Meredith W. Barnette

Nichole Hayden is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Patent Law. Nichole, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nichole is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

3 Things to Know About Matthew Healey: He is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers as “Lawyer of the Year” in Raleigh for 2015, 2017, and 2022 and for inclusion on the “Best Lawyers” list for 2013-2026.* He previously represented employers and insurance companies, giving him valuable insight into the defense side of workers’ comp claims. Matthew Healey is a Partner at the L...

Matt Plyler works with lending institutions to achieve practical, business-oriented solutions in secured and unsecured financing transactions across a broad range of industries, including transportation, consumer retail, manufacturing, automotive, utilities, chemicals, agriculture and technology. Matt regularly represents lead arrangers, lenders and agent banks in syndicated credit facilities, club deals and single-bank financings used to finance strategic acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, rec...

Logan Reilly concentrates her practice in commercial real estate. She assists developers, owners, lenders, landlords and tenants in a variety of real estate transactions, including land acquisitions and dispositions, financing, development and leasing. Prior to joining the firm, Logan worked for a real estate development company in eastern North Carolina.

Ed O’Keefe advises and represents financial institutions. From strategy to tactics and logistics, Ed’s experience includes investigations, litigation, regulatory compliance, governance, cybersecurity, compensation, and risk management. He also advises on law department management, including effective legal engagement with regulators and control functions. Ed is the former Global General Counsel of Bank of America Corporation. Having also headed or served as a senior executive with...

Paul Murphy has over three decades of experience with structured finance transactions involving a wide-range of loans, leases, contracts and receivables. Paul has represented issuers, underwriters, financial guarantors and trustees in both public and private transactions, including shelf registrations and commercial paper conduits. His extensive experience with transactions involves: Railcars Equipment leases Chassis leases Intermodal container leases Trade receivables Commercial and resident...

Timothy Sheriff is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Timothy, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Timothy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

As former General Counsel for the Americas of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (BTMU), Tom Pennington has extensive experience in the financial services industry and with its regulation, corporate and securities law, and litigation matters. Tom’s focus is on federal regulatory advice, defense and investigations, federal and New York corporate governance, and corporate finance matters. Tom represents financial institutions, and also advises fintech start-ups and clients in the inve...

Mike Connor is a partner in the firm’s IP Litigation Group. He is a recent co-chair of the firm’s national Intellectual Property Practice and a past chair of the national IP Litigation Group. He handles patent infringement and other IP disputes and counseling. Mike has experience in technologies such as cardiovascular implants and other medical devices, mobile telephony, high speed computer networks, financial services, diagnostic imaging, music downloads, robotics, textile machin...