Lessons learned: top Tar Heel lawyers reminisce about how their time as undergraduates turned them into overachievers.

PositionLEGAL ELITE

Though brief, one's college years leave a lifelong impression. That's why we asked the top of the 12th class of BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA'S Legal Elite how the experience helped prepare them for law school and their careers. They received the most votes in 14 business-related specialties. Their selection began with emails directing more than 20,000 active members of the State Bar to ballots on BusinessNC.com. Lawyers were not allowed to vote for themselves and could pick an associate or partner only if they also chose someone from outside the firm in the same category. More weight was given to those votes. Less than 3.5% of the state's lawyers--735, to be exact--made the list this year.

ANTITRUST

Noel L. Allen, Allen, Pinnix & Nichols PA, Raleigh; Daniel G. Clodfel.ter, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; James L.S. Cobb, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; W. Andrew Copenhaver, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Winston-Salem; Alan W. Duncan, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro; Gary R. Govert, N.C. Department of Justice, Raleigh; John F. Graybeal, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Denise M. Gunter, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Winston-Salem; Henry L. Kitchin Jr., McGuireWoods LLP, Wilmington; George L. Little Jr., Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem; Larry S. McDevitt, The Van Winkle Law Firm, Asheville; Michael T. Medford, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Pressly M. Millen, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Raleigh; Lawrence C. Moore III, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Jeffrey Oleynick, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; William L. Rickard Jr., Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Jonathan D. Sasser, Ellis & Winters LLP, Cary; Robin K. Vinson, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Raleigh.

BANKRUPTCY

Trawick H. "Buzzy" Stubbs Jr., Stubbs & Perdue PA, New Bern; Rayford K. "Trip" Adams III, Spilman Thomas St Battle, Winston-Salem; Lou Agosto, Wells Fargo & Co., Charlotte; C. Edwin Allman Ill, Allman Spry Leggett & Crurnpler PA, Winston-Salem; David R. Badger, David R. Badger PA, Charlotte; Paul R. Baynard, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; John C. Bircher III, White & Allen PA, New Bern; William E. Brewer, The Brewer Law Firm, Raleigh; Algernon L. Butler III, Butler and Butler LLP, Wilmington; James Oliver Carter, Carter & Carter PA, Wilmington; David H. Conaway, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; Richard Preston Cook, Richard P. Cook PLLC, Wilmington; Langdon M. Cooper, Mullen Holland & Cooper PA, Gastonia; Heather W. Culp, Rawls, Scheer, Foster & Mingo PLLC, Charlotte; Damon Duncan, Duncan Law PLLC, Greensboro; Albert F. Durham, Rayburn Cooper & Durham PA, Charlotte; David L. Ea.des, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, -Charlotte; Edward L. Embree, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Morrisville; Paul A. Fanning, Ward and Smith PA, Greenville; Michael P. Flanagan; Ward and Smith PA, Greenville; Brian C. Fork, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; John R. Gardner, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; David G. Gray, Westall, Gray, Connolly & Davis PA, Asheville; Joseph W. Grier III, Grier Furr & Crisp, Charlotte; David M. Grogan, Shu maker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, Charlotte; W.B. "Ben" Hawfield Jr., Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte; James H. Henderson, The Henderson Law Firm, Charlotte; Jason L. Hendren, Hendren & Malone PLLC, Raleigh; David R. Hillier, Gum, Hillier & McCroskey PA, Asheville; A. Lee Hogewood III, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; Stephani Wilson Humrickhouse, judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, Raleigh; Charles M. Ivey III, Ivey, McClellan, Catton & Talcott LLP, Greensboro; William P. Janvier, Janvier Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; R. Keith Johnson, R. Keith Johnson PA, Stanley; J. Trevor Johnston, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Ben Kahn, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; Rod Kight, Kight Law Office, Asheville; R. Bradford Leggett, AlImans Spry Leggett & Crumpler PA, Winston-Salem; Lance P. Martin, Ward and Smith PA, Asheville; John McDuffle, Bank of America Corp., Charlotte; John A. Meadows; Meadows and Aderhold PA, Winston-Salem; Richard M. Mitchell, Rick Mitchell Law, Charlotte; Travis W. Moon, Moon, Wright & Houston PLLC, Charlotte; Jeffrey Oleynik, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Walter W. Pitt Jr., Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; J. William Porter, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Rebecca F. Redwine, Hendren & Malone PLLC, Raleigh; Ashley S. Rusher, Blanco Tackaberry & Matamoros PA, Winston-Salem; George F. Sanderson III, Ellis & Winters LLP, Cary; Travis-Sasser, Sasser Law Firm, Cart; David M. Schilli, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; Dirk W. Siegmund, Ivey, McClellan, Cation & Talcott LLP, Greensboro; John Small, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Richard D. Sparkman, Richard D. Sparkman & Associates PA, Angier; Glenn Thompson, Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin PLLC, Charlotte; Margaret R. Westbrook, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; James C. White, Law Office of James C. White PC, Durham; Richard S. Wright, Moon, Wright & Houston PLLC, Charlotte.

