Guest Speakers
Clara Cottrell
Assistant General Counsel, Compliance & Privacy
BASF Corporation
Clara Cottrell is Assistant General Counsel, Compliance & Privacy for BASF Corporation in Research Triangle Park, NC. A recovering Intellectual Property attorney, Clara focuses her practice on data privacy and security compliance for BASF in the United States and coordinates North America's data privacy program. This includes supporting marketing activities, security concerns, transactions, and digital platforms. Clara and her family reside in the Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, where they base their many RV adventures.
Clara has a BS in biochemistry from North Carolina State University, which was put to good use as an Intellectual Property attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood (now Fox Rothschild) upon her graduation from Wake Forest University School of Law and a subsequent clerkship with the Honorable Ben F. Tennille (retired) at the NC Business Court. While in her intellectual property practice, Clara was named to the Triad Business Journal 40 Leaders Under Forty (2012), a North Carolina Rising Star by Super Lawyers (2013), and a Legal Elite Young Guns Best Under 40 by the North Carolina Business Journal (2013). She joined BASF Corporation in 2013 as intellectual property legal support for the agricultural business in Research Triangle Park. As her practice, and the world, changed, she moved to supporting data privacy and cyber security for BASF Group in the United States in 2020 as a member of BASF Corporation's compliance team. Her favorite perks at BASF are the global colleagues she interacts with every day and the wine cellar in Germany.
Rob Schaaf
In-House Counsel
First Citizens Bank
Robert (“Rob”) Schaaf is currently Counsel at First Citizens Bank, where he has been contributing for nearly two years. Previously, he served as Associate Counsel at the same organization and has a solid legal background, having spent time both in private practice and in-house prior to joining First Citizens. Rob holds a JD/MBA from Wake Forest University. His experience spans a variety of practice areas, providing him with a diverse and robust legal foundation.
Ward and Smith Speakers
B.T. Atkinson
Corporate Attorney
With nearly 30 years of experience, B.T. is a veteran banking attorney whose practice focuses on corporate, securities, and regulatory matters in the financial services space. He regularly advises regional and community banks, underwriters and issuers, and public and private companies. Clients rely on B.T.'s extensive experience for guidance with securities offerings and reporting, business formation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance matters under federal and state law, and corporate governance issues.
Edward J. "Trip" Coyne
Attorney
Trip has recently returned to Ward and Smith after serving as the Chief Executive Officer of an international consumer products company. He also currently serves as the Executive in Residence for UCONN's Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Trip has significant experience in complex and high-stakes litigation matters and regularly appears as lead or local counsel in courts throughout the country. He also provides general business counsel to domestic and international clients, focusing on consumer product and multi-national companies.
Trafton P. Dinwiddie
Government Relations Advisor
As a government relations advisor, Trafton is skilled at building bridges between clients and local, state, and federal governments. He regularly assists businesses, associations, and governmental entities with government advocacy at all stages. Trafton specializes in state lobbying and advises clients of the Firm on a wide range of matters involving the North Carolina General Assembly and state agencies, including boards and commissions within the Executive Branch.
Angela Doughty, CIPP/US
North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Trademark Law
Angela is a North Carolina State Bar Board Specialist in Trademark Law and a Certified Information Privacy Professional-United States (CIPP/US) who serves as the Firm's Director of Legal Innovation. She oversees several initiatives to optimize and increase the efficiency of the Firm's legal services. In addition to adopting and executing practices, such as Legal Lean Sigma, Angela is responsible for moving the Firm through implementing process improvement, design methodologies, and innovative technology.
Paul Fanning
North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law
Paul leads the Creditors' Rights practice and is certified by the American Board of Certification and the North Carolina State Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Law. His practice experience encompasses bankruptcy, collections, creditors' rights, and lender liability. He concentrates his practice in the representation of creditors in complex bankruptcy cases and state court litigation, including workouts, collection reorganizations, and contested matters.
Ken Gray
Labor and Employment Attorney
Ken leads the Firm's 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.
Justin Hill
Labor and Employment Attorney
Justin focuses his practice on labor and employment matters. He works with businesses, employers, and human resources professionals across the state. Before joining Ward and Smith full-time, Justin served as a summer associate in 2018, which marked a change for the Firm's program that was historically focused on second-year law school students only. He returned to the program as a 2L in 2019.
Matthew Jones
Business Attorney
Matthew's multidisciplinary practice focuses primarily on business law matters. He helps businesses and individuals with business formation and transactions. Matthews also advises for-profit and non-profit organizations on governance issues and counsels on incorporation and dissolution documents for various forms of corporate entities.
X. Lightfoot
Labor and Employment Attorney
As a member of the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group, X. has represented clients across North Carolina in state and federal courts, addressing issues ranging from employment discrimination and harassment to employee discipline and wage and hour matters. His practice includes guiding employers on personnel policies, handbooks, and compliance with various labor laws. X. is well-versed in handling administrative proceedings before agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). His expertise extends to providing legal counsel on workplace discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour issues, making him a sought-after lecturer on these critical topics.
Avery Locklear
Labor and Employment Attorney
Avery is a versatile labor and employment attorney providing support to individuals, human resources professionals, and businesses of all sizes in diverse industries, including the hospitality and restaurant sectors. Her practice encompasses a broad range of employment matters, including providing guidance on non-compete and restrictive covenants, reviewing handbooks and policies, and handling matters related to Title VII and wage and hour laws.
Emily Massey
Labor and Employment Attorney
Emily's practice focuses on a wide range of labor and employment law issues, including personnel policies and handbooks, background checks, employment discrimination and harassment, employee discipline and termination, drug and alcohol testing, and various wage and hour matters. Prior to attending law school, Emily counseled clients in various public relations matters during a four-year career with Capstrat, a full-service communications agency.
John Perry
Business and Tax Attorney
John is a business and tax attorney with extensive experience helping clients navigate complex transactions. His work involves everything from private equity acquisitions, stock and asset purchase agreements, and private securities offerings to corporate restructuring, tax planning and compliance, and tax audits. Prior to joining Ward and Smith, John served as a tax consultant for a large international accounting firm.
Mayuhk Sircar, CIPP/US
Cybersecurity, Data Privacy & Technology Attorney
Mayukh is a Certified Information Privacy Professional-United States (CIPP/US) who utilizes his keen insights and practical knowledge of privacy and data security law to help clients turn cybersecurity risks into manageable business opportunities. He advises businesses in various industries on developing privacy protection practices, such as the legal requirements and risks associated with the collection, storage, transfer, use, protection, and data disposal. He also counsels clients on structuring and operationalizing privacy compliance programs, data breach response and planning, contract and vendor management, and licensing and technology transactions.
Allen Trask
General Practitioner
Allen began his career as a traditional litigator focused on business and real estate disputes. Working with North Carolina real estate developers and the community associations that they create was where Allen found his professional footing. He continues to handle a wide range of issues for these clients, including the preparation, amendment, interpretation, and enforcement of restrictive covenants and governing corporate documents, declarant control transition and disputes, fiduciary concerns, and collections. Allen's representation of community associations in disaster recovery cases gave rise to his interest in the insurance space, which he actively leverages for the Firm's clientele. His work with real estate developers goes beyond just their relationship with community associations and embraces both land use and zoning matters and commercial leasing and property management concerns.