Since the economic collapse of 2008, industries in virtually every sector have seen successful businesses reconsider their every move, from hiring practices to sourcing their professional work with more scrutiny in terms of both services and fees.
According to William Bray of the Charlotte, North Carolina, law firm, Bray & Long, this new reality has created tremendous opportunity for his team of corporate lawyers and commercial litigators. “The level of client looking to us for legal help has grown exponentially since 2010,” says Bray. “Larger companies with $30 million-plus deals who previously would only hire big firms have come to realize that Bray & Long can handle their work at the same level of quality, but with substantial savings in terms of transaction fees.”
Founded in 2003, Bray & Long consists of five attorneys who exclusively handle matters on behalf of their corporate and commercial clients. Bray’s partner, Jeff Long, manages the firm’s commercial litigation practice. In 2013, Long’s successful defense verdict in the Multibank vs. MD Group lawsuit was named as the #3 defense verdict in North Carolina by Lawyer’s Weekly – a list otherwise dominated by big firm attorneys.
“That result was a great example of what a smaller team can accomplish, when the right personnel is in place and the lead attorney maintains a keen focus on the litigation at hand,” says Long. “So often, we are hired by clients who left larger firms because the attorney they thought was ‘their attorney’ was, in fact, farming work out to younger associates with whom the client had no connection.”
The firm’s litigation group is rounded out by Lee Peindl and Charlie Bridgmon, who represent clients in matters ranging from construction disputes to shareholder actions.
In addition to the general corporate and commercial litigation work handled by Bray & Long, the firm has recently seen growth in commercial real estate, which has rebounded over the past two years in a big way. Brendan Dillashaw, who has been with the firm since 2011, represents owners and tenants in all nature of commercial real estate transactions although commercial office and retail acquisitions have dominated his time thus far in 2015.
According to Bray, the sky is the limit in terms of what Bray & Long can accomplish for their clients as the economy continues to develop at its current pace. “2015 will be the biggest and busiest year in the history of our firm, but the key is to measure growth against client fulfillment. Clients of our firm expect to get us on the phone when they call for straight answers, and we strive to offer that level of personal service.”
For more information on Bray & Long, visit the firm’s website at https://www.braylong.com. Media and other inquiries can be directed to William Bray at (704) 523-7777.