Meet Our Attorneys

At Hardison & Cochran, we constantly search for lawyers who want to be “advocates” for our clients. We provide extensive training for our lawyers and our lawyers attend many continuing legal education seminars throughout the year to keep them abreast of the latest developments in injury law.

We are proud of the professionals who work at this firm. Our attorneys are:

Benjamin Cochran
Managing Partner
Managing partner Benjamin T. Cochran oversees the operation of Hardison & Cochran Attorneys at Law in addition to representing individual clients in cases involving workers’ compensation and personal inju...
J. Jackson Hardison
Partner
In joining Hardison & Cochran in 2008, Joel Jackson Hardison made a transition from defending insurance companies in Workers Compensation cases to representing injured and disabled workers. He applies the i...
J. Adam Bridwell
Partner
Workers who have been injured on the job or who suffer occupational diseases oftentimes must face a frustrating waiting game to receive the benefits they deserve. Attorney James Adam Bridwell, who focuses his p...
John Paul Godwin
Partner
John Paul Godwin had his sights set on becoming a lawyer by the time he graduated from high school. His stepfather has a general law practice in Dunn, and when John Paul was in high school he helped his step...
Susan L. Downs
Partner
Susan L. Downs is a committed and experienced Social Security Disability attorney at Hardison & Cochran. Motivated by a deep-seated desire to advocate for those in need, she brings to bear her extensive leg...
Carter Whittington
Partner
Carter Whittington concentrates his practice in North Carolina workers’ compensation law, helping injured workers seek the benefits they need and deserve after sustaining a job related injury. Whittington ...
Donald Bardes
Partner
Donald Bardes is a native New Yorker. Born and raised in the Borough of Queens and Nassau County, New York.  He is the grandchild of Italian Immigrants on his mother’s side. He set down roots in North Caroli...
Rick Scott
Partner
Rick W. Scott is a lifelong North Carolinian who is focusing his law practice at Hardison & Cochran on civil litigation on behalf of people who have been injured. He attended North Carolina State Univers...
Joey DeMartin
Attorney
For Joey DeMartin, officially joining the team at Hardison & Cochran, Attorneys at Law feels like a homecoming. He worked at the law firm, writing motions and assisting in the call center while attending Ca...
Michelle Dewkett-Kochhar
Attorney
Michelle Dewkett-Kochhar's journey into the realm of workers' compensation law began as she explored personal injury, workers' compensation, and criminal defense after completing her law degree. In 2019, she...
Kenneth Hardison
Of Counsel
After completing his undergraduate work at Campbell University, where he graduated with honors, Mr. Hardison enrolled in Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. Upon receiving his Juris Doct...