Checking In: January 18, 2022

Bailey & Dixon, LLP Names Cress Partner

Christina Cress has been named as partner with Bailey & Dixon, LLP. Cress has prior experience serving as a staff attorney at the North Carolina Utilities Commission. She practiced as in-house counsel to the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service, where she also served for a time as its Interim Executive Director. Cress received a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cress has been actively involved with the NCBA, serving on the NCBA Professional Vitality Committee, as a participant in the Leadership Academy (2019), and on the YLD Communications Committee (2020-21). She also holds an M.A. and a B.S. in business management from the University of Florida.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Announces New Partners

Benjamin Milam is now a partner with the firm’s Charlotte office. He is a member of the Banking & Financial Services Practice Group. His practice is focused on policyholder insurance coverage, commercial auto liability, title remediation, and financial services litigation. Milam assists in resolving insurance coverage disputes and defends mortgage lenders and servicers. He holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Partner Jonathan Schulz is a member of the Litigation Group with the firm and also practices in the Charlotte office. Schulz represents clients ranging from individuals and family-run small businesses to public corporations. He advises clients on the dispute resolution process and litigates claims related to fraud, unfair and deceptive trade practices, breach of fiduciary duty, and more. He has represented clients in state and federal courts. He received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina.

Cranfill Sumner LLP Selects New Partner

Stephen Bell is now a partner with the firm, and he practices in the Wilmington office. He handles a variety of civil litigation matters. His practice is focused on representing parties in complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative bodies. He obtained a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and a B.S. in psychology from Clemson University.

New Firm Announcement: Edwards Beightol, LLC

Cate Edwards and Kristen Beightol have cofounded a new law firm, Edwards Beightol, LLC. The firm is based in Raleigh and will serve clients nationwide. Edwards and Beightol will practice in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, birth injury, traumatic brain injury, trucking accident, nursing home abuse and neglect, sexual harassment, whistleblower/qui tam and wrongful termination litigation.

Cate Edwards has practiced law for more than ten years. She has served as an attorney with a boutique civil rights law firm in Washington, D.C. She also has experience practicing in the areas of injury and wrongful death, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she practiced for two years as a student attorney at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. She holds an undergraduate degree in politics, cum laude, from Princeton University.

Kristen Beightol has experience representing individuals in actions to recover for their catastrophic personal injuries, primarily in the area of medical malpractice. She has also represented governments against online travel companies. She holds several leadership roles and serves as the Alumni Board Vice Chair for Campbell Law School and as a mentor for Campbell Law Connections Mentorship Program. She received a J.D. from Campbell Law School and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Law Offices of James Scott Farrin Add Six Shareholders

The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin recently added six attorneys to its shareholder list. Eminent domain attorneys Jason Campbell and Kevin Mahoney, litigation attorney J. Brett Davis, personal injury attorneys Leila Hicks and LaDonna Williams, and workers’ compensation attorney Michael Roessler have joined the firm’s leadership ranks.

Jason Campbell is based in Durham. After serving more than 13 years as an Assistant Attorney General for the N.C. Department of Transportation, he joined the firm’s eminent domain practice at the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. He has taken numerous cases to trial, acting as lead attorney and arguing cases before the N.C. Court of Appeals. Campbell holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a political science degree from Wayne State University.

 

Kevin Mahoney is based in Asheville. He gained experience as a prosecutor and now focuses his practice in the area of eminent domain. As a Special Deputy Attorney General, he led the western office of the N.C. Attorney General in Asheville, working on eminent domain cases around the 26 westernmost counties in the state before joining the NC Eminent Domain Law firm in 2019. He holds a North Carolina real estate license and a North Carolina real estate educator’s license. Mahoney earned his J.D. and a B.A. in political science from Georgetown University.

J. Brett Davis is based in Durham. He brought his personal injury law experience from Ohio – where he is also licensed – to the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2017. An accomplished attorney and advocate, he is passionate about his volunteer endeavors. He also has received the N.C. Advocates for Justice Order of Service Award. Davis earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University College of Law and a B.A. in political science from Ohio University. He studied abroad at Oxford and the University of Wales.

Leila Hicks is based in Durham. She has broad legal experience, ranging from criminal defense and family law to Social Security Disability and workers’ compensation law. It is these experiences that provide her perspective as a personal injury attorney and enable her to explain complex legal concepts so that clients can understand them. She joined the firm in 2017. Hicks earned her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and B.A.s in philosophy and political science from the University of North Carolina.

