Mary Marshall Easley

Jon Ferry brings his substantial experience as a federal prosecutor to assisting clients in False Claims Act litigation, government investigations and other enforcement actions, internal risk analysis and internal investigations. Jon served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina for over seven years. As the head of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) program and the Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jon led and supervised num...

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...

Jerri Simmons is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. Jerri, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jerri is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jon is a civil litigator who primarily practices in the areas of complex business litigation, construction litigation, lien disputes, and disputes between developers, design professionals, general contractors, and subcontractors. He represents a variety of local contractors and subcontractors in drafting and reviewing construction contracts, advising on risk management, liability, and employment-related issues, and litigating disputes. Jon has significant experience litigating cases to verdic...

Arlene often serves as external trademark counsel and provides comprehensive legal advice in domestic and international trademark and copyright prosecution, protection, enforcement and related disputes, and intellectual property licensing and transactional work for her clients. Arlene counsels and guides clients through their development of practical brand strategies to maximize brand investment to meet their business and commercial goals, whether of a local, national, regional, or internatio...

Christopher Thompson has extensive experience representing developers, investors, non-profit and affordable housing organizations, and multinational corporations in acquiring, developing, financing, and leasing commercial real estate and large residential developments. Chris takes a solutions-oriented approach to get deals done efficiently and in a manner that keeps the client’s business goals at the forefront—all while vigilantly guarding the client’s legal interests. Chris...

Ben Fryer has devoted his entire career to supporting his clients' needs in labor and employment law. Ben's background includes significant experience assisting clients in the protection of trade secrets and the enforcement of non-compete agreements and other restrictive covenants. He has also advised clients in all other aspects of employment law including claims involving state and federal wage and hour regulations, and discrimination and retaliation under Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, and ...

Ben Pleune is a partner in Alston & Bird’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, with extensive experience litigating patents in U.S. district courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and before the International Trade Commission. Ben has also been involved with numerous patent validity challenges before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board. Ben’s practice has focused on a variety of industries, including bar code scanners, image sensors, pharmaceuticals, telecomm...

Jonathan Watkins is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Securities. Jonathan, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

A member of the firm’s Financial Services group, Jim Hovis brings years of sophisticated, high-level experience to his finance and capital markets practice. For the majority of his career he managed the Financial Services group and served on the firm’s Management Committee from 1989 through 2015. He regularly represents national and regional financial institutions in complex financing transactions, including: Acquisition and leveraged buyout financing Subordinated debt facilities ...