North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Power List Personal Injury 2023

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powerLIST PERSONAL INJURY To see the full Power List profiles, visit www.nclawyersweekly.com.

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powerLIST PERSONAL INJURY

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PERSONAL INJURY

BRIAN F. DAVIS

FRED W. DEVORE III

CO-FOUNDER, DAVIS LAW GROUP

PARTNER, DEVORE, ACTON & STAFFORD

ASHEVILLE

CHARLOTTE

With a reputation as one of the top truck accident attorneys in North Carolina, Brian Davis is known for his aggressive “leave no stone unturned” approach to handling serious personal injury and wrongful death cases.

He is board-certified in truck accident law.

Davis practices with his wife, Elizabeth Rich Davis at their Asheville firm, Davis Law Group. The firm specializes in representing victims of truck accidents and is a leader in a variety of professional organizations including serving on the board of regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys and the American Association for Justice, where he twice received the Wiedemann & Wysocki Award for outstanding commitment to the legal profession and the civil justice system.

Davis earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from UNC-Chapel Hill and his law degree from Wake Forest University.

In his practice, Davis draws from his experience growing up in a working class, rural area in North Carolina’s mountains. After law school, Davis chose to begin his career at a personal injury law firm in Raleigh because he wanted to help injured individuals who needed an advocate in their corner to fight for them.

Fred DeVore III believes attorneys are service professionals who help individuals through catastrophic injuries and life-changing loss.

“I like standing beside clients and helping them shoulder the unexpected and sudden tragedies they face,” he says. “Most times the clients are lost and confused about how to process such a loss, and I enjoy providing that service to them.”

A partner with DeVore, Acton and Stafford in Charlotte, DeVore is a civil litigator and has served as lead counsel on many cases and has handled more than 40 appellate matters in the North Carolina Court of Appeals, North Carolina Supreme Court and the United States Fourth Circuit.

DeVore has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from UNCChapel Hill. He earned his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. He is a frequent lecturer for various bar and judicial organizations, focusing on issues ranging from trial tactics to insurance bad faith.

He is president of the executive board of the Mecklenburg County Bar and serves on the Disciplinary Hearing Commission for the State Bar.

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PERSONAL INJURY

CATE E. EDWARDS

ANN E. GRONINGER

PARTNER, EDWARDS BEIGHTOL

PARTNER, JOHNSON & GRONINGER

RALEIGH

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Cate Edwards followed her parents’ footsteps into law.

As the daughter of two attorneys (John and Elizabeth), she has fond memories of dinner table conversations filled with interesting discussions about their cases. Her father is also a trial attorney, and she says she was particularly struck by stories he told about helping his clients through life-changing tragedies.

“I listened intently to my father’s stories about preventable tragedies, and how their clients’ lives had changed,” she says.

“From an early age, this made me want to spend my whole life standing with these same folks, hearing their stories, and helping them when I can.”

A founding partner of Edwards Beightol in Raleigh, Edwards received a bachelor’s degree in politics and a certificate in political economy from Princeton University, graduating cum laude. She earned her law degree at Harvard Law School and practiced for two years as a student attorney at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau on behalf of indigent clients throughout the Boston area.

Solving complicated problems and understanding how things work keeps Ann Groninger motivated to represent her clients day after day.

“Whether it’s a liability challenge or figuring how to present a complicated medical issue, I want to know the answer and I will persist until I get it,” she says. “I think that’s why I gravitated toward an area of law with a lot of science.”

In her practice, Groninger combines her passion for advocating for individuals and her love of the bicycling culture.

Groninger is a partner at Johnson & Groninger of Charlotte and is a member of Bike Law, a national network of attorneys who represent cyclists injured in crashes.

“One of the reasons I love bicycle cases is because they are almost always complicated,” she says. “I also love that my work keeps me connected with the bicycling community and allows me to help fellow bicyclists and their families in their time of need.”

In addition to her law practice, Groninger devotes her time and talent to promoting bicycling, especially women’s bicycling, and authored “Ride Guide” to highlight rules of the road.

Johnson & Groninger

Congratulates

Ann Groninger for being selected as one of the 20 most influential Personal Injury attorneys in the Carolinas.

