Christopher R. "Chris" Strianese

Chris Tomlinson has extensive experience representing clients in complex business and securities litigation, with concentrations in shareholder and corporate governance disputes, merger and acquisitions litigation, financial services litigation, and broker-dealer litigation. Chris employs his judgment, creativity, and dedication to help his clients successfully resolve their disputes, whether in or out of court. A member of the firm’s Litigation group, Chris assists a wide variety of cl...

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...

Rob Fisher has years of experience providing tax advice in connection with mergers and acquisitions transactions, financial products, and joint ventures. Rob focuses on transactional tax planning, representing public and private companies, private equity funds, search funds, and other sponsors in connection with their mergers and acquisitions transactions, financings and investments. He also represents founders and other closely held business owners in connection with their exit events and fi...

To his clients, Russ Sizemore is a problem solver. With a focus on employment law, Russ serves as an extended member of his clients’ human resources departments, providing legal counsel on a range of employment issues and litigating complex employment cases. A true partner, Russ invests the time to deeply understand his clients’ business models and corporate cultures. He appreciates that clients often face time-sensitive challenges and need an attorney they can turn to on short no...

Doak Barnhardt engages in a broad range of finance-related areas, with an emphasis on senior bank debt and syndicated loan finance. Doak has considerable experience in corporate and commercial lending arrangements, including secured lending, acquisition and recapitalization finance, subordinated debt transactions, and work-out and restructure. Further, he represents a number of public and private companies as borrowers under syndicated credit facilities. Since joining the firm in 1984, he has...

Wayne McKinzie is co-head of the firm’s Financial Services group, leveraging his years of experience to provide sophisticated, business-oriented counsel to client transactions. Wayne McKinzie is co-head of the firm's 100+ attorney Financial Services practice group. In his more than 25 years at the firm he has developed a broad base of experience representing financial institutions, investment firms, insurance companies and other institutional investors and corporate clients on complex f...

Bryan Ives is co-chair of the Firm’s Corporate Transactions & Securities Group and has recently concluded a 4-year term on the Firm’s management committee and service as the Firm’s Financial Partner. Bryan has deep experience in a wide range of areas, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, taxation and corporate governance, and debt and equity financing. Bryan began his career as a tax lawyer and is a member of the American College of Tax Counsel. Using his ...

Travis Vance is dedicated to responsive client service and forming a partnership with companies to help tackle their most difficult and high-profile issues. Having gained a reputation as a professional and aggressive advocate for his clients, Travis has emerged as a thought leader in the field of workplace safety. His writing and interviews are followed closely by experts in the safety arena and have been featured in premiere publications such as Inc., Bloomberg Law, Business Insurance, The W...

Chris Lam is a business litigator who enjoys the responsibility of helping clients during challenging times and working to protect their businesses through either the defense or prosecution of claims. His professional accomplishments, leadership, and contributions to the community have been recognized by multiple publications and organizations. Chris has developed a diverse and successful litigation practice, representing both businesses and individuals, in disputes related to contracts, trad...

Having tried nearly 20 cases to verdict, Ben Chesson is a trial lawyer with a proven record of winning when it matters. He has tried cases for corporate and individual clients in state and federal courts across North Carolina. Ben has also represented clients in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, all appellate courts in North Carolina, and the South Carolina Supreme Court. Whether representing plaintiffs or defendants, Ben understands that while disputes are resolved in courtrooms—cas...