North Carolina Lawyers Weekly
Ryan Bolick, Partner, Cranfill Sumner, Charlotte
Ryan Bolick brings fire, dedication, and a sense of collaboration to his practice as a partner at Cranfill Sumner in Charlotte, focusing on defense of employers, professionals in malpractice cases and mediation.
Bolick
Over time, he has learned that being a successful litigation attorney not only requires skill in the practice of law but also requires the skill to attract and develop business from those who need legal services.
“It has been quite a challenge to try and become really good at both of these skills, especially since I did not know about the second one until about seven years into the practice,” he says.
Bolick received a pair of bachelor’s degrees in English and Economics from UNC-Chapel Hill. He earned his law degree from Campbell University.
Growing up: Originally from Lenoir, my family moved four times to Knoxville, Orlando, Boston, and Charlotte where I began the 10th grade. Several times a year we travelled home to North Carolina where my extended family lived, and those were long car trips. On one trip, we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast where I apparently was served some aged cantaloupe, which made me sick. I have never looked at, touched, or smelled cantaloupe since.
Practice area: Employment and employer defense. In my opinion, it is one of the few areas of the law where clients are able to prevail on summary judgment if they can present a good faith justification for the alleged wrongful action. I also defend professionals in malpractice cases and before licensing boards. I am passionate about helping others address complaints and issues that can have a great impact on their careers. I am also a mediator. If done well, a mediator will lead litigants to think about the legal, personal and financial aspects of their cases and help them determine what is almost always true – that they are better off agreeing to a resolution than trusting a jury of individuals they don’t know to decide for them.
First job: I was a Harris Teeter bag boy. I learned that the government will take an unreasonable amount of the money you earn before you can even cash your check.
Advice for aspiring attorneys: You are going to be required to go beyond what most people in the industry you choose consider sufficient to become successful. So, select a career you enjoy because if you do not enjoy what you are doing, it will be difficult for you to outwork all the others in your profession who love what they do
Childhood goal: I wanted to be a claims adjuster or a fireman because my dad was a claims adjuster and firemen are cool.
Favorite vacation spot: Yosemite National Park
A month off: I’d travel throughout Europe with my family.
You didn’t know: I touched the rim once when I was on my 9th grade basketball team. I had grown to my current height of 5’8 by that time and I was a power forward.
