Thomas S. Babel

Trip maintains a diverse litigation and general business practice. He has significant experience in corporate, construction, commercial, class action, maritime, and real property litigation, and regularly appears as lead or local counsel throughout the state and federal courts of North and South Carolina, as well as in other jurisdictions. He also provides general business counsel to domestic and international clients. Prior to joining the firm, Trip practiced in the Wilmington office of a la...

Lauren leads the Family Law practice and is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Family Law. Her experience encompasses various areas of civil litigation with a primary focus on complex familial issues. Her practice includes premarital and post-marital agreements, complex equitable distribution, custody and child support litigation, and adoption. Lauren routinely represents and counsels clients on financial family-related issues involving business valuations, pension valua...

Ryal is an experienced litigator. He has handled a wide range of litigation cases in state and federal courts, many of them jury trials. Ryal has extensive construction law experience, including lien law, federal and state bond claims, and defective workmanship cases. He also has significant experience with agribusiness litigation, property owner association disputes, personal injury, and all types of real estate disputes, including title insurance claims, trespass, adverse possession, condem...

John D. Martin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. John D., who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal pr...

Virginia practices in the area of estate planning and estate administration. She assists in the preparation of all components of estate plans, wills, revocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, and living wills. She also advises individuals, families, and closely-held business owners on estate and business succession planning issues, gift planning to reduce potential estate taxes, and the preparation of gift tax returns, as well as the administration of deced...

Thomas represents and counsels businesses on a myriad of intellectual property and business matters. An avid supporter of North Carolina’s film industry, Thomas also practices in film and entertainment law, working with producers and filmmakers throughout the entire production process. In addition to his legal practice, Thomas is a co-owner of Mad Mole Brewing in Wilmington. He utilizes insights from this unique “real world” experience when counseling breweries, distilleries...

William G. Wright is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. William G., who practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael J. Parrish is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Banking and Finance. Michael J., who practices law in New Bern, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ed West's practice areas include white-collar defense and investigations, professional licensing board defense and complex business litigation. Ed has represented individuals, businesses, and organizations under investigation by a myriad of state and federal agencies including: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Securities & Exchange Commission, N.C. Secretary of State Securities Division, N.C. Banking Commission, Internal Revenue S...

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 p...