Ward and Smith Welcomes Attorneys Sean Foerster, Brad Hill, and Kelly Reid

Ward and Smith welcomes the arrival of three experienced attorneys, expanding the firm’s capabilities in business transactions, creditors’ rights, commercial litigation, and regulatory compliance across North and South Carolina.

Sean Foerster joins the Columbia, South Carolina, office, focusing his practice on litigation with particular depth in creditors’ rights, eminent domain, and real estate disputes. He represents banks, lenders, servicers, and title companies in debt recovery and loan collateral matters and works with utilities in condemnation proceedings. His experience extends to contested foreclosures, title insurance claims, commercial lease disputes, and criminal forfeiture of real property through the appellate level. Sean is licensed in South Carolina.

Brad Hill joins the Raleigh, North Carolina, office as a business attorney with experience on both sides of the boardroom table. A former startup executive, Brad counsels clients at every stage of the business life cycle, from formation through exit, on matters including startup capital, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, labor and employment, and tax strategies. He also serves as a general counsel resource for day-to-day legal challenges, drawing on litigation and compliance experience to help clients structure agreements that hold up under pressure. Brad mentors entrepreneurs through organizations such as UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and UNC’s SoftLaunch. Brad is licensed in North Carolina.

Kelly Reid joins the firm’s Asheville, North Carolina, office, where her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, product liability, regulatory compliance, and international trade. She has represented clients in state and federal court, as well as before the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In her regulatory practice, Kelly counsels clients on compliance matters involving the CPSC, FDA, FTC, and other federal and state agencies. Before entering private practice, Kelly served as a judicial clerk for Judge Clifton Newman of the South Carolina Circuit Court. Kelly is licensed in North and South Carolina.

“Brad, Sean, and Kelly each bring a level of depth and real-world perspective that will make an immediate difference for our clients,” said Brad Evans, Co-Managing Director of Ward and Smith. “We are building a team that can meet clients where they are, whether that means guiding a startup through its first financing, resolving a complex dispute, or helping a company navigate a challenging regulatory environment. We are glad to have them on board.”