North Carolina

2027 Edition

Dispute resolution

19 firms ranked

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Ellis & Winters

Ellis & Winters LLP has a well-established North Carolina litigation practice, with notable strength in Raleigh and Greensboro. Operating from Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte, the firm handles complex commercial disputes, class actions, employment matters, product liability, environmental litigation and appellate work for regional and international clients. Its work has impressed peers, with one noting, “I've been really impressed with their work on the other side of us.”

Jon Berkelhammer is a prominent figure in the practice. He led Club Car’s defense in a $78.5 million personal-injury and product-liability action involving a modified utility vehicle. The plaintiffs pursued strict-liability, negligent-management and punitive-damages claims, but the team secured a complete defense verdict. Berkelhammer also leads the firm’s defense of Aero Industries in consolidated wrongful-death and personal-injury litigation involving alleged product defects, alongside Scottie Lee.
Andrew Chamberlin is another key trial partner. He leads Siemens Energy’s defense in a substantial Michigan dispute concerning combustion turbine generators used in a coal-to-natural-gas power-generation conversion project. The matter involves contractual and warranty claims, complex electronic discovery including overseas materials and an estimated $25 million exposure. Chamberlin also leads the defense of healthcare operators in a potentially eight-figure Fair Labor Standards Act class action, where the firm successfully narrowed the class at the conditional-certification stage.

The firm’s wider North Carolina partnership includes managing partner Alex Hagan, trial and litigation practice head Tom Segars, and Dixie Wells. Segars is active in complex business disputes, while Wells brings the additional perspective of a licensed professional engineer to engineering-intensive commercial and product-liability matters. This depth supports a practice capable of handling technically demanding disputes, significant financial exposure and consequential trials across multiple jurisdictions.

Updated October 2026

Smith Anderson

Smith Anderson’s Raleigh litigation team combines commanding North Carolina experience with the capacity to manage complex disputes of national significance. Its work spans commercial litigation, product liability, construction, land use and public law.

Christopher G. Smith and H. Hunter Bruton secured dismissal for Duke Energy in Town of Carrboro v. Duke Energy Corporation, a first-of-its-kind municipal climate-change action that attracted national attention.
Addie S. Ries leads the representation of Dynax in approximately 17,000 PFAS-related claims consolidated in the nationwide AFFF multidistrict litigation. Working alongside Kirk G. Warner and Clifton L. Brinson, Ries demonstrates the firm’s strength in large-scale product-liability and environmental disputes.

Brinson also led the defense of Leyline Renewable Capital and related entities in BioGas Corp. v. NC Biogas Development. The plaintiffs sought approximately $70 million concerning renewable-energy projects; their claims were dismissed in full, with judgment entered for the defendants.

Smith further directed the coordinated defense of UniTrust Financial Group and more than 25 insurance agents across six related lawsuits. Supported by Isaac Linnartz, John Harris and John Jo, the team secured a discovery stay, coordinated dispositive motions and helped achieve a global settlement resolving every action.

The firm strengthened its land-use practice with the arrival of Robin L. Tatum in Raleigh. In Hot Rock Haulers v. Person County, Tatum established that the client’s storage yard was permitted as of right and obtained an award of attorneys’ fees.

Andrew P. Atkins is a key construction litigator. In a $3 million dispute with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerning a Special Operations Forces facility at Fort Bragg, Atkins obtained a favorable settlement that included a monetary payment, no liquidated damages and an advantageous adjustment to the contractor’s performance ratings.

Other prominent partners include Michael W. Mitchell in appellate and commercial disputes, Mitch Armbruster in commercial and administrative litigation, and Kerry A. Shad in employment litigation. The depth of its partner-led bench and the scale of its recent casework place Smith Anderson among North Carolina’s strongest disputes practices.

Updated October 2026

Ellis & Winters

1 practice area

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Our Mission Statement

Ellis & Winters will provide exceptional legal services to our clients, acting at all times with uncompromising integrity and professionalism, for the purposes of earning and preserving the trust and confidence of our clients, providing everyone at the firm the opportunity to do rewarding work, creating and fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, preserving the trust and collegiality we have built, and improving the communities in which we work through service and engagement.

