General Information

Year founded: 1954
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
Logo for Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A.

Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

WE FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS TO YOU
Your Vision, Value for Service, and First-Class Legal Knowledge

Understanding Your Goals

Our business is focusing on what matters to you. Our goal is to build lasting relationships and know your business as well as you. Our emphasis on clients and their objectives is nothing new. It has been part of our mission since the beginning of the firm more than 60 years ago.

Many of our lawyers have been at Manning Fulton for their entire careers. This dedication to the firm and clients creates a consistent yet stable environment for building relationships. These long-term, treasured relationships are the foundation of our firm.

Our loyal clients include public and private companies, REITs, insurance companies, franchisors, manufacturers, and numerous other businesses, including the largest privately-held company in North Carolina. We have helped executives preserve their wealth, and plan to ensure the financial safety of both their companies and their families.

As part of our relationship development, we strive to understand your business and the industries in which you operate. From that knowledge, we help you identify objectives and focus your vision. Once identified, your goals become ours and your needs determine our direction.

We are guided not only by legal precedent and statutes, but also by your concerns and circumstances. Our strong ethics and commitment to professionalism have helped us earn our reputation as being “straight shooters” while we fulfill our commitment to crossing the finish line with our clients.

Whether we represent you in connection with a transaction or litigation, we prioritize our negotiation to the issues most important to you and do not insist on debating every academic issue and point. We strive to achieve a balanced and practical approach that protects your interests, while not “over-lawyering” a case or transaction.

Manning Fulton was built on the principle that attorneys should be passionate advocates for their clients, demonstrated through extraordinary relationships. We’ve been doing it all along.

Value for Services Provided

At Manning Fulton, providing value to clients has always been a top priority, even before the current economic climate made it a necessity. We are continually identifying new and creative ways to add value to the services we provide to clients, from providing a free client-accessible webpage for client transaction documents to creating alternative fee options. We know that costs matter, and our attorneys keep their attention focused on your bottom line and what it means to you and your business.

Because it affects your bottom line, we constantly monitor and evaluate ours. When possible, expenses are reduced or eliminated, so long as the quality of our service is not compromised. Hourly rates are assessed and critically examined regularly and with an eye toward balancing overhead costs with client needs.

The average number of years of experience for a Manning Fulton lawyer is approximately 20 years. Having a deep bench means we can attend to your matter with the appropriate level of expertise to cost-effectively achieve your goals. Manning Fulton is a mid-size firm committed to keeping overhead costs low, and clients benefit from having open access to expertise comparable to that of larger firms while enjoying savings passed down in the form of lower fees and expenses.

Manning Fulton’s legacy of developing meaningful relationships with our clients and our attention to their goals, combined with our legal expertise, provides our clients with the ultimate value: we are the law firm to help you efficiently achieve your vision.

Other firms have recently adopted the “value” tagline. We’ve been doing it all along.

First-Class Legal Knowledge

Manning Fulton attorneys have received degrees from some of the best schools in the United States. Throughout their careers, our lawyers continue to expand their knowledge and skill by pursuing sophisticated coursework and training as both teachers and students. As a result of their expertise, our lawyers are frequently singled out as among the best in exclusive lists and national organizations, including:

American College of Mortgage Attorneys
American College of Real Estate Attorneys
American College of Tax Counsel
American College of Trust & Estate Counsel
Litigation Counsel of America
NC Center for Public Policy Research

Our firm is regularly recognized by Chambers USA as one of North Carolina’s Leading Law Firms and has numerous lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers in America©, North Carolina Super Lawyers, and in Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite. In 2010, Manning Fulton was ranked in the regional Top Tier of Best Law Firms in the U.S. News and World Report in the areas of Corporate Law, Eminent Domain & Condemnation, General Commercial Litigation, Government Relations, Real Estate, Tax, and Trusts & Estates, with individual lawyers named in “Bet-the-Company” Litigation, Government Relations, Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law, Tax Law, Franchise Law and Trusts & Estates.

Manning Fulton is frequently named locally as a MetroBravo Award winner in Metro Magazine, winning a “Standing Ovation” for General Law Firm Practice and Real Estate, and an “Honorable Mention” for Corporate Law in 2010. Finally, Best Lawyers in America has designated Manning Fulton as the Top Franchise Law Firm in North Carolina.

These accolades come as no surprise to our long time clients who are familiar with the standards with which Howard Manning, Charles Fulton and William Skinner imbued the firm. What is most remembered about these lawyers is not the name of the awards they received. Instead, it is that their clients benefited from their knowledge, expertise, and vision, which earned them high praise and recognition.

Lawyers at Manning Fulton are expected to continue the legacy of these three lawyers. While awards for superior legal expertise are greatly appreciated, they are no substitute for the recognition by our clients that our knowledge and skills are focused on their concerns. The stories told by our clients speak volumes about whether our lawyers are living up to the standards set by Mr. Manning, Mr. Fulton, and Mr. Skinner.

Our commitment to excellence in our education and our legal services is not just a sound byte. We’ve been doing it all along.

Rankings

Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A. is metro ranked in 30 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

Metro Rankings

Raleigh
Tier 1 for Appellate Practice
Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation
Tier 1 for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Tier 1 for Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Finance Law

About Our Clients

Firm clients include the largest privately-held company in North Carolina, as well as public and private real estate companies, REITs, technology-based companies, franchisors, banks and other lending institutions, insurance underwriters and manufacturers.

Highlighted Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
Trusts and Estates
I have relied on my estate attorney at Manning Fulton to provide advice over the years and have been happy with the financial planning I have been able to accomplish through his guidance.
Corporate Law
The Manning Fulton firm represented me through a very rough business acquisition process and provided the professional support we required to maneuver to make it to the finish line.
Trusts and Estates
During the past twenty years I have worked with Manning Fulton and they have l00% meet all my needs in a very professional and courteous manner. There was never a time that they did not give me their full attention and cooperation to every detail.
Diane Locke – GPI

Rankings

Regional Rankings

Raleigh
Tier 1 for Appellate Practice
Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation
Tier 1 for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Tier 1 for Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Finance Law
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Construction Law
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Government Relations Practice
Tier 1 for Health Care Law
Tier 1 for Insurance Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Construction
Tier 1 for Litigation - Insurance
Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 1 for Litigation - Real Estate
Tier 1 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 1 for Tax Law
Tier 1 for Trusts and Estates
Tier 2 for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Tier 2 for Family Law
Tier 2 for Litigation - Antitrust
Tier 2 for Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
Tier 2 for Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
Tier 3 for Antitrust Law
Tier 3 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 3 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 3 for Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Tier 3 for Securities Regulation

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Law
  • Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Franchise Law
  • Government Relations Practice
  • Health Care Law
  • Litigation - Construction
  • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
  • Litigation - Real Estate
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Trusts and Estates

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A. has 30 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A. eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
Spinning circle
{{ practiceAreaName }}
{{ lawyer.FirstName[0] }}{{ lawyer.LastName[0] }} {{ lawyer.FirstName[0] }}{{ lawyer.LastName[0] }} {{ lawyer.Locations[0].City }}{{lawyer.Locations[0].StateCode ? ', ' + lawyer.Locations[0].StateCode : '' }}

Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
Spinning circle
{{ comment.ClientFullName + (comment.ClientTitle ? ", " : "") }} {{ comment.ClientTitle }} – {{ comment.ClientCompanyName }}

Main Location

Office Locations

Durham, NC
Diamond View II, Suite 130
280 South Mangum Street
Durham, NC 27701
United States
919-787-8880 Call our Durham, NC location at 919-787-8880 Get Directions Get directions to our Durham, NC location

Management and Personnel

Co-Managing Partner
Barry D. Mann
Co-Managing Partner
Judson A. Welborn

Contacts

Director of Business Development
Alan Dickinson 919-787-8880
Marketing Assistant
Jenny Kelly 919-787-8880
Find the Best Law Firms
Search for a Law Firm
Search our directory of over 16,000 firms across the Globe.
Search
Is Your Law Firm Ranked?
Enhance your firm's reputation and visibility with our marketing opportunities.
Marketing Opportunities
Ranked Practice Areas
See the practice areas included in our Best Law Firms research.
Practice Areas