Smith Anderson Had a Banner 2021!
As we look forward to a new year, Smith Anderson would like to take a few moments to look back on what a wonderful year 2021 was - despite all of the challenges - by highlighting some of the recognition, honors and government appointments the firm and its attorneys received in 2021. From kicking off the year with many of our attorneys receiving regional and national attention from leading legal ranking organizations to advancing our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion to closing 2021 with attorney Kerry Shad named as one of the most powerful lawyers in North Carolina, Smith Anderson continued its long tradition of excellence and service to our clients and community.
January
Business North Carolina named 11 Smith Anderson attorneys to its Legal Elite List, four of whom are placed into the Legal Elite Hall of Fame, and Super Lawyers named 23 of our attorneys 2021 Super Lawyers and nine Rising Stars.
February
The National Black Lawyers Top 100 added Jenny Bobbitt to its list, joining Sharita Whitaker and Kendra White on this prestigious roster, and both North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and the North Carolina Bar Association awarded Smith Anderson for its Diversity and Inclusion efforts. Smith Anderson was one of only nine law firms in the world to be recognized in the Agribusiness chapter of the 2021 Chambers Global and Toby Coleman was appointed chairman of the Triangle Community Coalition and Triangle Business Journal once again named Smith Anderson the largest law firm in the Triangle. Meanwhile, Chief Justice Paul Newby of the Supreme Court of North Carolina reappointed Mike Mitchell to the Rules Advisory Commission for a three-year term.
April
For the second year in a row, Benchmark Litigation named Smith Anderson as its “North Carolina Firm of the Year” for litigation.
May
Byron Kirkland and Richard Stevens were named to Business North Carolina's inaugural Power List. Triangle Business Journal named Jessica West to its Top 40 Under 40 list, and Smith Anderson kept its place on North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Largest Law Firms list. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Bar Association named Jim Dorsett a recipient of its North Carolina Bar Association Citizen Lawyer Award which recognizes lawyers who exemplify the ideals of a citizen lawyer by volunteering their time for worthy community or civic causes. Chambers USA listed 29 Smith Anderson lawyers as being among the top practitioners in North Carolina, and six out of the 11 ranked practice areas received the publication’s highest distinction, the most of any other North Carolina-based firm.
June
Smith Anderson’s M&A and Finance practices were again ranked in the North Carolina chapter of IFLR 1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms.
July
For the second year in a row, Triangle Business Journal named the firm to its Best Places to Work list, the National Law Journal named Smith Anderson the 290thlargest law firm in the U.S., and the City of Raleigh deemed July 6 as Lacy Reaves Appreciation Day.
August
Sandy Costa and his wife, Jean, were named 2021 recipients of the prestigious Shingleton Award for Community Partnership by Duke Cancer Institute, Triangle Business Journal named Byron Kirkland among its 2021 CEOs of the Year and C-Suite Award winners and Benchmark Litigation named Kerry Shad to its “Top 250 Women in Litigation” guide. Plus, our Trusts and Estates practice, including Walter Rogers and Kim Swintosky, continue to be recognized in the North Carolina Private Wealth Law Chapter of Chambers and Partners: High Net Worth and the 2022 Best Lawyers® rankings recognized a record 100 Smith Anderson attorneys – including 10 Raleigh “Lawyers of the Year.” Smith Anderson also joined the 2021-2023 Midsize Law Firm class of the Mansfield Rule, a move that will empower the firm’s efforts to recruit, retain and promote an even more diverse team of attorneys.
September
Miles Wobbleton was appointed to the North Carolina Courts Commission, Andrew Atkins was reappointed for the third time by the N.C. General Assembly to the North Carolina Rules Review Commission and David Hayden was reappointed by the Governor to a third term on the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission. Plus, four of our attorneys were honored in the 2021 Edition of Benchmark Litigation: Labor & Employment.
October
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill named Martin Brinkley with the highest professor honor, William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor and Benchmark Litigation recognized 11 of our litigators in the 2022 edition and awarded our Litigation practice a “Highly Recommended,” the highest possible rating.
November
The North State Journal named Smith Anderson attorney Dana Simpson to its 2021 list of the Top 10 Lobbyists in North Carolina and the latest edition of Best Law Firms ,published by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, recognized Smith Anderson as a leading firm in 45 practice areas, while our Land Use and Zoning and Venture Capital practices continued to receive national ratings.
December
North Carolina Lawyers Weekly named Smith Anderson attorney Kerry Shad to its inaugural Employment Law 2021 Power List.
Smith Anderson recognizes that our achievements in 2021 were largely dependent upon the efforts of our staff, and, in particular, on our clients, whose successes navigating the pandemic led to our own.