Best Personal Injury Attorney in Raleigh nc
John T. Briggs
Accident Injury Lawyer
John Briggs was born in Durham and raised in Butner, Granville County, N.C., where he attended South Granville High School. After graduation in 1983, he attended N.C. State University followed by East Carolina University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. John then attended law school at Campbell University Norman A. Wiggins School of Law (Class of ‘91), was commissioned an officer with the U.S. Navy Reserve, and completed Officer’s Indoctrination School while attending law school.
In 1994, John joined the distinguished trial lawyer Mr. Norman Kellum as a personal injury attorney with the Kellum Law Firm. Here he has remained for over 24 years practicing in areas which include personal injury law, wrongful death law, workers’ compensation law, and social security disability. It has been and will continue to be John’s pleasure to serve the injured and fight for the compensation they need and deserve!
Memberships and Awards
- NC State Bar since 1991
- SC State Bar since 2001
- U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. 1989-1999 (LCDR). Honorable Discharge
- United States Court of Military Appeals
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice – Tort Section
- Craven County Bar Association
- Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America
- CarolinaEast Foundation, President 2008-2012
- Friends of Animal Services, Board of Directors 2017
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers – The National Trial Lawyers
- 2016 Client Satisfaction Award – American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys
- Peer Review Rated for High Professional Achievement and Ethical Standing
- AVVO Rated 10 (Superb)
Brian M. Ricci
Accident Injury Lawyer
Serving Raleigh, Charlotte, Rocky Mount, Fayetteville, and surrounding areas in North Carolina, Brian M. Ricci is a dedicated and aggressive Greenville personal injury attorney. His practice is focused on:
- WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
- CAR ACCIDENTS
- TRUCKING ACCIDENTS
- SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY and HELPING CLIENTS APPLY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
Recognized throughout the state and the nation as a passionate advocate for injured workers, Brian is committed to helping workplace accident victims. This commitment was recognized with his appointment to serve as a member on the Board of Directors of the Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group in 2002. Brian is also the founder of EASTERN NC CARES and TRIANGLE NC CARES, an initiative to recognize non-profit organizations that are making a difference in our community.
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina, 1997
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina, 1997
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2000
- U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, 2010
- U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, 2003
Brian also previously served as a council member of the N.C. Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section.
JAMES S. FARRIN
Accident Injury Lawyer
James S. Farrin founded the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin and serves as its President. He is known in the legal industry for leveraging business principles to try to provide the highest quality legal services possible for his firm’s clients. And it’s working – since opening our doors in 1997, we’ve recovered more than $1.6 billion1 in total compensation for 60,000+ injured people.
Jim is the oldest of five children, and his family lived in 10 countries over 17 years as his father worked and travelled for Colgate-Palmolive and other global brands. While Jim’s life revolved around family wherever they were, he always longed to return to the United States.
This wish became a reality, and he spent the last two years of high school at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before attending Trinity College in Connecticut, where he distinguished himself academically as a philosophy major and member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Jim first moved to Durham to attend Duke Law School. After graduating with honors, he left North Carolina to start his law career on the West Coast. After a few years, he returned to the Bull City looking for a legal path with more meaning, and within two years he started the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin.
Benjamin Cochran
Accident Injury Lawyer
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 in law school, he was actively handling some aspects of trial work for the firm and then joined as a licensed attorney after getting his J.D. and passing the bar in 2002.
For the first eight years, Cochran concentrated his work exclusively on workers’ compensation issues. He obtained additional training in workers’ compensation law and received designation as a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation by the North Carolina State Bar. In recent years, Cochran has expanded his practice to include personal injury cases, but workers’ compensation remains his primary focus.
Cochran believes that the key to success in representing injured and disabled workers is communication.
Benjamin H. Whitley
Accident Injury Lawyer
The Whitley Law Firm is a family affair—in all the ways that matter. Partner Ben Whitley works with his father and brother to create a formidable force when representing clients. After all, helping injured individuals—people who have the deck stacked against them when fighting corporations—is why the Whitleys got into the business in the first place.
