News Archive

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that seven firm attorneys were selected among 2021 Legal Elite in Charleston Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, and Greenville Business Magazine. The attorneys will be recognized in the August 1st issue of the respective publications.

Moore & Van Allen Member and Head of Bankruptcy & Restructuring practice Zach Smith, and Member Alan Pope, will be co-teaching a new course at Duke Law this fall semester titled “Corporate Restructuring and Chapter 11 Bankruptcy – In Practice”.

MVA Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project leader and National Survivor Law Collective co-founder Sarah Byrne recently contributed to the Avery Center-led report titled, “Legal Deserts Report - Accessing Legal Services for the Survivors of Sex Trafficking.” The Avery Center, formerly Free Our Girls, was founded in 2014 to address the gap in direct services for adults experiencing commercial sex trafficking across the United States. The National Survivor Law Collective formed in 2020 to establish the network of lawyers, agencies and firms that provide free legal services to survivors of human trafficking. 

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) is pleased to announce that the following individuals have been ranked in the 31st edition of IFLR1000 United States. MVA chairman Tom Mitchell was rated as “highly regarded” banking lawyer in North Carolina, and member Steve Hope was rated as “highly regarded” M&A lawyer in North Carolina. While member Carolyn Meade  was rated as “notable practitioner” M&A lawyer in North Carolina and cousel Ed Ivey was rated as “rising star” capital markets: derivatives and capital markets: structured finance and securitisation.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Financial Restructuring Counsel Reid Dyer serves as an advisory board member for the 25th Annual American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop taking place in Palm Beach, Florida from July 29-August 1. This event is an annual educational and networking conference attended by bankruptcy practitioners from the southeast.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) moves up nine spots to be listed at number 137 on the “Law360 400,” Law360’s annual ranking of the 400 largest law firms in the nation for 2020. The list features the largest U.S.-based law firms as measured by U.S. attorney head count.

Moore & Van Allen’s (MVA) Private Wealth Law earned Band 3 recognition in the 2021 Chambers High Net Worth for Private Wealth Law directory. Additionally, Estate and Wealth Planning Member Chris Jones has been ranked Band 2.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Supervising Investigations Counsel Tania Archer has been appointed to the Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) Board of Directors for 2021-2022. Each year, the MCB is led by a dedicated Board of Directors and a visionary President.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations Member Frank Schall has once again been recognized as a leading U.S. litigation attorney on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List.” Frank has continually been named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List” since 2018.

The Mint Museum’s planned giving program, The Dwelle Society, is being renamed The Dwelle-McBryde Society in honor of Charlotte attorney Neill McBryde’s steadfast support of the museum.

Moore and Van Allen is proud to once again sponsor SIFMA’s C&L Virtual Forum, which takes place July 20-22, 2021. The C&L Society is the leading forum for compliance and legal professionals working in the financial services industry.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Employment & Labor Member John Zaloom was quoted in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article titled, “Who Can Know About Employee Vaccination Status?” which was published July 6.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Member Nader Raja has been appointed to serve on the Mecklenburg County Bar (MCB) Diversity & Inclusion Committee as a member of the class of 2024 under the leadership of Knut Nodeland, Chair and Dana Lumsden, Vice-Chair by MCB President Fred DeVore, III.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the firm represented Knoll America, Inc., a supplier of conveyor and filtration systems, in the establishment of its U.S. headquarters site in Gaston County, North Carolina.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Member Tom Myrick was a featured speaker at the UNC Tax Institute meeting held on June 11. This year’s topic was “NCDOR v. Kaestner Trust: A View From the Battlefield.” Tom shared behind the scenes strategies of representing the Trust over the eight years it traveled from the NC Office of Administrative Hearings, to the NC Complex Business Court, to the NC Court of Appeals, to the NC Supreme Court, and finally to the Supreme Court of the United States where judgment in favor of his client was affirmed 9-0.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) is proud to have continued our partnership with Heart Math Tutoring during the 2020-2021 school year. Over the last year, seven MVA tutors have impacted five schools, volunteered 71 hours with students who needed support building foundational math skills, and supported 11 elementary students with a mentor and increased confidence and enthusiasm in math. Thank you to the following individuals who have served as virtual tutors Stephen Hope, Stephanie Ward, Courtney Duncil, Cally Richter, and David Eades.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the firm has been recognized in the 2021 edition of The Legal 500 United States. The firm was ranked in Tier 4 in the categories of “Commercial Lending” and “Energy Transactions: Conventional Power.”