Durham Office: 300 Blackwell St., Suite # 101 Durham, NC 27701 Charlotte Office: 1018 East Blvd., Suite #6, Charlotte, NC 28203

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PERSONAL INJURY

THOMAS HENSON, JR.

CHRISTOPHER M. HINNANT

PARTNER, HENSON FUERST RALEIGH As a brain injury specialist, Thomas Henson has extensive knowledge about the effects of a traumatic brain injury on individuals who suffer them. He also knows of treatment methods and resources available to survivors and their families.

Henson is a partner at Henson Fuerst, a personal injury law firm his father co-founded. The firm has offices in Raleigh and Rocky Mount. Henson joined the firm in 1989 after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he earned both his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his law degree.

In 2002, Henson formed the Henson Fuerst Cycling Team, which grew into a team of more than 50 cyclists, including top-level triathletes, recreational riders, and novice riders.

In 2012, Governor Bev Perdue appointed Henson to the North Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council, which is responsible for studying the needs of people with brain injuries, coordinating preventive efforts, promoting inter-agency coordination of efforts, and making recommendations about planning, development and funding to the Governor, the General Assembly, and state organizations.

MEMBER, BARNWELL WHALEY ATTORNEYS AT LAW | WILMINGTON Chris Hinnant was in his second year of law school when he decided litigation was the path for him.

“I clerked for a civil litigation defense firm, and that summer, the firm tried a multi-week personal injury case,” he says. “The lawyers I worked for were really great about giving me a lot of hands-on experience working with witnesses, preparing exhibits, drafting motions/briefs and being in court during the trial.”

He learned to love the courtroom that summer and never thought about doing anything else.

Hinnant joined Barnwell Whaley in 2016 when the firm tapped him to open its Wilmington office.

A native of eastern North Carolina, Hinnant has spent two decades handling a broad array of civil litigation from medical malpractice to construction defects, premises liability to dram shop claims, commercial disputes to personal injury.

He also believes a sense of humor is essential.

“The law is a demanding profession,” he says. “If you’re going to stay in it for long, better learn to laugh, especially at yourself, and have some fun along the way.”

Barnwell Whaley congratulates Chris Hinnant in our Wilmington office for being named to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly 2023 Power List!

BARNWELL WHALEY EST. 1938

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720 North 3rd Street, Suite 102 Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 910.679.1388 barnwell-whaley.com

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DANA H. HOFFMAN

JOHN ALAN JONES

SHAREHOLDER, YOUNG MOORE LAW

FOUNDING MEMBER AND MANAGING PARTNER, MARTIN & JONES | RALEIGH

RALEIGH Dana Hoffman found her life’s passion in law school, and when the time came for her to choose a practice area, she decided to play to her strengths, and one of them is empathy.

“Empathy is so important in the personal injury arena – including empathy for the other party and what they’ve gone through,” she says. “I hope that being empathetic throughout the process leads to a more positive experience for everyone.”

Hoffman, a shareholder and litigation team member at Young Moore and Henderson since 1990, she is an adviser and defender of the transportation, long term care and electric industries.

She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and earned her law degree from Wake Forest University.

She is active in a variety of professional organizations and is a past president of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) where she served a total of 10 years on its board of directors. She is a regular speaker at conferences and is author of numerous articles in newsletters, blogs, magazine articles and scholarly publications.

injury practice.

“You can best represent your clients if those on the defense side, including both insurance adjusters and defense attorneys, know you can be trusted,” he says.

Jones, founding member and managing partner at Martin & Jones of Raleigh might have followed an opportunity to practice corporate law and insurance liability defense in Atlanta, but he ultimately chose a different path.

After earning both his bachelor’s degree and law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, he decided to stay close to home and focus on representing workers with occupational diseases caused by toxic chemicals and cotton dust.

Jones has expanded his practice to include defective pharmaceuticals and harmful medical devices and enjoys helping clients who have suffered life-changing circumstances.

“My greatest reward is the profound, positive impact I have on my clients’ lives and their expressions of gratitude are priceless,” he says.

LISA LANIER

LAUREN R. MCANDREW

PRESIDENT AND CEO, LANIER LAW GROUP | DURHAM, N.C.

PARTNER, BLANCHARD, MILLER, LEWIS & ISLEY | RALEIGH

Lisa Lanier found her passion for helping people with all types of injury claims early on.

