Ron Davis is a highly skilled courtroom lawyer with 30 years of experience litigating all kinds of disputes. Clients value his wisdom, hard-earned through hundreds of cases, to help them find practical, cost-effective solutions to their business problems, whether that solution is a pre-lawsuit mediation or a lengthy jury trial. Ron’s trial skills have been recognized by his peers as reflected by his inclusion in Best Lawyers in America© (2007-2024), North Carolina Super Lawyers (2009-2018), and North Carolina Super Lawyers – Corporate Counsel edition. He is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem region, ranked “Tier 1” by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Law Firms ratings.
Ron concentrates his practice in North Carolina federal courts, the North Carolina Business Court, and North Carolina state courts. He has prosecuted and defended arbitrations administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA), Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), and FINRA.
Ron’s practice is extensive and diverse. Over the course of three decades, he has represented public and private companies in sectors as varied as avionics, aircraft maintenance, automobile distribution, battery manufacturing, beverage manufacturing and distribution, brick manufacturing, broker/dealer, chemical manufacturing, coatings, construction aggregates, data analytics, electricity generation and transmission, fiber optics, financial services, food services (including the grocery and restaurant/hospitality industries), furniture manufacturing and distribution, gemstone manufacturing, investment banking, hedge funds, laser manufacturing, logistics, microprocessors, natural gas, real estate, REITs, stock car racing, television transmission, temporary staffing, textiles and warehousing.
Professional Activities
- North Carolina State Bar
- North Carolina Bar Association
- Forsyth County Bar Association
- NC Association of Defense Attorneys
- NC State Bar Ethics Committee (2003-2009)
- Judge, Disciplinary Hearing Commission of the North Carolina State Bar (2009-2015)
- Chief Justice Joseph Branch Inn, American Inns of Court (Barrister 2002-2003; Master of the Bench 2014 - present; Member, Board of Directors 2014 - present)
Honors and Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings) in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Litigation – Securities, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, 2007 – Present
- Received the Best Lawyers™ Banking and Finance Litigation "Lawyer of the Year" award in Greensboro, North Carolina, 2020, 2024
- Received the Best Lawyers™ Securities Litigation "Lawyer of the Year" award in Greensboro, North Carolina, 2019
- Super Lawyers Honoree, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, Eminent Domain, North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine (Thomson Reuters), 2009 – 2018
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Defended publicly traded corporation and its board of directors in the North Carolina Business Court and secured dismissal of all damage claims in shareholder securities class action related to $27 billion corporate merger. Successfully defended dismissal in North Carolina Court of Appeals appellate proceeding. Achieved compromise on separate disclosure claims for minimal disclosures and no damages.
- Served as lead trial counsel for publicly traded corporation in three-week jury trial over rights and duties of a former CEO/officer/director. Attained a split jury verdict for a fraction of company’s exposure analysis.
- Defended individual who served as CFO of publicly traded company. Engagement lasted more than six years and involved numerous securities class actions, shareholder derivative actions, and governmental investigations (including SEC and DOJ investigations). Successful resolution of all aspects of disputes resulted in no criminal liability, a settlement with SEC based on negligence (not scienter), and brief bar to practice before the SEC, and minimal payments to revolve class action and derivative actions. Cases were located in Middle District of North Carolina.
- Served as trial counsel for publicly traded corporation in two-week jury trial in attempt by plaintiffs to shut down a significant and profitable mining operation and recover damages. Jury verdict for defendant with plaintiffs recovering zero and plant remaining open and profitable.
- Secured dismissals in North Carolina federal and state courts of putative class action cases against a group of financial institutions in cases involving claims of violating state banking and usury laws. Cases included Skinner v. Preferred Credit et al., 361 N.C. 114, 638 S.E. 2d 203, (2006), Dash v. First Plus Home Loan Trust 1996-2, 248 F. Supp. 2d (M.D.N.C. 2003) and Faircloth v. Nat’l Home Loan Corp., 313 F. Supp. 2d 544 (M.D. N.C. 2003), aff’d, 87 Fed. Appx. 314 (4th Cir. 2004).
