Marie Claire O’Leary Smith
About Marie Claire O’Leary Smith
Marie Claire O’Leary Smith is a lawyer based in Asheville, NC and has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America since 2025. Marie Claire O’Leary Smith is recognized in the following practice areas:
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Commercial Litigation
- Litigation - Real Estate
- Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Current Firm: The Van Winkle Law Firm
Education: American University Washington College of Law, J.D., graduated 2019
Location: Asheville, NC
It takes just a few minutes to optimize your profile for clients looking to engage and lawyers who are ready to refer.
Activate your profile and highlight why your peers recognized in Best Lawyers today.
Nearby Lawyers
Henry Teich has been practicing law in Asheville, NC for more than 40 years. He and his now retired law partner, Janson Grimes, founded the law offices of Grimes and Teich in 1979. Later, with the addition of partner Scott Anderson, the firm became Grimes Teich Anderson LLP. Henry is a North Carolina Board Certified Workers Compensation Specialist whose interest is assuring that his clients get the best medical treatment available under the circumstances and that they receive protection from ...
Lance represents creditors in collections, foreclosures, bankruptcy, Uniform Commercial Code security agreement enforcement, and structured liquidations and workouts. He also represents clients in drafting and negotiating a wide variety of contract, loan, and workout agreements. Lance is certified by the American Board of Certification and the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Business Bankruptcy Law. He litigates at all levels of state and federal court, with an emp...
Hayley's practice primarily focuses on labor and employment law, civil litigation, and alcoholic beverage law. Hayley regularly advises individual and corporate clients on matters of covenants not to compete, employment discrimination, discipline and termination, harassment, wrongful discharge, wage and hour matters, personnel policies and procedures, and preparation of employment agreements and employee handbooks. She also litigates employment-related matters in North Carolina state and fede...
I am a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Family Law and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. I limit my practice to issues involving divorce, marital relations, and family law. I serve other divorce lawyers by providing family financial mediation services to them and their clients. Since 2007, I have been continuously recognized by Best Lawyers in America and named the Family Law Lawyer of the Year for Asheville in 2015, 2017, and 2020. I am named to North Carol...
Bill leads the Litigation Practice Group and his practice experience encompasses civil litigation in both the state and federal courts. He has represented clients in a broad variety of complex construction, business, and commercial disputes. His civil litigation experience includes depositions, pre-trial and dispositive motions, mediations, arbitrations, jury trials, and appeals. Other areas of his litigation practice include insurance coverage disputes, personal injury, agribusiness litigati...
Janet Amburgey is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law. Since graduating from Appalachian School of Law in 2008 she has focused her practice exclusively on family law matters, assisting people through family chaos, ensuring the protection of their rights and property and helping to blend and expand families. She has represented clients in divorce and separation with issues surrounding child custody, child support, alimony, and in property settlement matters. She also assists families th...
Edward L. Bleynat, Jr. began his legal career by clerking for James G. Exum, Jr., then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Cutting hsi trial teeth at a major Greensboro business litigation firm. In 1995, Ed relocated to Asheville, to continue his law practice and to raise his family in Western North Carolina where he grew up. Ed and Joe Ferikes merged their practices into Ferikes & Bleynat, PLLC in 2001. Ed is actively involved in a variety of church, civic, and comm...
Kimberly Coward is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Kimberly, who practices law in Cashiers, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kimberly is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Anna has been practicing law for more than 25 years. She is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law and concentrates her practice in the area of Workers' Compensation. Anna first became licensed to practice law in Virginia in 1994, followed by Washington, D.C. in 1995. She has been practicing law in North Carolina since 1996. Anna is included in the 2018-2022 editions of Best Lawyers In America® for Workers Compensation Law-Claimants and is on the list of ...
Born in 1965 in Huntington, West Virginia, Brian grew up in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Brian's mother was a nurse, and his father was a doctor in Spruce Pine who ran a clinic, worked in the hospital emergency room, made house calls to people in need. Brian often accompanied his parents when the house calls were after hours. Growing up in a home where taking care of others was so important continues to inspire Brian in his work representing injured and disabled people. In the mid-1990's, bef...
Explore and Learn
The Family Law Loophole That Lets Sex Offenders Parent Kids
by Bryan Driscoll
Is the state's surrogacy framework putting children at risk?
Recognizing Legal Leaders: The 2027 Best Lawyers Awards in Australia, Japan and Singapore
by Jamilla Tabbara
Market drivers, diversity trends and the elite practitioners shaping the legal landscape.
Best Lawyers 2026: Discover the Honorees in Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain
by Jamilla Tabbara
A growing international network of recognized legal professionals.
Holiday Pay Explained: Federal Rules and Employer Policies
by Bryan Driscoll
Understand how paid holidays work, when employers must follow their policies and when legal guidance may be necessary.
Can a Green Card Be Revoked?
by Bryan Driscoll
Revocation requires a legal basis, notice and the chance to respond before status can be taken away.
New Texas Family Laws Transform Navigating Divorce, Custody
by Bryan Driscoll
Reforms are sweeping, philosophically distinct and designed to change the way families operate.
How Far Back Can the IRS Audit You?
by Bryan Driscoll
Clear answers on IRS statutes of limitations, recordkeeping and what to do if you are under review.
US Tariff Uncertainty Throws Canada Into Legal Purgatory
by Bryan Driscoll
The message is clear: There is no returning to pre-2025 normalcy.
The 2026 Best Lawyers Awards in Chile, Colombia and Puerto Rico
by Jamilla Tabbara
The region’s most highly regarded lawyers.
Can You File Bankruptcy on Credit Cards
by Bryan Driscoll
Understanding your options for relief from overwhelming debt.