Laurie Helms

J. René Toadvine maintains a nationwide practice that focuses on representing management in all facets of employee benefits matters, including: Employee benefits tax issues The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and benefits planning Executive compensation Employee benefits in mergers and acquisitions Bank finance and ERISA issues in securitizations René designs and drafts all types of employee benefits and executive compensation plans with adherence to compliance r...

Alan Pope primarily counsels financial institutions in corporate workouts and bankruptcies and in structuring intercreditor arrangements. Alan applies substantial experience to representing administrative agents and collateral agents in syndicated credit facilities and other financial institutions in secured lending transactions.

David S. Rudolf is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Civil Rights Law, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Litigation - Securities. David S., who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 1993. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geogr...

John Chinuntdet co-heads the firm’s Investment group and offers extensive experience in private equity and mezzanine finance. John primarily represents institutional investors, hedge funds, business development companies, private equity groups, small business investment companies and sponsors in their buy-out, investment and finance transactions. He also represents companies in their merger and acquisition transactions, including representing stockholders in the sales of their companies.

A frequent speaker on litigation and arbitration issues and an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, Paul Peralta brings extensive successful high-stakes trial experience to his varied litigation clients. Paul has handled wide-ranging employment and commercial litigation, including management representation in Title VII, ADEA, ADA and ERISA litigation, as well as proceedings before the EEOC and corresponding state and local agencies. Additionally, Paul has counseled an...

A former presidentially appointed U.S. attorney, Thomas Walker understands the high stakes of federal and state investigations and white-collar criminal defense. A former presidentially appointed U.S. attorney, Thomas concentrates his practice in government investigations, internal corporate investigations, and white-collar criminal defense. Thomas has extensive jury trial experience in state and federal courts and previously served as special counsel to North Carolina Attorney General Roy Co...

Kelly Hughes has spent her career advising and supporting employers across multiple industries and in various forums. Ms. Hughes assists executives and management at all levels in crafting employment policies and agreements that not only comply with federal, state, and local laws but also complement the unique needs of the particular client and promote its financial and business objectives. Ms. Hughes is a nationally recognized authority on workplace flexibility and guides clients in creating...

C. Melissa Owen is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. C. Melissa, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which C. Melissa is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Scott MacLatchie is a Partner in our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he has nearly forty years’ experience as a trial attorney, law enforcement officer, and consultant to law enforcement agencies. Scott has served as trial counsel for numerous law enforcement agencies on both coasts, and has defended class action litigation involving conditions at the Los Angeles County Jail, the nation’s largest municipal jail system. He regularly handles cases in both federal and state ...

David Allen practices litigation for a broad variety of clients. He has been trying lawsuits for more than 30 years with close to 100 juries empaneled during that time. A former president of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA), David is a frequent lecturer on substantive and technical aspects of trial practice for numerous sponsors of continuing legal education presentations, having addressed both the NCADA and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice in recent years. ...