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce Randal D. Shields and John A. Stoker are joining the firm as Senior Counsel in the firm’s Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Group. Previously, Shields served as Deputy General Counsel for PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. while Stoker served as Associate General Counsel at Wells Fargo & Company.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that Sandra M. Lazorcheck has re-joined the firm as a member in its Financial Services group. She represents financial institutions, banks, business development companies, and alternative debt providers in a variety of financing transactions.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the firm represented the Little Rock Community Development Corporation (CDC) in the development of a new affordable housing project in Uptown Charlotte. The CDC is working in partnership with Laurel Street to develop the new apartment community - Varick on 7th.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Member and Co-head of the Environmental group, Mary Katherine Stukes served as a speaker for the 2021 NCBA Environment, Energy, & Natural Resources Law Section CLE Program that was held on May 13. Mary Katherine spoke on a panel entitled, “Hot Topics” which included presentation on Methane, Waters of the United States, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) supported an arts fundraising campaign of the Foundation For The Carolinas (FFTC) which has been highlighted in the recent Charlotte Business Journal article titled, “Charlotte's private arts campaign reaches 70% of $18M goal” published May 26.  Atrium Health, Bank of America, Barings, Centene Corporation, Duke Energy, Novant, PwC, Trane, and Truist Corporation also participated. The $18 million FFTC is raising for local arts organizations will match $18 million in City of Charlotte funding for a total of $36 million over three years.

The Moore & Van Allen website has been awarded a 2021 Vega Digital Award under the Website Design & Development- Law & Legal Services category. Designed and built by Firmseek, the new website was launched in early 2021.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Director of Communications & Media Relations Amy Murphy Curlis is one of this year’s recipients of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Award. Every year since 2020, The Ledger has run its annual 40 Over 40 awards, which seek to honor those people in our community aged 40+ who are making Charlotte a better place. They’re businesspeople, nonprofit leaders, volunteers and others from all over the city who are improving Charlotte in many different ways.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Member Ben Hawfield was honored as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bankruptcy Section of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) on May 12. The purpose of the Lifetime Achievement Award is to recognize a bankruptcy practitioner who has contributed to the betterment of the Bankruptcy Section, the profession, and who has set an aspiring example for those who follow.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that Chambers & Partners has ranked eight firm practice groups and 30 firm attorneys in the 2021 edition of its legal directory Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business released today.

MVA Litigation Associate Jules Carter will serve as a speaker for the Lorman webinar titled, “Potential Bank Regulation Changes Under the Biden Administration” taking place on June 8. Jules will discuss how the financial services regulatory landscape may change in a Biden presidency.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that two of its Charleston members were included on the 2021 Super Lawyers list. David B. Wheeler is recognized in the Bankruptcy: Business category, while Lesley A. Firestone is recognized as a “Rising Star” in the Environmental category.

Congratulations to the following 24 Moore & Van Allen attorneys who have completed 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services in 2020 and are members of the 2020 NC Pro Bono Honor Society.

On May 4, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners appointed MVA Bankruptcy Member Gabriel Mathless to the Citizen’s Capital Budget Advisory Committee, which provides oversight over, and facilitates community input into, the County’s $1.75B Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). 

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) was named one of North Carolina’s leading intellectual property firms in Managing Intellectual Property’s edition of IP Stars, a legal directory that provides state-by-state analysis of the nation’s IP market.  The firm’s Intellectual Property practice received a “Recommended” ranking.

Tom Mitchell, Chair of the firm’s Management Committee, was quoted regarding MVA’s new ranking on North Carolina’s Largest Law Firms list published by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly on April 27.

