Ruffin Business Lawyers

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.

Ryan Luft is the Managing Member of Luft Tumlin PLLC and is licensed to practice law in New York and North Carolina. His law practice is focused on contracts, trademark applications, oppositions, and disputes, and every day legal matters that affect businesses. Ryan and his colleagues maintain a blog devoted to trademark and copyright law: www.nctrademarklawyers.com and a website at luft-tumlin.com.

As an expert estate, trust and tax attorney, Greg Herman-Giddens provides comprehensive wealth planning, protection and management services to residents of Florida, North Carolina Tennessee and New York. He also provides consulting adn co-counseling services to attorneys throughout the country. Through careful selection of strategies tailored to clients' individualized goals and objectives, he helps individuals protect their family, preserve assets and save taxes.

Harkey Litigation in North Carolina is managed by W. Scott Harkey, who previously served as a special prosecutor for the Financial Crimes Unit from March 2013 until May 2021. Prior to that, he worked at a law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he defended civil cases. Scott has an impressive track record of successfully trying jury cases in both state and federal courts in North Carolina, and has secured favorable verdicts in multi-million-dollar disputes. He even obtained his first multi-million-dollar judgment at the young age of 28. Since 2013, Scott has tried more complex white-collar cases in North Carolina than...

To R. Anthony “Tony” Hartsoe, the law has always felt like a calling, not a job. He loves helping people through some of the toughest moments in their lives. With a family of his own and work experience that dates back to when he was 12 years old, Tony can relate to many of his clients and utilizes his knowledge to aggressively represent them with strength and integrity. He received his Bachelor of the Arts Degree from Oral Roberts University before attending Washington University School of Law. Tony graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1994. Attorney Hartsoe has worked...

Tom has successfully litigated both jury and bench trials In Superior, District, and Magistrate Courts in North Carolina. Primary areas include family law, general civil litigation Including business disputes and personal injury, real property disputes, criminal defense Including traffic tickets, and wills and estates.

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...

Mr. Payne is the CEO & Managing Partner of Apple Payne Law, PLLC, which he co-founded with retired attorney Bill Apple after owning his own firm Payne Law, PLLC. Mr. Payne's practice areas are estate planning, probate & business advising, and the firm also has family law and real estate teams to serve the full family's needs. Mr. Payne started the practice of law when he founded Payne Law, PLLC after graduation from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 2011. Before attending Wake Forest University School of Law, Mr. Payne attended Florida Coastal School of Law, where he was...

D. Cole Phelps manages our office in the northeastern part of the state. Attorney Phelps is a native of Washington County, and he returned to his home community to serve and give back. After winning his first primary election with over 62% of the votes, he later became the youngest county commissioner at the time of his election to serve in any of North Carolina’s 100 counties. During his first term of office, he was selected by his fellow board members as vice chairman and then chairman. Currently, he is serving his second term of office as a member of...

Shelia Huggins is a North Carolina licensed attorney with almost 20 years of experience in working with businesses in a variety of capacities. Her extensive experience includes business formation, contracts, government relations, entertainment law, and social media. She also has a YouTube channel with free information about contracts, legal issues, and scams and frauds. Her YouTube channel has over 500 videos available to the public. You can view it at https://www/youtube.com/mslegalista. Shelia is a former adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University where she taught Entertainment and Business Law, and she has spoken at numerous events including the Long Leaf Pine Film...

Keith Stroud is a 25+ year veteran of the practice of law. Keith supports businesses in the Triad, spouses going through a separation and divorce, individuals and couples through estate planning, executors and administrators handling the estate of a loved one, and seniors and their family members in long term care and asset protection matters. He provides a straightforward and comprehensive approach to legal representation, and offers unique solutions designed to meet the goals of his clients.

While Keith’s practice is structured to help his clients avoid litigation, he is first and foremost a trial lawyer. His civil and past criminal...

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. ...

Loch Saslow is a 2009 graduate of Elon University School of Law’s inaugural class. Loch joined Hill, Evans, Jordan & Beatty following admission that year. Loch is a trial lawyer. He focuses his practice primarily in the areas of family law, bankruptcy, civil disputes, including business matters, and contractual issues, as well as Wills, Estates & Trusts.

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Loch holds a B.A. in History from Furman University in 2006 where he served as Community Service Chair of Sigma Nu Fraternity, played Club Lacrosse, and coached lacrosse at Riverside High School in Greenville,...

Garen McClure is our Hillsborough-based attorney and litigator, with experience in traffic, business law, and estate planning. Garen utilizes his experience as a former New York City legal services attorney in assisting his clients to achieve their goals with respect to their litigation matters.* Garen has very broad litigation skills & the ability to work closely with his clients to ensure their involvement, providing very personal & responsive service. As a publicly educated attorney, Garen never strayed too far from his rural upbringing, and now uses his legal skill for the greater good.

Rett Saslow's is a North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization Certified Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law since 1996. His law practice is primarily directed to assisting people through bankruptcy, business law, transactional matters, creditors' rights, collections, and commercial real estate. Rett advises clients on business issues and corporate law; assists clients in acquisitions, sales, financing and leasing transactions; and represents clients in Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Rett attended public schools in Greensboro, and Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill....

Stuart Paynter is an experienced trial attorney who specializes in catastrophic personal injury cases, products liability and complex commercial litigation, including intellectual property and antitrust cases. 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...

