Ward and Smith PA

56 Best Lawyers awards

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Awarded Practice Areas

Family Law

Biography

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 valuations, military retirement division, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, real property appraisals, and division of executive benefits. She also has extensive experience with interstate custody and jurisdictional issues, high conflict custody cases, custody evaluations, and adoptions.

Lauren handles litigation and non-litigation matters involving mediation, arbitration, premarital and post-marital agreements, separation agreements, and surrogacy agreements. She also represents clients before the NC Court of Appeals and NC Supreme Court on family-related cases after final judgment at the trial court level. Lauren practices throughout Eastern North Carolina. Prior to joining the firm, Lauren was a law clerk to Judge J. Douglas McCullough of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Ward and Smith PA

56 Best Lawyers awards

Ward and Smith PA logo

Overview

  • Campbell University, M.B.A., graduated 2005
  • Campbell University, J.D., graduated 2005
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., graduated 2002

  • North Carolina, 2005

  • Twin Rivers YMCA - Board member 2013 - present, Secretary 2014 - 2015, 2016
  • Merci Clinic - Past board member
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Member- Sections: Family Law; Litigation
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Member- Leadership Academy, 2015
  • New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce - Leadership Craven Alumnus, Class of 2010
  • North Carolina Symphony, New Bern Series - Board member, 2014 - present
  • Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court - Member
  • Craven County Bar Association - 300th Celebration Committee public relations chair, 2009 - 2010; secretary, treasurer, and vice president, 2009 - 2010)
  • Chrysalis Counseling Center - Board member

  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
  • North Carolina, 2005
  • Twin Rivers YMCA - Board member 2013 - present, Secretary 2014 - 2015, 2016
  • Merci Clinic - Past board member
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Member- Sections: Family Law; Litigation
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Member- Leadership Academy, 2015
  • New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce - Leadership Craven Alumnus, Class of 2010
  • North Carolina Symphony, New Bern Series - Board member, 2014 - present
  • Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court - Member
  • Craven County Bar Association - 300th Celebration Committee public relations chair, 2009 - 2010; secretary, treasurer, and vice president, 2009 - 2010)
  • Chrysalis Counseling Center - Board member
  • Campbell University, M.B.A., graduated 2005
  • Campbell University, J.D., graduated 2005
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., graduated 2002
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2023 - Family Law
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Family Law, Wilmington, NC (2023)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Family Law
Awards:
  • "Lawyer of the Year," The Best Lawyers in America, 2023
  • "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, Family Law, 2017, 2019, 2022-2024

  • "Rising Star," North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2011 and 2014-2021
  • "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, 2017, 2019
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers®, 2021-2024

Case History

Transactions
  • Representation of parents in adoptions
Representation of parents in private adoptions, domestication of international adoptions, step-parent adoptions, and guardianship placement through the Department of Social Services
  • Representation of clients on appeal following trial
Representation of clients on appeal following trial on issues of custody, child support, equitable distribution, and domestic violence
  • Representation of clients in custody actions
Representation of clients in custody actions including modification of custody resulting in a change in primary custody
  • Representation of child in emancipation proceeding
Representation of child in emancipation proceeding
  • Representation in valuation and division of privately-owned grocery store
Representation in valuation and division of privately-owned grocery store
  • Representation of client in negotiation of Premarital Agreement
Representation of client in negotiation of Premarital Agreement to protect assets acquired prior to and during marriage
  • Representation of client in division of multi-million dollar corporate benefit package
Representation of client in division of multi-million dollar corporate benefit package, including vested and non-vested stock options
  • Representation of client in valuation and division
Representation of client in valuation and division of multi-million dollar residential building, development, and rental business

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