Checking In: August 25, 2026

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

Barnes & Thornburg LLP Announces New Additions

The firm, which is national, shared that it will be adding a group of attorneys to its health care team. The attorneys will practice in the Raleigh location.

John, a white man with brown hair, wears white shirt, blue tie and dark grey suit.

John Lawrence will serve as the managing partner of the Raleigh office. He counsels health care clients, financial services companies and government contractors across the nation in responding to civil and criminal governmental investigations and defending false claims lawsuits. He often represents hospitals, hospital systems, academic medical centers, health care corporations, laboratories and more. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law; from Wake Forest University, where he received a masters in divinity; and from Duke University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.

Kelsey, a white woman, wears a teal blouse and black suit.

Kelsey U. Jernigan joined the firm as a partner. She will serve as director of health care regulatory services. She focuses on health care fraud and abuse and compliance. This includes Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute issues, hospital contracting with physicians, health care providers and vendors, and operational matters. Before she joined Barnes & Thornburg, she led the Healthcare & FDA practice group of an international law firm. She received her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law with honors and her bachelor’s degree from UNC, where she graduated with highest distinction.

Jared, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt, blue tie and black suit.

Jared M. Burtner joined the firm as a partner. He handles complex commercial and governmental disputes with an emphasis on health care. He represents hospital systems, academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies and various commercial entities. He focuses on incidents when a business relationship or a regulator’s inquiry turns adversarial. He holds a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Patrick Henry College.

Carolyn, a white woman with brown hair, wears a white blouse, navy suit and gold necklace.

Carolyn F. Merritt joined the firm as a partner. She advises hospitals, health systems and other institutional providers on the regulatory, compliance and operational questions that govern how they do business. She focuses on compliance with fraud and abuse laws. She has extensive experience advising clients on health care fraud and abuse matters. She graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School and from Davidson College, where she received her bachelor’s degree and graduated cum laude.

Rebecca, a white woman with brown hair, wears a pale blue blouse and black suit.

Rebecca M. Schaeffer joins as a partner. She advises health systems, academic medical centers, universities, physician practice groups, life science companies and research institutions across the nation. She advises on strategic affiliations, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and more. She holds a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif; a master’s in public health from the University of Virginia; and a bachelor’s degree from Davidson college, where she graduated magna cum laude and with high honors.

Christian Flemming joined the firm as an associate. He is a litigation and investigations attorney. He received his law degree from Emory University Law School and his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in French from the University of South Carolina, where he graduated with honors.

Robert D. Hinshaw Joins Bennett Guthrie PLLC

Robert, a white man with grey hair, wears a white shirt, black and white striped tie and grey suit.

Hinshaw, a Board Certified specialist in estate planning and probate law, will join the firm as of counsel. Prior to joining the firm, he advised clients in wills, trusts, estate planning, elder law and business law for more than 45 years. He serves on the Board of Directors for Cancer Services in Winston-Salem, and on the Board of Trustees with Novant Health Services Foundation in Clemmons. He previously served as Chairman of the Board Development Committee and the Executive Committee with the West Forsyth YMCA. He holds his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wake Forest University.

International Association of Defense Counsel Adds James M. “Jamie” Weiss

James, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt, green plaid tie and black suit.

Weiss, who is a partner at Ellis & Winters LLP in Raleigh, has joined the IADC. The organization is for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests, and attorneys can join by invitation only. Weiss is a litigator who has experience in matters of product liability defense involving fires and water losses, complex commercial matters with a focus on trade secrets and employee mobility and land use and zoning. He joined the Defense Research Institute in 2011 and served in various leadership roles. He served for nearly ten years on the Town of Cary Zoning Board of Adjustment, where he was the chair for the last two years. He holds a law degree from the Washington University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.

Manning Fulton Announces New Office Location

Manning Fulton has announced it will relocate its Raleigh office to GlenLake V beginning on September 11. Attorneys will begin working in the new location on September 14. The address of the new location is GlenLake V, 4131 Parklake Ave., Suite 300. Phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.

Firm Update: Soni Brendle Adds Partners, Changes Name to Soni Brendle Essick Melton

Soni Brendle is now Soni Brendle Essick Melton. Ketan Soni and Andrew Brendle created the firm, which focuses on family law, business litigation, estate planning and dispute resolution, in 2020. Soni Brendle announced that Melissa Essick and Jonathan Lambert-Melton have joined the firm as partners and will open an office in Raleigh. The firm’s name is now Soni Brendle Essick Melton.

Ketan, a man with dark brown hair, wears a white shirt, blue tie and black suit.

Ketan Soni brings 20 years of family law and estate planning experience across North Carolina. His experience includes divorce, separation and premarital agreements, equitable distribution, custody and child support. Ketan frequently mediates for other attorneys as a Superior Court and Family Financial Mediator. He has created the free NC Child Support Calculator, custody calendaring tool and net income calculator for alimony. Soni has taught CLE and Continuing Mediation Education, including a 40-hour Family Financial Mediation class. Soni graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.

Andrew Brendle is a trial and appellate lawyer and a family law and business litigator. Prior to the firm, Brendle practiced in Charlotte with Hull & Chandler, P.A. Brendle graduated from Campbell Law School with a Juris Doctorate and from Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

Melissa, a white woman with brown hair, wears a white blouse and black suit.

Melissa J. Essick is a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist. She has practiced family law for close to twenty years. She represents clients in matters involving custody, child support, equitable distribution, alimony, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements and domestic violence proceedings. She is a Certified Family Financial Mediator and a Certified Parenting Coordinator. She serves on the NCBA Family Law Section’s Child Custody and Child Support Committee. She received her law degree from Campbell Law School and her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Melton, a white man with brown hair, wears a pale blue shirt, grey tie and black suit.

Jonathan Lambert-Melton is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and Certified Family Financial Mediator. He focuses his practice on litigation, LGBTQ issues and family law appeals. He also is a certified Family Financial Mediator. He was elected to serve three terms as an at-large member of the Raleigh City Council and formerly served as Mayor Pro Tem. He holds a law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science from North Carolina State University, where he graduated from the Honors Program.