We are pleased to announce that 14 Bell, Davis & Pitt attorneys have been named to Business North Carolina's 2024 Legal Elite class. This year’s Legal Elite class represents 4% of the state’s 32,535 active attorneys to date.

This year's annual directory of Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite is based on the responses of a DataJoe Research survey distributed to every active member of the N.C. State Bar residing within the state. Attorneys are then asked whom they rate among the current best in business-related categories. Attorneys can’t vote for themselves, but they may select members within their firm as long as they vote for an out-of-firm attorney in the same category.  

Bell Davis & Pitt attorneys included in the 2024 Legal Elite are:

Bankruptcy

• Daniel C. Bruton
• Walter W. Pitt Jr.

Business

• Josh B. Durham

Construction

• D. Anderson Carmen
• Ward Davis

Corporate 

• Galen G. Craun

Criminal

• Jones P. Bryd Jr.

Employment

• Marc E. Gustafson

Family

• Clara A. Ignich
• Robin J. Stinson

Litigation

• Alan M. Ruley

Tax & Estate Planning

• John A. Cocklereece Jr.
• Amy K. Smith

Young Guns

• Ashley V. DiMuzio

The Legal Elite Hall of Fame honors previous top vote-getters in a specific practice area. The winner is ineligible to win again as a top vote-getter in the same practice area in the future. Bell, Davis & Pitt attorneys in the Hall of Fame are:

Frank M. Bell, Jr. — The state's top real estate attorney in 2010.

Ward Davis — The state's top litigation attorney in 2018.

William K. (Bill) Davis — The state's top litigation attorney in 2006.

The full Legal Elite directory can be found in the January 2024 issue of Business North Carolina. 

For more details on Business North Carolina and DataJoe Research's selection and research/methodology click here. For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at surveys@datajoe.com.