Brad Evans Elected President-Elect of NCBA

Brad Evans, Co-Managing Director of Ward and Smith, has been elected president-elect of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA).

The election took place during the NCBA’s Annual Meeting, held June 25–27 in Charlotte.

Evans will serve as president-elect of the 2026-2027 NCBA and the North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF) before being installed as president at next year’s annual meeting, a role that will make him the official head of one of the state’s largest voluntary organizations for legal professionals.

“North Carolina has an exceptional legal community, and the Bar Association is at the heart of it,” said Evans. “I’m grateful for the confidence my colleagues have placed in me, and I’m committed to building on the strong foundation that those who came before me have established.”

“Brad’s election to this position is a reflection of the trust and respect he has earned across North Carolina’s legal community,” said Devon Williams, Co-Managing Director of Ward and Smith. “He brings the same commitment to excellence and service to the NCBA that he brings to our clients and our firm every day.”

A litigator based in the firm’s Greenville office, Evans focuses his practice on complex commercial, intellectual property, business, estate, and professional licensing disputes. He regularly represents contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in construction litigation in state and federal courts, and has handled numerous matters involving trade secret misappropriation and intellectual property infringement.

Evans has a deep history of service within the NCBA. He has served on the NCBA Board of Governors, held the role of board liaison for the NCBA Construction Law Section, and most recently served on the NCBA Nominations Committee. His bar association leadership complements a distinguished record of professional recognition that includes consistent inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, North Carolina Super Lawyers, where he has been named to the Top 100 list, and Benchmark Litigation’s Litigation Stars.

In 2023, Evans was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates, an honor reserved for experienced trial lawyers. He is also a certified mediator with the North Carolina Supreme Court and a former judicial law clerk for the Honorable Malcolm J. Howard of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

As Co-Managing Director, Evans has helped lead Ward and Smith through a period of significant growth, bringing the firm to more than 120 attorneys across offices in Asheville, Greenville, Morehead City, New Bern, Raleigh, Wilmington, and, as of last fall, an expansion to Columbia, SC.