Our Firm

The story of Ellis & Winters is one of ingenuity, ambition, and self‑determination. In 2000, eleven lawyers from a leading national law firm formed a new premier firm in North Carolina. They created Ellis & Winters to provide exemplary legal representation through a select team of attorneys with the resources and knowledge base necessary to handle sophisticated legal concerns and the flexibility to adapt to each client’s needs.

When Ellis & Winters was formed, its founders had already built strong reputations in their respective practice areas and had served in leadership roles as national counsel for multinational corporations. Since its founding, the firm has tripled in size through the careful addition of lateral and new attorneys, enhancing its ability to handle increasingly sophisticated matters at the state, regional, and national levels.

Deep Experience

The firm’s litigation team handles a broad spectrum of matters, from pre‑suit investigations and counseling through trial and appeal. This experience provides a wide perspective on how cases develop and enables the execution of effective exit strategies when appropriate.

Ellis & Winters also maintains a robust commercial real estate practice involving purchases, sales, leases, commercial financing, and large‑scale development projects that shape city skylines. The firm’s experience allows it to provide practical, strategic, and sophisticated advice across all stages of these transactions.

Creative, Nimble Representation

The firm prides itself on a creative and adaptable approach to legal representation. Its organizational structure ensures that client matters are handled by lawyers best positioned to resolve them efficiently and effectively at every stage of the dispute process.

Smith Anderson

2 practice areas

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Smith Anderson is a full-service business and litigation law firm serving regional,national and global companies. More than one-third of our attorneys have joinedSmith Anderson from national and international firms, providing clients with a highlyexperienced and deep bench of support at favorable local market rates. It’s our clientfocusedculture and forward-thinking insights that have shaped Smith Anderson formore than a century as it helps guide clients toward success.

Key Practice Areas:

Banking & Finance
Business Litigation
Corporate & Transactional
General Litigation
Intellectual Property
Real Estate Development
Regulatory & Public Policy
Workplace Law

Practice Areas:

Administrative Law
AgTech
Appellate Advocacy Closely-Held & Family-Owned Businesses
Commercial Contracts
Complex Contract Disputes
Construction & Infrastructure
Corporate & Securities Litigation
Corporate & Syndicated Finance
Corporate Compliance
Corporate Relocation, Expansion & Incentives
Data Use, Privacy & Security
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Employment, Labor & Human Resources
Energy & Renewable Energy
Environmental
Financial Institutions
General & Commercial Litigation
Government Contracts
Government Relations
Health Care
Higher Education
Information Technology
Insurance Recovery Litigation & Counseling
Insurance Regulation
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Litigation
International Law
Land Use & Zoning
Life Sciences
Mass Tort & Catastrophic Loss
Medical Malpractice Defense
Mergers & Acquisitions
Mezzanine Finance
Non-Compete & Trade Secrets
OSHA & Workplace Safety
Patent Litigation
Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Litigation
Private Equity
Product Liability
Public Companies/Securities
Real Estate Development
Real Estate Litigation
Restructuring, Insolvency & Creditors’ Rights
Start-Ups
Tax
Technology Transactions
Toxic Torts, PFAS and Asbestos Litigation
Trademark & Copyright Litigation
Trusts & Estates
Value-Based Care
Venture Capital
Venture Debt & Technology Finance

Akerman View full profile

Founded in 1920, Akerman is recognized as one of the country’s premier law firms, with more than 700 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States..

Commercial Litigation: Akerman offers a leading trial team that includes litigators across the United States. We represent a diverse range of clients across numerous sectors, with particular strength in the financial services, private equity, insurance, real estate, construction, health and life sciences, and energy sectors. Akerman lawyers regularly appear before judges and arbitrators in class actions, securities, white-collar, fraud and recovery, product liability, intellectual property, employment, bankruptcy, and general business matters.

Appellate: With a bench that includes many former appellate and trial court judges, Akerman’s appellate practice is a national powerhouse with demonstrated success in handling appeals related to complex commercial litigation. Akerman's appellate team frequently assist trial lawyers during all phases of litigation, preserving errors for appeal, drafting motions and responses, and providing strategic advice on the best approach for seeking relief on appeal. They handle numerous matters before appellate courts nationwide in various commercial cases and class actions. We also have experience in administrative appeals involving high profile issues before state agencies. Additionally, Akerman's appellate lawyers represent industry associations as amicus curiae in appellate proceedings when our clients are not a party to an appeal but have a substantial interest in the outcome.

