There were 644 lawyers who made Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite list this year. That represents fewer than 3 percent of all attorneys in the state, according to the publication,
The group included 32 Wilmington-area lawyers.
To compile the annual list Business North Carolina asks all active N.C. State Bar members to vote for their recommendations of top lawyers in business-related areas, from construction to intellectual property law.
Lawyers were not able to vote for themselves. They were allowed to vote for members from their own firms only by voting for another out-of-firm lawyer in the same category. The vote for the out-of-firm lawyer was weighed more heavily.
Here are the local attorneys who made the 2016 list:
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Business
FIRM: Ward and Smith
TITLE: Attorney
EDUCATION: James Madison University (B.A., magna cum laude); University of Richmond (J.D., cum laude)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “One of the best parts of my job is channeling my clients’ creative energy and ideas into focused business plans. Entrepreneurs, by nature, tend to be risk takers, and I enjoy assisting clients succeed while managing and avoiding potential risks and pitfalls. My clients’ drive and creativity inspires me and gives me energy,” Beaudoin said.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Condominiums/community association; corporate, limited liability company and partnership; nonprofit formation and governance issues; and franchise
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction (Also named to Super Lawyers Top 100 list)
FIRM: Block Crouch Keeter Behm & Sayed
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: Guilford College (A.B); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Behm has been a partner with Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed since 2005. He previously was an associate attorney with Block, Crouch & Keeter and with Howard, Stallings, From & Hutson in Raleigh.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Civil, commercial, construction, homeowners association (HOA), trust and estates, real estate, products liability, and personal injury litigation matters in federal and state courts
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Bankruptcy (Also named to Super Lawyers-Bankruptcy: Business)
FIRM: Butler & Butler
TITLE: Managing Partner
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (A.B. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Butler represents businesses and individuals, debtor and creditors, in bankruptcy cases and in connection with non-bankruptcy alternatives, workouts and debt restructuring. Butler also serves as a Chapter 7 panel trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (EDNC) and as receiver in state court proceedings. He has served several terms as a director of the Bankruptcy Section of the N.C. Bar Association and has served as vice chairman of the local rules committee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (EDNC).
AREAS OF FOCUS: Financial and insolvency advice, bankruptcy avoidance, non-bankruptcy workouts, pre-bankruptcy planning, corporate reorganizations under Chapter 11, personal bankruptcies under Chapters 7 and 13, creditor representation, bankruptcy and civil litigation defense; certified by N.C. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization and American Board of Certification as a specialist in business bankruptcy and consumer bankruptcy law
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Bankruptcy
FIRM: Carter & Carter
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Carter has been listed in Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite in bankruptcy for over 10 years. He served as a bankruptcy trustee in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases for 25 years for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (EDNC). He and his firm, Carter & Carter, currently handle commercial litigation, corporate matters, creditor and debtor bankruptcy matters, real estate and estate planning.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Bankruptcy, business litigation, creditor and debtor bankruptcy rights, corporate matters and disputes and estate planning and administration
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction
FIRM: Chleborowicz Law Firm
TITLE: Sole practitioner
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A., B.S. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Chleborowicz has developed his practice in civil litigation, prosecuting and/or defending cases in state and federal courts in both North and South Carolina as well as Texas, Virginia, New Jersey and Florida. He has handled a wide variety of litigation matters including large-scale, multi-family and single-family construction defects and contract disputes. He has successfully tried cases in both jury and non-jury settings, arbitration (including AAA) and administrative settings and has taken cases to the N.C. Court of Appeals.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Construction defects
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Bankruptcy
FIRM: Cape Fear Debt Relief
TITLE: Owner and managing attorney
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (undergraduate and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Cook is one of two attorneys in Wilmington recognized by the N.C. State Bar as a board-certified specialist in business and consumer bankruptcy law. Cook also sits on the board of the N.C. Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section Council. Cape Fear Debt Relief is a full-service bankruptcy law firm that represents both debtors and creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases before the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts in Eastern North Carolina.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Bankruptcy
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Business (Also named to Super Lawyers-Tax)
FIRM: Murchison Taylor & Gibson
TITLE: Member/Partner
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.S. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Diab was included in Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite 2003 to 2012 and again in 2014, 2015 and this year. He is a certified public accountant and member of the N.C. Association of Certified Public Accountants. Diab has served on the boards of directors for the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation, Hill School of Wilmington Inc., Wilmington West Rotary Club and The Eshelman Foundation. He chaired the UNCW Foundation from 2003 to 2005.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Mergers and acquisitions, trusts and estates, corporate law and business and tax planning
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Family Law
FIRM: Cape Fear Family Law
TITLE: Attorney
EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Gemmell is a contributing writer and public speaker on divorce law topics for local publications and has been featured in national magazines. She also teaches continuing legal education classes for other attorneys throughout the state. She loves working with divorcing clients and helping them through the process of divorce.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Divorce and family law, board-certified family law specialist
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate
FIRM: Morgan & Carter
EDUCATION: Smith College (A.B.); UNC Chapel Hill (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Guyton has been a board-certified specialist in real property transactions: residential, business, commercial and industrial since 1995. She previously worked as general counsel for Zimmer Development Company. Guyton is on the board of directors for Cape Fear CREW and Coastal Women Attorneys. She also is a member of Real Property Council, N.C. Bar Association (1999-2002), the N.C. Bar Association and the N.C. Association of Women Attorneys.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Commercial real estate transactions, business and corporate law and wills and estates
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction (Also named to Super Lawyers-Construction Litigation)
FIRM: Hamlet & Associates
TITLE: Managing Partner
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Hamlet worked for several years with a large, regional firm representing clients from local contractors to Fortune 500 companies. He formed his own firm in 2012 with four associate attorneys.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Construction, litigation, health care and mediation
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Tax/Estate Planning
FIRM: Hogue Hill
TITLE: Attorney
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.S. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Jenkins is licensed to practice in New York and North Carolina and is a member of the Intellectual Property and Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Sections of the N.C. Bar Association. She has represented artists and writers through her pro bono work with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Estate planning and administration, wills, trusts, living wills probate, administration of estates, corporate law, intellectual property
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate
FIRM: Hogue Hill
TITLE: Attorney
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.A.); Boston University (LL.M)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Member of the New Hanover County Bar Association and N.C. Bar Association
AREAS OF FOCUS: Commercial and residential real estate, real estate development, refinancing, municipal law, wills, trusts, living wills, health care powers of attorney, general powers of attorney, estate planning and administration, probate, corporate and commercial law, formations of corporations and limited liability companies, business transactions, purchases and sales of businesses
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction
FIRM: The Coastal Companies
TITLE: General Counsel
EDUCATION: University of Tennessee (B.S.); University of Virginia (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: After law school, Jordan joined a long-established Virginia law firm and became a partner in 1994. As a business lawyer and courtroom litigator, her practice concentration was construction litigation – representing both public entities and private businesses across the mid-Atlantic region. Since joining The Coastal Companies in 2009, Jordan has been able to emphasize her business background, “though advocacy and negotiation skills, along with a confident outlook, honed during my years in the courtroom, have been invaluable,” she said.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Organization is real estate and construction focused, so her focus is on all matters dealing with land and building, whether property taxes, development issues, financing, OSHA, insurance, or the regulatory environment
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate
FIRM: Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: Campbell University (B.S. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Keeter is a partner with Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed and previously was partner with Carr, Swails, Huffine, Crouch & Keeter as well as with Rountree & Seagle.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Real estate acquisition and development (commercial and residential); corporate/business law including mergers and acquisitions; zoning and land use law; estate planning including wills and trusts; and estate administration
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Antitrust (Also named to Super Lawyers-Business Litigation)
FIRM: McGuireWoods
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Kitchin concentrates his practice on business and real estate litigation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in real estate disputes and business, antitrust and breach of contract cases. He also represents creditors in creditors’ rights and bankruptcy cases and defends lenders in predatory lending and lender liability suits.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Business litigation and creditor’s rights matters; represents plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust, business tort and breach of contract cases; represents creditors in creditor’s rights and bankruptcy cases and defends lenders in predatory lending and lender liability suits
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Construction (Also Super Lawyers-Rising Star: Construction Litigation)
FIRM: Hamlet & Associates
TITLE: Attorney
EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A.); Northeastern University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Knudson focuses her practice on construction, commercial litigation and business law. She has litigated cases before the trial court and the N.C. Court of Appeals and has successfully defended her clients against claims of wrongful death, breach of contract and unfair and deceptive trade practices. She is currently president of the New Hanover County Bar Association.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Construction, litigation and business
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Tax/Estate Planning (Also named to Super Lawyers-Estate Planning & Probate)
FIRM: Kohut PLLC
TITLE: Sole member
EDUCATION: University of California, Irvine (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Kohut has received the Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Rating, was named one of the Best Lawyers in America (2011-16), included on Super Lawyers-Estate and Trust Litigation (2007-16), Legal Elite-Tax/Estate Planning (2012) and named an honoree for North Carolina Leaders in the Law (2015). She is a fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, member of the N.C. Bar Association, estate planning and fiduciary law section and has served as director of the N.C. Lawyers Assistance Foundation (2002-11).
