Woodleaf Personal Injury Lawyers

Managing partner Benjamin T. Cochran oversees the operation of Hardison & Cochran Attorneys at Law in addition to representing individual clients in cases involving workers’ compensation and personal injury law.

A lifelong North Carolinian, Cochran knew from his high-school days in High Point that he wanted to be an attorney. He received a B.A. degree in economics and African-American studies from the University of North Carolina in 1999 and then enrolled at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University.

As a second-year law student, Cochran started working part-time in the law firm he now manages. During his third year...

2018 Lawyer of the Year DWI (Best Lawyers), A Rated with Martidale-Hubbell Law Directory, 10.0 AVVO Rating, NC Super Lawyers 2018-2020 For Criminal Defense and DWI. (Award criteria at BeaverCourie.com) Senior Partner at Beaver Courie, Attorneys at Law

Carol Huffman Kendrick is a knowledgeable and skilled Attorney at the Law Offices of Huffman & Kendrick. She has been practicing law and serving clients in Union, Anson, Stanly and Richmond Counties since 1996. Her practice areas include Criminal Defense, Driving While Impaired, Traffic, Personal Injury, Wills, Estate Administration, and Family Law matters. Carol is committed to providing experienced, trial-proven representation, focused on her clients' needs and objectives.

A native of Monroe, NC, Carol graduated from Monroe High School. She received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991. She obtained her J.D. from Wake Forest...

As a trial lawyer, I have considerable experience representing persons in both the criminal and civil courts.

My practice focuses on litigation, including personal injury, family law, and general civil litigation matters. We represent business owners, consumers, and injured persons.

My practice also includes business formations, contract drafting and review, and estate planning.

Stuart Paynter is an experienced trial attorney who specializes in catastrophic personal injury cases and product liability. Mr. Paynter began his career at Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the country's top law firms, before starting in own law firm in 2005. Under his leadership, Paynter Law has obtained over $500 million in verdicts and settlements, including verdicts exceeding $100 million. Mr. Paynter fights to ensure that all his client have their day in court. Mr. Paynter has sued and won against Fortune 500 companies and other large corporate entities--including groundbreaking litigation against the NCAA that resulted in a $60 million...

I have been assisting personal injury victims in their recovery for over ten years. I earned my law degree from Columbia University, where I was honored as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Additionally, I hold a business degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan Flagler Business School, where I was awarded 17 scholarships. Since 2020, I have been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and have been featured on the cover of Super Lawyers Magazine for Solo Success. My published work has appeared in the Wall Street Lawyer and the Practising Law Institute. I have...

Ben Ridings a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the firm practicing primarily in the areas of workers’ compensation and general civil litigation.

Ben graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts, with Honors and Distinction, in History. He received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2007, where he served as Articles and Comments Editor of the First Amendment Law Review and interned with The Honorable Robin E. Hudson of...

Hal Walker Broadfoot, Jr., is a partner at Beaver Courie, Attorneys at Law, with a practice focused on civil cases.

Hunt's practice at Martin & Jones focuses on representing people who have been harmed by the negligence of others, including from tractor-trailer collisions, car wrecks, defective products and construction accidents. He has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict for his clients before juries across the state of North Carolina. He is licensed to practice in all North Carolina courts, as well as all federal courts in North Carolina and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Hunt has been recognized by Super Lawyers every year since 2016 as a Rising Star.

Valerie A. Johnson graduated from the University of North Carolina and from the UNC School of Law in 1994, with honors Before entering law school, Valerie was an elementary school teacher.

Valerie is a specialist in workers' compensation law. She teaches trial advocacy at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Valerie also has taught workers' compensation law at Wake Forest University's School of Law.

Valerie serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and chaired the workers’ compensation committee. She is a former board member of the Lawyers Coordinating Committee...

I practice personal injury law focusing primarily on motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, construction accidents, and slip and falls. After many years of representing injured clients, I have have a unique understanding of the difficulties and stresses an accident and injury can place on a person's life. I am very passionate about helping my clients through these difficult times and I fight to ensure all of my clients are fairly compensated for their losses. My goal is to provide all of my clients with a boutique law firm experience - I purposefully keep my client list low so...

Attorney J. Wallace Pierce was born in the Republic of South Africa. In the course of his tenure as a scholar, he spent much of his time studying, exploring and grasping the complexity that surrounds South Africa's race relations. In early 2001, Attorney Wallace Pierce relocated to Durham, North Carolina with his family. Attorney J. Wallace Pierce acquired his Bachelors in History, Concentration in African American History, from North Carolina Central University in 2006. Attorney Pierce finished this four yearlong program in only three years. His determination and enthusiasm to furthering his involvement in the local community grew as...

