Michael V. Lee

B.T. Atkinson is a corporate attorney with Ward and Smith, P.A. With nearly 30 years of experience, B.T. is a veteran banking attorney whose practice focuses on corporate, securities, and regulatory matters in the financial services space. He regularly advises regional and community banks, underwriters and issuers, and public and private companies. Clients rely on B.T.'s extensive experience for guidance with securities offerings and reporting, business formation, mergers and acquisitions, re...

Eldridge is certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. She assists all types of clients in drafting and implementing estate plans, including estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, and also provides counsel to executors and trustees in administering estates and trusts. Eldridge has also earned a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Southern California . Her years of experience as an a...

Melody Jolly is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. Melody practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Melody Jolly since 2018. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Melody Jolly is held by other lawyers.

Jeremy leads the Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice. He has extensive experience litigating claims for wrongful death, serious personal injury, and a broad range of civil litigation before state and federal courts, including cases involving vehicle accidents, professional malpractice, premises liability, products liability, and class actions, among other areas. He also has litigated numerous cases involving complex insurance coverage issues and "bad faith" claims. In addition, Jeremy...

Christina Cress is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law. Christina practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Christina Cress since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Christina Cress is held by other lawyers.

Ryan's practice encompasses a wide range of intellectual property ("IP") matters, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. He supports and negotiates IP issues, including licensing and non-disclosure agreements and IP-related terms and conditions in various other types of agreements, such as joint development, manufacturing, service, and sales agreements. He is a registered patent attorney and has significant experience with preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent appli...

Areas of Practice: Agribusiness , Business Law & Taxation , Real Estate & Development , Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning & Estate Administration Mr. Taylor is the senior member of the firm’s real estate and development department. He was born in Sanford, North Carolina, has extensive ties in Southeastern North Carolina, and is very involved in the Wilmington community. He was recently chosen for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for 2015 in the category of Real Es...

Patrick M. Mincey is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Patrick M. practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Patrick M. Mincey since 2024. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Patrick M. Mincey is held by other lawyers.

Sam leads the Real Estate practice. His experience includes all aspects of commercial real estate and community association matters. He regularly assists commercial and residential developers in the acquisition, subdivision, development, zoning, and sale of real property, including the formation of complex, mixed-use planned communities, commercial and residential condominiums, and multi-tenant commercial projects. Additionally, Sam represents purchasers and lenders with regard to the evaluat...

Scott is an active trial lawyer, with over 100 cases tried to verdict in both state and federal courts. Scott is a member of our Commercial Litigation Practice Group, focusing on Insurance Bad Faith, Professional Liability, Municipal & School Liability and Construction Litigation.