Amy Schaefer

Justin's practice experience includes a wide variety of residential and commercial real estate matters, including the representation of sellers and buyers in the negotiation and preparation of purchase agreements, construction agreements, and loan agreements, and the representation of landlords and tenants in the negotiation and preparation of leases. He assists residential and commercial developers in connection with the acquisition, financing, development, subdivision, zoning, leasing, and ...

Ken leads the Labor and Employment Practice Group. His practice experience encompasses various areas of employment-related litigation. He advises clients and litigates cases involving all forms of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, and breach of employment contracts from small start-up companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Ken is a frequent lecturer on employment discrimination, workplace retaliation, workers' compensation, and wage and hour law issues. He has been rated by his p...

Eldridge is certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. She assists all types of clients in drafting and implementing estate plans, including estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, and also provides counsel to executors and trustees in administering estates and trusts. Eldridge has also earned a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Southern California . Her years of experience as an a...

George Mason Oliver is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy. George Mason, who practices law in New Bern, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which George Mason is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

B.T. Atkinson is a corporate attorney with Ward and Smith, P.A. With nearly 30 years of experience, B.T. is a veteran banking attorney whose practice focuses on corporate, securities, and regulatory matters in the financial services space. He regularly advises regional and community banks, underwriters and issuers, and public and private companies. Clients rely on B.T.'s extensive experience for guidance with securities offerings and reporting, business formation, mergers and acquisitions, re...

As leader of the Community Associations practice, Adam advises community association and country club/yacht club boards and members regarding corporate governance, procedural requirements, governing document amendments, fiduciary duties, inspection right, collection issues, and rule adoption and enforcement. He also has experience preparing all components of community association, country club, and yacht club entity formation, including articles of incorporation, bylaws, committee charters, o...

Lauren leads the Family Law practice and is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Family Law. Her experience encompasses various areas of civil litigation with a primary focus on complex familial issues. Her practice includes premarital and post-marital agreements, complex equitable distribution, custody and child support litigation, and adoption. Lauren routinely represents and counsels clients on financial family-related issues involving business valuations, pension valua...

Areas of Practice: Business Law & Taxation , Mergers & Acquisitions , Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning & Estate Administration Mr. Diab has substantial experience as lead counsel in structuring, negotiating and closing of mergers and acquisitions, representing both buyers and sellers in taxable and tax-free acquisitions, divestitures, strategic alliances, and investments by venture capital and private equity firms since 1990. He has represented closely-held business owners in busine...

Richard has significant experience in a broad range of business law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, tax planning, private securities offerings, and start-up businesses. He recently served as in-house counsel for a major background screening and compliance provider, giving him the rare experience of managing both the inside and outside counsel roles for the same entity. That experience colors his practice, and Richard is now known as "an inside counsel's outside counsel." During h...

John D. Martin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. John D., who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal pr...