Holly H. Alderman

In joining Hardison & Cochran in 2008, Joel Jackson Hardison made a transition from defending insurance companies in Workers Compensation cases to representing injured and disabled workers. He applies the insights he gained from representing insurance companies to assist the injured workers he represents. There is little doubt about which type of practice he prefers. Hardison received a B.A. degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina in 1999 and a J.D. from the UNC School ...

William S. Cherry III is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Employment Law - Management, Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance, Litigation - Labor and Employment and Litigation - Real Estate. William S. practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized William S. Cherry III since 2018. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice ar...

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...

Michael D. Mcknight is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Michael D. practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Michael D. Mcknight since 2022. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Michael D. Mcknight is held by other lawyers.

William B. Gwyn, Jr., is a member of the firm’s corporate practice. Bill has over thirty years of experience counseling and serving clients in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, private equity, international transactions, joint ventures, licensing and commercial transactions. His industry experience includes software, biotechnology, communications, electronics, financial institutions, agribusiness, distribution and manufacturing, among others. He has represented...

Michael focuses his practice on the field of complex civil litigation with an emphasis on the prosecution of trucking and transportation cases. He also represents landowners whose property is being taken by eminent domain. He has extensive experience litigating wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims and has spoken nationally and internationally on topics related to trucking litigation, including best practices for post-accident investigation and evidence preservation. Prior to forming ...

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), ...

Mike Kaeding is a trial lawyer who regularly represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of complex, high-profile litigation, including antitrust, commercial, financial services, intellectual property, white collar criminal and technology cases. Mike has tried cases to verdict and regularly serves as a trial instructor for Emory University’s nationally recognized Trial Techniques program. He was named a Litigation Future Star by Benchmark Litigation. Although based in Nort...

John Sperati is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Construction. John practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized John Sperati since 2024. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which John Sp...

Joseph Alexander “Alex” Marshall is a 2015 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill and earned his undergraduate cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Alex is an AV Preeminent Peer Rated Lawyer at Martindale Hubbell. He joined the criminal defense section of DeMent Askew & Johnson in 2021. For nearly six years Alex served Wake County as an Assistant Public Defender. Over that time he gained an unparalleled level of exper...