Kelly A. Johnson

Ryan Smith is co-head of the Investment Team and a member of the Management Committee. For over 20 years, he has built a practice that represents clients on a variety of complex leveraged financings, senior and junior capital lending transactions, private equity and other equity investments, and corporate transactions. Ryan’s primary focus is in finance and equity investment transactions. As counselor to lenders and passive and controlling stakeholders, he represents a variety of financ...

Jenny Sugar is a member of Moore & Van Allen's Litigation group. She represents corporations and executives in white collar criminal and government enforcement investigations, proceedings, and trials. As a federal prosecutor for more than two decades, Jenny investigated, prosecuted, and oversaw matters involving a broad range of complex financial crimes, including investment fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, and abuse of government funding programs...

Mr. Ellsworth counsels clients to procure, protect, license and enforce intellectual property rights. Mr. Ellsworth works diligently to understand his client’s business and to leverage that understanding to achieve his client’s intellectual property goals in a turn-key and cost-efficient manner. Mr. Ellsworth manages extensive domestic and international patent portfolios for several publicly traded companies and provides strategic counseling to a variety of smaller business concer...

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...

Scott Stevens is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group and a registered patent attorney. Mr. Stevens’ practice focuses on patent litigation involving technologies such as telecommunications, chemical processes, pharmaceuticals, cloud computing, and flash memory. Mr. Stevens represents clients in Section 337 Investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as in patent-infringement litigation before various U.S. District Courts and the ...

MacKenzie C. Henry is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. MacKenzie C., who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which MacKenzie C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Guy Gosnell leads the Intellectual Property Patents – Electrical & Computer Science Group and its efforts to counsel clients in regard to patent matters in the electrical, computer software and business method arts. Guy has more than 20 years’ experience in the intellectual property field and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Guy has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America , the Top Attorneys in North Carolina and in Super Lawyers magazi...

A member of the Management Committee and co-head of the Corporate group, Joe Fernandez represents independent energy companies and private equity funds in power plant finance and M&A matters. He has served as project counsel to electric generating facilities located around the country. Joe represents traditional and renewable energy facilities in corporate finance and project finance transactions, in acquisitions and divestitures of project companies, in negotiating and drafting project c...

R. Kader Crawford is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. R. Kader, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which R. Kader is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

To his clients, Russ Sizemore is a problem solver. With a focus on employment law, Russ serves as an extended member of his clients’ human resources departments, providing legal counsel on a range of employment issues and litigating complex employment cases. A true partner, Russ invests the time to deeply understand his clients’ business models and corporate cultures. He appreciates that clients often face time-sensitive challenges and need an attorney they can turn to on short no...