Nine Roberts & Stevens attorneys recognized in Business North Carolina’s 2023 Legal Elite

Roberts & Stevens is pleased to announce that nine of the firm’s attorneys — Vincent Childress, William “Billy” Clarke, Ann-Patton Hornthal, Gregory D. Hutchins, Susan Russo Klein, Phillip Jackson, Dennis “Denny” Martin, John Noor and Wyatt S. Stevens — have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2023 edition of Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, a listing of the state’s best practitioners in their fields.

For two decades, Business North Carolina has invited active members of the N.C. State Bar to vote for their most-esteemed peers. Attorneys cannot vote for themselves nor for members of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame, which is made up of top vote-getters of each category from previous years. This year, only 3% of the state’s 28,000 active attorneys were selected for Legal Elite recognition.

Vincent Childress, a partner of Roberts & Stevens, is recognized this year in the Business category. With more than 35 years in practice areas of business and corporate law, trust and estate planning and probate, and healthcare law, Childress has significant experience handling entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, business financing, corporate contracts, tourism and healthcare organizations.

William “Billy” Clarke is a member of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame in the Environment category, having previously topped the list in 2012. A partner with Roberts & Stevens, his practice focuses on environmental permitting and compliance, transactions involving the purchase and sale of contaminated property, environmental and administrative litigation, water quality issues and the representation of local governments on environmental matters.

Ann-Patton Hornthal, Phillip Jackson, Dennis “Denny” Martin and Wyatt S. Stevens, all partners in the firm, are each recognized in the Litigation category.

Hornthal represents clients in litigation and pre-litigation matters in the commercial, professional liability, and personal injury setting.  She regularly practices in state and federal courts, appellate courts and before licensing boards.

Jackson represents health care systems, physicians, and other health care organizations in complex litigation and trial matters.

Martin handles a broad range of litigation matters with a focus on fiduciary litigation involving wills, trusts, and estates. He also represents clients in catastrophic personal injury cases and wrongful death actions.

Stevens represents clients in complex personal injury and commercial litigation. He assists individuals, businesses and organizations in state and federal courts, including jury trials, administrative hearings and appeals.

Gregory D. Hutchins is recognized in the Corporate category. A partner with Roberts & Stevens, Hutchins handles corporate law, business transactions, commercial real property, estate planning and administration, healthcare and taxation.

Roberts & Stevens partner Susan Russo Klein is recognized in the Employment category. Klein advises organizations of all sizes on challenging employment issues, from training and compliance to defending labor audits and discrimination complaints.

John Noor, a partner in the firm, is recognized in the Young Guns category. Noor regularly litigates complex business, anti-trust, and commercial cases, as well as focusing on environmental and real property disputes. Noor regularly appears before administrative bodies and trial and appellate courts throughout North Carolina.

Business North Carolina magazine has honored Tar Heel lawyers in this way since 2002, giving the state’s lawyers an opportunity to support and recognize their peers. Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite is the only award that gives every active lawyer in the state the opportunity to participate.