Drew Culler

A trusted advisor, Marcus Trathen focuses his practice in the fields of communications law, utilities regulation, mass media, the Internet, intellectual property, and legislative representation. Marcus counsels clients on a variety of issues, including telecommunications regulation, media and the First Amendment, Internet law and regulation, and broadcast licensing and regulation. Marcus advises businesses on complex matters related to intellectual property licensing. Marcus has extensive exp...

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), ...

Hill Allen is a partner in the firm and handles a broad range of civil and criminal litigation. His practice areas and past cases include: White Collar Criminal Defense and Government Investigations, criminal, civil and regulatory – defending those under investigation or charged by federal and state law enforcement and administrative agencies. Mr. Allen has represented entities and individuals in investigations by federal grand juries in North Carolina and other states, as well as feder...

Ryan Shuirman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Ryan, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Melissa Hill is a native of Asheville, North Carolina. She received her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984. She also attended law school at UNC, where she was admitted to the Order of the Coif, was on the North Carolina Law Review and received her J.D. with honors in 1987. Ms. Hill is the author of Tennessee v. Garner - The Use of Deadly Force to Arrest as an Unreasonable Search and Seizure, 65 N.C.L. Rev. ...

Mr. Keen has practiced labor and employment law in the Raleigh office of Ogletree Deakins since 1987. His practice has included employment litigation in state and federal courts, representing clients before the National Labor Relations Board and advising clients on equal employment opportunity and wage and hour issues. He has successfully litigated cases to defense verdicts in employment discrimination cases. He has also litigated matters involving ERISA, non-competition and trade secrets, wo...

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...

Robert Mills Kennedy, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law and Litigation - Insurance. Robert Mills, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Robert Mills is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David Green represents clients in a wide array of transactional matters, with a focus on commercial real estate. He has a broad transactional practice. He regularly advises clients in the acquisition, financing, leasing, development, and disposition of commercial and agricultural properties. He also advises commercial lenders in structuring, documenting, and reviewing various credit facilities, as well as loan modifications, workouts, and foreclosures. Over the course of his practice, David h...

Mr. Coltrain practices primarily in the field of construction law, providing legal advice, litigation services, and assistance in regulatory compliance efforts. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Coltrain graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and worked for five years as a project engineer in the nuclear and plastics industry. Mr. Coltrain was the 2013-2014 Chair of the Construction Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and is, currently, th...