Chad Thorson

Michael Ryan Miller is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law. Michael Ryan, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael Ryan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ben Shook regularly represents companies and individuals in a variety of complex commercial disputes including shareholder disputes, business torts, and complex contract disputes. Having handled numerous federal and state court trials, including several bet-the-company disputes, Ben is a go-to litigator for high-stakes, commercial disputes. Ben is a commercial litigator with a wealth of experience representing clients across a wide array of industries. When disputes cannot be resolved amicabl...

William L. Mills IV is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. William L., who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael Giovannini has established himself as a creative strategist in the fast-moving world of state tax and unclaimed property. Clients rely on Michael to provide practical planning advice and technical guidance on a wide variety of cutting-edge issues, including those impacting financial services and stored value card programs. As a member of the Unclaimed Property Team, Michael concentrates on providing comprehensive advice and guidance to clients regarding multistate unclaimed property p...

Peter McGrath has dedicated his life’s work to understanding the intricacies and complexities of environmental law. As one of North Carolina’s most seasoned practitioners in this space, Peter is a distinguished and trusted voice for businesses working to navigate the maze of environmental regulations that intersect with their growth objectives. For more than 30 years, he has counseled clients on a broad spectrum of environmental issues, providing advice and advocacy in litigation ...

Ralph Meekins is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants. Ralph, who practices law in Shelby, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ralph is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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

Patrick Hayden is a partner in the Global Finance & Debt Products Group. His practice focuses on mortgage-backed and asset-backed securitization, and he has represented global financial institutions as indenture trustee in negotiating and closing hundreds of CDO transactions, including CLOs, commercial real estate CDOs and synthetic CDOs. He currently represents indenture trustees in connection with the administration of CDO transactions and has extensive experience with questions and dis...

As former General Counsel for the Americas of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (BTMU), Tom Pennington has extensive experience in the financial services industry and with its regulation, corporate and securities law, and litigation matters. Tom’s focus is on federal regulatory advice, defense and investigations, federal and New York corporate governance, and corporate finance matters. Tom represents financial institutions, and also advises fintech start-ups and clients in the inve...

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...