Cassandra Nicholas

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...

Troy's practice experience encompasses a wide range of business law, from start-up businesses to complex transactional matters. He also represents health care providers, both private and institutional, and is regularly involved in government affairs, land use regulation, and municipal law matters. Troy has been a continuing legal education lecturer for the North Carolina Bar Association. He has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law.

Virginia practices in the area of estate planning and estate administration. She assists in the preparation of all components of estate plans, wills, revocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, and living wills. She also advises individuals, families, and closely-held business owners on estate and business succession planning issues, gift planning to reduce potential estate taxes, and the preparation of gift tax returns, as well as the administration of deced...

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...

Deedee Rouse Gasch is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. Deedee Rouse, who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Deedee Rouse is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

James W. McGee, Jr. has been a resident of Wilmington, North Carolina, since 1990. After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, McGee attended and earned his Juris Doctorate from Campbell Law School. From residing in Wilmington for over 30 years to attending a North Carolina law school, McGee has developed an intimate understanding of both the state’s people and its laws concerning DUI/DWI and Criminal Law . McGee is considered a thought-lea...

Christina Cress is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law. Christina, who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christina is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Benton L. Toups is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law - Individuals and Employment Law - Management. Benton L., who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benton L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Sam leads the Real Estate practice. His experience includes all aspects of commercial real estate and community association matters. He regularly assists commercial and residential developers in the acquisition, subdivision, development, zoning, and sale of real property, including the formation of complex, mixed-use planned communities, commercial and residential condominiums, and multi-tenant commercial projects. Additionally, Sam represents purchasers and lenders with regard to the evaluat...