Melanie Johnson Raubach

Brian M. Davis is a Partner at VLP, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and former Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. Brian focuses his practice on client counseling relating to trademarks, including trademark clearance and the prosecution of U.S. and foreign trademark applications. He also has experience with copyright and other intellectual property issues, such as domain name disputes (including the UDRP), licensing programs and other intellectual property-r...

Matt Kain is a trusted advisor to families seeking advice on complex estate planning, trust and estate administration, and charitable planning matters. Matt also leads the firm’s efforts representing nonprofit organizations with respect to formation, tax compliance, and governance. As a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law, Matt has substantial experience helping high-net-worth families and closely-held business owners achieve their estate, tax, b...

Chris Gegg counsels clients with regard to procuring, protecting, licensing, enforcing and defending intellectual property rights. Mr. Gegg's experience includes patent and copyright matters related to computer networks, hardware and software, as well as the electrical, mechanical, optical and business method arts. His practice involves extensive design patent and utility patent preparation and prosecution, patent infringement and patent validity matters. He also works on intellectual propert...

Curtis Elliott has practiced tax law for more than 25 years. He helps entrepreneurs and family business owners address their tax, estate planning, trusts and estates and business succession planning goals. Mr. Elliott has deep experience helping business owners develop estate planning structures for their family businesses. His clients range from closely held companies to large industrial enterprises owned and actively managed by multiple family generations. His work involves the use of share...

Katie Duffy's practice is focused on estate planning, trust and estate administration, charitable planning, tax planning for high net-worth individuals, business succession, and transactional and business matters that arise in connection with the acquisition, ownership, and operation of closely held businesses. As a member of the North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia bars, Katie advises clients in all three states with respect to their personal, financial, tax, business and estate plann...

Bobby Bowers is a civil litigator who regularly represents and counsels clients with complex commercial disputes. Bobby has considerable experience in real estate and construction-related matters, eminent domain proceedings representing property owners, manufacturer-distributor relationships, fiduciary litigation arising from wealth transfers and trust and estate administration, equipment lease disputes, and railroad equipment matters including car hire enforcement and end-of-lease/return con...

Dane Baltich understands the importance of strategically growing and managing international patent portfolios. He also guides his clients on the issues of licensing, infringement, validity, and enforceability of patents. With his expertise, Dane positions patent portfolios for monetization, downstream litigation, and other strategic purposes for both domestic and international clients. His vast experience includes drafting and prosecuting patent portfolios across a broad range of fields, incl...

Elizabeth Murphy advises institutional and nonbank lenders on the origination and servicing of conduit and portfolio real estate loans. She is active in the firm’s Women’s Initiative and has been honored by the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy with its 2021 Pro Bono Award. Elizabeth represents senior and mezzanine lenders and borrowers in the origination and servicing of conduit and portfolio loans. She concentrates in originating loans secured by complex collateral structures ...

John Evans devotes his financial services practice to representing Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs), institutional investors (debt and equity), private equity funds, hedge funds, business development companies, and venture capital funds in their buy-out, investment and finance transactions. In addition to practicing in the areas of mezzanine finance, private equity, and venture capital, he represents several founders and companies in their fund raising and merger and acquisition tr...

Lauren Biek is a member in the Financial Services group. She has extensive experience representing financial institutions in domestic and cross-border financing transactions. Lauren’s practice primarily focuses on representing commercial and investment banks in leveraged lending transactions, including acquisition financings, recapitalizations, ESOP financings and other secured and unsecured lending transactions. She has experience in a wide variety of industries, including transportati...