International Litigation & Arbitration: Akerman has a long record of accomplishment in resolving complex multijurisdictional disputes. Our team represents multinational, foreign, and domestic corporations and individuals before U.S. federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings before a wide range of international arbitral bodies in multiple jurisdictions. Akerman litigators help clients successfully address conflicts in a broad range of sectors, including general commercial disputes, power and energy, construction and engineering, and banking and finance, among many others. Our highly responsive, multilingual team works in tandem with experienced local counsel to provide seamless resolution to disputes throughout Latin America, as well as in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East.

Employment Litigation: Akerman’s national, multidisciplinary team helps clients navigate claims brought before state and federal agencies and boards as well as trial and appellate courts throughout the United States. Our lawyers regularly defend employers in all types of employment litigation, including complex class-action discrimination cases and collective action wage and hour matters. We also represent employers in connection with administrative charges and audits, and have successfully negotiated and supervised numerous settlements with the U.S. Department of Labor.

Updated Sep 2024

King & Spalding

1 practice area

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King & Spalding helps leading companies advance complex business interests in more than 160 countries. Working across a highly integrated platform of more than 1,300 lawyers in 26 offices globally, we deliver tailored commercial solutions through world-class offerings and an uncompromising approach to quality and service.

Trial and Global Disputes: Our experienced disputes lawyers try and arbitrate high-stakes cases every year across the globe in the most challenging jurisdictions for corporate clients. Recognized for creativity, meticulous preparation, and top-rate advocacy, our lawyers help clients navigate the litigation lifecycle, working together from day one to identify business objectives, develop a strategy to meet those objectives, and then execute that strategy. With more than 450 lawyers in 17 offices worldwide, we are uniquely able to staff and manage large and cross-border disputes from filing, to trial, and through appeal. Our lawyers have a variety of expertise across substantive areas, including Appellate Law, Class Action Defense, Commercial Litigation, Construction & Engineering Disputes, Corporate & Securities Litigation, E-Discovery, Insolvency Litigation, Insurance Coverage & Recovery, Intellectual Property, International Arbitration, Labor & Employment, Product Liability, Professional Liability, and Toxic & Environmental Torts. Working together—one area of expertise informing another—our disputes lawyers provide clients with seamless and efficient representation in the most complex and sensitive matters.

Capabilities:

Appellate, Constitutional and Administrative Law
Bankruptcy and Insolvency Litigation
Class Action Defense
Commercial Litigation
Construction and Engineering Disputes
Corporate and Securities Litigation
E-Discovery
Insurance Coverage and Recovery
Intellectual Property, Patent, Trademark and Copyright Litigation
International Arbitration and Litigation
Labor and Employment
Product Liability
Professional Liability
Toxic & Environmental Torts

Government Matters: Clients ranging from Fortune Global 50 corporations to high-profile individuals in every region of the world entrust King & Spalding’s Government Matters practice to guide them through rapidly changing regulatory landscapes, complex investigations by U.S. and foreign enforcement authorities, highly sensitive internal investigations and related, often parallel civil proceedings.

Hundreds of lawyers across the United States, Europe and Asia bring decades of prior government service and industry experience to our regulatory and investigative practices, which serve the financial services, pharmaceutical and medical device, healthcare, energy, automotive and technology sectors in particular. The team includes six U.S. Attorneys, 24 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and former senior officials from the highest ranks in regulatory and enforcement organizations that are most significant to our clients.

Our experienced team includes former leaders at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Commerce, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Bank of England, the U.K’s Financial Reporting Council and the World Trade Organization.

Capabilities:

Antitrust
Data, Privacy and Security
Environmental, Health and Safety
FDA and Life Sciences
Government Advocacy and Public Policy
Government Contracts
Healthcare
International Trade
National Security and Corporate Espionage
Securities Enforcement and Regulation
Special Matters and Government Investigations

Corporate, Finance and Investments: Our Corporate, Finance and Investments team brings a collaborative approach to help clients execute complex, high-value transactions. We have a fully integrated platform with more than 330 lawyers in 17 offices, offering clients the benefit of global specialists with local knowledge and industry expertise. We work side by side with our clients to execute transactions efficiently and effectively—we understand what matters to both our clients and opposite parties and we explain the actual, practical risks to our clients.

Capabilities: