What Ellis & Winters does

Ellis & Winters LLP is a North Carolina-based law firm organized as a limited liability partnership, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Raleigh, with additional offices in Greensboro and Charlotte. The firm operates as a litigation and commercial real estate boutique with four core practice areas: Trial and Litigation (spanning 14 sub-practices including class actions, complex commercial litigation, products liability, medical malpractice defense, construction litigation, securities litigation, employment, intellectual property, and mass torts); Commercial Real Estate (acquisition, development financing, leasing, and land use); Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights; and Appeals. The firm deliberately maintains a partner-heavy structure with more partners than associates, ensuring senior attorney involvement on every matter, and supports its practices with two dedicated thought-leadership blogs ("Best in Class" for class action defense and "What's Fair?" for trade secrets and employee mobility).

The firm serves enterprise clients across at least six verticals, including Fortune 100 companies, internationally-renowned universities, financial institutions involved in North Carolina Business Court matters, multi-national consumer products manufacturers with US/Canada product liability exposure, medical institutions and providers, and energy companies. Notable attorneys include Dixie Wells (engineering and research scientist background, Bet-the-Company Litigation and Chambers-ranked since 2010/2017 respectively), Michael G. Winters (founding partner, 40+ years in commercial real estate, Chambers-ranked 2009-2026), and Managing Partner Leslie C. Packer (consistently recognized among the top two attorneys in North Carolina by Super Lawyers).

The business model is a traditional professional services billing model based on hourly rates, fixed fees, and contingency arrangements under matter-by-matter retainer agreements. The firm uses a partner-led go-to-market motion with direct engagement of corporate general counsel and executives, supplemented by professional recognition (Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation), active blog content, and leadership positions in defense-oriented legal associations (DRI, NCADA). There is no proprietary technology platform, and revenue is not publicly disclosed as a private LLP.

Name

Ellis & Winters

Legal name

Ellis & Winters LLP

Website

https://elliswinters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ellis & Winters LLP is a North Carolina law firm specializing in complex litigation and commercial real estate, serving enterprise clients including Fortune 100 companies, universities, healthcare organizations, and energy companies through offices in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Standard law firm billing model including hourly rates for litigation services, fixed fees for specific matters, and contingency arrangements for certain cases. Client engagements handled under retainer agreements with matter-by-matter scoping.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ellis & Winters LLP is a North Carolina-based law firm that provides complex litigation defense and commercial real estate legal services. Its core offerings span a Trial and Litigation practice with fourteen specialty sub-areas (class actions, product liability, medical malpractice defense, securities litigation, mass torts, intellectual property litigation, among others), a Commercial Real Estate practice covering land acquisition, development financing, leasing and land use, a Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights practice, and an Appellate practice. The firm operates from three North Carolina offices (Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte) and serves enterprise-level clients.

Product overview

Ellis & Winters LLP is a litigation and commercial real estate law firm offering legal services through four core practice areas: Trial and Litigation (with 14 specialized sub-practices including Class Actions, Complex Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Defense, and Products Liability), Commercial Real Estate (covering development, financing, and land use), Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights (including corporate governance and restructuring), and Appeals. The firm supports its practices with thought leadership through its Best in Class Blog (class action defense insights) and What's Fair? Blog (trade secrets and employment matters). The firm operates from three North Carolina offices in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trial and Litigation Full-service trial and litigation practice covering Class Actions, Complex Commercial and Business Litigation, Construction Litigation, Criminal/White Collar Defense and Investigations, Data Security Breach Litigation, Employment, Environmental and Toxic Tort, Fires and Explosions, Intellectual Property Litigation, Mass Torts, Medical Malpractice Defense, Pharmaceutical and Medical Device, Products Liability, Securities Litigation, and Tort Trial and Insurance Practice.
• Commercial Real Estate Commercial real estate legal services including land acquisition, leasing, development financing, and land use planning for office parks, mixed-use developments, apartment projects, and shopping centers.
• Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Legal services covering Commercial Agreements, Corporate Governance and Shareholder Relations, Data Security and Confidentiality, Employment Counseling, and Mergers and Restructuring.
• Appeals Appellate practice handling appeals at state and federal levels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully defended clients across extensive class action docket including Fourth Circuit matters
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Johnson & Helms: Raleigh-headquartered full-service law firm of comparable size and overlap in commercial litigation, corporate, and real estate practices. Direct competitor for the same NC-based corporate and institutional clients.
• Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard: NC-based mid-size firm with strong litigation and commercial practices serving similar institutional and corporate clients across the state. Closest peer in size, geography, and practice mix.
• Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein: Charlotte-headquartered firm with overlapping litigation and commercial real estate practices serving similar Carolina-based corporate clients; competes directly for the same mid-market institutional matters.
• Moore & Van Allen PLLC: Charlotte-based full-service firm with deep litigation, banking, and corporate practices serving many of the same Fortune 1000 and institutional clients in the Carolinas.
• Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson: Charlotte-based mid-size firm with comparable commercial litigation, corporate, and real estate practices; regularly serves large institutional and corporate clients in NC matters.
• Womble Bond Dickinson: Transatlantic law firm with significant NC presence and overlapping commercial litigation and real estate practices; broader geographic footprint makes it a competitor for cross-region matters.
• Nexsen Pruet (now Maynard Nexsen): Large Carolinas-based firm with overlapping litigation, corporate, and real estate practices serving similar regional institutional and corporate clients across multiple NC metros.

Broad incumbents

• Hunton Andrews Kurth: National firm with a large commercial litigation and real estate practice serving Fortune 500 institutional clients; competes for the high-end of the same matters but operates at meaningfully larger scale.
• McGuireWoods: Large national firm with deep commercial litigation and product liability defense practices; competes for the same Fortune 100 clients and complex commercial disputes Ellis & Winters handles.
• K&L Gates: Global law firm with significant commercial litigation, product liability, and real estate practices; competes for the same large institutional clients, though at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EllisWinters
• Facebookfacebook.com/EllisWintersLaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ellis-&-winters-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ellis & Winters