AREAS OF FOCUS: Trust and estate planning and administration, and business law
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Real Estate (Also named to Super Lawyers-Real Estate)
FIRM: Lee Law Firm
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Lee started the Lee Law Firm in 2012. He has earned Martindale-Hubbell’s top rating; Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite 2007, 2009-16; North Carolina Super Lawyers 2009-16 and Best of the Best, Top 100 in 2014 N.C. Super Lawyers. He also was included in The Best Lawyers in America, 21st edition. Lee also serves as a North Carolina state senator, representing District 9. He is a former board member of NCDOT and chairman of the N.C. Ports Authority.
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Litigation (Statewide category winner); (Also named to Super Lawyers-Class Action/Mass Torts)
FIRM: Law Office of Jean Sutton Martin
TITLE: Founder
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.S.); University of South Carolina (M.I.B.S.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Martin has a master’s of international business studies and served as the editor-in-chief of the Wake Forest Law Review. With 17 years of experience in the field, she recently opened her own firm concentrating her practice on consumer class actions, pharmaceutical drug and medical device litigation.
AREA OF FOCUS: Complex civil litigation
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Litigation; (Also named to Super Lawyers-Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense)
FIRM: Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog
TITLE: Managing partner, Wilmington office
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (B.A.); Campbell University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Martin has successfully tried numerous medical malpractice and personal injury cases throughout eastern North Carolina. Many of his cases involve brain injury, birth trauma, paraplegia and wrongful death. Martin also has experience with large construction litigation, premises liability and hospital/workplace security. He has appeared before the U. S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, the U. S. Supreme Court and the N.C. Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Martin has been named to The Best Lawyers in America list in Medical Malpractice Law, Defendants.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Business disputes-litigation, medical malpractice and professional liability
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Employment
FIRM: Murchison Taylor & Gibson
TITLE: Member
EDUCATION: Amherst College (B.A.); Cornell Law School (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Murchison has practiced in Wilmington since 1983 at Murchison, Taylor & Gibson and said he considers himself “incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such an exceptional group of attorneys for such a long period of time.” He works with a number of corporate and individual clients, including many local health care providers and some of the area’s largest employers. “The health care and labor and employment areas are constantly evolving, which keeps my work challenging and interesting,” he said.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Health law; labor and employment; and civil litigation
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Litigation
FIRM: Hogue Hill
TITLE: Attorney
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.A. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Law clerk to U.S. District Judge, Middle District of N.C. (1970-71); member of the New Hanover County and N.C. Bar Associations, N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys, Defense Research Institute and Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Litigation, condemnation, eminent domain and inverse condemnation, construction litigation, complex litigation, caveat proceedings, commercial law, insurance, banks and banking, torts, negligence and personal injury
CATEGORY: Legal Elite- Employment (Also named to Super Lawyers Top 50 Women; Super Lawyers-Criminal Defense) Super Lawyers-Employment; Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
FIRM: Tin Fulton Walker & Owen
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: University of Georgia (B.A. and J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: She received 2014 N.C. Lawyers Weekly “Women of Justice” Award, 2014 National Law Journal’s “Two Steps Forward in the Carolinas” Award, Norman B. Smith Award, ACLU of North Carolina (2013), Ebbie Award, N.C. Advocates for Justice (2012), UGA’s inaugural class of “40 Under 40” (2011) and is current commissioner on the N.C. Indigent Defense Commission, Legal Committee member for ACLU of North Carolina, board member and past president of Coastal Women Attorneys and former board
member for NCAJ, NC PLS and NCAWA.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Civil rights and constitutional law, criminal defense, employment and labor
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Family Law
FIRM: The Law Office of LeeAnne Quattrucci
TITLE: Managing Attorney
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (bachelor’s); UNC Chapel Hill (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Quattrucci opened her law practice in 2011. She has been voted Wilmington’s Best Attorney in 2013 and 2014 by Wilmington Magazine and received the Pro Bono Publico Award from Legal Aid of North Carolina for 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Quattrucci has been a featured speaker at various CLEs across the country and completed over 150 adoptions since 2011. She also sits on the Alumni Board at Carolina Law and on
the board of several nonprofit organizations.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Family law, juvenile, domestic and immigration
CATEGORY: Legal Elite- Construction
FIRM: McAngus Goudelock & Courie
TITLE: Member
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (bachelor’s), Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Rapp has been involved in numerous multi-party, large-scale construction cases across eastern North Carolina over the past 10 years. He is currently vice chairman of the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys’ Construction Practice Group. Rapp has successfully represented clients in state court, federal court and appellate matters.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Civil litigation, commercial litigation and construction law
CATEGORY: Legal Elite- Construction and Legal Elite-Litigation (Also named to Super Lawyers Top 100 list and Super Lawyers-Personal Injury General: Plaintiff)
FIRM: Rhine Law Firm
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: University of Tampa (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Rhine has handled cases a variety of multi-million dollar lawsuits involving numerous issues, including catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, construction, products liability, trucking and commercial vehicles, mass torts and class action for 27 years. Rhine has cases pending in North Carolina state and federal courts as well as federal courts throughout the U.S. Also named to Best Lawyers in America, Best Law Firms published in U.S. News & World Report, Martindale Hubbell AV rating and National Trial Lawyers “Top 100 Trial Lawyers”.
