Sarah Wheaton

Jay represents debtors, banks, secured creditors, indenture trustees, and purchasers of distressed assets in complex chapter 11 and chapter 9 bankruptcy cases and in out-of-court workouts, reorganizations, restructurings, and liquidations. Jay also has extensive experience in state and federal court receivership actions, both in representing creditors seeking the appointment of a receiver for their collateral and in representing the court-appointed receivers. Jay has served as lead bankruptcy...

Bill Zimmern provides strategic leadership and practical, business-oriented advice on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions transactions, with substantial experience involving financial sponsors, large corporations, and the representation of founders and long-time owners. He also assists clients with securities and general corporate matters. Bill serves as Co-head of the firm's Corporate practice. Bill has worked for sophisticated clients across a number of industries, including in the he...

Travis Vance is dedicated to responsive client service and forming a partnership with companies to help tackle their most difficult and high-profile issues. Having gained a reputation as a professional and aggressive advocate for his clients, Travis has emerged as a thought leader in the field of workplace safety. His writing and interviews are followed closely by experts in the safety arena and have been featured in premiere publications such as Inc., Bloomberg Law, Business Insurance, The W...

Patrick A. Doerr is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Commercial Litigation. Patrick A. practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Patrick A. Doerr 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 Patrick A. Doerr is held by other lawyers.

Doak Barnhardt engages in a broad range of finance-related areas, with an emphasis on senior bank debt and syndicated loan finance. Doak has considerable experience in corporate and commercial lending arrangements, including secured lending, acquisition and recapitalization finance, subordinated debt transactions, and work-out and restructure. Further, he represents a number of public and private companies as borrowers under syndicated credit facilities. Since joining the firm in 1984, he has...

Clients trust Mike, both as a litigation attorney and as a Certified Fraud Examiner, with their most sensitive and complex investigations. Mike gets to the bottom of the facts efficiently to help clients navigate challenging legal situations to achieve better-than-expected results in line with their business objectives. Mike is a seasoned investigator with a long track record of helping clients uncover the truth in complex—and sensitive—internal investigations. Mike represents cor...

Jonathan Watkins is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Securities. Jonathan practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Jonathan Watkins since 2023. 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 Jonathan Watkins is held by other lawyers.

Russell M. Black is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employment Law - Management. Russell M. practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Russell M. Black since 2021. 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 Russell M. Black is held by other lawyers.

John Baron is the lead partner of the Charlotte office’s Federal and International Tax Group, partner-in-charge of the Charlotte office and chair of the partners committee. His practice is principally transactional in nature, and his clients include both domestic and foreign companies and financial institutions, as well as private equity firms, CDOs and hedge funds. He regularly provides tax structuring advice and renders tax opinions with respect to mergers and acquisitions, structured...

Bob Baker's practice focuses primarily on tax structured finance products with emphasis on renewable energy sources and lease financing. Bob’s work in the structured finance products area includes representation of tax-equity investors in wind and other renewable energy projects through partnerships and other investment entities. Bob also represents lessors and lessees in lease finance transactions for a variety of equipment and facilities including aircraft, rail equipment and electric...