Bill Brian was named one of the countrys top litigators in land use and zoning law this week in a survey published by U.S. News & World Report.
  • file photo by Jeremy M. Lange
  • Bill Brian was named one of the country’s top litigators in land use and zoning law this week in a survey published by U.S. News & World Report.

K&L Gates, a law firm with a prominent presence in the Triangle, swept up several plaudits in a survey released this week by U.S. News & World Report.

The company was named a 2011-2012 Law Firm of the Year in two practice areas: Corporate Governance Law and Land Use and Zoning Law.

Of course, it’s in land use and zoning law that the firm has made its name here in North Carolina, negotiating major developments and rezonings, including the infamous processes to get approval for 751 South, the controversial mixed-use project planned near Jordan Lake. (View an interactive map and list of more of the firm’s local projects.)

Of the firm’s local attorneys, several were named among the best in the country in land use and zoning law, including Bill Brian, who has served on several Durham boards, including the Board of Elections, and Mack Paul, who is currently the chairman of the Wake County Democratic Party.