John L. "Jack" Pinnix

Thurston Debnam is one of the founding partners of Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, L.L.P. Thurston is the Section Head of the Business Law practice group and served as the firm’s managing partner from 1992 through 1997. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business and corporate planning and real estate law, including land use planning and zoning. For more than thirty years, Thurston has maintained a broad-based business practice, assisting clients with business...

Hunt grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University, Hunt was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, where he served as a captain. He is a former intelligence officer and veteran of the Iraq War. Hunt’s practice focuses on representing real people who have been harmed by the negligence of others, including from tractor-trailer collisions, car wrecks, defective products and construction accidents. He h...

Patrick Johnson is a business and transaction lawyer. For more than twenty years, including eight years with large New York and international law firms, he has counseled clients on M&A, securities, financing and commercial matters. Patrick has extensive experience representing clients in the sale or purchase of a business. He negotiates and advises on deal terms, representations and warranties, covenants, indemnification and survival provisions, exclusivity arrangements, and other key ter...

A partner at Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A., Ritchie W. Taylor focuses his practice on corporate law, with a particular emphasis on franchising. From the firm's offices in Raleigh, North Carolina, he represents companies and individuals throughout the area, including Chapel Hill, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Charlotte, Wilmington, and other parts of the state. In his practice, Mr. Taylor provides advice and counsel on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, debt and eq...

David E. Vtipil is a partner at Younce & Vtipil, P.A. the firm is located just outside of downtown Raleigh and caters to those who have been injured due to negligence. David is a board certified workers' compensation specialist in North Carolina but also practices personal injury and social security disability law.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill undergraduate (1978) and law school (1981). Early career concentration on civil litigation. Substantial experience in jury trials, as well as every aspect of litigation from depositions, mediation, arbitration, motion practice, and bench trials. Married to Marci High Armstrong, a family law board certified specialist. Practiced together in small litigation firm since 1985. Three children. Oldest and youngest are attorneys practicing law with them in...

T. Shawn Howard is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. T. Shawn, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which T. Shawn is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Tyler is passionate about the hemp and cannabidiol ("CBD") industries, their products, and their people. He co-chairs the firm's Hemp Law practice group, and he represents clients in all aspects of the hemp and CBD industries – both in North Carolina and beyond. His clients include farmers and growers, processors, extractors, product manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. He also assists clients who are involved in the industry but do not directly "touch the plant" &nd...

Whitney Brownlow is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Whitney, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Whitney is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Wade Smith has been one of North Carolina's best known and most acclaimed lawyers for nearly 50 years. His trials are recounted in books, magazines and journals. A renowned storyteller, Wade insists that within each case there is a compelling story waiting to be told. In seminars and bar meetings Wade has shared the art of storytelling. His cases offer a fine collection of North Carolina Courtroom lore. In 1979, Wade served as counsel to Dr. Jeffrey McDonald in the much studied and discussed ...