S. McKinley "Ken" Gray III

S. McKinley "Ken" Gray III


Ward and Smith, P.A.

Recognized since 2009

New Bern, North Carolina

Practice Areas

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

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Ken leads the Labor and Employment Practice Group. His practice experience encompasses various areas of employment-related litigation. He advises clients and litigates cases involving all forms of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, and breach of employment contracts from small start-up companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Ken is a frequent lecturer on employment discrimination, workplace retaliation, workers' compensation, and wage and hour law issues. He has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law and serves in leadership roles with various legal and civic organizations. Ken is a former president of the Craven County Bar Association, a former two-term president of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Coastal Carolina, and Chairman of the Deacons of First Baptist Church of New Bern.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 1001 College Court
    P.O. Box 867
    New Bern, NC 28563-0867
Education
  • Campbell University, J.D., graduated 1993
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.S., graduated 1990
Bar Admissions
  • North Carolina, 1993
Affiliations
  • * Please see the following websites for an explanation of the membership standards for the following recognitions: - www.bestlawyers.com; businessnc.com/special-sections/legal-elite/; and www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina.
  • American Bar Association - Sections: Labor and Employment Law; Litigation
  • Craven County Bar Association - (secretary/treasurer 1998-1999; president 1999-2000)
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Sections: Labor and Employment Law; Litigation; Workers' Compensation
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Committee: Quality of Life (co-chair 1995)
Court Admissions
  • All state courts in North Carolina
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina

Ward and Smith, P.A.
Headquarters: New Bern, North Carolina

44 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

7 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

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Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Special Focus:
  • COVID-19
Awards:
  • Labor and Employment Star, Benchmark Litigation, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2009-2017, and 2019-2024
  • "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, 2010, 2012, and 2013-2017, 2022
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Workers' Compensation Law

Publications

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