Ragsdale Liggett PLLC

Ragsdale Liggett was a proud sponsor of Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Safety Rodeo finals held in Charlotte, NC on November 2nd. The event acknowledges and celebrates safety successes amongst the warehouse workers and truck drivers of the company over the previous year. So many amazing stories and employees! Elizabeth Overmann, a trucking and transportation defense lawyer was honored to attend and witness the event.

We are pleased to welcome associate, Chanon Smith, to our litigation group in our Raleigh office where his practice is focused on Insurance Defense, Construction, and Trucking & Transportation. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in private practice handling complex insurance disputes, construction claims, personal injury defense, and general liability claims in all phases of litigation. Chanon is a graduate of North Carolina Central University School of Law and earned his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University. 

Lawyers Bill Pollock, John Nunnally, Tahlia Cypress, Bo Walker, Skye MacLeod, Lee Evans, and Ed Coleman, along with paralegal Sarah White attended the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) 2024 Fall Conference on September 27th, held in Cary. The CLE seminars covered topics relevant to our practice areas. Sarah White was the featured presenter of time entry best practices skills specific to the role of paralegals in litigation. Our lawyers are actively involved in organizations dedicated to civil litigation defense and our client’s industries. NCADA is the resource for educational opportunities, networking, and information sharing for civil defense trial attorneys in the state and is considered the sole organization in North Carolina exclusively devoted to meeting these needs.

Sarah White, Senior Litigation Paralegal, presented at the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) 2024 Fall Seminar on September 27, 2024. The CLE session, “Mastering Time Entry: Best Practices for Paralegals” focused on timekeeping best practices for ethical billing and guidelines for navigating appeals and increasing utilization rates. Sarah holds multiple state and national paralegal certifications and serves in various state and national leadership positions, including Vice-Chair of NCADA’s Paralegal Division. The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys is the resource for educational opportunities, networking, and information sharing for civil defense trial attorneys in the state and is considered the sole organization in North Carolina exclusively devoted to meeting these needs.

On September 16, 2024, the 13th Annual Celebration of the North Carolina Super Lawyers’ Top 50 Women in Law was held at Bloomsbury Bistro in Raleigh. Former Ragsdale Liggett partner and Legal Aid CEO Ashley Campbell gave a compelling presentation on how Legal Aid supports the needs of North Carolina citizens who need legal help but cannot afford a lawyer. Two of the firm’s current partners, Dottie Burch and Melissa Brumback, have been recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers for more than a decade and have both been honored as Top 50 Women in Law for the last several years.   https://lnkd.in/eUaN-FJa

Paralegal Sarah White participated in her first National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) Certifying Board meeting since she was elected to the Board position earlier this year. The session was held in Nashville, Tennessee September 13-14. NALA’s Certifying Board is responsible for the content, standards and administration of the Certified Paralegal Program and oversees the development and maintenance of the CP Examination as well as other duties. Sarah is a senior litigation paralegal who holds multiple state and national paralegal certifications.

The North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) and North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF) held its Annual Leadership Orientation at the Bar Center in Cary on August 29, 2024. Ragsdale Liggett lawyers Amie Sivon and John Cella, and paralegal Sarah White, attended the all-day program that included an organizational overview, membership trend discussion, legislative update, and planning goals for the current Bar year. Amie is Chair of the NCBA Appellate Practice Section; John is a member of the NCBF Board of Directors; and Sarah is Vice-Chair of the NCBA Paralegal Division.

William Rudowich has joined Ragsdale Liggett as an associate in our growing Jacksonville, Florida office where his civil litigation practice is focused on personal injury defense, insurance defense and trucking and transportation. His previous experience as a law clerk and attorney in private practice includes premises liability and insurance defense. William earned his JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and his BS from the University of North Florida.

Ragsdale Liggett is proud to announce 95% of our North Carolina lawyers have been named as top-rated attorneys in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, one of the nation's most respected legal publications. 20 of 21 lawyers are named in the annual Best Lawyer's guide, and two more are listed in its "Ones to Watch" edition. Best Lawyers accolades recognize the top 5% of legal talent in private practice throughout the country. It is based entirely on a peer review process designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the talent and professional abilities of colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Our firm was highly rated in 21 practice areas. David Liggett - Corporate Law, Insurance Law, Reinsurance Law and Mergers & Acquisitions Law Ashleigh Black - Real Estate Law Richard Bolton - Real Estate Law Melissa Brumback - Construction Litigation, Construction Law and Insurance Litigation Dottie Burch - Corporate Law, Real Estate Law and Mergers & Acquisitions Law John Cella - Trusts and Estates Ed Coleman - Insurance Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation Defendants Lee Evans - Health Care Litigation and Medical Malpractice Litigation Defendants Stephen Gambill - ”Ones to Watch” - Real Estate Law Michael Hutcherson - “Ones to Watch” - Insurance Litigation Defendants, Construction Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation Defendants Ben Kuhn - Real Estate Law, Real Estate Litigation and Land Use & Zoning Skye MacLeod - Insurance Litigation John Nunnally - Transportation Law, Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation and Construction Law Elizabeth Overmann - Personal Injury Litigation Defendants, Commercial Litigation and Insurance Litigation Bill Pollock - Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation, Insurance Litigation and Product Liability Litigation Defendants Bob Ramseur - Real Estate Law Ashley Ray - Real Estate Law Sandy Schilder - Construction Litigation, Insurance Litigation and Professional Malpractice Law Defendants Amie Sivon - Appellate Practice, Construction Litigation and Insurance Litigation Eric Spence - Real Estate Law Bo Walker - Construction Litigation, Insurance Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation Defendants Mary Webb - Insurance Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation Defendants

Paralegal Sarah White has been appointed Vice-Chair of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) Paralegal Division where she will assist with providing educational resources and opportunities for the advancement of defense paralegals. Sarah is a strong advocate of her profession and was recently elected to the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) Certifying Board. Additionally, she is an active participant serving in numerous leadership positions including Vice-Chair of the NC Bar Association Paralegal Division. Sarah has earned advanced paralegal certifications and her work is focused on civil litigation and insurance defense, where she handles cases in North Carolina’s state and federal trial court divisions and appellate courts.