News + Insights

Stay Ready So You Don't Have to Get Ready: Initial Tips to Navigating OSHA Inspections

Written By Justin T. Hill

As maximum Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") penalties continue to increase on an annual basis, the importance of being prepared for an OSHA inspection should be a growing priority for businesses. …

Budget Stalemates, Helene Relief and Shrimp Trawling: The Themes that Shaped the 2025 Long Session of the NC General Assembly

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen and Marley H. Peterson

The North Carolina General Assembly entered the 2025 Long Session in January, motivated to enact additional Hurricane Helene relief and a new state budget. Lawmakers successfully enacted two substantial Helene relief pack…

Ward and Smith's Appellate Specialist Chris Edwards Contributed to a Key North Carolina Supreme Court Amicus Brief

Ward and Smith recently contributed to an amicus brief filed in the North Carolina Supreme Court on behalf of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) in Cottle v. Mankin. This case represents the type of substanti…

Greenville’s Ultimate Football Kickoff: Food, Music, and Impact

Greenville is set for the Ultimate Pre-Game Party on Friday, September 5, 2025—a high-energy celebration ahead of ECU’s first home game that supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain. The festiv…

What to Do When Someone Steals Your Trade Secrets: A North Carolina Business Owner's Action Plan

Written By Isabelle M. Chammas, Angela P. Doughty, CIPP/US, AIGP, and Gavin B. Parsons

Your worst nightmare has become a reality: A former employee has taken your confidential information to a competitor. Maybe you've noticed unusual patterns in lost business, or perhaps another employee tipped you off abou…

Will Oden Named to NC Lawyers Weekly Employment Law Power List for Second Year

Ward and Smith is proud to announce that Wilmington-based labor and employment attorney Will Oden has been named to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Employment Law Power List for the second consecutive year. This yea…