Principal

Stuart M. Paynter

Raleigh, NC

Licensed in 3 States

About Stuart

Stuart Paynter is an experienced trial attorney specializing in catastrophic personal injury cases, products liability and other complex litigation. He began his career at Sullivan & Cromwell before starting his own law firm in 2005. Under his leadership, Paynter Law has obtained over $500 million in verdicts and settlements, including one of the largest verdicts of 2018 in a medical malpractice case. He has taken on and won against Fortune 500 companies and other large institutions, including groundbreaking litigation against the NCAA that resulted in a $60 million settlement for student athletes. He has been recognized on the Super Lawyers list from 2023-2025. Prior to starting Paynter Law, Mr. Paynter worked at Sullivan & Cromwell where he represented Microsoft in the antitrust suit brought by the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general, as well as in numerous consumer class actions. Directly after law school, he clerked for the Hon. David S. Tatel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Mr. Paynter has undertaken extensive pro bono work, representing a class of Portsmouth, Virginia residents who alleged racial discrimination and currently represents a coalition of individuals and nonprofit organizations, including the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP in civil rights lawsuits seeking the removal or relocation of Confederate monuments.