After graduating from law school, she worked as an associate for a large Triangle law firm for several years, where she practiced insurance defense. In 1995, she opened her own practice in Durham and began her career representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases.

Since then, Lanier Law Group has grown to 10 offices across North Carolina.

Born in High Point, Lanier earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill. With a passion for helping veterans and people experiencing homelessness, Lanier and her firm engage in weekly outreach to homeless centers all over the state to help people identify benefits and services they may be entitled to. She also donates and serves meals to large gatherings of people at shelters throughout the state.

Lanier serves on the Regional Advisory Board for BB&T Bank and the is on the Board of Trustees for both Duke School and Art for Hospice.

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For John Alan Jones, honesty and trust are essential to establishing a successful personal

Lauren McAndrew has spent her entire career as a litigation attorney with Blanchard, Miller, Lewis & Isley, a Raleigh law firm. She focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, having tried cases to verdict in North Carolina Superior Courts.

Growing up in Winterville, McAndrew has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, public relations and a minor in history, graduating cum laude. She earned her law degree from Campbell University in 2012.

After graduating from law school, McAndrew received the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Student Advocacy Award, the Robert A. Jenkins Award, and was inducted into the Order of the Barristers, a national honorary organization that recognizes graduating law students who have excelled in advocacy.

In addition to her law practice, McAndrew coaches several mock trial teams at Campbell Law School, preparing second and third year law school students to compete in trial competitions across the country.

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JOHN M. MCCABE

JON R. MOORE

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, THE LAW OFFICES OF JOHN M. MCCABE | CARY

PARTNER, BROWN MOORE & ASSOCIATES

John McCabe has always known he would be a lawyer. It was a childhood dream he forged when he was a 8 years old, and growing up in Cary, N.C. Today, he is founder and president of The Law Offices of John M. McCabe, where he focuses on a variety of cases relating to personal injury.

McCabe holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNCChapel Hill. He earned his law degree from Campbell University, graduating with honors.

McCabe initially worked for a law firm that defended claims filed by injured people. After seeing the insurance process from the inside, he realized that accident victims need a strong and aggressive advocate. So, in 1995, he began focusing exclusively on representing people across the state who have been injured by trucking collisions, medical negligence, defective products, and on-the-job accidents.

A prolific speaker, McCabe has presented at many continuing education programs for attorneys and has authored numerous articles and guides on “The Rules of the Road” in motor vehicle cases and trucking cases for the N.C. Advocates for Justice.

Jon Moore viewed a career in law as a chance to nurture his passion for learning and an opportunity to constantly evolve within the profession. He also wanted to devote his career to serving others.

“I was inspired by the opportunity to help those whose lives had been profoundly impacted through no fault of their own,” he says.

Moore is a partner at Brown Moore & Associates in Charlotte.

Moore is vice president of Legal Affairs for the North Carolina Advocates for Justice He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

He believes authenticity and remaining true to yourself are keys to success as an attorney.

“Also, a healthy dose of fear that you are never prepared enough,” he says.

Despite the hard work that goes into his practice, Moore enjoys the rewards that come from that labor.

“Being able to help clients through challenging times and knowing that they are satisfied with the results are my top personal rewards,” he says.

BRIAN M. RICCI OWNER, RICCI LAW FIRM GREENVILLE Brian M. Ricci has been a dedicated personal injury lawyer in Greenville for the last 25 years. He is founder and owner of the Ricci Law Firm.

Ricci says he became fascinated with personal injury law in his first year of law school after spending a summer working for a personal injury firm. He was struck by the plight of individuals who had been seriously harmed and decided he wanted to devote his career to helping people get their lives back together.

“I saw firsthand the devastating impacts injuries had on people and how it affected their lives,” he says. “This made me realize I wanted to work with real people who were just like my parents who simply needed someone to give them a voice.”

He is the founder of Eastern NC Cares and Triangle NC Cares, an initiative to recognize non-profit organizations that are making a difference in the community. He is also a Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum life member.

Ricci believes the two most important qualities successful personal injury attorneys need are empathy and competitiveness.

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GENE A. RIDDLE FOUNDING AND MANAGING PARTNER, RIDDLE AND BRANTLEY | GOLDSBORO Gene Riddle credits his father with sparking his interest in becoming a personal injury lawyer by encouraging him to pursue a career designed to help people right wrongs.

