Ward and Smith, P.A. has been recognized as a "Best Law Firm" by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®.1 U.S. News and Best Lawyers® joined together to survey thousands of law firm clients, leading lawyers, law firm managers, partners, associates, and others involved in the legal profession, asking what factors each considered vital for clients hiring law firms, for lawyers choosing a firm for referral of legal matters, and for lawyers seeking employment. Based on the survey, the publishers ranked nearly 9,000 firms in 81 practice areas.
Firms with the highest overall scores and located in 171 designated "metropolitan areas" are listed in the printed edition of "Best Law Firms." Ward and Smith's metropolitan area offices include Asheville, Raleigh, and Wilmington. Legal services in which Ward and Smith is ranked include:
| Raleigh Metropolitan Area Tier 1 | Raleigh Metropolitan Area Tier 2 | ||
| Banking and Finance Law | Antitrust Law | ||
| Corporate Law | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency | ||
| General Commercial Litigation | and Reorganization Law | ||
| Health Care Law | Construction Law | ||
| Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs | Environmental Law | ||
| Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs | Venture Capital Law | ||
| Trusts & Estates Law | Workers' Compensation Law – Employers | ||
| Wilmington Metropolitan Area Tier 1 | Wilmington Metropolitan Area Tier 2 | ||
| General Commercial Litigation | Construction Law | ||
| Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs | |||
| Asheville Metropolitan Area Tier 2 | |||
| Land Use & Zoning Law | |||
Although U.S. News and Best Lawyers® did not consider Greenville and New Bern as metropolitan areas for purposes of inclusion in the "Best Law Firms" publication, firms in those cities were nevertheless ranked. Ward and Smith's Greenville and New Bern offices received the following rankings:
| Greenville Tier 1 | Greenville Tier 2 | ||
| Banking and Finance Law | Antitrust Law | ||
| Corporate Law | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency | ||
| General Commercial Litigation | and Reorganization Law | ||
| Health Care Law | Construction Law | ||
| Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs | Environmental Law | ||
| Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs | Venture Capital Law | ||
| Trusts & Estates Law | Workers' Compensation Law – Employers | ||
| New Bern Tier 1 |
New Bern Tier 2 |
||
| Banking and Finance Law | Construction Law | ||
| Corporate Law | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency | ||
| General Commercial Litigation |
and Reorganization Law |
||
| Health Care Law |
Construction Law |
||
| Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs |
Environmental Law |
||
| Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs |
Venture Capital Law |
||
| Trusts & Estates Law |
Workers' Compensation Law – Employers |
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1 Please see http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com for a further explanation of the selection process discussed above.
