News Archive

MVA Environmental Member Peter McGrath joined myLawCLE on January 30, 2023 for a live webinar titled, “Policy Changes Relating to CERCLA Liability: Status of CERCLA contribution and indemnity law, definition of potentially responsible partis, and CERLCA settlement arrangements.”

On January 31, Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Bankruptcy Member Gabriel Mathless was elected chair of Mecklenburg County’s Citizen’s Capital Budget Advisory Committee, which provides oversight over, and facilitates community input into, the County’s $1.75B Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

MVA Senior Counsel Sarah Byrne joined Kym Kurey with Vital4 Strategic as guest speakers for a live webinar that was held on January 26 titled, “CFPB’s New Rule on Human Trafficking: Overview & Updates.”

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that 28 of the firm’s attorneys have been named to the 2023 edition of North Carolina Super Lawyers or North Carolina Rising Stars lists. Additionally, Member Valecia M. McDowell was named to the “Top 25” list of Charlotte Super Lawyers, “Top 50” list of Women North Carolina Super Lawyers and “Top 100” list of North Carolina Super Lawyers. Member Karin M. McGinnis was named to the “Top 50” list of Women North Carolina Super Lawyers and Member James (Jim) P. McLoughlin, Jr. was named to the “Top 100” list of North Carolina Super Lawyers.

The MVA Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association (APALA) kicked off the new year by holding a social at Bad Axe Throwing on January 23.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that prominent employment and labor attorney has joined the firm as a member and new head of the firm’s existing Employment and Labor Practice.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that 45 of the firm’s attorneys have been named to the 2023 Business North Carolina “Legal Elite”. This marks the firm’s largest-ever class of honorees for the magazine’s annual list of the top business lawyers in North Carolina.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that it has elected nine attorneys as members of the firm. The new members are Robert K. Burrow, Suzanne K. Gainey, James “Van” V.C. Gambrell, Matthew “Matt” R. Mollozzi, Kaitlin D. Powers, C. Cowden W. Rayburn, Ben E. Shook, and Emily Pera Stevenson.

Moore & Van Allen Land Use team members Jeff Brown and Bridget Grant were engaged to assist DreamKey Partners, Roers Development, and Winterwood Development with three rezonings designed to provide affordable housing options in Charlotte. All three rezonings were approved by Charlotte City Council on December 19.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Senior Counsel Sarah Byrne was profiled for her work at the intersection of financial institution regulation and the fight against human trafficking in the Tech For Good section of Vital4’s December newsletter. Vital4 is a leader in providing global data for corporate risk and compliance.

Moore & Van Allen is excited to announce the 25th anniversary of our Charleston office. As proud members of the Charleston community for over two decades, we have built upon a commitment to growth and entrepreneurial spirit. For the past 25 years, we have provided a broad spectrum of advice, counsel, and local insight to businesses and individuals who call the Charleston region home.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that Jules W. Carter, an attorney in the firm’s Charlotte office, has been named to the 2022 Lawyers of Color Annual Hot List of early- to mid-career attorneys excelling in the legal profession. Lawyers of Color is a nonprofit devoted to promoting diversity in the legal profession and advancing democracy and equality in marginalized communities.

On Monday, November 28, Charlotte City Council approved a land swap between CRVA and Millennium Capital to swap a portion of 501 S. Caldwell St. for a portion of 401 S. College St which exchange will allow for the addition of a hotel next to the convention center.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) represented Flywheel Group, a local development company led by Tony Kuhn, during the recent purchase of parcels at Yadkin Avenue and E. 35th Street. This transaction, which was handled by Commercial Real Estate Associate Holly Bannerman, Counsel Robert Allen and Paralegal Alyssa McLean, was highlighted in the Charlotte Observer article titled, “Parking in NoDa’s already a hassle. A local developer just bought a parking lot there.”

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Corporate Associate Cowden Rayburn was recognized by The MVA Public Service Committee for his contributions within the community and his outstanding commitment to service. Cowden has been helpful in presenting to the Boost Pad cohort over the past several months.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Associate Precious McLaughlin served as a guest speaker for a Southern Politics class at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC on Monday, November 21.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Bankruptcy & Restructuring Member Hillary Crabtree has been invited to speak on a panel discussing Subchapter V of the Bankruptcy Code (governing small business reorganizations in chapter 11) at the annual Caribbean Insolvency Symposium presented by the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the nation’s largest association of insolvency professionals. Hillary’s co-panelists include a prominent bankruptcy judge from the Southern District of Florida, and other leading bankruptcy practitioners. 

