Ellis & Winters Announces Two New Partners
Ellis & Winters is proud to announce that Ellis Payne and Madeleine ‘Maddi’ Pfefferle have joined the partnership effective January 1, 2026.
“We are thrilled about the election of Ellis and Maddi to the firm’s partnership,” said firm CEO, Alex Hagan. “Both are leaders in their respective fields of law, dedicated to providing excellent service to their clients.”
Ellis is a member of the firm’s commercial real estate group. He devotes his practice to commercial leasing for both landlords and tenants, real estate development, and financing. Before joining Ellis & Winters, he directly managed a commercial real estate portfolio and oversaw company operations from both a business and legal perspective. This experience makes Ellis a uniquely skilled resource and advisor to his clients. Ellis is active with NAIOP and the Urban Land Institute. He is a liaison for the Special Olympics North Carolina which is one of the largest Special Olympics programs in the world with nearly 53,000 registered athletes and Unified partners (people without intellectual disabilities), who train and compete in year-round programs in 20 different sports.
Maddi is an experienced litigator who focuses her work on the defense of medical malpractice and products liability cases. She has significant experience defending manufacturers of drugs and medical devices. She is an avid member of DRI and previously held positions in its Young Lawyers Steering Committee. She is the current Marketing Chair for DRI’s Medical Liability Steering Committee. Maddi is also a member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) and the Wake County Bar Association. She has received numerous recognitions and awards for her work, including designations as a “Rising Star” with North Carolina Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Medical Malpractice, a “Rising Star” with DRI’s Young Lawyers Committee, and among the “Ones to Watch” for Medical Malpractice Law with Best Lawyers®. Maddi also has been honored on Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite list.