Joshua "Josh" Stone

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...

Sarah Negus is a labor and employment member with experience counseling employers on policies and procedures, personnel decisions, and other workplace challenges. She also litigates employment disputes in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. Sarah concentrates her practice in all areas of employment law. She has broad experience in discrimination and retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with...

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...

Todd King is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Todd, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Todd is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Evan Bass is head of the firm’s Commercial Real Estate group. Evan represents clients in their ongoing business affairs and focuses his practice on commercial real estate, real estate finance and real estate related corporate law matters. He is also a member of the Investment Management practice, with a focus on REITs and private real estate investment funds. Evan's experience includes advising investors, developers, lenders and major corporations on a variety of commercial estate trans...

George Taulbee heads the firm’s Technology, Privacy & IP Transactions Group in North Carolina. He focuses on all intellectual property and transactional matters involving computer and Internet technology, electronic commerce, and sports and entertainment. Mr. Taulbee has more than 25 years of experience working in software licenses and development outsourcing, joint venture, website hosting, and content and linking agreements. He has extensive experience in patent, trade secret and ...

Kevin Dalton is a partner in the firm’s Charlotte office. His practice focuses on counseling clients regarding employment issues and defending clients against claims alleging wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment, breach of contract, and wage and hour violations. He has assisted companies in remaining non-union, including responding to unfair labor practice charges and advising employers during union representation campaigns. Before joining the firm, Kevin served as a Captain i...

In four decades of practice, Tom Myrick has been first chair trial counsel through verdict in dozens of civil jury trials, including months-long trials and litigation lasting nearly 15 years. He litigates matters ranging from business torts, contract and estate disputes, and wrongful terminations, to franchise class action and product liability claims, corporate governance issues, and much more. Clients appreciate Tom’s earnest demeanor, tenacity, and well-rounded approach that perpetua...

Dane Baltich understands the importance of strategically growing and managing international patent portfolios. He also guides his clients on the issues of licensing, infringement, validity, and enforceability of patents. With his expertise, Dane positions patent portfolios for monetization, downstream litigation, and other strategic purposes for both domestic and international clients. His vast experience includes drafting and prosecuting patent portfolios across a broad range of fields, incl...

Representing buyers, sellers, lenders, borrowers and underwriters, Rick Hazlett brings strategic insight to parties in various financing transactions. Rick focuses his financial services practice on lending, letter of credit and leasing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities and tax-exempt finance. He is often engaged to advise on complex business and finance transactions, and regularly advises corporations and other businesses on acquisitions, securities and other corporate matters.