Erik R. Zimmerman

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. ...

Deborah L. Hildebran-Bachofen has been practicing with Manning Fulton since 1988. Debbie has a broad range of experience with closely-held corporations, including corporate mergers, acquisition and structuring issues, planning and tax accounting issues, private debt placement, and tax planning. Debbie becomes an important part of the company’s outside management team, advising business owners on day-to-day operations, drafting and negotiating contracts, and advising on financial matters...

John N. (Nick) Fountain is one of the most experienced attorneys in North Carolina handling professional licensure issues and occupational licensing boards. He has appeared before dozens of the numerous boards and commissions in Raleigh, including the Real Estate Commission, the Appraisal Board, the Banking Commission, the CPA Examiners, N.C. Medical Board, the Dental Board, the Psychology Board, Licensed Professional Counselors and others. He is General Counsel to the State Board of Examiner...

Stephen Brown focuses his practice on business formation and structuring, wealth transfer planning, and litigation involving fiduciaries, trusts, estates and guardianships. He is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. Stephen regularly advises individuals on a range of estate planning strategies, including the use of simple and complex trust arrangements to achieve their personal and charitable objectives in a tax advantaged manner. He also has extensive experience a...

A noted attorney with more than three decades of experience in complex business transactions, Reich Welborn handles mergers and acquisitions for both sellers and buyers and works with closely-held businesses in family succession, business protection and exit strategies. He has extensive knowledge in representing lenders, developers and tenants in a broad variety of financing and real estate transactions. Reich also advises corporate clients on major relocations, including site selection, acqu...

Gregory Crampton was born in Washington, D.C. in 1947, and has lived in Raleigh since early childhood. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1969, and received his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972. After graduation, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Walter E. Brock, Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Mr. Crampton concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and business litigation and business bankruptcies an...

Russell D. Babb was born in Wilson, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar and co-captain of the 1995 Carolina football team. A four-year starter as an offensive lineman for the Tar Heels, Mr. Babb was also the winner of the 1995 Jim Tatum Award, which is presented each year to the top Senior Scholar-Athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After college, Mr. Babb entered the University of North Carolina School of La...

Brett T. Hanna is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. Brett T., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brett T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kevin L. Sink focuses his practice on bankruptcy and reorganization matters, commercial transactions, real estate and business litigation. He is certified as a Business Bankruptcy Law Specialist by the North Carolina State Bar and a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Kevin is licensed to practice in all Federal and State Courts in North Carolina, as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a frequent lecturer at bankruptcy seminars. Kevin served as t...

Jeffrey R. Russell is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and a partner in the Family Law section at Tharrington Smith, LLP. His practice is concentrated in family law and appeals. Jeff earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Furman University and subsequently graduated magna cum laude from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. Before joining the firm in 2013, he clerked for the Honorable John C. Martin, Chief Judge of the North Carolina Cour...