Two well-known local law firms have added to their ranks associates who will specialize in real estate and litigation cases, respectively.

William Smith, on the left in our photo, has joined Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin in the firm’s real estate section. He will focus his practice on commercial transactions, commercial leasing and general business planning. Smith graduated cum laude from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was executive editor of the Tennessee Law Review. He graduated cum laude from Davidson College with a bachelor’s in religion and sociology.

Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin, which last year moved its offices to the Pinnacle at Symphony Place, has about 30 attorneys on staff.

 
Over at Hollins Raybin & Weissman, Benjamin Raybin has joined the team as an associate. The son of firm principal David Raybin, he graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2010 and has since served as a law clerk for Judges Jane B. Stranch and Gilbert S. Merritt, both of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

While at Vanderbilt, Raybin was articles editor for the Vanderbilt Law Review. Before law school, he graduated from the University of Chicago. His law practice will focus on criminal and civil trial and appellate litigation.

"We are very pleased to welcome Ben to the firm," David Weissman, the firm's managing partner, said in a release. "His strong litigation talents will certainly be a wonderful addition to the Nashville legal  community."