White & Allen Attorneys Chosen For Legal Elite Honor

White & Allen, P.A. attorneys John C. Bircher III, C. Gray Johnsey, Matthew S. Sullivan and Joseph S. Bower have been selected to BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA magazine’s Legal Elite. 

The magazine’s Legal Elite lawyers are chosen by their peers—more than 20,000 ballots are sent to lawyers all across the state.  About three percent of the state’s attorneys are chosen as the best practitioners, according to magazine officials.

John C. Bircher III received this recognition in the area of Bankruptcy. Bircher’s practice is concentrated in the area of bankruptcy and business litigation. He is a member of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, the Bankruptcy Sections of the North Carolina and Tennessee Bar Associations, The Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court and the Eastern Bankruptcy Institute. John serves on the Bankruptcy Council for the North Carolina Bar Association as Vice Chair for 2014 and is Chair in 2015. John has successfully completed the American Board of Certification’s Specialization Examinations in both Business and Consumer Bankruptcy. This certifies John as a Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the N.C. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Recently Bircher was appointed to serve on the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, Bankruptcy Specialty Committee.

C. Gray Johnsey received this recognition in the area of Tax and Estate Planning. Johnsey has handled tax, probate, and estate and business planning matters in Eastern North Carolina for more than 30 years.  He is a board certified specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law and a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.  Johnsey is a member of the Southeastern Trust School Faculty at Campbell University and a member of the Duke University Estate Planning Council.

Matthew S. Sullivan received this recognition in the area of Litigation. Sullivan’s practice is concentrated in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, industrial accidents, wrongful death, workers’ compensation, commercial and general civil litigation. He is a member of the North Carolina and American Bar Associations, the Eighth Judicial District Bar Association, the Lenoir County Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and The Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court. Matt is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest achievement rating. According to Martindale-Hubbell’s website, an AV Preeminent rating is a significant rating accomplishment and a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence. 

Joseph S. Bower received this recognition in the area of Real Estate. Bower’s practice is concentrated in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, title claims litigation, foreclosures, business law and corporate law. Joe has been an instructor of real estate law for candidates preparing for the North Carolina Real Estate Licensing Examination. He serves as counsel to the Kinston Housing Authority, North Lenoir Water Corporation, Deep Run Water Corporation, the Homebuilders’ Association of Kinston and the Kinston Board of Realtors.