Jessica "Jess" Gorczynski

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), ...

F. Marshall Wall is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Insurance, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. F. Marshall, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which F. Marshall is held by o...

“Chris is just really willing to get in and get the job done. He understands the need to balance costs against trial preparation. He’s also willing to say, this isn’t my area, let me refer you to somebody else.” The above quote, from a national construction client with outside counsel in nearly every state, was shared with Thomson Reuters, the company behind Westlaw, during its global research with senior in-house counsel to identify top-performing lawyers in private p...

Jonathan Melton is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Jonathan, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bettie Kelley Sousa is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation and Corporate Law. Bettie Kelley, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bettie Kelley is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ann H. Smith is a Partner in the Raleigh/Durham office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Ms. Smith has practiced employment law since 1996 and has handled a wide variety of employment matters before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Ms. Smith has represented and advised Fortune 250 companies as well as governmental entities. Ms. Smith’s litigation experience includes general employment law disputes involving claims pursuant to the ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and Title VII. Ms. Smith has al...

Bob deRosset serves clients primarily in the fields of construction, business, and product liability law. He tries cases at the state and federal level in North and South Carolina. He is certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission to conduct mediated settlement conferences in Superior Court cases and uses his perspective as a seasoned litigator to assist parties to voluntarily resolve their disputes through mediation. Bob has also completed collaborative law training and adv...

Jennifer Giordano-Coltart Ph.D. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice and Patent Law. Jennifer, 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 Jennifer is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Maria P. Wood is the Managing Partner in our Raleigh office and specializes in medical malpractice, aging services, correctional health care, professional malpractice and ethics, appellate, and general liability matters. In her more than twenty year legal career, she has gained significant litigation and trial experience. Maria has devoted her career to the representation of health care providers. These providers include hospital systems, long-term care facilities (skilled nursing and assiste...

Jack Cummings is counsel in the Federal Tax Group of Alston & Bird in Raleigh and Washington, D.C. He served as IRS associate chief counsel (corporate) and chair of the Corporate Tax Committee of the ABA Section of Taxation. His books include The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (with Robert Hanson), The Supreme Court’s Federal Tax Jurisprudence published by the American Bar Association in 2010 and The Supreme Court, Federal Taxation and the Constitution , published by the America...