Matthew Burkert was raised in Durham, North Carolina, and still resides in the same area he grew up in. He is a graduate of East Carolina University, where he received a bachelor’s degree majoring in Criminal Justice in 2008. Matt then attended North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2012. He passed the North Carolina Bar Exam in February, 2013, becoming a licensed attorney in the State. Matt joined the Constantinou Law Group, PA as a law clerk while in law school in 2010. He remained at the firm after passing the bar, becoming...

Mr. Jacob Goad is a workers’ compensation and personal injury attorney with Law Office of Jacob Goad, PLLC. Mr. Goad graduated from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill where he majored in Spanish and minored in Social and Economic Justice. At UNC, Mr. Goad earned membership in Sigma Delta Pi, a Hispanic Collegiate Honor Society. After earning his undergraduate degree, Mr. Goad lived and worked in Peru, where he got involved with environmental advocacy and also coordinated international delegations. He accompanied CNN producers and Dr. Sanjay Gupta to the town of La Oroya where Mr. Goad introduced Dr. Gupta...

Chris Hyland is an experienced personal injury lawyer and managing partner at Hyland, Padilla, & Fowler, PLLC. He is committed to protecting the rights of injury victims in Raleigh and Durham. Chris attended the College of Wooster for his undergraduate degree and earned his Juris Doctor from Campbell University School of Law. Active in the legal community, he is a current member and former Durham County Bar Association president. He is also a part of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the Fourteenth Judicial District, the North Carolina Bar Association, and more. For his dedication and success, he was awarded...

Forest has been practicing law for more than twenty-five years. He spent the first six years of his career as a partner with a large “defense” law firm mainly defending large corporations in civil lawsuits. Seeing the inequalities that existed in the justice system between wealthy and powerful companies and regular people, Forest was motivated to change his law practice, join Martin & Jones and help level the playing field for ordinary, hard-working men and women and their families.

Attorney Peace is a managing partner at the Law Office of Peace & Squires, PLLC practicing in the areas of Business, Contracts, and Personal Injury Law. Attorney Peace has worked extensively negotiating North American and International contracts, and has used her notable negotiations skills to effectuate first-rate results for her clients.

Attorney Peace earned her Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central University in 2008, her Master of Business Administration, Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University in 2004, and her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University in 2002. While attending North Carolina...

Mr. Spain was admitted to the State Bar in 2013 and practiced as an estates and business law attorney prior to joining BHSPA in 2018. Jason focuses on Estate Planning and Probate law, helping clients plan for their family’s future and to assist clients in administering the estate of a loved one. He also is proficient in helping small business owners set up business succession plans that will allow their companies to be passed on to the next generation and help provide financial security for their families in the event of retirement, death, or disability. ...

People turn to an attorney when they need help dealing with a problem that has become too large for them to handle on their own. Every day, I see clients in difficult situations they did not create, dealing with pain they didn’t have before, trying to pay for medical expenses they can’t afford. And all the while, a large corporation or auto insurance company is trying to minimize what the victim is going through.

As an attorney licensed in North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Brad represents personal injury clients in cases throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. He began his legal career...

Sara Willingham is an experienced trial attorney. Ms. Willingham has extensive experience handling motor vehicle cases, including complex motor vehicle accidents where liability is contested. In addition, Ms. Willingham has handled numerous product liability cases, medical malpractice cases, negligent security cases and premises liability cases. In addition to her extensive courtroom litigation practice, Ms. Willingham arbitrates uninsured and underinsured motorist cases on behalf of injured policy holders.

Durham disability, personal injury and traffic lawyer representing clients in Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and throughout North Carolina.

The Law Office of John C. Fitzpatrick helps people through the following difficult times: Criminal Law – Our Durham attorney focusing will aggressively defend you from allegations of North Carolina criminal violations, ranging from traffic tickets for speeding or Driving While Impaired (DWI/DUI), to misdemeanors like shoplifting or domestic assault, to drug charges or white collar crime, and serious felonies, including homicide. Personal Injury – If you have been injured in an accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical bills, pain, and even your time lost from work. An injury from a car accident, trucking accident, bicycle accident...

Nathaniel “Nat” Smith heads up the firm’s civil litigation practice. He handles serious personal injury and workers’ compensation cases in addition to business litigation, trust and estate litigation cases. He also works on civil appeals on behalf of the firm’s clients. Mr. Smith grew up in Raleigh, where he was a member of Broughton High School’s 50th graduating class in 1979. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. He graduated with honors from UNC School of Law in 1993. While in law school, he clerked...