“Every case proceeds from a position of strength or we don’t proceed at all,” says Ben, who has worked in personal injury since day one of his legal career, more than a decade ago. “I cannot let them down. I don’t skimp on details, because it’s the details that matter.” In addition to personal injury, Ben regularly handles workers compensation, medical device and drug claims, and pharmacy malpractice. His approach to winning cases? Prepare, prepare, prepare. “In order to tell my client’s story to an insurance company or a jury should it come down to it, I need to know about the effects of their injury, but also their life, their work and their family,” he says. “I cannot do this unless I’m prepared—and I’m prepared to hire the best experts to help my client.
Professional Associations
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice (Board of Governors past member; New Lawyers Division past chairman)
- North Carolina State Bar Lawyers Assistance Program (current steering committee member)
- American Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association
- Wake County Bar Association
Jason Michael Burton
Accident Injury Lawyer
Jason M. Burton is a fifth-generation trial lawyer with a broad background in catastrophic injury, motor vehicle accident, and wrongful death cases. The son of a career-long insurance defense attorney, Jason has a detailed understanding of how insurance companies evaluate and handle serious injury and wrongful death claims, which he uses to maximize personal injury compensation for his clients.
Jason was raised in Jamestown, North Carolina and is the third son in a family of four boys. A lifelong athlete and natural competitor, he spent his childhood traveling around the Southeast competing in swimming, running, and cross-county. He graduated from Ragsdale High School where he excelled academically and athletically and later accepted a scholarship to play football at Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia. At Glenville, he was named to the Dean’s List every semester and received an all-conference academic achievement award for maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout the 2006 and 2007 football seasons.
After graduation, Jason returned to his home state of North Carolina and attended Elon University School of Law, where he interned at his father’s law firm, graduated summa cum laude and was named valedictorian of his law school class. He started his career as law clerk for Judge James L. Gale in the North Carolina General Court of Justice and received an accelerated education in the inner-workings of the legal system. He later worked at national law firms representing businesses and individuals in a broad range of civil litigation matters. In 2016, he started Burton Law Firm, PLLC to focus on personal injury matters and provide legal services to accident victims throughout North Carolina and Virginia.
Mr. Burton has substantial experience in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases and has tried a broad range of cases to a verdict. Since 2012, he has helped secure more than $45 million in settlements and verdicts for individuals harmed by the wrongful conduct of others. He has represented accident victims throughout the Southeastern United States in cases involving automobile accidents, toxic exposure, intoxicated drivers, aviation entities, Federal Registered Motor Carriers, construction companies, trucking companies, landlords, property managers, hotels, retail store operators and nursing homes. He also represents claimants in workers’ compensation cases.
Mr. Burton lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Maria and their three sons. They enjoy exercising, spending time outdoors, and spending time with family and friends. He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the Virginia State Bar, and the Wake County Bar Association. He and his firm represent accident victims throughout the states of North Carolina and Virginia in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Robert Tatum
Accident Injury Lawyer
I was born at Womack Army Hospital on Fort Bragg in Fayetteville NC after my father returned from his second tour of combat in Vietnam. My mother was a waitress at a bus stop when they met and married. They lived their lives together working hard to build a family and taking care of each other and us children. I was no senator’s son. When I turned 18, I enlisted in the Army and fought for the United States of America in Iraq during the first Gulf War and later in Afghanistan after September 11. Now I fight for injured North Carolinians.
Education
- University of North Carolina School of Law, 2002 J.D.
- University of Virginia, 1999, B.S.
Memberships
- Wake County Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association
- North Carolina State Bar
- Phi Alpha Delta
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice
- National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates
- 100 Top Trial Lawyers
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Visit www.milliondollaradvocates.com for membership qualifications. We do not represent that similar results will be achieved in your case. Each case is different and must be evaluated separately.
