Benchmark Litigation and Benchmark Appellate 2012 accord top rating to Ellis & Winters
Ellis & Winters
The 2012 editions of sister publications Benchmark Litigation and Benchmark Appellate have recognized Ellis & Winters LLP with their top law firm rating — highly recommended — for North Carolina litigation and for appellate litigation in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ellis & Winters has comprehensive litigation capabilities and has handled high-profile disputes and appeals on a variety of pivotal issues. The firm recently won a $424 million victory in a real estate dispute before the North Carolina Supreme Court.
In addition to awarding the firm the highest rating in both the appellate and general litigation categories, the publications singled out four Ellis & Winters’ lawyers as Litigation Stars:
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Richard W. Ellis
Commercial, Products Liability and Medical Malpractice Litigation
Peers consider Richard Ellis one of the top lawyers in the state. “Dick Ellis has instant credibility,” says a peer.
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Commercial, Products Liability and Medical Malpractice Litigation
Of Leslie Packer: “She does a lot of the heavy lifting at Ellis. … She is very careful and detailed in her preparation. She wins a lot of cases before the jury gets in the box.”
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J. Donald Cowan, Jr.
Appellate, Commercial, Intellectual Property and Products Liability Litigation
“Don Cowan is a scholar of the law,” says a peer. “He walks into a courtroom and he has credibility from the moment he walks in.”
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Matthew W. Sawchak
Antitrust, Appellate and Commercial Litigation
Editors of Benchmark Litigation noted that the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization has just introduced appellate practice as a specialty in North Carolina and that Mr. Sawchak, who sits on the committee that administers this specialty, will be certified as one of the first specialists in appellate practice in the state.
In making its ranking assessments, editors of the guides noted that Ellis & Winters has earned the praise of its peers: “Ellis & Winters has great litigators. They are first-rate.”
The Benchmark Litigation and Benchmark Appellate guides are published by Euromoney/Investor to identify the leading U.S. trial attorneys and firms at the state and national levels. Their rankings are determined through an extensive six-month interview process with leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel.
* Don Cowan is currently on a leave of absence.