Charles E. Johnson

3 Things to Know About Paul Dickinson: He represented civilian victims in the Blackwater Massacre case. He has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating.* He was honored on the 2026 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Leaders in Law “Icons” list.* Paul R. Dickinson , Jr. is a Partner at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin and a seasoned trial attorney on the firm’s litigation team who is known for taking on challenging, high-stakes cases. With decades of courtroom experience, he...

Ryan Smith is co-head of the Investment Team and a member of the Management Committee. For over 20 years, he has built a practice that represents clients on a variety of complex leveraged financings, senior and junior capital lending transactions, private equity and other equity investments, and corporate transactions. Ryan’s primary focus is in finance and equity investment transactions. As counselor to lenders and passive and controlling stakeholders, he represents a variety of financ...

Scott MacLatchie is a Partner in our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he has nearly forty years’ experience as a trial attorney, law enforcement officer, and consultant to law enforcement agencies. Scott has served as trial counsel for numerous law enforcement agencies on both coasts, and has defended class action litigation involving conditions at the Los Angeles County Jail, the nation’s largest municipal jail system. He regularly handles cases in both federal and state ...

Holly Bannerman, named to Best Lawyers in America , is a member in the commercial real estate group. Holly Bannerman concentrates her practice in commercial real estate. She represents developers, owners, landlords, tenants and limited partners in a variety of real estate transactions, including land acquisitions, dispositions, financing, development and leasing. She also specializes in joint venture and limited partnership agreements and the related structuring of real estate transactions. H...

Chris Gegg counsels clients with regard to procuring, protecting, licensing, enforcing and defending intellectual property rights. Mr. Gegg's experience includes patent and copyright matters related to computer networks, hardware and software, as well as the electrical, mechanical, optical and business method arts. His practice involves extensive design patent and utility patent preparation and prosecution, patent infringement and patent validity matters. He also works on intellectual propert...

Ross Barton is a trial lawyer focusing his practice on the litigation of complex patent disputes before district courts and the International Trade Commission (ITC). With a background in Physics and a deep understanding of mobile technologies, semiconductors, and software and hardware programming languages, Ross has spent the last decade taking high-stakes cases in the high-tech sector to trial. He previously taught patent litigation courses as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Virgin...

Jim Langdon represents both debtors and creditors in bankruptcy cases, with an emphasis on representing lenders and other financial institutions in connection with the collection and/or restructure of indebtedness both in and outside of bankruptcy. Jim has significant experience representing parties in connection with the acquisition of assets out of bankruptcy, lenders in connection with postpetition financing and entities in the acquisition and administration of distressed debt investments....

Kimberly Zirkle focuses her practice on corporate finance and acquisition transactions. She regularly represents a variety of lenders, private equity portfolio companies, and private companies in corporate finance and acquisition transactions. Kimberly’s experience involves a wide variety of debt structures including: unitranche, ABL, first lien, split lien, second lien, and mezzanine (secured or unsecured). Kimberly primarily represents SBICs, BDCs, lenders and institutional investors ...

Michael D. Ray is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Michael D., who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

M. Andrew Avram is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. M. Andrew, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which M. Andrew is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.