Best Lawyers in North Carolina, United States for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
Forest has been practicing law for twenty-five years. He spent the first six years of his career as a partner with a large "defense" law firm mainly defending large corporations in civil lawsuits. Seeing the inequalities that existed in the justice system between wealthy and powerful companies and regular people, Forest was motivated to change his law practice, join Martin & Jones and help level the playing field for ordinary, hard-working people and their families. With the experience Fo...
Elizabeth G. Grimes is Managing Partner at Grimes Yeoman, PLLC. Known locally as “Libby”, Ms. Grimes represents plaintiffs in cases involving serious bodily injuries, wrongful death, and traumatic brain injuries. Ms. Grimes received her B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in December of 1985, graduating a semester early, and received her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1989. Ms. Grimes is admitted to practice before the No...
Gary Jackson* is a name many attorneys in North Carolina know. He has been president of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and has held leadership positions in several other national and state organizations. He is frequently asked to speak throughout the country at educational programs for lawyers and he regularly authors articles addressing current legal trends and developments. His 40+ year career is marked by many awards, with 24 of those years spent fighting for plaintiffs in numero...
3 Things to Know About Paul Dickinson: He represented civilian victims in the Blackwater Massacre case. He has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating.* He was honored on the 2026 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Leaders in Law “Icons” list.* Paul R. Dickinson , Jr. is a Partner at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin and a seasoned trial attorney on the firm’s litigation team who is known for taking on challenging, high-stakes cases. With decades of courtroom experience, he...
John Alan Jones is the founding member and managing partner of Martin & Jones, where he has worked since he began practicing law in 1982. John Alan was born and raised in Pine Level, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1979, he entered law school at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Holderness Moot Court. Upon graduating from l...
Gary grew up in Wake County, North Carolina, and attended the Wake County public schools. He received his undergraduate degree at UNC-Wilmington and his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial and Pre-Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and has tried more than 100 jury trials to verdict. He has been listed among the ”Best Lawyers in America” since 2007, having been named “Lawyer of the Year” for the years 2...
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...
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...
Hunt grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University, Hunt was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, where he served as a captain. He is a former intelligence officer and veteran of the Iraq War. Hunt’s practice focuses on representing real people who have been harmed by the negligence of others, including from tractor-trailer collisions, car wrecks, defective products and construction accidents. He h...
3 Things to Know About Kaitlyn Fudge: She was selected for inclusion of Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” lists in multiple categories, including Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (2023 – 2026), Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs (2023 – 2026), and Product Liability Litigation (2025 – 2026).* She was honored on North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Excellence in Law “Phenom” list (2025).* She was named to Business North Car...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
