Laura A. Edgerton

Scott Montgomery is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law, Family Law Arbitration and Family Law Mediation. Scott, who practices law in Cary, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

3 Things to Know About Tom Wilmoth: He leads the firm’s litigation team handling mass torts, multidistrict litigation, and consumer class actions. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers on the Consumer Protection Law list (2025–2026).* He brings prior experience in complex corporate defense litigation, including product liability matters. Tom Wilmoth is a Partner at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin , where he focuses on complex litigation , including mass torts, federal multi...

A seasoned litigator and counselor, Mark represents businesses and trade associations, with particular expertise in media and communications law. For some clients, he provides specialized regulatory, legislative, corporate, or litigation work. For others, he serves an outside general counsel role. Throughout his career, Mark has developed a capacity for solving complex problems that have stymied others. Mark’s principal clients are media and communications enterprises, such as digital m...

Shannon Frankel is a trucking industry attorney with a proven track record. For more than 18 years, Shannon defended trucking companies, regularly handling multi-million-dollar claims in both the state and federal courts of North Carolina. During her time on the defense, she learned how the trucking industry views and handles catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, developing relationships with numerous industry executives, national counsel, and expert witnesses along the way. Her exper...

Ted N. Kazaglis is a principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He handles a range of employment law issues with a particular focus on the alternative staffing industries, including professional employer organizations (“PEOs”) and temporary staffing companies. Ted assists clients in the staffing industries to define their relationship with their customers, including drafting and reviewing staffing agreements. He also defends such clients against legal c...

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), ...

For nearly 20 years, Tom has represented insurance carriers in coverage and bad faith disputes in trial courts and arbitrations throughout the U.S. His practice focuses primarily on first-party commercial property, inland marine and builder's risk coverages. Tom also advises carriers with respect to their obligations and the coverage issues presented by a variety of third-party liability policies. He counsels carriers on and litigates issues arising under commercial general liability policies...

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...

Brian D. Lake is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. Brian D., 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 Brian D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

As a partner at the firm, Ben Whitley joins his father to provide comprehensive legal representation for their clients. The motivation for the Whitley family’s commitment to law stems from a desire to assist injured individuals, particularly when they face challenges against larger corporations. "Every case proceeds from a position of strength or we don’t proceed at all," says Ben, who has been involved in personal injury law since the beginning of his career for over two decades....