Kurt J. Olson

Kevin M. O'Brien is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law. Kevin M., 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 Kevin M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Originally from Michigan, Carolyn Murchison moved to North Carolina after obtaining her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina, where she was an editor of North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, a Daniel H. Pollitt Fellow and a member of the James E. and Carolyn B. Davis Society. Prior to joining Tharrington Smith in 2000, Ms. Murchison was a policy analyst f...

Patricia A. Markus is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law. Patricia A., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Patricia A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jessi Thaller-Moran focuses her practice on employment law and litigation, which includes counseling employers on legal compliance and helping them proactively identify, prepare for and respond to issues involving personnel management. Jessi guides employers on appropriate responses to a rapidly-changing workplace. Over the last few years, this has included counseling through the rapid transitions required by the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to increasingly localized laws on everything fr...

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. ...

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.

Jeffrey A. Poley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Public Finance Law. Jeffrey A., who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jeffrey A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kristin H. Ruth is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Kristin H., 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 Kristin H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ben Davis advises banks and other financial institutions on a variety of issues related to financial institution services and operations. His practice also includes helping financial institutions address regulatory compliance issues, including data security, payment systems and consumer protection. In addition, Ben has experience helping companies draft and negotiate general business contracts, from general commercial terms and conditions (including purchase orders and other commercial docume...

Benjamin T. Cochran , a Board Certified Specialist in NC Workers’ Compensation Law, is the Managing Partner at Hardison & Cochran . Mr. Cochran’s undergraduate years were spent at UNC Chapel Hill where he obtained majors in Economics and African American Studies. He then went on to complete his Juris Doctorate degree at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. In his time of representing the injured of North Carolina, Mr. Cochran has acquired many accola...