D. Stuart Smith

Recognized in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Family Law. James W. Lea, III - The Lea/ Schultz Law Firm , P.C. 1612 Military Cutoff Road Suite 300 Wilmington, NC 28403 Tel: 910-239-5990 Fax: 910-239-5992 jwl@thelealawfirm.com www.thelealawfirm.com James W. Lea, III, practices exclusively in the area of Family Law and has done so for the last 40 years of practice. Mr. Lea has served on the North Carolina State Bar’s Family Council, a selected group of fami...

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...

Michael J. Parrish is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Banking and Finance. Michael J., who practices law in New Bern, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

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...

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...

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...

Bill's practice experience encompasses the formation, regulation, and operation of banks and bank holding companies; securities offerings and reporting; mergers and acquisitions; and corporate governance matters pertaining to publicly-held companies. He has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law. Prior to joining the Firm, Bill served as vice president and general counsel/corporate secretary for one of North Carolina's multi-bank holding companies.

William G. Wright is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. William G., who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jeremy leads the Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice. He has extensive experience litigating claims for wrongful death, serious personal injury, and a broad range of civil litigation before state and federal courts, including cases involving vehicle accidents, professional malpractice, premises liability, products liability, and class actions, among other areas. He also has litigated numerous cases involving complex insurance coverage issues and "bad faith" claims. In addition, Jeremy...