The MVA Black Attorney Resource Group (BARG) recently hosted a Black Professionals Networking Mixer to connect and re-connect with Black Professionals across the Charlotte community. Over 30 guests gathered for the event at the Grand Bohemian for cocktails and conversations among attendees.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the firm received national rankings for seven practice areas in the 2023 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms." In addition, the firm garnered 39 Tier 1 rankings among its 53 metropolitan rankings for multiple practices.

MVA is pleased to formally announce the naming of its Civil Rights & Racial Equity Assessments Practice dedicated to conducting public-facing racial equity and other civil rights audits and related confidential, privileged assessments for entities in this evolving arena.

MVA Corporate Associate Tyler Carpenter was recipient of the October Pro Bono Monthly Award by the MVA Public Service Committee for his contributions within the community and his outstanding commitment to service. MVA recently launched its newest pro bono project called the Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses (CLIMB) which offers transactional legal services to entrepreneurs and small businesses in historically under-resourced communities of Charlotte, especially BIPOC, female, LGBTQ+, veteran, and disabled entrepreneurs. In addition to providing direct legal services, CLIMB offers legal education seminars to its community referral partners that includes the Boost Pad small business incubator.  

Moore & Van Allen Member Ed O’Keefe and Senior Counsel John Stoker were quoted in the Global Data Review on October 19 titled, “CFPB lawsuit could limit regulatory power over algorithms”.  The article discusses how a lawsuit challenging the CFPB’s recent broad-ranging approach to claims and reviews of discrimination could whittle the agency’s focus on algorithms leveraged for financial products.

Moore & Van Allen’s client CCP Capital Strategies, a private equity investment firm, and its newly formed CCP affiliate has acquired 100 percent of the equity of Wireless Maritime Services, LLC (“WMS”) from AT&T and Anuvu on October 17.  The primary MVA attorneys assisting in the representation of CCP Capital Strategies on this matter were Members John Evans and Brian Mesibov and Associates Zach Ainsztein, Kathy Clark, Samuel Gilleran, and Natalie Hilmandolar.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership (Charlotte Triage) — developed to expand pro bono services for low-income Charlotte residents — marked its fourth anniversary with CLE training sessions attended by 272 legal and other professionals who learned about Charlotte Triage and participated in training to assist pro bono- clients.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) is pleased to announce that it has been ranked as a “highly recommended” firm for Dispute Resolution and a “recommended” firm for Labor & Employment in North Carolina in the 2023 edition of Benchmark Litigation. This is the 14th consecutive year in which MVA has earned Benchmark recognitions.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Co-head of Litigation and White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations John Fagg was named to Lawdragon’s list of the nation’s “500 Leading Litigators in America.”

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Member Jim McLoughlin was named to Lawdragon’s list of the nation’s “500 Leading Litigators in America.”

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that Sarah Dohoney Byrne, senior counsel in the firm’s Charlotte office and leader of MVA’s Human Trafficking Prevention & Compliance practice, has been named to The American Lawyer magazine’s 2022 list of South Trailblazers.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Firm Chair & Managing Partner Tom Mitchell was quoted in the Charlotte Business Journal article titled, “Return to Office? How Cushman, Crescent and other local employers are meeting challenges, opportunities of workplace changes” which was published on September 23. 

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Senior Counsel Sarah Byrne was engaged by the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research and the Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) Initiative to provide a review and recommendations for the Survivor Inclusion Initiative. The results of that project were released in “Lessons from the Survivor Inclusion Initiative (SII) in the UK, US, and Canada.” The SII is a financial access project launched in September 2019 in the UK, US, and Canada by the Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) Initiative. It is a global financial sector initiative intended to provide support and remedy to survivors of human trafficking.

Congratulations to the following 25 Moore & Van Allen attorneys who have completed 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services in 2021 and are members of the 2021 NC Pro Bono Honor Society.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Litigation Associate Sarah Sheridan served as a guest speaker for a virtual panel to a group of 1L Duke Law students on September 9. Sarah discussed values-driven decision-making, which is a new program designed to help 1L students inventory their core values and make decisions both inside and outside the classroom that are aligned with their values.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) has been ranked at number one on the Triad Business Journal’s Largest N.C. Metro-Area Law Firms list published September 9. MVA is number one with 339 attorneys. Information on The List was supplied by individual firms through questionnaires, emails and phone calls and could not be independently verified by Triad Business Journal.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) is pleased to announce that the following individuals have been ranked in the 32nd edition of IFLR1000 United States. MVA chairman Tom Mitchell was rated as a “highly regarded” banking & finance lawyer in North Carolina, and member Steve Hope was rated as a “highly regarded” M&A lawyer in North Carolina. Member Carolyn Meade was rated as a “notable practitioner” M&A lawyer in North Carolina and counsel Ed Ivey was rated as a “rising star” capital markets: derivatives and capital markets: structured finance and securitisation.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Associate John Lightbourne has been named to The National Law Journal’s 2022 list of Cryptocurrency/Blockchain/Fintech Trailblazers. The National Law Journal’s Trailblazers supplements recognizes professionals who have moved the needle in the legal industry. The legal professionals on this list have made significant contributions in the cryptocurrency, blockchain and fintech industries.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Corporate Member Carolyn Meade provided deal advisory services and legal representation of FranDevCo in the transaction partnership with ABACO, a premier lower middle market private equity firm led by Michael Abdy, with backing from Noah Lowy of the Lowy Family Group. Additionally, MVA Tax Consultant Laura Gray provided tax advice on the transaction.

