LAW.

DEVON WILLIAMS

co-managing director | Ward and Smith

Raleigh

Devon Williams regularly counsels human resources executives and C-suite officers to keep them out of costly litigation and help them create a more positive workplace culture.

Williams serves with Bradley Evans as co-managing partners of the law firm, which has about 90 attorneys with offices in Asheville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh and Wilmington. The firm traces its roots back to 1895 and now includes more than 30 practice areas.

Williams' practice is focused on labor and employment issues, including terminations, federal contractor compliance, employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. She is also part of the firm's Hemp Law practice group, where she helps clients in the agribusiness, hemp and CBD industries navigate changing rules amid increasing legalization.

The Campbell University Law School graduate was a standout high school and college athlete. In 2022, the Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame selected her to be the 13th woman to enter the group. At West Rowan High School, Williams pitched and played third base on the Falcons' softball team, earning MVP honors while leading the team to 2002 and 2003 state championships. The team finished runner-up in her senior year. She also was a four-year starter at the University of Maryland.

Favorite family tradition: Enjoying my mom's breakfast pizza with my entire family on Christmas morning.

Favorite N.C. place to visit: Asheville and anywhere on the coast are always favorites, as is my family's farm around Cleveland, North Carolina, where I grew up.

What do you listen to on your commute: I bounce back and forth between country, pop, and news podcasts.

Career highlight: Having the trust and confidence of my law partners to co-lead our 270+ employee, five-office, statewide law firm.

Favorite hobby: Watch "Jeopardy" with my husband and our daughter.

Best advice for industry newcomers: Find a good mentor, work hard, and actively develop good working relationships with colleagues, clients, and opposing counsel.

Key industry change in next five years: For law firms, that change is the successful integration of Al into law practice, while acknowledging its limitations and privacy and security concerns.

KERRY ABRAMS

dean | Duke University School of Law

Durham

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has cited Abrams' work in her rulings. The English major at Swarthmore College received a law degree from Stanford University. She was vice provost and a professor at the University of Virginia before joining Duke in 2018. The school enrolled 225 first-year students last year and 285 during the previous year.

STACY ACKERMANN

partner | K&L Cates

Charlotte

Ackermann is the finance practice leader at the national law firm, representing investors, lenders, servicers and other market participants. She is a frequent lecturer on commercial real-estate financing. The Furman University graduate earned her law degree at the University of South Carolina. She joined the firm in 2012.

SHERROD BANKS

founder | Banks Law Group

Durham

The UNC Chapel Hill grad practices law in commercial and real estate, business litigation, partnerships and private placement stock options. He previously chaired the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, He is an adjunct law professor at UNC Chapel Hill, where he earned bachelor's and law degrees.

CATHERINE BARNES

managing partner | James, McElroy & Diehl

Charlotte

Barnes works with clients involved in business continuation planning, mergers and acquisitions, and other issues ranging from real estate negotiations with lenders, commercial leases, zoning issues and non-compete agreements. She has a law degree from UNC Chapel Hill. Her most famous partner, Bill Diehl, died at age 78 in December.

STEVE BERLIN

partner | Kilpatrick Townsend

Winston-Salem

Berlin's 35-plus years at his firm includes service in various areas of environmental law. The Wake Forest University graduate serves on the UNC School of the Arts board of trustees and chairs the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Arts Council board of trustees.

Favorite family tradition: Lovefeast during the Christmas season.

Favorite place to visit in North Carolina: North Carolina Zoo or Blue Ridge Parkway.

What do you listen to on your commute: Audiobooks, podcast, and ESPN radio.

Major inspiration: People who collaboratively, mobilize to get things done.

Favorite hobby: Anything outside, gardening and hiking.

Best advice for industry newcomers: Get involved and stay involved in your community.

ASHLEY BRATHWAITE

president | North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys | Ellis & Winters

Raleigh

Brathwaite leads the trade group representing defense attorneys, reflecting her experience representing clients in the insurance, health care, real estate and manufacturing sectors. The Furman University graduate worked in marketing and public affairs for a large South Carolina hospital before attending Campbell University School of Law.

DAN CAHILL

managing partner | Poyner Spruill

Raleigh

The lifelong Raleigh resident, who chairs the Greater Raleigh Area Chamber, represents banks, companies, and local governments in commercial disputes in state and federal courts and alternative dispute resolution. He is a Wake Forest University School of Law graduate and has an undergraduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill.

LOIS COLBERT

partner | Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton

Charlotte

The University of Michigan law graduate is leader of the national law firm's employee benefits practice group. She has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and other professional journals and has been singled out as one of Charlotte's most influential women.

NATHAN DUCGINS

managing partner | Tuggle Duggins

Greensboro

The Wake Forest University law graduate leads the law firm formed by his father, Jim, and Richard Tuggle in 1974. He represents clients in construction...