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Xavier D. Lightfoot
Employment and Personal Injury Attorney
xdlightfoot@wardandsmith.com
919.277.9120 919.277.9177
Post Office Box 33009, Raleigh, NC 27636-3009
Xavier's practice primarily focuses on labor and employment law, serious personal injury and wrongful death, and civil litigation.
As a member of the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group, he regularly advises employers on a wide range of labor and employment law issues, including personnel policies and handbooks, employment discrimination and harassment, employee discipline and termination, drug and alcohol testing, and various wage and hour matters. He has also conducted training presentations and webinars for employers on various COVID-19 employment topics such as workforce reduction, ADA compliance, emergency paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements under the FFCRA, best practices and strategies for employers to return workers to the workplace, and preparation of liability waivers.
In addition, Xavier has experience litigating claims for serious personal injury, including cases involving vehicle accidents, professional malpractice, and premises liability, among other areas. He also represents both corporate and individual clients in a broad range of civil litigation before state and federal courts.
Xavier worked with Ward and Smith as a Summer Associate prior to joining the firm permanently. Additionally, he served as a legal intern with Red Hat and the Local Government Federal Credit Union.
Education
- J.D., cum laude, The North Carolina Central University School of Law, 2019; Managing Editor, Science and Intellectual Property Law Review; Co-Lead, Dean's Ambassadors; Contracts Tutor, Academic Success Fellow; President, Business Law Society; Senior Barrister, Trial Advocacy Board; Outstanding Advocate Award, Region V, 2019 Texas Young Lawyers Association – National Trial Competition; First place, 2019 Willie E. Gary 3L Trial Advocacy Competition; First Place, 2018 Michael F. Easley 2L Trial Advocacy Competition; First Place, 2017 Mary Wright 1L Closing Argument Competition
- BSBA, East Carolina University, 2014
- Diversity and Inclusion Certificate, eCornell, Cornell University, 2021
Honors and Distinctions*
- "Rising Star," Employment & Labor, North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2023
- "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch," Best Lawyers®, 2021-2023
![](/<a%20href="https:/www.bestlawyers.com/firms/ward-and-smith/17871/US"> <img src="https:/www.bestlawyers.com/OTWLogos/ListedFirm/17871/US/3/O.png" title="Ones To Watch - Firm Logo" alt="Ones To Watch - Firm Logo" /> </a>)
Professional and Community Affiliations
- Tenth Judicial District Bar
- Wake County Bar Association
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice – Section: Auto Torts (CLE/conference presenter)
- North Carolina Bar Association – Section: Litigation (YLD Co-Liaison)
- Society for Human Resource Management
- North Carolina Society for Human Resource Management (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair)
- Triangle Society for Human Resource Management
- North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers
- American Constitution Society
Admitted to Practice
- North Carolina, 2019
- All state courts in North Carolina
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina
* Please see the following websites for an explanation of the membership standards for the following recognitions: www.bestlawyers.com; businessnc.com/special-sections/legal-elite/; and www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina.
