68 Ward and Smith Attorneys Honored by Best Lawyers® for 2026

August 21, 2025

Ward and Smith, P.A.

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Ward and Smith is proud to share that 68 attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America^®.

Of those honored, 55 were named to The Best Lawyers in America®, with three receiving the distinction of “Lawyer of the Year.” First published in 1983, Best Lawyers has grown to be one of the most respected and widely used guides to legal excellence.

"For more than 40 years, the rigorous methodology of Best Lawyers has ensured the integrity and esteem of our legal recognitions," said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. "It is with great pleasure that we continue to provide potential clients with the pinnacle measurement of credibility through our Best Lawyers awards as they search for counsel."

In addition, 13 Ward and Smith attorneys earned Ones to Watch® honors, which spotlight associates and other early-career lawyers for outstanding professional achievement in private practice.

"The unparalleled methodology of Best Lawyers ensures the value and esteem of our legal rankings through both our traditional awards and our expanded 'Ones to Watch' accolades," said Greer. "Clients trust Best Lawyers as a credible and reliable way to identify the most elite lawyers, and it is with great pride that we continue to provide this valued service in the country."

These recognitions highlight the firm’s depth of talent and reinforce Ward and Smith’s reputation as a trusted legal partner for clients across North Carolina and beyond.

The Ward and Smith attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers for 2026 are:

Asheville

Joanne Badr	Clint Cogburn	Bill Durr	Melody King
(Lawyer of the Year)
Banking and Finance Law Real Estate Law	Commercial Litigation Land Use and Zoning Law	Commercial Litigation Family Law	Family Law
Zac Lamb	Norman Leonard	Lance Martin	Hayley Wells
(Lawyer of the Year)
Tax Law Trusts and Estates	Litigation - Banking and Finance	Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law	Leisure and Hospitality Law Litigation - Labor and Employment Litigation - Land Use and Zoning

Greenville

Drake Brinkley	Charles Ellis	Brad Evans	Lynwood Evans
Real Estate Law	Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs	Antitrust Law Commercial Litigation Litigation - Construction	Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Paul Fanning	Michael Fields	Merrill Jones	Peter von Stein
Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation - Bankruptcy	Banking and Finance Law Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law	Corporate Law	Trusts and Estates

New Bern

Angela Doughty	Ken Gray	Bill Lathan	Bill Martin
Trademark Law	Litigation - Labor and Employment Workers' Compensation Law - Employers	Banking and Finance Law Financial Services Regulation Law	Real Estate Law
Michael Parrish	Cliff Parson	Greg Peacock	Knox Proctor
Litigation - Banking and Finance	Real Estate Law	Litigation - Trusts and Estates Trusts and Estates	Administrative / Regulatory Law Banking and Finance Law Corporate Law Financial Services Regulation Law
Lauren Quinn	Eric Remington	Ryan Simmons	Troy Smith
Family Law	Land Use and Zoning Law	Patent Law	Bet-the-Company Litigation Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) Commercial Litigation Corporate Law
Madison Waller	Amy Wang
Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants	Environmental Law

Raleigh

Art DeBaugh	Joe Knott	X. Lightfoot	Steve Long
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) Copyright Law Litigation - Intellectual Property Trade Secrets Law Trademark Law	Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs	Litigation - Construction Litigation - Labor and Employment	Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Emily Massey	Mike McIntyre	Kristin Mitcham	Evan Musselwhite
Labor and Employment - Management Litigation - Labor and Employment	Government Relations Practice Economic Development Law	Real Estate Law	Construction Law Litigation - Construction
Gavin Parsons	Erica Rogers	Tyler Russell	Mayukh Sircar, CIPP/US
Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation Litigation - Intellectual Property	Intellectual Property Law	Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law	Privacy and Data Security Law Technology Law
Joe Schouten	Jordan Spanner	Jason Strickland	Luke Tompkins
Commercial Litigation Litigation - Intellectual Property	Commercial Litigation Appellate Practice	Construction Law Litigation - Construction	Construction Law Litigation - Construction
Devon Williams	Cameron Winfrey	Thomas Wolff	Amy Wooten
Employment Law - Management	Real Estate Law	Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law	Litigation - Insurance

Wilmington

B.T. Atkinson	Adam Beaudoin	Jenna Butler	Virginia Carter
Securities / Capital Markets Law	Community Association Law	Commercial Litigation Litigation - Securities Litigation - Trusts and Estates Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs	Trusts and Estates
Isabelle Chammas	Al Clyburn	Trip Coyne	Richard Crow
Commercial Litigation	Family Law	Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) Litigation - Construction	Tax Law
Eldridge Dodson	Sam Franck	Justin Lewis	John Martin
Trusts and Estates	Land Use and Zoning Law Community Association Law Real Estate Law	Community Association Law Real Estate Law	Family Law Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Will Oden	John Sloan	Ryal Tayloe	Matt Thompson
Labor Law - Management	Trusts and Estates	Commercial Litigation Construction Law Litigation - Construction Litigation - Real Estate	Trusts and Estates
Allen Trask	Jeremy Wilson
	(Lawyer of the Year)
Cannabis Law Agriculture Law	Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

About Best Lawyers in America^® 

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing. 

About Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America 

Lawyers recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America are divided by geographic region and practice areas. Candidates can only be considered for one recognition at a time, either "Ones to Watch" or traditional Best Lawyers awards. "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" is not a seed list to "The Best Lawyers," and all hopeful candidates must be nominated, vetted by their peers, and undergo an authentication process before they are recognized by Best Lawyers. Lawyers are not required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, recognition by Best Lawyers is considered a singular distinction.