W. Thurston Debnam, Jr. is one of the founding partners of Smith Debnam Narron
Drake Saintsing & Myers, L.L.P. Mr. Debnam is the Section Head of the Business Law practice group and served as the firm’s managing partner from 1992 through 1997. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business and corporate planning and real estate law, including land use planning and zoning. For more than thirty years, Mr. Debnam has maintained a broad-based business practice, assisting clients with business and corporate planning and handling land development and real property issues and transactions. In addition, Mr. Debnam is certified as a civil Superior Court mediator.
Mr. Debnam’s practice has afforded him the opportunity to appear before many administrative agencies, including the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the North Carolina Industrial Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. He has also participated in trials and appeals in both state and federal courts. These trials included the Town of Zebulon v. United States Census Bureau in which the Town sought and obtained an adjustment to the preliminary census count for the 1980 census.
Admissions
North Carolina State Bar
U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western District of North Carolina
U.S. Supreme Court
Certifications
Certified, Civil Superior Court Mediator
Education
J.D., cum laude, Wake Forest University School of Law, 1972
B.S., Wake Forest University, 1969
Professional
Affiliations
American Bar Association
North Carolina Bar Association
Real Property Section
Business Law Section
Zoning and Land Use Planning Section
Wake County Bar Association
Civic
Involvement
Town of Zebulon
Municipal Counsel, 1976-1988
Mayor, 1989-1993
Zebulon Chamber of Commerce
President, 1976-1987
Zebulon Baptist Church
Chairman, Executive Committee
Chairman, Board of Deacons
Chairman, Sanctuary Building Committee
