W. Gregory "Greg" Merritt

Gary grew up in Wake County, North Carolina, and attended the Wake County public schools. He received his undergraduate degree at UNC-Wilmington and his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial and Pre-Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and has tried more than 100 jury trials to verdict. He has been listed among the ”Best Lawyers in America” since 2007, having been named “Lawyer of the Year” for the years 2...

Benton L. Toups is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Employment Law - Individuals and Employment Law - Management. Benton L. practices law in Wilmington, North Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized Benton L. Toups 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 Benton L. Toups is held by o...

Shelley is a member of Butler Snow’s Tort, Transportation, & Specialized Litigation Group.

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...

John leads the firm's Trusts and Estates practice. He is certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law. John's practice experience encompasses estate planning, estate administration, estate and gift tax planning, and related services primarily, though not exclusively, to high net worth individuals and families. His practice also involves business succession planning for closely-held business owners, asset protection, and estate pl...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...