AREA OF FOCUS: Complex civil litigation, primarily on a contingency fee basis
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Family Law (Also named to Super Lawyers-Family Law)
FIRM: Block Crouch Keeter Behm & Sayed
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: UNCW (B.A. and M.Ed.); Campbell University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Sayed has been a partner at Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed since 2005. She is certified by the N.C. State Bar as family law specialist. She is past-president of the Fifth Judicial Bar and vice-president of the local chapter of the NC Association of Women Attorneys. She is also on the Board of Directors for the NHRMC Foundation and Child Development Center.
AREA OF FOCUS: Divorce, custody, child support, alimony, property division, separation agreements, premarital agreements and adoptions
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Corporate Counsel
FIRM: Opinion Lab Inc.
TITLE: General counsel and board secretary
EDUCATION: Syracuse Law School (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Shaheen owned her own law firm and did litigation for 16 years in upstate New York. She joined Opinion Lab in June 2011 and received First Chair’s Top General Counsel Award for 2015. She is a member of the N.Y. State Bar Association, the N.C. Bar Association and the New Hanover County Bar Association, as well as the Association of Corporate Counsel.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Corporate law, commercial transactions, employment, data privacy and security.
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Business
FIRM: Hogue Hill
TITLE: Managing partner
EDUCATION: University of Pennsylvania (B.A.); UNC Chapel Hill (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Snow served as a member of the New Hanover County Bar Association’s executive committee 1990-1994 and in several roles with the N.C. Bar Association (Business Law and Real Property Law sections member; Business Law Section Council; Business Law Section Council membership chairman) and N.C. State Bar (5th Judicial District Secretary-Treasurer); 5th Judicial District Young Lawyers Division chairman). He has served as a member Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear Inc. board of directors, including offices of treasurer and president.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Business law, commercial law, formations of corporations and LLCs, purchases and sales of businesses, business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, employment agreements, independent contract services agreements, contracts, commercial and residential real estate, real estate development, real estate purchases and sales, refinancing, contracts, leasing, wills, living wills, health care powers of attorney, powers of attorney, estate administration and probate
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Young Guns (Also named to Super Lawyers-Rising Star: Personal Injury General/Plaintiff)
FIRM: Solana Theriault & Gross
TITLE: Managing Partner
EDUCATION: UNC School of Law (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys included Theriault on its 2015 list of Top 10 under 40 in North Carolina. He received the Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Rating in 2014. He also was named among The National Trial Lawyers top 40 trial lawyers in North Carolina under the age of 40 from 2012 to 2015 and Super Lawyers-Rising Stars in 2010 and 2015.
AREA OF FOCUS: Plaintiff’s civil litigation
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Intellectual Property (Also named to Super Lawyers-Rising Star: Intellectual Property)
FIRM: Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: UNC Chapel Hill (B.A.); University of California, Davis (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: In his intellectual property practice, Thomas helps clients acquire, protect, enforce and exploit their trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property assets. He also represents individuals and companies active in film projects and other types of entertainment media. At other times, Thomas provides general business counseling to all types of businesses in the region. He also serves as board chairman of the Cucalorus Film Foundation and a director of the Brigade Boys & Girls Club.
AREAS OF FOCUS: Intellectual property, film/entertainment, civil litigation and general business counseling
CATEGORY: Legal Elite-Criminal Law
FIRM: Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard
TITLE: Partner
EDUCATION: Hampden-Sydney College (B.A.); Wake Forest University (J.D.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Whether resolving matters quietly or fighting in the courts, West works with his clients to find the best solutions, according to the firm. “Some of my best work has happened quietly behind the scenes, protecting the reputation of a business or individual by making the issue go away,” West said. “Many of my career highlights have never seen the light of day.”
AREAS OF FOCUS: White-collar criminal defense, crisis management, complex business and corporate litigation, professional liability litigation
To see who was named to Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers list this year, click here.
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