RALEIGH, NC (October 1, 2012) – Tharrington Smith, LLP is proud to announce that fourteen of our attorneys have been named to the 2013 edition of Best Lawyers in America©. Several have been selected for their outstanding service and reputation in multiple practice areas. Their initial year of selection is noted in parentheses.

Representing the firm’s Criminal Defense: White-Collar practice, Roger W. Smith, Sr. (1983), Wade M. Smith (1983), F. Hill Allen (2012), Melissa Hill (2010), Douglas E. Kingsbery (2005) have again been chosen by their peers as Best Lawyers. Smith and Smith have been chosen for their Non-White-Collar practice, as well. Roger W. Smith, Sr. has been chosen in the field of Appellate Practice, and in the unique category of “Bet-the-Company” Litigation, Douglas E. Kingsbery has once again been chosen as Best Lawyer. Kingsbery was also selected for his expertise in Commercial Litigation.

In addition to his selection as a Best Lawyer in both White-Collar and Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense, Tharrington Smith partner Wade M. Smith has been once again chosen as the 2013 Raleigh Criminal Defense: White-Collar “Lawyer of the Year.”

From the Education Law practice area, Ann L. Majestic (2012) and Jonathan A. Blumberg have been named as Best Lawyers; this year represents Blumberg’s first selection for this award. In the field of Intellectual Property Litigation, another Tharrington Smith partner, Randall M. Roden, makes his debut amongst those chosen as Best Lawyers.

“These selections speak to our dedication to our clients. We are especially pleased to see a new face on this year’s list from the well-established Education Law group, as well as a Best Lawyer from our growing Intellectual Property practice,” said managing partner Fred Morelock.

Tharrington Smith’s strongest representation on this year’s list of Best Lawyers comes from the Family Law practice area with six attorneys selected in two family-law specific areas.

“The continued strong showing from the Family Law group reflects the growing trend of other firms across North Carolina without a family practice turning to Tharrington Smith to care for their clients with divorce, arbitration, litigation and mediation,” said Morelock.

In primary Family Law, Lynn P. Burleson (1995), Jill Jackson (2012), Jaye Meyer (2001), Fred Morelock (2006), Carlyn G. Poole (1991), and Alice C. Stubbs (2010) have been chosen as Best Lawyers. Fred Morelock has also been chosen as a Best Lawyer in Family Law Mediation.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers© has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers© is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers© is considered a singular honor.

Established in 1964, Tharrington Smith, LLP, provides legal counsel and services in Family Law, Education Law, Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, Election Law, Intellectual Property and other focus areas.