Brandon L. McPherson

George B. Autry, Jr. has been a trial lawyer since 1991 and has practiced exclusively eminent domain since 1993. Before joining Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, LLP as a partner in 2001, George was a partner in Autry & Crabill, a Raleigh eminent domain law firm. Prior to representing exclusively property owners in eminent domain matters, George handled condemnation cases as an Associate Attorney General for the State of North Carolina. George’s career has included over fifty cases wh...

Susan is a shareholder at Young Moore and a member of its healthcare practice team, where she represents hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers in a variety of matters, including medical malpractice defense and general liability. She also advises clients on avoiding and managing risks. Additionally, Susan is certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission to conduct Superior Court mediations in North Carolina. Susan began her legal career as a law clerk to Chief J...

James B. Black IV is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. James B., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jessi Thaller-Moran focuses her practice on employment law and litigation, which includes counseling employers on legal compliance and helping them proactively identify, prepare for and respond to issues involving personnel management. Jessi guides employers on appropriate responses to a rapidly-changing workplace. Over the last few years, this has included counseling through the rapid transitions required by the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to increasingly localized laws on everything fr...

David R. Fricke is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. David R., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2011. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

During Jim’s thirty-plus year career practicing law, Jim has developed a reputation as an aggressive litigator who embraces the details of his client’s cases and is up to speed on the law. Jim concentrates his practice in bankruptcy and debtor creditor relations, business disputes and business transactions. He has served as a fiduciary as a trustee in chapter 7 and chapter 11 cases and as a receiver in state court. He has a background as a transactional business lawyer and a Certi...

Benjamin W. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Environmental Law. Benjamin W., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benjamin W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

As a partner at the firm, Ben Whitley joins his father to provide comprehensive legal representation for their clients. The motivation for the Whitley family’s commitment to law stems from a desire to assist injured individuals, particularly when they face challenges against larger corporations. "Every case proceeds from a position of strength or we don’t proceed at all," says Ben, who has been involved in personal injury law since the beginning of his career for over two decades....

David Coats is the firm's co-managing partner and senior litigation partner. He has been recognized by and peer selected for each of the past 14 years for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America ; Business North Carolina Magazine's Legal Elite ; and North Carolina Super Lawyers - and in a variety of areas including litigation, construction law, and insurance law. Since 1996, Martindale Hubbell has recognized David with its prestigious "AV" peer rating. In 2021 (as well as in 2019 and 2020), ...

Jack Cummings is counsel in the Federal Tax Group of Alston & Bird in Raleigh and Washington, D.C. He served as IRS associate chief counsel (corporate) and chair of the Corporate Tax Committee of the ABA Section of Taxation. His books include The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (with Robert Hanson), The Supreme Court’s Federal Tax Jurisprudence published by the American Bar Association in 2010 and The Supreme Court, Federal Taxation and the Constitution , published by the America...