Michael A. Kornbluth

“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...

Ms. Grace is an experienced and respected family lawyer. In 2017, she was selected as Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year in Family Law in Raleigh, NC. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a NC Board Certified Specialist in Family Law, and a NCDRC certified Family Financial Mediator. Ms. Grace has served as President of the NC Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Chair of the Family Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), and ...

Ben is an experienced trial lawyer who earned his law degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was trained in trial practice at the nation’s preeminent Public Defender agency, the federally funded Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, described by United States Attorney General Eric Holder as “the best public defender office in the country.” From 2006 to 2011, Ben worked as an attorney at the Public Defender Service in DC, including...

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...

Over the course of more than 25 years as a patent attorney matched with in-house experience as a pharmaceutical chemist at DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals and Smithkline Beecham, Allen Baum, partner-in-charge of the Raleigh office, has the ability to take complex scientific and legal issues and distill them into timely, relevant and useful counsel. Allen represents life sciences companies in patent and licensing matters. Clients hire Allen to identify and execute strategies to protect key commer...

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...

Lynn Burleson is a native of Albemarle, North Carolina. He was admitted to the practice of law in North Carolina after receiving his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his Juris Doctor degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law. Before joining Tharrington Smith, Mr. Burleson served as a district court judge and was a partner in the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton. He has served as an adjunct professo...

Ciara L. Rogers is a partner at Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey, PLLC. She focuses her practice on bankruptcy and business insolvency. She is certified as a Business Bankruptcy Law Specialist by the North Carolina State Bar and is licensed to practice in all Federal and State Courts in North Carolina and Virginia, as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey PLLC, Ciara was an attorney with Oliver & Cheek. Prior to that, she was a law ...

Andrew W. Merrills is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Immigration Law. Andrew W., 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 Andrew W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John Edwards is a skilled personal injury attorney in North Carolina and the founder of Edwards Kirby, LLP. With a background as a U.S. Senator for North Carolina, the 2004 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee, and a U.S. presidential candidate, John has long been a proponent for civil rights and protecting those who cannot stand up for themselves. He has been practicing law since 1978 and is an established trial attorney. At Edwards Kirby, LLP, he strives to provide clients with the dedicate...