Ward and Smith, P.A. is pleased to welcome James E. Creekman, Edward R. Ergenzinger, Ph.D., and William E. Martin to its Raleigh office.
Mr. Creekman joined the Firm's Financial Institutions Practice Group. In 1988, he disengaged from the private practice of law and accepted a senior management position with a local savings bank. When that bank was acquired by First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company in 1991, Mr. Creekman moved to Raleigh and assumed the newly-created position of in-house counsel. Until 2012, Mr. Creekman served as the senior in-house counsel for First Citizens Bank supporting the delivery of its financial products and services throughout the organization and, beginning in 2007, serving as its corporate secretary. Mr. Creekman is well‑versed in the laws and regulations governing financial institutions. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Ergenzinger is a member of the Firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group. He is a registered patent attorney whose practice encompasses a range of intellectual property matters, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Dr. Ergenzinger has worked with a variety of corporate and university clients, from small start-ups, to the biotechnology division of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, to in-house experience as Director of Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs for the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. Dr. Ergenzinger earned his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law, and his Ph.D. and B.A. from Wake Forest University.
Mr. Martin has been an attorney with Ward and Smith for nearly 12 years as a member of the Real Estate Practice Group and is the leader of the Firm's Financial Transactions and Regulation Practice Group. His practice experience includes the representation of lending institutions, companies, individuals, and community associations in a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate matters. Mr. Martin is relocating to the Raleigh office as the Firm enhances its ability to serve clients' complex real estate and financial transactions needs in the Triangle. He received his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law and his B.A. from Wake Forest University. Mr. Martin was an Associate Professor at Campbell Law School from 1976-1983.
