Ward and Smith

Ward and Smith, P.A. is a North Carolina law firm that is the successor to a practice founded in 1895. It works across more than 35 practice areas and organizes its lawyers into specialized practice groups, pulling attorneys from different groups onto a matter as the issue requires.

For property owners, the relevant groups are real estate, real estate development, real estate litigation, and zoning and land use planning, supported by construction, commercial landlord and tenant representation, community associations, eminent domain, environmental, foreclosures, and workouts and restructuring. The firm also handles business, tax, trusts and estates, business succession planning, and labor and employment work for the same owners.

The firm has a stated objective that at least two attorneys have in-depth experience in each area of law it practices, so a client is not dependent on one person. It hosts seminars and conferences, including an annual employment law symposium and an in-house counsel seminar, and publishes articles on regulatory developments.

Offices are in Asheville, Greenville, Morehead City, New Bern, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina, and in Columbia, South Carolina; the Morehead City office is open by appointment only. Fees are not published, and the firm accepts invoice and retainer payments online.