William T. "Billy" Kesler Jr.

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...

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...

Jennifer Taylor joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2017, bringing more than 15 years of legal experience to the firm. Her background includes personal injury litigation for plaintiffs, Social Security Disability, domestic violence law, family law, and employment law. She is based in Durham, North Carolina, and works closely with clients and attorneys throughout the state. Jennifer serves as the firm’s Intake Administrator and Co-Counsel Liaison. In these roles, she focuses ...

Andrea Bosquez-Porter is the founding member of Bosquez Porter Family Law, a boutique family law firm that provides exceptional and hands-on service to clients. She is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist, a Certified Family Financial Mediator, and a Parenting Coordinator. Ms. Bosquez-Porter is originally from San Antonio, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York and a Master of Business Administration degree from Brandeis University in Walth...

Bryan Skelton’s clients rely on his years of experience in intellectual property counseling and his focus on developing, executing, and enforcing worldwide market exclusivity strategies for their core assets. Pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnology companies of all sizes call on Bryan for portfolio growth, management and acquisition, due diligences, and strategic partnering. Bryan focuses his practice on advising pharmaceutical companies and research institutions on complex legal is...

Mr. Keen has practiced labor and employment law in the Raleigh office of Ogletree Deakins since 1987. His practice has included employment litigation in state and federal courts, representing clients before the National Labor Relations Board and advising clients on equal employment opportunity and wage and hour issues. He has successfully litigated cases to defense verdicts in employment discrimination cases. He has also litigated matters involving ERISA, non-competition and trade secrets, wo...

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...

Joseph Baznik is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Joseph, who practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Edwin Walker Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Edwin, who practices law in Durham, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Edwin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...