Practice Areas
- Appellate & Constitutional
- Commercial Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Employment Litigation
- Government, Internal Investigations & Criminal Defense
- Litigation
- Securities, Corporate Governance & Sarbanes-Oxley
- Trust, Estate & Fiduciary
Education
- B.A., Duke University, 1995, cum laude
- J.D., Duke University, 1998
Bar & Court Admissions
- North Carolina, 1998
- United States Court of Appeals - Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals - Eleventh Circuit
- Eastern District of North Carolina
- Middle District of North Carolina
- Western District of North Carolina
Valecia M. McDowell
Valecia McDowell is a seasoned commercial litigator with trial and arbitration experience and expertise in complex, high stakes cases in North Carolina. Ms. McDowell also has extensive experience conducting internal investigations for publicly-traded, privately-held and non-profit institutions. Her recent representations include serving as lead North Carolina counsel before the Business Court on behalf of Bank of America in the recent shareholder derivative lawsuit regarding the Merrill Lynch acquisition and acting for WR Starkey Mortgage, a large nationwide mortgage lender, in defense of a civil action brought by the North Carolina Attorney General. She also conducted a highly publicized investigation on behalf of the City of Charlotte involving allegations of sexual harassment by a City Council member.
Ms. McDowell’s depth of experience in the area of commercial arbitration was recognized in 2010 when she was published in E-Discovery in Arbitration: Leading Lawyers on Recovering Electronic Evidence, Meeting New Disclosure Guidelines and Implementing Measures to Streamline the Process (Aspatore Books’ Inside the Minds series).
Ms. McDowell was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. She has also been appointed by the judges of the Western District of North Carolina to serve on the Advisory Committee on Local Rules.
Ms. McDowell has served as Co-Chair of the Mecklenburg County Bar Sub-Committee on Diversity, and is also a Hiring Member for Moore & Van Allen’s Recruiting Program and Co-Chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee.
Of Note
- Selected as a 2011 Leader in the Law by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly
- 2011 Women in Business Award Winner, presented by the Charlotte Business Journal
- Panelist for 2010 "Women in Leadership Symposium," presented by the National Diversity Council
- Named among the "50 Most Influential Women," presented by the Mecklenburg Times
- Board Member, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
- Board Member, Council for Children's Rights
- Board Member, Community Building Initiative
- Former Co-Chair, Mecklenburg County Bar Sub-Committee on Diversity
- Former Officer, John S. Leary Bar Association, Charlotte’s Chapter of the Black Lawyers Association
- Former Board Member, Future Forum, Duke University School of Law
- Recognized in the 2010-2012 editions of Benchmark Litigation as a "Future Star"
- Selected for inclusion to the 2009 - 2012 North Carolina Rising Stars list, which is included in the North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine
- Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America
News
- Archer & McDowell Named Leaders in the Law
- McDowell & Bloomfield Published in Bloomberg Law Report
- McDowell Quoted in Inside Counsel
- Valecia McDowell Selected As CBJ 2011 Women In Business Award Winner
- 2011 Legal Elite recognizes 21 MVA attorneys
- MVA attorneys honored by NC Super Lawyers
Speaking Engagements
- McDowell to speak at Leary All-Star CLE, May 20, 2011
- MVA Attorneys to Present at MCB Attorney-Client Privilege CLE, October 27, 2010
- McDowell Will Serve on Mecklenburg County Bar Panel, March 4, 2010
Professional Affiliations
- Member, Diversity Law Institute
- Member, The Trial Law Institute
- American Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association
- John S. Leary Bar Association
- National Bar Association