We at Moore & Van Allen grieve the loss of our friend and partner Ronald S. Melamed, who passed away on August 4, 2022, after living for seven years with pancreatic cancer. Ron carried on with grace and humor. He will be remembered for his inexhaustible spirit and his unwavering positivity in the face of adversity. In this, as in many things, Ron was an example to us all.

The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the nation’s largest association of insolvency professionals, has appointed MVA Bankruptcy & Restructuring Member Luis Lluberas to serve on the Advisory Board for ABI’s annual Caribbean Insolvency Symposium (CIS). The CIS is a longstanding, broadly publicized conference featuring prominent restructuring professionals and judges, focusing on national insolvency issues as well as issues specific to the Caribbean region. The CIS, which alternates yearly between Puerto Rico and Grand Cayman, will take place February 6 – 8, 2023 at the Westin Grand Cayman.  For more information, please visit:  https://www.abi.org/caribbean-insolvency-symposium-7

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Employment & Labor Member John Zaloom was quoted in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article titled, “Distinctions Among Class, Collective and Representative Actions Make a Difference” which was published on August 23.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© has listed 104 MVA attorneys who were highly recommended by their peers. In addition, 11 firm attorneys were named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” and 34 MVA attorneys were selected as Best Lawyers® “Ones to Watch.”

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) Co-head of Privacy & Data Security Member Karin McGinnis and Financial Regulatory Advice & Response Counsel Jonathan Prytherch were interviewed for the Citywire article titled, “How advisors should prepare for new cybersecurity rules” which was published on August 18.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce the arrival of Tracey Easton as senior counsel and a member of the firm’s Commercial Real Estate (CRE) group, based in the Charleston office.

MVA Public Affairs Counsel Leslie Pedernales and Intellectual Property Counsel Ellen Andelman served as presenters for the ACC CLE titled, “Advertising, Copyright, Trademark and Avoiding Trouble,” which was held on August 4. Approximately 95 attendees joined for the discussion on how to spot issues in their marketing team’s efforts, and ultimately help them get to “yes” for the exciting creative they are developing for your company. 

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) has again been ranked as a top legal adviser on syndicated loans. The firm's Finance team ranked in the top tier of Refinitiv Loan Pricing Corporation’s (LPC) first half of 2022 U.S. Law Firm League Tables for representing Lead Arrangers on syndicated loan transactions. For the first half of this year, MVA has advised on 80 syndicated loan transactions, which generated over $61 billion in aggregate gross proceeds and earned the firm a second place position on the league table for all syndicated loans based on number of deals. As further evidence of MVA's ongoing distinction in the secured/leveraged lending market, MVA advised on 40 syndicated leveraged loan transactions, which generated more than $21 billion in aggregate gross proceeds, earning the firm a second place position on the league table specifically for syndicated leveraged loans based on number of deals.

MVA Co-head of White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations Valecia McDowell and Litigation Associate Elena Mitchell were quoted in a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article titled, “Equity Audits Address Racism in the Workplace,” which was published on August 9.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) has been recognized by IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals, a unique guide that identifies the top patent professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe. MVA members Kate Cole, Jeffrey Gray, Chris Knors, Dick Lupo, Kevin Ransom, Nick Russell, Peter Stewart, Todd Taylor, and Mark Wilson were listed as recommended attorneys in their respective practice areas.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that MVA attorneys Charles M. Jordan, Jr. and David B. Wheeler have been named to Charleston Business Magazine’s 2022 Legal Elite listing of top attorneys in the region as recognized by their peers.

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce a major victory for its client, retired Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation CEO Bill Lovette, in a high-profile federal criminal antitrust case brought by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division alleging a multi-year conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices in the national broiler chicken market in violation of the Sherman Act. 

Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that MVA Member Frank E. Schall has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation as among the leading litigators in the United States age 40 and under.

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) attorneys John Fagg, Frank Schall, Jim McLoughlin, Kaitlin Price, and Fielding Huseth were named American Lawyer’s Runners Up for Litigators of the Week for having represented their client who went to trial for a third time on criminal antitrust charges in federal court in Denver.