The firm's building — initially constructed in 1931, with additions in 1962 and 1998 — is located at 101 N. Front Street in the Historic District of the Town of Warrenton, North Carolina.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
(Closed for lunch 1:00 – 2:00 PM)
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 535, Warrenton, NC 27589
Phone: (252) 257-3166
Email: contact@banzetlaw.com
Banzet, Thompson, Styers & May, PLLC traces its origins to the mid-1920s, when B.B. "Buck" Williams and Julius Banzet, Jr. established Williams & Banzet in Warrenton, North Carolina. From its founding, the firm has been something more than a legal practice — it has been a fixture of Warren County life, offering steady and trusted counsel to the families, businesses, and institutions of this community across generations.
Following Mr. Williams' passing, Frank Banzet joined his brother in practice, and the firm operated as Banzet & Banzet for more than a quarter-century. Julius "Jules" Banzet, III joined his father and uncle in 1962, extending the family's deep roots in Warren County into a third generation of legal service. The firm's ties to the community deepened further in 1968 when Julius Banzet, Jr. was elected Chief District Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District, a position he held until 1976. Lewis A. Thompson, III joined in 1977, and the firm continued to grow in both its membership and its standing among the people it served.
The firm reorganized as a Professional Limited Liability Corporation in 1996. Mitchell G. Styers joined as an associate in 2002, bringing with him experience as a law clerk to Chief Justice Burley B. Mitchell, Jr. of the North Carolina Supreme Court and as an Assistant District Attorney for the Ninth Prosecutorial District. Robert T. May, Jr. began clerking with the firm in 2006, joined as an associate in 2009, and was elevated to partner in 2014. The firm adopted its current name in 2016.
Through each chapter of its history, the firm has remained committed to the same principle that guided its founders — that the people of Warren County and the surrounding region deserve experienced, attentive, and principled legal representation. Today, Banzet, Thompson, Styers & May, PLLC continues that work, maintaining a broad civil and criminal practice with particular depth in litigation and real property, and appearing when called before the courts of this state, the federal bench, and the United States Supreme Court.
B.B. "Buck" Williams and Julius Banzet, Jr. found the original firm in Warrenton, NC, beginning a legal legacy in Warren County that endures to the present day.
B.B. "Buck" Williams — co-founder of Williams & Banzet and one of the firm's two founding attorneys — passes away.
Frank Banzet joins his brother Julius Banzet, Jr. following Mr. Williams' passing. The firm is renamed Banzet & Banzet and serves Warren County for more than a quarter-century.
The firm's building at 101 N. Front Street — now in the Historic District of Warrenton — is originally constructed, anchoring the firm in the heart of downtown.
Born in Rocky Mount, NC in 1937, Jules Banzet earns his LL.B. from UNC Chapel Hill School of Law and joins his father and uncle in practice.
The office at 101 N. Front Street receives its first expansion to accommodate the firm's growing practice.
Julius Banzet, Jr. is elected Chief District Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District of North Carolina, a position he holds until 1976.
Born in Raleigh, NC in 1952, Lewis Thompson earns his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and joins as an associate. Admitted to the NC Bar in 1977 and the Eastern District of NC in 1979.
The firm adopts a new name reflecting Lewis Thompson's growing role in the partnership.
Lewis A. Thompson, III is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Lewis A. Thompson, III and Julius "Jules" Banzet, III are formally recognized as partners in Banzet, Banzet & Thompson, PLLC.
Frank Banzet retires from the firm after nearly six decades of practice, closing the original partnership's founding generation.
Julius Banzet, Jr. — co-founder of the original firm, former Chief District Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District, and patriarch of the Banzet legal family — passes away.
The firm reorganizes under North Carolina's Professional Limited Liability Corporation structure as Banzet, Banzet & Thompson, P.L.L.C., formalizing its modern legal identity.
A second expansion completes the historic office building at 101 N. Front Street in its current form.
Frank Banzet — who joined his brother Julius Banzet, Jr. in the 1930s and helped build the firm into a cornerstone of the Warren County legal community — passes away.
Born in Winston-Salem in 1969, Styers earns his J.D. from NC Central University School of Law in 1997. He joins after serving as a judicial law clerk to Chief Justice Burley B. Mitchell, Jr. of the NC Supreme Court (1997–1998) and as an Assistant District Attorney for the 9th Prosecutorial District (1998–2002). Admitted to the NC Bar and Eastern District of NC in 1997.
Mitchell G. Styers is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Styers is elevated to partner. The firm adopts a new name reflecting its updated partnership. Jules Banzet, III and Lewis Thompson continue as partners.
Mitchell G. Styers is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
Born in Rocky Mount, NC in 1983, Robert May — a 2006 Campbell University graduate pursuing his J.D. at NC Central — joins the firm as a summer intern, beginning a relationship with the firm that will span his entire legal career.
After more than 45 years as an active attorney, Julius "Jules" Banzet, III transitions from partner to Of Counsel, beginning a gradual and graceful withdrawal from practice.
Robert May earns his J.D. from NC Central University School of Law and joins the firm as an associate, admitted to the NC Bar the same year.
Robert T. May, Jr. is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
After 50 years of practice — including service as a State Bar Councilor for the Ninth Judicial District — Jules Banzet, III retires. His retirement closes the Banzet family's direct involvement in the firm's daily practice, though the family name lives on in the firm's title.
Robert T. May, Jr. is elevated to partner at Banzet, Thompson & Styers, PLLC after five years as an associate.
The firm adopts its current name, formally recognizing May's partnership and cementing the firm's identity as it enters its second century of service to Warren County.
Lewis A. Thompson, III — a partner for over four decades and a fixture of Warren County's legal community — passes away.
Under partners Mitchell G. Styers and Robert T. May, Jr., the firm continues its century-long tradition of service to Warren County, the northeastern region of North Carolina, and beyond.