Adrianne Chillemi

Valecia McDowell is a national thought leader in the areas of governmental and internal investigations, conduct risk management, and civil rights and racial equity assessments. Valecia is ranked in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers , included in national publications such as Bloomberg , American Banker , Corporate Compliance Insights , and Inside Counsel. Valecia was one of the ten “Innovative Legal Practitioners” identified by the London-based Financial Times in 2023 and on Forbes To...

Scott Tyler has more than two decades of experience successfully representing some of the nation’s largest financial services, manufacturing, real estate, and other companies in a range of complex disputes. He provides his clients with a practical approach to achieving a balance between business considerations and zealous advocacy. Scott focuses his time—and his clients’ resources—on a strategic path to success by creating a road map for each case, from pleadings to mo...

Ben Pleune is a partner in Alston & Bird’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, with extensive experience litigating patents in U.S. district courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and before the International Trade Commission. Ben has also been involved with numerous patent validity challenges before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board. Ben’s practice has focused on a variety of industries, including bar code scanners, image sensors, pharmaceuticals, telecomm...

Patrick L. Kartes is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Patent Law. Patrick L. practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Patrick L. Kartes since 2020. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Patrick L. Kartes is held by other lawyers.

Brian M. Davis is a Partner at VLP, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and former Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. Brian focuses his practice on client counseling relating to trademarks, including trademark clearance and the prosecution of U.S. and foreign trademark applications. He also has experience with copyright and other intellectual property issues, such as domain name disputes (including the UDRP), licensing programs and other intellectual property-r...

Daniel Talbert is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Family Law. Daniel practices law in Shelby, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Daniel Talbert since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Daniel Talbert is held by other lawyers.

Skott Smith brings considerable experience to his clients in the areas of retail, office and mixed-use development, leasing and financing. In this capacity, Skott assists developers, owners, tenants, lenders, and investors in a variety of transactions: He recently handled the development of a downtown office tower adjacent to and part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC He has handled the acquisition, financing, development and disposition of numerous large office, retail and resident...

A technically skilled, North Carolina State Bar certified specialist in estate planning and probate law and a frequent speaker on tax and estate planning topics, Mark Horn takes a comprehensive, proactive approach to his high net worth clients’ estate and tax planning situations, making recommendations in plain English and implementing the desired planning efficiently and responsively. Also serving many closely-held businesses, Mark often acts as the trusted adviser to multiple generati...

Chris Jones is a nationally recognized specialist in the areas of estate planning and business succession planning. Chris heads the firm’s Wealth & Estate Planning group and has substantial experience advising and counseling clients regarding sophisticated estate planning, business succession, asset protection, charitable planning, life insurance matters, and international estate planning. Understanding that each client has specific, unique objectives, Chris and his team provide cre...

J. René Toadvine maintains a nationwide practice that focuses on representing management in all facets of employee benefits matters, including: Employee benefits tax issues The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and benefits planning Executive compensation Employee benefits in mergers and acquisitions Bank finance and ERISA issues in securitizations René designs and drafts all types of employee benefits and executive compensation plans with adherence to compliance r...