John Chilson is a partner at Comerford Chilson & Moser in Winston-Salem and has practiced law for 26 years. He is best known for achieving significant settlements and verdicts in difficult cases through zealous advocacy, attention to detail and professionalism, and for a reputation for integrity and authenticity.

Chilson concentrates his practice on representing seriously injured plaintiffs, drawn to the work by a desire to help clients “navigate through difficult and complex challenges to achieve accountability.” He has served two terms on the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Board of Governors, has taught as a guest law school instructor and has delivered numerous CLE presentations.

He said he is concerned about growing delays in scheduling medical malpractice cases for trial, which he described as costly — financially and emotionally — for injured parties and survivors.

Paul Dickinson is a partner at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in Charlotte and has practiced law for 36 years. He began his career in insurance defense before moving to complex plaintiff litigation spanning medical malpractice, construction defects and business disputes.

His most notable matter was representing six victims and families in the 2007 Nisour Square Massacre in Baghdad, Iraq — a case filed against Blackwater, its owner Erik Prince and four guards who were eventually convicted of murder and weapons charges. The case traversed state and federal courts, involved Arabic medical records and Iraqi government communications, and resulted in death threats against Dickinson.

When President Trump pardoned the four convicted guards at the end of his first term, Dickinson was called upon by national media outlets. “It was an honor to represent these victims and hold those men accountable for my clients’ deaths and injuries,” he said.

Charles Ellis is an attorney at Ward and Smith in Greenville, with more than 40 years of practice concentrating in medical malpractice, wrongful death, serious personal injury and business litigation.

Ellis was appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina to the plaintiffs’ leadership team for claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, serving as co-lead counsel for bladder cancer bellwether trials. He has served as president of the Pitt County Bar Association and as a council member in the North Carolina Bar Association’s General Practice, Health Law and Litigation sections.

A memorable matter involved a failure to diagnose breast cancer case against a federally subsidized clinic in which his client later became the plaintiff in a separate lawsuit that changed the constitution of the North Carolina Medical Board — an effort she pursued in the final days of her life.

Mentoring younger attorneys is among his greatest privileges, and he has never declined a call from a lawyer who needed help.

John Hensley Jr. is the managing partner of Hensley Cloninger & Greer in Asheville, with more than 35 years of practice concentrating in medical malpractice, birth injuries, personal injury and products liability on the plaintiff side.

Hensley chose medical malpractice because it is the most challenging and complex area of personal injury litigation. His mission is to level the playing field for clients harmed by medical negligence and give them a fair chance at a just outcome. In 2000, he served as lead counsel for the plaintiffs in a birth injury trial that resulted in what was reported to be a record verdict at the time.

His advice to newer attorneys reflects the discipline that has defined his own career: “Trust your instincts, be themselves, and don’t worry about what others think. Also, don’t cut corners and always be prepared.”

John Alan Jones is the founding member and managing partner of Martin & Jones, a personal injury firm in Raleigh, with 44 years of practice.

Jones has focused his practice almost entirely on medical malpractice litigation since the late 1980s, building a reputation for taking only serious, thoroughly reviewed cases supported by recognized medical experts. He began his career representing workers with occupational diseases caused by toxic chemicals and cotton dust exposure, and has since expanded his practice to include defective pharmaceuticals and harmful medical devices.

He is widely respected by legal peers and within the medical and insurance communities, and regularly receives client referrals from those who regard him as a go-to malpractice lawyer.

He noted that “over time, this particular combination of traits will generate both trust and respect and allow you to obtain excellent results for your clients.”

David Kirby is a founding partner at Edwards Kirby in Raleigh, with nearly 50 years of practice concentrating in personal injury, wrongful death, product liability and medical malpractice on the plaintiff side.

Kirby is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates — an organization of the 100 top plaintiffs’ lawyers in the country. His cases have been featured on CNN, 20/20 and Dateline NBC.

His most notable matter is the Lakey case, in which he and partner John Edwards secured what was then the largest personal injury verdict in North Carolina history — a $30.9 million settlement for a 5-year-old girl critically injured by a defective pool drain.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and the Wade Edwards Foundation and is a member of the Board of Governors of the UNC School of Law.

Phyllis “PJ” Lile-King is the principal of The Lile-King Firm in Greensboro, with 30 years of practice concentrating in civil litigation with an emphasis on pro bono work and representing individuals who lack access to legal resources.

Her notable matters include representing a child harmed by a slumlord whose case generated media coverage leading to new rental housing ordinances in Greensboro; representing a woman with dissociative identity disorder whose therapist was found liable by a jury despite a defense campaign challenging her credibility; representing children harmed by UNC’s pediatric cardiac surgery program as reported by the New York Times; and representing three women of color paid less than white counterparts in the same county government positions — a case that led to new pay scale practices eliminating disparities based on race, gender or negotiating ability.

She chose her practice because she wanted to help the poor and give a voice to the powerless.

Bailey Melvin is an attorney at Melvin Law Firm in Greenville, with 34 years of practice concentrating in plaintiff-side medical malpractice litigation.

Melvin has built a reputation for willingness to try difficult cases against top-tier defense attorneys — work he describes as among the most challenging and rewarding on the plaintiff’s side of the docket. A particularly memorable matter involved representing a military family in a twin birth case in which one child suffered a severe brain injury and was not expected to survive more than a few years. Through the settlement, the child received exceptional care and recently turned 18.

He serves in leadership in the NCAJ Professional Negligence Section and on the State Committee for the North Carolina chapter of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Melvin is drawn to medical malpractice because he enjoys helping injured people rebuild their lives — and because going up against top-tier defense counsel makes every victory especially meaningful.

Charles Monnett III is a partner at Maginnis Howard in Charlotte, with more than 40 years of practice concentrating in personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death litigation. He founded his own firm in Charlotte in 1983 before merging with Maginnis Howard in 2022.

Monnett has argued before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Court of Appeals. His notable results include a $13 million medical malpractice verdict for a child with severe neurological damage from a missed diagnosis and a $2.25 million settlement in a high-profile police shooting wrongful death case. He is a nationally recognized speaker on traumatic brain injury litigation and has served on the Governor’s Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council and as a board member of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina.

He said he believes “the practice of law should always remain a profession dedicated to the service of others.”

David Pishko is an attorney at Pishko Kalarites in Winston-Salem, with more than 40 years of practice concentrating in medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury litigation. He served as president of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice in 2009–2010 and has tried dozens of cases to verdict across the state.

Pishko has taught as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest Law School for more than 20 years and spent a semester teaching legal writing at University College Cork in Ireland.

He recognized early in his career that medical malpractice cases offered the greatest intellectual challenge and that there was a need for lawyers willing to take on the most time-consuming cases. He finds satisfaction in helping clients understand their situation and holding careless providers accountable — work that ultimately improves healthcare for everyone.

Judith Vincent-Pope is the president of Vincent-Pope Law Firm in Cary, with more than 20 years of practice concentrating in personal injury litigation. She founded the firm in 2014.

Vincent-Pope is a life member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer. The firm has been nominated by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys as one of North Carolina’s Top 10 Law Firms.

She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and the Wake County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and a past member of the Belgian Bar Association — reflecting an international legal background she brings to her North Carolina practice.

She said she prides herself on a caring, compassionate and sensitive approach to clients who are navigating some of the most difficult moments of their lives.