Michael Roessler is based in Charlotte. Before joining the firm in 2015, he handled personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Now focused solely on the latter, he is licensed to practice in North and South Carolina and is an N.C. State Bar Board Certified Specialist in workers’ compensation law. He has served as an adjunct professor of political science at Queens University, where he earned B.A.s in history and political science. Roessler earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

 

LaDonna Williams is based in Durham. Since joining the firm in 2010, she has handled personal injury cases for clients. She previously served on the Auto Torts Executive Committee for the N.C. Advocates for Justice. Williams earned her J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law and her B.A. in sociology from Salem College in Winston-Salem.

Moore & Van Allen Announces New Firm Members

Sarah Negus has been selected as a member with the firm. Negus focuses her practice in all areas of employment law. She counsels employers on a wide range of topics, such as policies and procedures, personnel decisions, and other workplace challenges. Negus litigates employment related disputes in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. She holds a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was executive editor of the Wake Forest Law Review. She also received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Clemson University.

Richard Simons focuses his practice in commercial real estate. He represents developers, investors, landlords, and tenants in complex commercial real estate transactions. He has experience with acquisitions, dispositions, financing, joint venture formation, large-scale office, and more. He obtained a J.D., cum laude, from the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the Order of the Wig and Robe, and a B.S., cum laude, from Clemson University – Calhoun Honors College.

Morningstar Law Group Expands Business Litigation Practice

Morningstar Law Group has expanded its business litigation practice with the addition of attorneys Chris Graebe and his son, Will Graebe. The Raleigh-based attorneys will assist clients with a variety of commercial litigation matters, including internal disputes, real estate and banking issues, failed transactions, and intellectual property disputes.

Chris Graebe’s legal career spans more than 30 years. North Carolina Super Lawyers has recognized him as one of the Top 100 lawyers in North Carolina every year since 2012. He is also consistently named to Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite and the Best Lawyers in America. He began his career at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, now known as Womble Bond Dickinson, before he co-founded Graebe Hanna & Sullivan, a business litigation boutique. He holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and a B.A. from Wabash College.

Will Graebe began his commercial litigation career at Yates McLamb & Weyher before joining his father at Graebe Hanna & Sullivan. He is a 2018 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law and a 2014 graduate of Appalachian State University.

Morningstar Law Group Welcomes Matt Limoli

Matthew (Matt) Limoli has joined the litigation team at Morningstar Law Group and will work from the Durham office. He previously practiced as a partner in a boutique commercial litigation firm in Kansas City, where he represented entrepreneurs and small business owners in state and federal court. Limoli is a 2011 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and earned a B.S.B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Washington University in St. Louis in 2007.

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP Adds New Partner

Cara Ludwig has been elected to the partnership at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. Prior to becoming a partner, Ludwig was an associate with the firm. Her practice is focused on assisting healthcare providers with transactional matters, such as affiliations, mergers and acquisitions and expansion of services. Ludwig’s piece “Letter to Adelaide” was selected as a winning entry in the NCBA Young Lawyers Division 2021 Writing Competition. Ludwig received a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law and holds a B.A. from Wellesley College.

Robinson Bradshaw Announces New Shareholders

Brian J. Litwak is now a shareholder with the firm. He is a transactional attorney, and he primarily focuses on private mergers and acquisitions. He represents strategic and private equity clients pursuing acquisitions, dispositions and recapitalizations across a range of industries, including manufacturing, health care, SaaS, media, insurance and financial services. He obtained a J.D. with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University.

Sandra K. Wilburn is also a shareholder with the firm. Wilburn counsels clients in fund formations, private investment transactions and assorted intellectual property-related matters. She works with fund managers to develop and execute fund offerings. She also advises institutional investors regarding investments in private equity, venture capital, hedge funds and assorted other alternative investment funds. Wilburn received a J.D. with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. She also holds a B.S. with high distinction from George Mason University.

Young Moore Names New Shareholder

Young Moore announced that Susan H. Haberberger is now a shareholder with the firm. Haberberger focuses her practice in estate planning and administration and wealth transfer. She assists individuals with preparing, revising and updating estate planning documents, including wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, charitable trusts, and more. She has served in a number of roles, including on the Board of Directors for the Meals on Wheels of Wake County, the Wake County Medical Society Alliance, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She holds a J.D. from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii and a B.A. from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass.