Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP Adds Michelle Connell to Lead Family Law Practice at Raleigh Office

    RALEIGH, NC, November 10, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP (www.cshlaw.com), a corporate and civil defense litigation firm, recently welcomed Winston-Salem attorney Michelle D. Connell to its Raleigh office as the new head of the firm's Family Law Section. A Board Certified Specialist in the area of Family Law, Connell will serve as chief consultant and lead council in local cases involving family and domestic disputes.

Connell is an accomplished family lawyer in both trial and appellate courts with a tremendous amount of experience litigating actions that encompass complex equitable distribution, spousal support, child custody and support, and domestic violence. In addition, she has prosecuted and defended alienation of affection and criminal conversation cases, and is versed in drafting separation and prenuptial agreements.

Connell is also well-recognized for her appellate work with the Supreme Court of North Carolina and the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where she has presented written and oral arguments in dozens of cases covering the full range of family law issues.

"We are excited to have an experienced and dynamic attorney like Michelle Connell leading our Family Law Section," said Dan Hartzog, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog managing partner. "She is a perfect fit for our firm, and a valuable asset to our family and domestic law practice."

A former NCBA Family Law Section Chairperson, Connell has been actively involved in drafting and promoting family law legislation through the NCBA Family Law Council on which she has served continually since 2003. She has also served on the NCBA Appellate Rules Committee, the body charged with recommending and drafting proposed amendments to the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure.

Connell lectures regularly at Continue Legal Education seminars in the area of Family and Appellate Law. While she currently operates out of her Winston-Salem office, she is expected to move to the Raleigh area over the next couple of years.

About Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP
Founded in 1992, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP is a law firm that concentrates its practice in the defense of civil claims and lawsuits, representing individuals and businesses of all types. Consistently ranked as one of the largest in North Carolina, the firm has more than 90 attorneys and three locations: Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington. The firm handles cases in a variety of practice areas, including medical and professional negligence, products liability, construction defects, police and municipal law, premises liability and security, trucking/transportation law, education law, employment law, workers' compensation claims, commercial litigation, environmental and toxic torts and land condemnation. With its experienced litigators and support personnel utilizing the latest technology available, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP is generally recognized as one of the most creative and innovative litigation firms in the state today. For more information, visit www.cshlaw.com, or call 919-828-5100.

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