Raymond M. "Ray" Bennett

Franklin Drake is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Franklin, 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 Franklin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Stephanie Hutchins Autry has been a trial lawyer since 1987 and has focused her practice on eminent domain since 2000. Before joining Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog as a partner in 1995, Stephanie was a partner in the Raleigh office of an international law firm. Stephanie’s career has included dozens of successful jury and bench trials and reported appellate decisions. For the last 15 years, Stephanie has concentrated her practice exclusively in the area of eminent domain, representing p...

Steve Long leads the firm's Tax and Employee Benefits practice. He has extensive experience working with employers in banking, retail, and technology to establish and maintain retirement plans, executive compensation agreements, stock incentive plans and other employee benefits. Steve also advises charities and other tax-exempt organizations regarding their IRC 403(b) and IRC 457 retirement plans, as well as issues related to compliance with Internal Revenue Service and state regulations conc...

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. ...

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...

Chad McCullen concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, asset protection, business law, and commercial real estate matters. He is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. In his estate practice, Chad advises clients on planning strategies and prepares a wide variety of documents ranging from basic wills to complex trusts to achieve each client’s individual planning goals in the most tax efficient manner. Chad also represents fi...

Phillip J. Strach is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Phillip J., 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 Phillip J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Art DeBaugh focuses his practice on trademarks , marketing/advertising/promotions issues, copyrights, trade dress, trade secrets, and business and corporate matters. As a North Carolina State Bar certified specialist in trademark law, Art has more than 25 years of experience protecting clients' intellectual property . Prior to joining Bell, Davis & Pitt in 2013, Art served as a partner in two law firms in the Research Triangle area. Prior to that, Art was chief counsel – intellectua...

Lynwood leads the litigation practice. His practice experience encompasses a wide variety of civil litigation in both state and federal courts. He has extensive experience in all aspects of litigation, including depositions, hearings, and mediations, as well as, arbitrations, appeals, and cases tried to jury verdict. Lynwood also counsels individuals and businesses who are currently involved, or could potentially become involved, in litigation. He also provides national pre-suit negotiation a...

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...