Kirk Sanders litigates estate & trust disputes. Kirk handles condemnation cases (Eminent Domain Lawyers). He and his old firm represented hundreds of clients statewide and led the challenge of the N.C. Map Act as an inverse condemnation by the NCDOT and collected $300,000,000 for clients since 2018. See landmark decisions in Kirby v. NC Department of Transportation, Chappell v. NCDOT, Beroth v. NCDOT, Stimpson v. NCDOT et al. Kirk Sanders handles estate and trust litigation cases and eminent domain matters. Kirk Sanders has successfully litigated Will Contests cases (will caveats) for both the caveators (challengers of the will) and propounders...

Trained as a real estate and estate planning attorney initially in my career, my practice areas have expanded to encompass estate administration, special proceedings, and corporate formation, as well as, real estate and estate planning. I am a young, energetic attorney determined to become the best in my field through excellent representation of each and every client. I am constantly learning new aspects of the law and surrounding myself with opportunities for growth. Have you reviewed your estate plan lately? If not, maybe it’s time we take a peek at it!

During much of past fifteen years of my career as an attorney, I worked in the non-profit public interest law sector to provide legal services and technical support to North Carolina’s financially distressed and limited resource property owners seeking to preserve their homes, land, farms, and rural livelihood.  I've also worked briefly at a small private law firm representing clients in personal injury and business litigation cases. I was raised in the West End community of Mebane – my father’s hometown and a historical black community founded by former slaves after the Civil War in Alamance County.  During the past several years, the West End Revitalization Association...

I care deeply about my clients and work hard for them. I treat each client like royalty. Contact me for a free initial consultation.

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...

NC Licensed attorney providing residential real estate legal services to Buyers, Sellers and Homeowners.

For six years, Craig worked for the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina. As an Assistant United States Attorney, he was responsible for conducting criminal investigations and prosecuting cases in federal court. Craig handled cases involving armed robberies, bank robberies, firearms offenses, firearms trafficking and straw purchasing, drug trafficking, drug conspiracies, money laundering, communicating interstate threats, cyberstalking, and assaults on federal officers. As the district’s National Security / Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council Coordinator for two years, he was responsible for investigating violations of federal crimes involving national security, domestic violent extremism, domestic terrorism, and energy facility and...

Kevin opened his own firm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in early 2014. Prior to that, he practiced for 17 years at other firms where he handled all manner of catastrophic injury cases, business disputes and insurance defense. 
Kevin currently handles all types of injury cases, including tractor trailer collisions, other motor vehicle accidents and medical malpractice cases. In addition, Kevin represents businesses that need a seasoned courtroom litigator to handle contract disputes, employment agreement disputes, shareholder disputes, and business torts, like fraud and misrepresentation. 
Kevin is active in a variety of professional organizations including the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and the American Association for Justice.  He is a member...

Jim White’s practice focuses on complex litigation, lender liability and debtor bankruptcy. Clients are individuals and businesses who have suffered serious financial injury. For some, a lawsuit or aggressive negotiation can resolve a dispute or right a wrong. For others, Chapter 7, 11 or 13 bankruptcy can save their home, help rebuild their finances or repair a business. He received the Business Leader Media Pro Bono Impact Award and was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by Legal Aid of North Carolina, Durham County. Jim is rated AV Preminent by Martindale-Hubbell, was recognized by...

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...

Tom Wright is a trial lawyer. His practice focuses on a wide area of litigation matters, including environmental litigation, employment law, insurance defense, personal injury, real estate and construction litigation, and estates and trust litigation. He represents clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts, and before federal and state administrative agencies. Mr. Wright advises clients in corporate, environmental and real estate matters and handles transactional matters for a variety individuals and corporations. Mr. Wright graduated from Haverford College with a A.B. in Political Science. In 1975, he received his J.D. with honors from the Law...

I am a trial and appellate lawyer based in North Carolina but licensed in NC, VA, and WV. I enjoy taking on different types of challenging cases. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 336-282-8848.

Phyllis (PJ) Lile-King is a lawyer in Greensboro, North Carolina, licensed for 25 years and engaged in a civil rights practice, including police misconduct and discrimination cases. She has lectured and written in the areas of discrimination, medical malpractice and drug overdose cases. PJ is on the faculty at Duke Law School. For several years, PJ's practice included medical malpractice, wrongful death and drug overdose cases. She grew up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and graduated from Georgetown College with a B.A. and the University of Virginia School of Law with a J.D. PJ clerked for the Honorable Pierce Lively...

Tyler Brooks represents clients throughout the United States in cases involving free speech, religious liberty, and individual rights. He also represents clients in complex business litigation, employment disputes, and bankruptcy matters, as well as in business transactions and estate planning. Before starting his own practice, Tyler worked for six years, first as an associate attorney and then partner, at a civil litigation firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he primarily represented railroads and other clients in the transportation industry. Much of this work focused on wrongful death and serious personal injury cases as well as employment law,...

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Mark’s practice is focused in the areas of civil litigation, business matters and construction law. His experience includes jury trials and diverse matters in civil litigation including contract, business and construction disputes, as well as real estate related actions for implied easements, partition proceedings, actions to set aside foreclosures, materialmen liens and commercial lease disputes. Other litigation experience includes insurance litigation, fraud and unfair trade practice claims, guarantor liability, homeowner association disputes with developers, personal injury, vehicle collision injuries, wrongful death and collection cases.