Moore & Van Allen Announces 2026 Class of 13 New Firm Members

Recognitions

01.2026

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) is pleased to announce the elevation of 13 attorneys to Member, effective January 1, 2026. This year’s class reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to developing exceptional lawyers across practices where clients continue to rely on MVA for guidance.

This group brings wide‑ranging experience to heavily regulated and evolving areas of the market, including derivatives and financial products, international capital markets, financial regulatory response, complex commercial and white‑collar litigation, patent and emerging‑technology IP, and employment compliance.

“Our new Members have consistently demonstrated sound judgment, dedication, and the ability to help clients navigate complex matters,” said Thomas L. Mitchell, Chair and Managing Partner. “Their promotions recognize the important contributions they’ve already made to our clients and the firm.”

2026 New Members

Michael P. Coyne (Intellectual Property)

Advises clients across a broad range of industries on commercial and technology agreements, IP licensing, artificial intelligence issues, outsourcing, data privacy, cybersecurity, compliance, and cross‑functional business initiatives. His experience includes work with financial services, retail, software, SaaS and manufacturing companies.

Wheeler Frost (Financial Services)

Represents institutional investment funds, including SBICs and BDCs, and private equity sponsors across the capital structure in senior secured loans, asset-based loans, subordinated/mezzanine financing, equity co‑investments, and leveraged buyout transactions.

Ryan Hart (Securities & Corporate Governance)

Co-leader of the firm’s Securities & Corporate Governance practice. Advises public companies and boards on SEC disclosure, exchange regulations, ESG considerations, corporate governance, and capital markets transactions. Also works with private equity and asset management clients, including cross‑border work and joint ventures.

Kyle J. Jacob (Employment & Labor)

Advises employers on the entire range of employment and traditional labor issues, including wage-and-hour compliance, discrimination and retaliation claims, disability accommodations and leave issues, workplace safety, internal investigations, restrictive covenants, and union issues.  He is also experienced in handling all aspects of employment litigation for employers before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts.

Jordan Lowery (Financial Services)

Represents financial institutions and borrowers in structuring and documenting secured and unsecured credit facilities, including syndicated loans, acquisition financing, ABL structures, farm credit lending, and financing for manufacturing, energy, and technology companies.

Madison McCraw (Intellectual Property)

Handles U.S. and international patent prosecution and portfolio management spanning mechanical, software, telecom, medical device, and fintech technologies. Conducts freedom‑to‑operate, patentability, and infringement analyses, and supports IP due diligence in transactions. Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.

Tucker J. McKinley (Intellectual Property)

Focuses on technology transactions, IP licensing and commercialization, SaaS and software development agreements, outsourcing, and supply‑chain contracting. Also advises on IP issues in M&A and restructuring. Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.

Barrett Morris (Financial Services)

Head of Swaps & Derivatives, advising clients on swaps, futures, options, derivatives and the related Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulatory requirements. Brings extensive in‑house experience supporting transactional, compliance, risk management, and front‑office functions at major financial institutions.

Drew Newman (Litigation)

Litigates high-stakes commercial and securities disputes for large corporations, ESOP-owned companies, and fiduciaries, and represents clients in complex internal investigations, government inquiries and white-collar defense matters. Brings extensive experience from prior work in Washington, D.C., as a federal law clerk and representing individuals and multinational corporations in significant litigation and government investigations. Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. 

Kaitlin Price (Litigation)

Represents clients in internal investigations, regulatory compliance assessments, and responding to government investigations and in litigating commercial and corporate governance disputes. Former law clerk to the Chief Judge of the NC Business Court, with experience in federal and state trials. Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.

John I. Sanders (Financial Services)

Head of International Capital Markets, advising issuers and financial institutions on international equity capital market (IPOs, rights offerings, PIPEs, and private placements), debt capital market (high‑yield, investment grade, Yankee bonds, MTN programs, and private placements), and M&A transactions. He works regularly in Milan, giving him direct access to key markets, and serves as an adjunct law professor teaching law students about capital markets and private funds.

Joseph “Joe” W. Silva (Financial Services)

Focuses on fund finance transactions, representing bank lenders and private fund borrowers in structuring and documenting bilateral and syndicated subscription credit and other fund finance facilities.  He also maintains a broad lending practice representing banks and private credit lenders in syndicated and bilateral credit facilities across a number of industries.

John A. Stoker (Financial Regulatory Advice & Response)

A seasoned financial regulatory attorney with 15 years of in‑house experience at major financial institutions. Advises on prudential banking laws, enterprise risk, supervisory matters, regulatory change, and compliance frameworks. Previously managed the Corporate Regulatory Section for one of the country’s largest financial institutions.

Public Service & Community Commitment

In addition to their legal achievements, MVA’s new Members contribute to the firm’s long‑standing commitment to public service and community partnership. Through firm-wide initiatives such as the Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses (CLIMB), the Domestic Violence Pro Bono Project, the Housing Rights Project, the Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project, guardianship and wills programs, and broader access‑to‑justice partnerships, MVA attorneys support vulnerable populations, expand economic mobility, and strengthen community institutions across the region.