Attorney Mark V.L. Gray, founder of the North Carolina law firm of Gray Legal Group has been practicing law since 1982.

Our founding lawyers are trusted in the legal community and are members of many prestigious organizations. Mark V.L. Gray is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group that is limited only to those who have recovered many millions of dollars for victims of negligence, as well as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). We are respected by our peers for our diligence in standing up for the rights of our clients.

Attorney Grays’ longevity means that...

Joshua B. Farmer was born in Hendersonville, North Carolina, but has lived in Rutherford County since 1986. Currently, Josh is a partner in Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC. Since beginning his practice, Josh has been serving the citizens of North Carolina and South Carolina for their legal needs. His practice focuses on representing injured clients. He is married to Andrea G. Farmer and has one son, Thomas Bradley Farmer. Education: University of North Carolina School of Law J.D. with High Honors - 2004 Class Rank - 5 of 235 Order of the Coif North Carolina...

Frank Voler joined Marcari, Russotto, Spencer and Balaban in December of 2010. He manages the firm’s North Carolina litigation department based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Frank received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1981, served on active duty as a nuclear-trained officer until 1986 and thereafter served in the Naval Reserve [CDR, USNR (ret)]. Frank was also an instructor for Virginia Power, teaching thermodynamics and various nuclear science topics (1986–1987).

Frank decided to pursue a legal career to help individuals fight against corporate and insurance interests and attended law school at the University of North Carolina...

Ms. Colavita completed her undergraduate studies at St. Bonaventure University, where she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science. She attended law school at the Charlotte School of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctor degree. To date, Ms. Colavita has represented hundreds of clients with a strong commitment to client satisfaction and excellence in the practice of law. During the course of her legal career, she has published several legal articles in peer-reviewed journals and has instructed her peers in a Continuing Legal Education course on Social Security Disability. Ms. Colavita is admitted...

Have you been injured at work? Are you concerned about losing your employment because of a work related injury? Is your employer advising you relative to your medical care?

I am a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law and a Certified Superior Court Mediator. I have been practicing law and negotiating successful outcomes for my North Carolina clients since 1999. My practice is concentrated in the area of workers' compensation. I am an aggressive advocate focused on understanding and achieving the outcomes that matter to my clients.

I added mediation to my practice...

As an attorney, my goal is to provide you, my client, with the best legal services possible. My law firm has concentrated on representing plaintiffs in all injury areas since I started practice in 1972. The firm provides the most up-to-date and qualified job accident legal services available. We received the very highest rating given (AV) by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory of Attorneys in North America. In addition, the North Carolina State Bar has designated me as a board-certified specialist in workers’ compensation law. I was among the first group of attorneys in the state so designated and among only a small...

Anthony’s dedication to service began at 17, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Yeoman. Over the course of his military career, he deployed twice to the Middle East and once to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ultimately retiring from the JAG Corps. As a JAG officer, Anthony prosecuted several courts-martial and advised on multi-million-dollar contracts and large-scale environmental impact projects. After earning his law degree, Anthony began his civilian legal career with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago—the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the nation—where he handled 10 to 30 hearings a day for 18 months. Assigned to the...

Mr. Taibi graduated with Highest Honors as first in his class at the Duke University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina. While in law school, Tony served as an Article Editor of the Duke Law Journal, a Moot Court Board member and participant, and won the “Most Effective Advocate Award” for Trial Practice. Tony then served as Clerk to the late Judge Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Baltimore, Maryland. Following his clerkship, Mr. Taibi taught Civil Procedure, Torts, and Regulatory Law and Policy as an Assistant Professor at the University...

After graduating from Duke University School of Law, I was offered a position with a North Carolina law firm, and I have practiced law in Greensboro ever since. The most rewarding aspect of my practice has been working with individual clients and helping them get benefits they are owed. I work to maintain a personal relationship with each of my clients and stay available to them by phone or in person as needed throughout the representation. Since the start, my clients have included people injured at work. I have handled many types of workers' compensation claims from on-the-job accidents to occupational...

John Wright’s law practice is primarily bringing claims on behalf of people who have been injured in some way by the acts of another. This includes motor vehicle accidents, products liability, catastrophic injury, wrongful death and personal injury that result from another’s negligence or purposeful harm. John also advises clients on business formation, business disputes, buying and selling of businesses and avoiding liability.

John has a background in business consulting. Additionally, he was the head coach for the University of Oregon Men’s lacrosse team and later coached for a number of years at Grimsley High School. He served in the United...