Suzanne Begnoche is the sole proprietor of Suzanne Begnoche, Attorney at Law in Chapel Hill, with 20 years of practice representing consumers in cases against banks, credit bureaus and debt collectors for unfair credit reporting and debt collection practices.

Begnoche has served as North Carolina state chair for the National Association of Consumer Advocates and as past chair of the NC Advocates for Justice Consumer Practice Section. She speaks nationally on credit reporting law at conferences for NACA and the National Consumer Law Center.

Her current cases include representing a disabled veteran pursued for five years over cable accounts he never opened and a taxpayer whose identity was stolen by a tax preparer to file fraudulent returns. She said she selects clients carefully to maintain credibility as an advocate whose cases concern legitimate claims — and keeps her door open to colleagues transitioning into consumer law, including former adversaries.

Daniel Bryson is an attorney at Bryson Harris Suciu & DeMay in Raleigh, with nearly 38 years of practice concentrating in commercial litigation, consumer class actions, dangerous drugs and devices and defective products.

Bryson has written and taught continuing legal education courses on insurance-related topics and has significant experience working with attorneys, funders and partners on international litigation projects. He served as past president of the Public Justice Foundation Board — a nationwide public interest law firm supported by the plaintiffs’ bar — and led its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility committee and initiatives.

“My overarching goal is to bring justice to people who have been cheated by corporations,” he said.

Matthew Buckmiller is a partner at Buckmiller Frost in Raleigh, with 20 years of practice concentrating in commercial litigation.

Buckmiller served as president of both the Professional Malpractice Section and the Commercial Litigation Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. His notable matters include successfully representing church members who sought to prevent their church’s leaders from selling the property to a megachurch — a case that inspired a documentary — and winning what is believed to be the first jury verdict in North Carolina for a violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

He is best known for straightforward and aggressive litigation, a practice style he said reflects his personality and competitive drive.

J. Nicholas Ellis is a partner at Poyner Spruill in Rocky Mount, with 40 years of practice concentrating in civil litigation, including contract disputes, shareholder disputes, real estate matters, tort claims and suits against local governments.

Ellis has served as president of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Litigation Section, president of the Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court and president of the Eastern North Carolina chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Known for his willingness to try cases across a wide range of subject matter, he said the key to effective trial advocacy is clearly presenting three or four critical issues in a case, because anything beyond that “just gets lost” with judges and juries.

He said candor with judges, opposing counsel and clients has been the foundation of his credibility.

On what it takes to succeed, Ellis said: “You have to be willing to be ‘in the arena.’”

Caren Enloe is a partner at Smith Debnam in Raleigh, with nearly 26 years of practice leading the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Litigation and Compliance Group. She defends consumer financial service providers and collection industry members in state and federal courts and advises fintech companies, law firms and collection agencies on a broad range of consumer finance laws.

Enloe is a recognized thought leader in consumer financial services litigation. She serves as Programs Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee and as Vice President of Publications for the Conference on Consumer Finance Law. She is a past chair of the ABA’s Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Subcommittee and a former co-chair of the National Creditor Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section.

She said her practice requires “a broad base of knowledge ranging from constitutional issues to regulatory compliance” — work she described as an exciting and constantly evolving field that fulfills her “inner nerd.”

Alex Hagan is the CEO and managing partner of Ellis & Winters in Raleigh, with 34 years of practice concentrating in commercial litigation and personal injury matters.

Hagan serves on the Board of Directors and as secretary/treasurer of the International Association of Defense Counsel and serves on the state committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

His memorable matters include a multi-year dispute involving an educational institution that required collaboration among numerous stakeholders and lawyers across the firm, and a trade dress case in which he was brought in shortly before trial — with his Chicago co-counsel informing him, to his surprise, that his Southern accent was quite pronounced.

He said he believes strongly in lifting up the people around him and building confidence within his team, noting that the legal profession “is hard enough on its own that we do not need to add to that.”

H. Brent Helms is the senior managing partner of Robinson & Lawing in Winston-Salem, with 34 years of practice concentrating in complex business and commercial litigation.

Helms has built a reputation among fellow attorneys for his willingness to take on difficult cases that others might decline, receiving regular referrals from lawyers who recognize his ability to find creative solutions to challenging disputes. His most meaningful matters have involved helping businesses navigate complex litigation that threatened their survival — and guiding them through to the other side intact.

He said he was drawn to litigation for its intellectual challenge and the opportunity to learn about each client’s unique business and needs — work that he said is never the same from one case to the next.

He said what he values most outside of client work is mentoring young attorneys and helping them reach their full potential — a form of leadership he finds as rewarding as any courtroom victory.

Jon Heyl is a partner at Fox Rothschild in Charlotte, with 28 years of practice concentrating in commercial litigation across a wide range of subject matter in North Carolina and other jurisdictions.

Heyl served as president of the North Carolina Bar Association and Foundation in 2021–22 and previously chaired the Antitrust and Complex Business Disputes Section and the Judicial Independence Committee. He currently chairs the NCBA Foundation’s Endowment Committee and serves on its Board of Directors.

A memorable matter involved a manufacturer-dealer dispute that traveled through multiple levels of appeal at least three times over eight years before ultimately prevailing at trial — a case he said exemplifies the kind of persistence and adaptability that complex commercial litigation demands.

He said he was shaped early in his career by a highly regarded commercial litigator who put him on challenging cases from day one — an experience that naturally developed the skills and instincts he continues to draw on today.

Edward Maginnis is the managing partner of Maginnis Howard in Raleigh, with 22 years of practice concentrating in consumer protection, class action litigation and business disputes. He founded the firm in 2009 after beginning his career at two large Washington, D.C. firms and has grown it through strategic mergers. The firm now has 12 attorneys across Raleigh, Charlotte and Fayetteville.

Maginnis has secured tens of millions of dollars in relief for North Carolinians, including some of the highest dollar-figure class action results in the state on a yearly basis. Notable results include a $7 million settlement against mortgage servicer Seterus — which had been sending threatening letters to coerce borrowers into paying — and an $8 million settlement against a property management company charging illegal fees to tenants.

He said his practice is driven by a simple conviction: “Anytime a large company is harming the little guy, I want to explore how we can help.”

Christopher Page is a shareholder at Young Moore Attorneys in Raleigh, with 33 years of practice concentrating in commercial litigation, catastrophic tort and employment cases.

Page serves as chairman of the Commercial Litigation seminar for ALFA International and as national section leader for Commercial Litigation with the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

He strives to uphold the standard set by the firm’s founders more than 70 years ago — being professional with opposing counsel and arriving exceptionally well prepared for every deposition, hearing and trial. A memorable matter involved securing a defense verdict for a client who felt his integrity had been put on trial — watching him break down in tears at the verdict was one of the most rewarding moments of his career.

Page said every good lawyer must have a personal standard of excellence, and that his clients know if a case goes to trial, he will be ready.

Kelly Stevens is the co-founder and managing member of Hemmings & Stevens in Raleigh, with approximately 25 years of practice in North Carolina concentrating in personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, nursing home negligence, workers’ compensation and mass tort and consumer class action litigation.

Stevens began her legal career in Missouri, where she practiced as a civil litigation and trial attorney before moving to North Carolina in 1999. She co-founded Hemmings & Stevens in 2005 with Aaron Hemmings. In more recent years her practice has expanded into larger mass tort and consumer class action cases on behalf of individuals and consumers

She said the most important quality a lawyer can have is the ability to navigate complex legal situations in a manner that is best for the individual client — and that at the end of the day, the work often comes down to “standing up to companies who take advantage of consumers.”