Four Fox Rothschild attorneys were named to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Legal 250, which honors those attorneys who have “demonstrated sustained success and the ability to navigate evolving client needs, legal developments, technology, economic challenges and strong community engagement.”

Jonathan Heyl – Consumer/Commercial
Afi S. Johnson-Parris – Family
Matthew Nis Leerberg – Appellate
Jacqueline Motyl – Nonprofits

Heyl, a partner in the Litigation Department, helps commercial clients across a wide range of industries resolve disputes. He has represented a number of large and mid-market corporate, banking, professional, construction, and insurance clients in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings and arbitrations. He is certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission as a mediator. Among the cases that stand out most in his career, Heyl points to a manufacturer-dealer dispute that wound through multiple levels of appeal three times over eight years before his client ultimately prevailed at trial. The matter underscored the persistence and adaptability required in complex commercial litigation.

Johnson-Parris, a partner in the Family Law Department and a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Family Law Specialist, represents clients in the full spectrum of family law matters from collaborative divorces to international child abduction cases under the Hague Convention. One matter that continues to resonate with her personally involved securing full custody for maternal grandparents in a four-party dispute marked by serious allegations of abuse and domestic violence. The outcome provided three young children with a safer and more stable home. Years later, she still receives a Christmas card from the family.

Leerberg, co-chair of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group, leads a national team that serves clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, every federal circuit court and state appellate courts across the country. He helps businesses navigate complex state and federal litigation and appeals, including bet-the-company and other high-stakes litigation. One of Leerberg’s notable victories came in Town of Apex v. Rubin, in which the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld his client’s constitutional rights against government overreach. He also serves on the Fourth Circuit’s Criminal Justice Act panel and recently secured reversals for two defendants who were permitted to withdraw guilty pleas based on government misconduct.

Motyl, co-chair of the firm’s national Nonprofit Organizations Practice Group, provides legal advice to nonprofits on a broad range of matters, counsels corporate fiduciaries and individual trustees on trust administration issues, and assists individuals with their estate and charitable gift planning needs. She notes that nonprofits are “the backbone of our communities” and that helping them navigate complex legal landscapes so they can focus on their missions is deeply rewarding work.

This award is conferred by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly. A description of the selection methodology is available here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.