting to me than tax, corporate law or other traditional fields. When I graduated from law school in 1975, the Coastal Area Management Act had just been passed, and I became the first staff attorney to the newly formed Coastal Resources Commission. It was the only job I applied for. What he’d be if not a lawyer: Retired in Saluda. When I was younger, I would have loved to have run a summer camp for kids in the mountains. Being a camp counselor was the best all-around job I ever had. Passions: My wife and my relationships with God, my family, friends and clients. I am also passionate about exercise, travel and golf. Don’t ask him to: Hurry up. You’d just be wasting your time.

Robert M. Elliot Elliot Pishko Morgan PA, Winston-Salem

I prefer to be at our cain on the New River near Jefferson in Ashe County. Whether floating in our canoe or kayak, running along its banks, piddling in carpentry or simply watching the waters flow, the cool, clean air of the North Carolina mountains and the clear waters of this unique river keep my mind balanced, my concerns in perspective and my spirits refreshed.

Vita: Born Dec 13, 1950, in Charlotte; bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and law degree form Wake Forest University; wife, son and two daughters. Why he chose this field: After family, a job is the most important self-defining feature in most people’s lives. Consequently, the loss of a job is a loss of a part of that individuual. I like to be part of the resolution of these cases. Memorable cases: Receiving a substantial jury verdict for a specialized broker entitled to a commission for earning millions for his employer; recovering severance and retirement benefits for the president of a company who had been fired after the company was acquired by a competitor; winning a jury verdict for a woman sexually harassed by a law-enforcement officer; and arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and winning my clients’ Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial in their claims against their union. What he’d be if not a lawyer: A National Geographic photographer – if I had the tlent. Or a historic carpenter – if I had the skill. Hero: Nelson Mandela. Don’t ask him to: Eat cooked broccoli.

James P. Cooney III Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, Charlotte

My favorite place would be on my bike or taking a swim or on a run and preferably doing all three in the early morning sun at a beautiful location. I spend most of my free time training for triathlons. It allows me to sort through and reorganize my life, to train my emotions and to clear my mind. There is no problem that is not more manageable after a long training session or race.

Vita: Born Oct. 26, 1957, in San Francisco; bachelor’s from Duke University and law degree from University of Virginia; wife and three daughters. Why he chose this field: I always thought that lawyers were supposed to be in the courtroom. Criminal law in particular is one of the highest challenges a courtroom lawyer can have. Memorable cases: I will never forget the expressions on the faces of Allen Gaines’ jury when they chose to unanimously give him life after convicting him of the murder of a police officer, a crime that many in the community wanted him to die for. And I cannot forget watching John Noland, my client and friend for 14 years, be executed by the state. What he’d be if not a lawyer: A high-school social-studies teacher. Hero: I grew up wanting to be Atticus Finch. I have been lucky enough to meet real Atticus Finches. The most impressive is David Bruck, the attorney for Susan Smith and the 4th Circuit capital counsel. He handles the worst of cases with a grace, dignity and wisdom that I hope to achieve someday. Don’t ask him to: Fix anything. I am a mechanical idiot.

John Taggart Genworth Financial Inc., Raleigh

Over a period of about nine years, I built a timber-frame shed, largely from wood sawed from trees that were growing on the land where we built our home. When I am away from the office and relaxing, you will usually find me in the yard, either in the shed or in my garden.

Vita: Born May 14, 1946, in Ogden, Utah; bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University and law degree from University of Washington; wife, five children and 12 grandchildren. Why he chose this field: I found that, as compared with private practice, being part of an integrated business team, where client relationships are long-term and broader in scope, was a more satisfying way to practice law. Memorable case: Helping to take Genworth Financial public in 2004 as part of a $13 billion spinoff from General Electric. What he’d be if not a lawyer: A teacher. Passions: Family and church. My wife and I also enjoy traveling. Hero: My father, a man of great wisdom, gentleness and integrity. Favorite book: Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard L. Bushman. Don’t ask him to: Change sprinkler pipe. I worked three seasons as a cowboy on a cattle ranch in western Wyoming. Changing sprinkler pipe is still the worst job I have ever actually performed, though digging an M-60 main battle tank out of a Kentucky mudhole runs a close second.

