Seven Attorneys Named Among N.C.’s “Legal Elite”

GREENSBORO, NC – Business North Carolina magazine has named seven Nexsen Pruet attorneys to its “Legal Elite” listing, an honor earned by less than 5 percent of the state’s lawyers.

The seven who are being recognized in the publication’s January 2008 issue are:

Margaret Shea Burnham, Partner in Greensboro, real estate law
David R. Cannon, Partner in Charlotte, real estate law
M. Jay DeVaney, Partner in Greensboro, real estate law
R. Harper Heckman, Partner in Greensboro, construction law
Benjamin A. Kahn, Partner in Greensboro, bankruptcy law
Christine L. Myatt, Partner in Greensboro, bankruptcy law
David A. Senter, Partner in Greensboro, construction law

In developing the list, the publication send nearly 18,000 ballots to licensed lawyers living in North Carolina, asking each to name the state’s best practitioners in a number of business-related fields. Fewer than 600 earned “elite” status.

Margaret Shea Burnham concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial real estate transactions and litigation. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Real Property Law – Business, Commercial, and Industrial Transactions by the North Carolina State Bar. Burnham has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for real estate law and was named a North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in a Law & Politics survey. 

Dave Cannon practices in the areas of commercial real estate and commercial leasing, corporate and other business transactions, and alcohol and other licensing matters. He served as secretary/treasurer and chairman of the Finance and the Long Range Planning Committees of the Mecklenburg County Bar, and is a member of the Alliance of Alcohol Industry Attorneys and Consultants.

Jay DeVaney is a Board Certified Specialist in Real Property Law - Business, Commercial, and Industrial Transactions by the North Carolina State Bar.  He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, land-use litigation, and legal malpractice defense. Mr. DeVaney is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers Board of Governors and a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. He is also a former chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Real Property Section and a former member of the Board of Governors.  He is listed in Best Lawyers in America for real estate law; was named a North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in a Law & Politics survey; and is a member of Outstanding Lawyers of America.

Harper Heckman practices in the areas of lien, bond, construction law, and civil litigation. He is a former chair of the North Carolina Bar’s Construction Law Section and is the current chair of the Contract Documents Steering Committee of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry.  Additionally, he has been included in the Triad Business Journal's "40 Leaders Under Forty" and was named a North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in a Law & Politics survey.

Ben Kahn is a Certified Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the North Carolina State Bar.  He focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy law and commercial litigation. He has represented creditors' committees, individual secured and unsecured creditors, guarantors, lessors, debtors, trustees, and others in numerous bankruptcy cases under Chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. He was also named North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in a Law & Politics survey.

Christy Myatt  is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the Board of Legal Specialization of the North Carolina Bar and in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Bankruptcy Board of Certification. She is a former chair of the North Carolina Bar’s Bankruptcy Section and Bar's Board of Legal Specialization. She currently serves as a member of the ABA Committee on Legal Specialization and was named a North Carolina “Super Lawyer” in a Law & Politics survey.

David Senter practices in the areas of construction and surety, commercial litigation, and collections. He has made various presentations on construction- and collections-related topics to national and local trade and professional associations. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America for construction law and was named a North Carolina “Super Lawyer” for construction law in a Law & Politics survey.