Ned Mangum is a partner at Smith Debnam. He practices in the areas of family law, professional licensing, and civil litigation. On February 1, 2024, he retired as chief district court judge of Wake County after 25 years with the state of North Carolina that included time serving as the Wake County district attorney. Mangum is a past president of the Wake County Bar Association and currently serves on the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners. He is a graduate of UNC Law and North Carolina State University.