Riddle is founder and managing partner of Riddle & Brantley, a Goldsboro law firm with 11 offices across the state.

Riddle, a Stanley County native, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1981 and his law degree from Wake Forest University School of in 1985.He has practiced law in North Carolina for more than 30 years.

Focused on personal injury, workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, veterans’ benefits, wrongful death, product liability, and eminent domain, the firm also serves clients in a wide variety of mass tort and class action cases. Riddle is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates, Riddle believes successful personal injury lawyers must possess “a strong desire to seek justice, and a belief that people who can’t afford a lawyer should have access to justice,” he says.

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PERSONAL INJURY

DAVID SHERLIN

THEODORE B. SMYTH

PARTNER, EPSTEIN SHERLIN

OF COUNSEL, CRANFIL SUMNER

RALEIGH

RALEIGH

David Sherlin draws inspiration from people who are resilient in the face of adversity.

“Practicing personal injury law is a natural extension of the work I did early in my career as a prosecutor,” he says. “In my practice today, I represent individuals or families who are often faced with a lifetime of hardship or unimaginable loss because of someone’s negligence.”

In 2005, Sherlin began his legal career as an assistant district attorney with the Wake County DA’s office and entered private practice in 2011 and formed Epstein Sherlin in 2021.

Sherlin says he derives his greatest rewards from his ability to make a positive impact on someone’s life. He recalls a time when he helped a family navigate a difficult situation. He did not sign them up as clients, instead he provided them with advice and counsel, and they reconciled their problem.

“As the matter was wrapping up, I met with the family and one of them remarked ‘lawyers are just like real people,’” he recalls.

“After the laughter subsided, we agreed to keep in touch, and for several years after that I had dinner with them whenever they were in town.”

JANET WARD BLACK

BENJAMIN H. WHITLEY

ATTORNEY, PRINCIPAL OWNER, WARD BLACK LAW | GREENSBORO

PARTNER, WHITLEY LAW FIRM

When asked to name a characteristic that makes her a successful attorney, Janet Ward Black replies simply, “I love what I do.”

Black is the principal owner of Ward Black Law in Greensboro, one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina.

She was just the third female president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers.

“Professionally, I’ve had the opportunity to handle some interesting cases,” she says. “I’ve represented many individuals hurt by dangerous products, including over 1000 North Carolinians with asbestos diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.“ She is currently representing some North Carolina counties against the manufacturers and distributors of opioids.

In addition to representing clients, Ward Black Law is notable for its policy of giving back, including tithing 10% of the firm’s gross revenue to nonprofits.

“We’ve seen some miraculous things happen and have become friends with many non-profit leaders who are changing our community and our world,” she says.

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Ted Smyth says he arrived at personal injury law by chance.

In his second year of law school, he clerked for a firm that practiced both insurance defense and plaintiffs’ work, and he found the cases exciting and intricate. He especially enjoyed many factual, forensic, and legal disputes.

“I was drawn into the large role various aspects of the human condition played in this particular work, and I was able to watch really talented attorneys come at the same cases in very different ways,” he says.

Smyth is of counsel at the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner.

He has been a litigation attorney since 1981. Smyth believes imagination and planning are essential tools for performing his work as a personal injury lawyer.

“I believe the best time spent in a complex case is sitting in isolation somewhere, focusing on how to get from a case’s current status to its conclusion, and deciding the best route to make that journey,” he says. “Coming up with an over-arching simple theme and trying to define each pertinent party are activities worth their weight in gold.”

RALEIGH Growing up, Ben Whitley watched his father, attorney Bob E. Whitley, help his clients through the hardest times in their lives. That’s when he knew he wanted to devote his career to helping people too.

“Individuals catastrophically injured by others often don’t have the resources to fight large corporations such as insurance companies, and I want to help my clients get results,” he says. “I pride myself in doing this and still maintaining our hometown small firm feel.”

Whitley is a partner in the Raleigh office of Whitley Law Firm, which has offices in 13 cities across North Carolina. He received his bachelor’s degree from UNC-Charlotte and his law from Mississippi College School of Law. Active in the legal profession, Whitley is a steering committee member of the North Carolina State Bar Lawyers Assistance Program and a past member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Board of Governors.

He is known for his dedication to clients and his mantra: “Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.”

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