Business NC’s ‘Legal Elite’ Honors 11 Smith Anderson Attorneys In Specialty Areas

This year marks Business North Carolina’s 20th Legal Elite class published annually which lists the state’s top lawyers in business-related specialties. This year’s class includes 11 Smith Anderson attorneys, four of whom are placed into the Legal Elite Hall of Fame. According to Business North Carolina, fewer than 4% of the state’s 28,000 active attorneys made their 2021 Legal Elite. 

Smith Anderson lawyers making this year’s list include: Curt Brewer (Business), John L. Jernigan (Business), Kerry Shad (Employment), Eva Gullick Frongello (Intellectual Property), Deanna Davis Anderson (Litigation), Josh Bryant (Tax/Estate Planning) and Kimberly Quarles Swintosky (Tax/Estate Planning). The top vote-getter in each specialty category becomes a member of Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite Hall of Fame and is ineligible to win again. Smith Anderson Hall of Famers are Gerald Roach (Business), Pete Marino (Construction), Allen York (Real Estate) and Steve Mason (Real Estate). 

Winners are chosen through peer nominations by active North Carolina lawyers. Legal Elite is the only award that gives every active lawyer of the N.C. State Bar a chance to participate and vote for their most-esteemed peers. Additional details about Legal Elite’s voting methodology and its full list of 2021 winners can be viewed here.

Business North Carolina is a monthly magazine that focuses on the people, events and trends that shape business in North Carolina. Since it began publication in 1981, it has won more than 100 national awards for its writing, reporting and design.