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Smith Moore Leatherwood Paces NC with Most Legal Elite

GREENSBORO, NC (January 6, 2010)— With 24 attorneys on the list, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP led all law firms in the state of North Carolina in number of attorneys included in Business North Carolina’s 2010 listing of the state’s “Legal Elite.” Smith Moore Leatherwood’s Steve Earp and Dave Krasnow received the most peer votes in the environmental and intellectual property law categories, respectively, while the firm was represented by individual attorneys in 11 of 14 different categories.

Chair of Smith Moore Leatherwood’s management committee, Earp is a partner in the firm’s Greensboro office, where he has a national environmental regulatory practice that includes air, water and waste permitting; brownfields redevelopment; private cost recovery and contribution actions; multi-party remedial actions; compliance; and enforcement matters.

Krasnow, a partner in the firm’s Raleigh office, focuses his practice on the field of chemical patents, where he handles complex patent issues for clients in the areas of polymer chemistry, inorganic chemistry, optics, ocular science, pharmaceuticals, industrial gases, raw and specialty chemicals, coatings, refractory materials, material deposition and medical devices.

Members in each of Smith Moore Leatherwood’s four North Carolina offices were recognized, including 17 representatives from Greensboro. Two additional Smith Moore Leatherwood partners, J. George (Jerry) Oliver and Larry B. Sitton, were previously added to the Legal Elite Hall of Fame for employment law and antitrust litigation, respectively. In addition, Patti Ramseur, a partner in the firm’s Greensboro office, was tapped as a “Young Gun,” signifying the state’s best lawyers under the age of 40.

To select the honorees, Business North Carolina distributed ballots to over 19,000 lawyers licensed by the State Bar in North Carolina, asking them to vote for the best attorneys in a variety of legal specialty areas. Participants were not permitted to vote for themselves. Just three percent of the attorneys living in North Carolina received enough votes to be named to this year’s Legal Elite.

Smith Moore Leatherwood attorneys recognized in the 2010 Legal Elite listing include:

Greensboro
D. Erik Albright (Litigation)
E. Kent Auberry (Business Law)
Carole W. Bruce (Tax & Estate planning)
William E. Burton, III (Bankruptcy)
Brian W. Byrd (Real Estate)
Richard A. Coughlin (Intellectual Property)
Alan W. Duncan (Litigation)
Stephen W. Earp (Environmental)
Lisa F. Garrison (Antitrust)
Neale T. Johnson (Construction)
Robert D. Kidwell (Corporate)
Alexander L. Maultsby (Employment)
James A. Medford (Intellectual Property)
Ramona Cunningham O’Bryant (Environment)
Patti W. Ramseur (Young Guns)
Julianna C. Theall (Employment)
E. Garrett Walker (Real Estate)

Charlotte
Jonathan P. Heyl (Antitrust)
Fred M. Wood (Litigation)

Raleigh
Denise Smith Cline (Employment)
James L. Gale (Litigation)
David M. Krasnow (Intellectual Property)
Stephen W. Petersen (Litigation)

Wilmington
Michael V. Lee (Real Estate)

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About Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP
Tracing its roots to 1919, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP counsels clients throughout the Southeast, the nation and abroad. Recognized for a personal commitment to solving complex legal issues, Smith Moore Leatherwood attorneys bring a passion for excellence, teamwork and innovation to their representation of clients in over 80 practice areas and industry groups. Smith Moore Leatherwood has more than 180 attorneys practicing out of offices in Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; Greensboro, NC; Wilmington, NC; Greenville, SC and Atlanta, GA. Visit http://www.smithmoorelaw.com for more information.