Moore & Van Allen was thrilled to once again participate in the Legal Feeding Frenzy – an annual food and fund drive hosted by the NCBA Young Lawyers Division and Feeding the Carolinas food banks.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Swaps, Derivatives & Structured Products and ESG Counsel Ed Ivey was quoted in the Climate Risk Review article titled, “Pleas of "force majeure" offer no protection from climate financial risks" which was published on April 15. Ed discusses the potential impact of the recent winter storm in Texas and a related ruling in New York may have on force majeure clauses in energy hedges going forward and the efforts energy producers may wish to consider to further mitigate climate risk.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Global Services Member Mike Zeller will serve as a panelist for the 2021 St. Louis Smart Business Dealmakers Conference: The Future of M&A in a Post-COVID World which will be held on May 6. During this virtual conference Mike will join other professionals for the topic titled, “Selling a Company to the Employees – One Founder’s Story.”

Moore & Van Allen Bankruptcy & Restructuring Member Hillary Crabtree, and B&R Team Leader Zach Smith, will serve as presenters at the 2021 WDNC Bankruptcy Seminar which will be held virtually on May 21. During this CLE webinar, Hillary and Zach will present live from the new WDNC bankruptcy courtroom on the topic titled, “Lessons Learned in Recent Restaurant and Retail Bankruptcies.”

MVA Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Members Ed O’Keefe and Neil Bloomfield, Financial Services Member Tom Pennington, and Investment Management Member Colby Jenkins served as guest lecturers in the Duke University Law School spring semester class co-taught by Alan Pope and Zach Smith.

MVA Employment & Labor Member Karin McGinnis served as a speaker for the Mecklenburg County Bar CLE titled, “Non-Traditional Non-Competes” program held on March 24. 

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Co-head of White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations Member Valecia McDowell is guest speaker for the Extraordinary Women on Boards event titled, “How Corporate Board Members Detect Signs of Trouble -- Where There's Smoke There MAY Be Fire...”

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Financial Services Member Meredith Reedy was quoted in the National Law Review article titled, “How Law Firms Are Supporting Women Lawyers in The Pandemic” which was published on March 17.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Senior Counsel Sarah Byrne, who leads the firm’s Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project, was interviewed on the Human Trafficking Institute’s Trafficking Matters: A Douglass Fellowship Podcast which aired on March 11.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Senior Counsel Tandy Mathis will be presenting during the NCBAR 2021 International Practice Section Program webcast, “The World Spins Madly On: Making Sense of the Current State of International Law Practicing International Law in the Digital Age”, taking place on March 25.

MVA Associate Jules Carter will serve as panelist for the Lorman webinar titled, “BSA/AML Customer Identification Program and Due Diligence Basics” which will take place on March 11.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) co-head of the White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations practice and member of the firm’s Management Committee, Valecia McDowell served as one of the Cultural Equity Report Contributors for the Arts & Science Council’s (ASC) Cultural Equity Report 2020, which was released to the community on February 23. Additionally, Valecia currently serves as an ASC Board Member and is immediate past board chair.

MVA Intellectual Property Members Kate Cole, Arlene Hanks, Henry Ward and Mark Wilson received World Trademark Review 1000 (WTR 1000) recognition. Additionally, MVA’s Intellectual Property practice was recognized as one of six recommended North Carolina trademark practices.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that member Amy K. Johnson has been honored among the 2021 class of the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Women in Business Achievement Award.”

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Member Luis Lluberas has been elected as a member to the Board of Directors for the Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation. The Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation board of directors is a distinguished group of professional, business and civic leaders.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) has ranked top for Charlotte largest law firms and female attorneys in the recent CBJ article titled, “THE LIST: Charlotte's largest law firms — and the practices with most female attorneys.”

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Co-head of the White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations practice and member of the firm’s Management Committee, Valecia McDowell has been highlighted in the Business North Carolina article titled, “Dynamic Diversity: The Changing Look of N.C. Executive Power,” published on February 1.