Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP Welcomes Four New Associates

    RALEIGH, NC, November 11, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP (www.cshlaw.com), a corporate and civil defense litigation firm, recently added Rupen Fofaria, Denisse Gonzalez, Kelly Beth Smith, and Alka Srivastava as associate attorneys. Smith will be based out of the firm's Charlotte office, while the others will operate out of the firm's Raleigh office.

An expert in intellectual property litigation, Rupen Fofaria has extensive experience assisting clients in trademark, copyright, unfair competition, advertising, and online branding issues and disputes. He has represented major corporations, small businesses and prominent individuals in various matters regarding trademark and copyright law, as well as consumer protection issues related to unfair advertising and marketing practices. Prior to joining CSH, Fofaria was an associate at Loeb & Loeb, LLP, in Chicago, where he specialized in trademark, copyright, advertising and online consultation and litigation for sports leagues, entertainers and advertisers. He was also an award-winning sports writer for ESPN and various newspapers across the country.

Denisse Gonzalez is the latest member of the CSH Diversity Committee and will focus her practice in civil litigation, general liability, and family law. A native of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Gonzalez is active in various civic and community-related organizations, and is a current member of the North Carolina Bar Association's Latino Affairs Committee. During her years of law school at Campbell University, she founded the Hispanic Law Student Association, which was recognized by the National Hispanic Bar Association and later earned her group a private meeting with US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Kelly Beth Smith is expected to become a significant addition to the civil litigation team at CSH's Charlotte office, where she will focus on business disputes and litigation, premises liability, and trucking and transportation cases. Smith attended law school at Wake Forest University where she was Chief Justice of the Moot Court Board and a two-year competing member of the National Trial Team. Prior to law school, she earned a Masters' degree in psychology from Wake Forest and was recognized for her research in the area of eating disorders and their psychological impacts. She was also heavily active in several civic organizations, including the Junior League of Winston-Salem and Girls on the Run.

Alka Srivastava is another energetic attorney who will focus her practice on civil defense litigation and general liability. Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Alka comes to CSH from the Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University, where she won several awards in moot court and client counseling competitions. In 2010, she was one of two law students selected from a national pool of applicants to receive the coveted DRI Diversity Law Student Scholarship. Prior to law school, Alka worked as a technical writer in the computer software industry where she gained significant experience in writing for different audiences and understanding common business practices.

"The addition of these four outstanding attorneys gives our firm an even broader base with which we can assist clients in several different areas," said Dan Hartzog, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog managing partner.

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 95 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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