About - Bailey & Dixon

RESPONSIVE & RESOURCEFUL

That’s Bailey & Dixon.

We are distinguished by our commitment to excellence always and to putting the client’s needs above all.

From the firm’s origins, Bailey & Dixon’s commitment to public service and the practice of law has placed them among the top firms in North Carolina. Over the years, Bailey & Dixon attorneys served as counsel to boards and commissions, legislators and state agencies. Our attorneys served as House and Senate members of the North Carolina General Assembly, as Speaker of the North Carolina House, as Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and as a North Carolina Supreme Court Justice.

Past Bailey & Dixon attorneys have served as Wake County and North Carolina State Bar Association Presidents and in innumerable professional and civic leadership positions. This service commitment lives on today through our lawyers and staff, who provide civic leadership and pro bono legal representation to individuals and institutions in our communities, continuing the tradition of service that distinguishes us from other law firms.

Bailey & Dixon

1916

The Beginning

I. M. Bailey begins practicing law in North Carolina at the height of World War I

1925

House of Representatives

Bailey serves as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing Onslow County. The first bill he introduces is an act amending the licensing of attorneys at law, requiring at least a high school education.

1931

Offices Open in Raleigh

Bailey resigns as Corporation General Counsel to open law offices for general practice in the Raleigh Banking and Trust Company Building.

1940

I.M. Bailey as Chairman

I.M. Bailey serves as North Carolina chairman for the U.S. Government’s war bond sales campaign in the 1940s.

1948

Ruffin Bailey Joins Bailey

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law School, I.M. Bailey’s son, Ruffin Bailey, joins Bailey, Holding & Lassiter, as a law clerk at the munificent sum of $225 per month.

1951

I.M. Bailey Dies

I.M. Bailey dies unexpectedly of a stroke in 1951 at age 59.

1956

Wright T. Dixon, Jr. Joins the Practice

After receiving his law degree from UNC, Wright T. Dixon, Jr. joins the practice establishing the present-day name of our firm.

1960

Wright Dixon Demonstrates His Litigation Prowess

In the 1960s, Wright Dixon demonstrates his litigation prowess in a key case establishing that a baseball league has a duty to use due care in protecting baseball umpires against attacks by frenzied fans.

1960

Dixon’s Commitment to Professional Service

Dixon’s commitment to professional service is highlighted in his terms as President of both the Wake County Bar and North Carolina State Bar in the 1960s. Soon after, the profession honored him with the Wake County Bar’s Joseph Branch Professionalism Award.

1961

Bailey & Dixon Moves to the First Federal Building

After growing the firm’s litigation practice and continuing to work with regulatory, insurance and banking clients, Bailey & Dixon moves to more spacious quarters at the First Federal Building.

1964

Ruffin Bailey files for a State Senate Seat

Ruffin Bailey files for a State Senate seat in January and later serves four terms in the North Carolina General Assembly from 1965 to 1973.

1991

Overseeing Their Firm’s Final Move

Ruffin Bailey and Wright Dixon oversee their firm’s final move to the Two Hannover Square building in downtown Raleigh during October of that year.

1996

Wright Dixon Awarded

Wright Dixon awarded Joseph Branch Professionalism Award by Wake County Bar Association.

2000

Wright Dixon Retires

Wright Dixon officially retires from active law practice.

2001

Ruffin Bailey Awarded

Ruffin Bailey awarded Joseph Branch Professionalism Award by Wake County Bar Association.

2004

Ruffin Bailey Retires

Ruffin Bailey officially retires from active law practice.

2012

Co-Managing Partners

David Coats and Robert Merritt become Co-Managing Partners of the firm.

2016

Bo McDonald Elected to General Practice Hall of Fame

Former managing partner Bo McDonald elected to North Carolina Bar Association’s General Practice Hall of Fame.