James S. Schenck IV Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC, Raleigh

Peter C. Buck Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte

You’ll often find me over at First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte for choir practice, certainly one of my very favorite things to do. I have been singing in the choir for almost 20 years, having been recruited in a moment of weakness by a desperate music director. I can’t read the music, but I’m loud and I try hard and usually it works out. For me, the time spent rehearsing and singing — generally about four hours a week — is always fun and a great way to put the stress of the work world behind me for a while. I like the singing, I love the people, and I appreciate the time to reflect on important things.

Vita: Born May 8, 1947, in Kinston; bachelor’s and law degrees from Duke University; wife and two sons. Why he chose this field: I’ve always enjoyed transaction work because of the fast pace and because you can be a part of the team that gets important things done for the businesses that we work for. Memorable case: The acquisition by the Spangler family businesses of National Gypsum in 1995 was one I won’t forget. What he’d be if not a lawyer: Probably a teacher. Hero: Winston Churchill (one brave guy). Passions: My family, baseball and good books. Recent reading: Old Filth by the English author Jane Gardam. It’s a terrific story about an English barrister who made his fortune in Hong Kong (thus the acronym FILTH — failed in London try Hong Kong). Don’t ask him to: Keep my office neat. I’m just not capable.

John A. Northen Northen Blue LLP, Chapel Hill

I use our house at Emerald Isle as a place to get away from work and spend time with my family and occasionally as an Eastern office since it affords a quiet place to work on matters that suffer from interruption. Going across the bridge from the mainland, I get this sense that my blood pressure drops, and I can look forward to working on the porch and watching the Intracoastal boat traffic whenever I look up from my files or laptop. Not a bad way to work on the weekend when you have to, and whenever I need a break, I can run on the beach or drive Katy, my golden retriever, around in the boat.

Vita: Born April 24, 1950, in Asheville; bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC Chapel Hill; wife and three daughters. Why he chose this field: I gradually worked into it from a general business and real-estate practice. I enjoyed the accelerated pace of the litigation and the hands-on business and financial aspects of restructuring the debtor’s business. Memorable case: The Chapter 11 restructuring of Convenience USA, a multistate owner and operator of convenience stores, which involvedcomplex legal and strategic issues and ended in a successful restructuring. What he’d be if not a lawyer: I would like to say a writer, but more likely I’d be a turnaround consultant. Passions: Family, running and cruising on my boat with my wife and dog. Don’t ask him to: Lie for you.�

Mark W. Merritt Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte

Away from the office, you can find me at Christ Episcopal Church, where I have been on the vestry, served as senior warden and have been a fifth-grade Sunday-school teacher for 18 years. I have been exposed to a generation of children and have greatly enjoyed their perceptiveness, their intelligence and their lack of cynicism. They have taught me far more than I have taught them.

Vita: Born Sept. 18, 1957, in Utica, N.Y.; bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and law degree from University of Virginia; wife and three children. Why he chose this field: It was a logical outgrowth of my interest in economics. Memorable case: My first antitrust case involved a multiweek trial in which our firm represented bottlers of RC Cola and similar soft drinks in a lawsuit against bottlers of Coke and Pepsi for violations of the Sherman Act. What he’d be if not a lawyer: Probably an economist. Passions: My family, my church, running and rock ’n’ roll. Recent reading: The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, which is a short and fun book. This is my children’s way of trying to get me to live in the moment and not take myself and my work so seriously. My kids have a way of recommending books that address my character flaws. Don’t ask him to: Do anything that requires fine motor skills, not get frustrated playing golf, show restraint when eating at a buffet, pull for a team coached by Steve Spurrier and not think that Carolina basketball is important in a profound way.