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
- United States District Court Eastern District of North Carolina
- United States District Court Middle District of North Carolina
- United States District Court Western District of North Carolina
- United States Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit
- US Bankruptcy Court, Western District of North Carolina
- United States Supreme Court
- US Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- Northern District of West Virginia
The Carolinas’ Capital of Chaos: Why You Need the Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina, a city brimming with Southern charm and dynamic growth, offers a vibrant blend of history and innovation. However, unexpected accidents can mar this picturesque landscape, leaving you injured, emotionally stressed, and facing financial burdens. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence in Raleigh, retaining the best personal injury lawyer can make a world of difference in your recovery journey. This comprehensive guide dives deep into the invaluable benefits of having a skilled legal professional by your side, ensuring you receive fair compensation for your losses and navigate the complexities of North Carolina personal injury law.
Understanding North Carolina Personal Injury Law: Your Roadmap to Recovery
North Carolina adheres to a fault-based car insurance system. This means the party deemed responsible for the accident is financially liable for the damages of the injured party. Determining fault, gathering evidence, negotiating with insurance companies, and understanding North Carolina personal injury laws can be a complex and overwhelming process. Here’s how the best personal injury lawyer in Raleigh becomes your champion:
- Understanding Your Rights and Options: Following a personal injury, you have specific legal rights, including the right to file a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company and the right to seek legal representation. A lawyer ensures you understand these rights and empowers you to exercise them effectively throughout the legal process.
- Investigating the Accident Scene: A skilled lawyer meticulously investigates the accident scene, collecting evidence (police reports, witness statements, photos of the damage, traffic camera footage). They meticulously reconstruct the events leading to the collision, strengthening your claim and helping to determine fault.
- Negotiating with Insurance Companies: Insurance companies are notorious for offering lowball settlements. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Raleigh has the expertise to negotiate with adjusters aggressively. They fight to secure the maximum compensation you deserve for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and potential future medical needs.
- Understanding North Carolina Personal Injury Laws: North Carolina has specific statutes of limitations for filing claims and a contributory negligence rule. This rule can affect your compensation if you share some fault in the accident. A lawyer ensures your case adheres to all relevant legal aspects and maximizes your potential recovery.
- Medical Expertise: Personal injury cases often involve complex medical issues. A lawyer may work with medical professionals to understand your injuries, document the extent of your damages, and connect them directly to the accident.
Beyond Legal Expertise: The Qualities of a Top-Tier Personal Injury Lawyer in Raleigh
Not all personal injury lawyers are created equal. Here are the key qualities to seek when selecting the best advocate for your case in Raleigh:
- Extensive Experience Handling Raleigh Personal Injury Cases: Raleigh presents unique challenges with high traffic volume, diverse weather conditions, and a large tourist population. A lawyer with a proven track record of handling personal injury cases in Raleigh understands the local nuances and can navigate the legal system effectively on your behalf.
- Proven Track Record of Success: Look for a lawyer with a history of achieving positive outcomes for clients facing similar injuries and accident scenarios in Raleigh. Client testimonials and case results can provide valuable insights into their effectiveness.
- Compassion and Understanding: Personal injuries can be physically and emotionally traumatic. Your lawyer should be empathetic to your situation and provide support throughout the legal process.
- Clear Communication and Accessibility: A top-tier lawyer prioritizes clear communication, keeping you informed of case developments, addressing your questions promptly, and ensuring you feel empowered throughout the process.
- Competitive Fees and Flexible Payment Structures: Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t pay unless they win your case. Discuss fee structures upfront to ensure transparency and avoid financial surprises.
Finding the Right Advocate: Resources for Legal Representation in Raleigh
- Seek Recommendations: Talk to friends, family, or colleagues who have been involved in personal injuries in Raleigh and inquire about their lawyers.
- North Carolina Bar Association: Contact the North Carolina Bar Association for referrals to qualified personal injury attorneys in Raleigh.
- Wake County Bar Association: The Wake County Bar Association can also offer referral services for legal representation in Raleigh.
- Online Resources: Several online legal directories allow you to search for personal injury lawyers in Raleigh based on location, experience, client reviews, and areas of expertise in personal injury law.