BUSINESS

Grayson S. Hale, Morningstar Law Group, Morrisville; Michael R. Abel, Schell Bray PLLC, Greensboro; J. Mitchell Aberman, James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte; Jonathan W. Anderson, The Law Office of Jonathan W. Anderson PLLC, Raleigh; E. Kent Auberry, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro; John W. Babcock, Wall Esleeck Babcock LLP, Winston-Salem; Neil S. Bagchi, Bagchi Law PLLC, Chapel Hill; Abbie G. Baynes, Abbie G. Baynes PLLC, Charlotte; David D. Beatty, Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec PA, Raleigh; Adam M. Beaudoin, Ward and Smith PA, Wilmington; David M. Bishop, Bishop, Dulaney & Joyner PA, Charlotte; Zachary R. Bishop, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Galen Boerema, Schneider Boerema PLLC, Raleigh; Curtis C. Brewer IV, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Martin H. Brinkley, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Christopher B. Capel, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, M i Lchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Terry J. Carlton, Jordan Price Wall Gray Jones & Carlton PLLC, Raleigh; Kenneth G. Carroll, Morningstar Law Group, Morrisville; Kevin W. Chapman, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Charlotte; Vincent D. Childress Jr., Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Kent F. Christison, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; James H. Clarke, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Morrisville; Bruce H. Connors, Connors Morgan PLLC, Greensboro; D. Scott Coward, K&L Gates LLP, Raleigh; Galen G. Craun III, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; John Cross Jr., Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Anne E. Croteau, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; Fred B. Davenport Jr., Murchison, Taylor & Gibson PLLC, Winnington; Robert J. Deutsch, Robert J. Deutsch PA, Asheville; Ralph J. DiLeone, The Di Leone Law Group PC, Raleigh; J. Scott Dillon, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Angela P. Doughty, Ward and Smith PA, New Bern; W. Randy Eaddy, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem; Paul J. Foley, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem; James Randall Forrest, Forrest Firm, Durham; Keny A. Friedman, Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore PA, Asheville; Gregory H. Gach, Gach Law Firm PLLC, Charlotte; Chris Graebe, Graebe Hanna & Sullivan PLLC, Raleigh; Garland G. Graham, Schell Bray PLLC, Greensboro; R. Frank Gray, Jordan Price Wall Gray Jones & Carlton PLLC, Raleigh; William B. Gwyn Jr., Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; Jeffrey S. Hay, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, Charlotte; Gregory D. Hutchins, Roberts & Stevens PA, Asheville; Frederick D. Hutchison, Hutchison Law Group PLLC, Raleigh; Cyrus M. Johnson Jr., Womble Carlyle Sandridge St Rice PLLC, Charlotte; Gene Jones, Morningstar Law Group, Morrisville; Byron B. Kirkland, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan LLP, Raleigh; David K. Liggett, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Ashe Lockhart, Lockhart PLLC, Charlotte; Thomas I. Lyon, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh; E. Lynwood Mallard, McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Harrison L. Marshall Jr., McGuireWoods LLP, Charlotte; Daniel Merlin, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Douglas Miller, Cogentrix Energy LLC, Charlotte; Edward O'Keefe, Bank of America Corp., Charlotte; William G. Pappas, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Kevin A. Prakke, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Eugene C. Pridgen, K&L Gates LIP, Charlotte; H. Vaughn Ramsey, Tuggle Duggins & Meschan PA, Greensboro; Donald R. Reynolds; Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Larry E. Robbins, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Caroline Wannamaker Sink, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA, Charlotte; J. Troy Smith Jr., Ward and Smith PA, New Bern; Aaron G. Spencer, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Daniel M. Sroka, Daniel Sroka PC, Madison; Wanda Townsend, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Charlotte; Wake A. Wagner, Law Offices of Wake A. Wagner, Winston-Salem; Jim Wall, Wall Esleeck Babcock LLP, Winston-Salem; Thomas C. Watkins, Schell Bray PLL, Greensboro; Reich L. Welborn, Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Morrisville; William M. Wilcox IV, Nexsen Pruet LLC, Greensboro; David L. Wilke, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh; Michael G. Winters, Ellis & Winters LLP, Cary; Keith A. Wood, Carruthers & Roth PA, Greensboro; Todd I. Woods, Lowe's Cos., Mooresville.

CONSTRUCTION

Richard D. Conner, Conner Gwyn Schenck PLLC,.Greensboro; Greg Ahlum, Johnston, Allison & Hord PA, Chariot le; Ryan L. Beaver, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Charlotte; Christopher K. Behm, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington; H. Arthur Bolick, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Matthew C. Bouchard, Lewis & Roberts PLLC, Raleigh; Mark D. Boynton, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem; Melissa Dewey Brumback, Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, Raleigh; Daniel K. Bryson, Whitfield Bryson & Mason, Raleigh; Thomas M. Buckley...

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