Press Release

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC., is proud to announce that the firm once again made significant gains on the prestigious 2009 Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business report.

Thirty-five Womble Carlyle attorneys were ranked on the list, compared to 32 last year. By comparison, 25 firm attorneys made the list in 2007. In all, Womble Carlyle has more than doubled the number of Chambers USA ranked attorneys since the initial rankings in 2003.

Womble Carlyle was the top-rated firm for both Antitrust and Litigation in North Carolina. The following practice areas were highly ranked: Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions (North Carolina, South Carolina); Banking & Finance (Georgia, North Carolina); Real Estate (North Carolina, South Carolina, District of Columbia); Environment (North Carolina); Labor & Employment (North Carolina, Virginia); Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Delaware); Litigation (Georgia), Intellectual Property (Delaware, Georgia) and Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite (District of Columbia).

The lawyers who made the list represent eight of Womble Carlyle's offices. Those included on the list, the practice area for which they were named and a link to each attorney's bio are listed below.

Atlanta
Steven S. Dunlevie, Banking & Finance
Louis T. Isaf, Intellectual Property
William M. Ragland, Jr., Litigation and Intellectual Property
John F. "Sandy" Smith, Corporate/M&A
James F. Vaughan, Intellectual Property

Charlotte
Garza Baldwin, III, Corporate/M&A
Timothy G. Barber, Litigation
Jim D. Cooley, Litigation
*James P. Cooney III, Litigation
Bradford A. De Vore, Environment
*Mark. J. Horoschak, Antitrust and Healthcare Litigation
Donald C. Lampe, Banking & Finance
Richard E. Morton, Environment
Richard L. Rainey, Labor & Employment
William C. Raper, Litigation

Greenville
*Larry D. Estridge, Real Estate
D. Allen Grumbine, Corporate/M&A
W. Lindsay Smith, Real Estate
Elizabeth O. Temple, Corporate/M&A

Raleigh
Donald A. Donadio, Real Estate
Pressly M. Millen, Litigation
Burley B. Mitchell Jr., Litigation

Tysons Corner
Thomas J. Sawyer, Labor & Employment

Washington, D.C.
Richard G. David, Real Estate
John D. Hagner, Real Estate
***Jennifer M. Kashatus, Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite
Pamela V. Rothenberg, Real Estate

Wilmington, Del.
Steven K. Kortanek, Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Frank A. Monaco Jr., Bankrupcty/Restructuring

Winston-Salem
*Alfred G. Adams, Real Estate
**W. Andrew Copenhaver, Antitrust and Litigation
Charles A. Edwards, Labor & Employment
*Christopher E. Leon, Banking & Finance and Corporate/M&A
Kenneth A. Moser, Banking & Finance
Keith W. Vaughan, Litigation

* Attorneys who were ranked #1 in their respective practice areas.
** Attorney ranked #1 in Antitrust.
*** Attorney named Up and Coming Lawyer by Chambers USA.

The Chambers USA list, published by Chambers & Partners, was complied by a team of researchers who conducted in-depth telephone interviews with lawyers and clients throughout the United States. Entries in Chambers USA were compiled from recommendations of clients and practitioners. The qualities on which the rankings were assessed include: technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness, diligence, commitment and other qualities most valued by clients.

Womble Carlyle - Innovators at Law
A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle ranks among American Lawyer magazine's list of the 100 leading firms in the country and is a top law firm for companies doing business in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

The firm is a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Corporate Leadership Award, making Womble Carlyle the first law firm ever to receive the highest honor given to a business organization in recognition of its support of the Fund and its 45 member educational institutions.

The firm also is the first law firm to be awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Freedom Award, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers for their support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.