General Information

Year founded: 1895
This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.
Logo for Ward and Smith, P.A.

Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

Ward and Smith, P.A. is the successor to a practice founded in 1895. Our core values of client satisfaction, reliability, responsiveness, and teamwork are the standards that define who we are as a law firm. Ward and Smith ensures that your legal matters are handled with attentive intelligence by attorneys and staff who work together to build meaningful relationships with our clients. We do this by being knowledgeable in more than 30 practice areas, providing efficient results, and effectively using technology. We are your established legal network with offices located in Asheville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, and Wilmington.

Ward and Smith is committed to building and maintaining relationships with every client because we understand that every client has unique needs. We work to become fully acquainted with the management style and operations of our clients. This enables us to provide timely and effective legal services. Our attorneys are dedicated to providing frequent and full communication to our clients with respect to pending and anticipated legal issues that may affect them. We advocate a proactive and preventive approach to our clients' legal issues so that through proper planning and maintenance our clients can avoid legal difficulties and costs. We believe that this approach provides our clients with responsive, high-quality, and cost-effective legal services.

At Ward and Smith, we work seamlessly as a single team by drawing on attorneys from different practice groups who are best qualified to address clients' problems. The Firm has a strategic objective that at least two attorneys will have extensive, in-depth experience in each area of the law. This assures our clients that their distinct needs always are handled by someone with experience in their matters.

Our Firm is dedicated to leveraging technology and achieving a collaborative environment which fosters growth, innovation, and productivity. Ward and Smith's award-winning business intake process exemplifies its dedication to business process efficiency. We invest in industry best practices and software solutions which enable us to practice optimally. Our Firm adheres to best practices and mitigates risks through the use of leading edge technologies including risk management, records, and case management solutions. Furthermore, Ward and Smith proactively engages in the advancement of technology initiatives through its Technology Advisory Committee comprised of attorneys and key administrative personnel. Investments in cloud technology solutions, videoconferencing, and a robust infrastructure enable legal solutions to be obtained from any of our five offices, offering clients the advantage of an enterprise of legal experts. Our courtroom presentation technology has helped to achieve favorable results for clients and has won praise from our opponents. Mobile solutions supporting all smartphones and tablets ensure our attorneys can maintain constant contact with clients and access work product while out of the office.

Ward and Smith is a full-service law firm. Our dedication to the practice of law and commitment to each and every client is our collective mission and we believe it is what sets us apart from other law firms. We welcome the opportunity to be your first choice for legal services.

Rankings

Ward and Smith, P.A. is metro ranked in 28 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

Metro Rankings

Asheville
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 2 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 2 for Family Law

Rankings

Regional Rankings

Asheville
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 2 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 2 for Family Law
Tier 2 for Tax Law
Tier 2 for Trusts and Estates
Raleigh
Tier 1 for Antitrust Law
Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Construction
Tier 1 for Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
Tier 1 for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Tier 1 for Trademark Law
Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law
Tier 2 for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Tier 2 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 2 for Corporate Law
Tier 2 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Tier 2 for Health Care Law
Tier 2 for Litigation - Bankruptcy
Tier 2 for Litigation - Intellectual Property
Tier 2 for Real Estate Law
Tier 3 for Construction Law
Tier 3 for Copyright Law
Tier 3 for Employment Law - Management
Tier 3 for Tax Law
Wilmington-NC
Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation
Tier 1 for Construction Law
Tier 1 for Corporate Law
Tier 1 for Environmental Law
Tier 1 for Family Law
Tier 1 for Litigation - Construction
Tier 1 for Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Tier 1 for Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
Tier 1 for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Tier 1 for Real Estate Law
Tier 1 for Trusts and Estates
Tier 2 for Health Care Law
Tier 2 for Land Use and Zoning Law
Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Tier 2 for Litigation - Real Estate
Tier 2 for Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law
  • Antitrust Law
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Community Association Law
  • Construction Law
  • Copyright Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Family Law
  • Financial Services Regulation Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Litigation - Bankruptcy
  • Litigation - Construction
  • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
  • Litigation - Patent
  • Litigation - Real Estate
  • Litigation - Securities
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Patent Law
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
  • Real Estate Law
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law
  • Tax Law
  • Timber Law
  • Trademark Law
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®

Ward and Smith, P.A. has 55 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Ward and Smith, P.A. eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.
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Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.
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Awards

Awards are self-reported by firms and are not verified by the Best Law Firms rankings.
  • Chambers USA
  • Benchmark Litigation
  • Super Lawyers
  • Legal Elite
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Best Law Firm Rankings

Main Location

New Bern, NC
1001 College Court
P.O. Box 867
New Bern, NC 28563-0867
United States
252-672-5400 Call our New Bern, NC location at 252-672-5400 Get Directions Get directions to our New Bern, NC location

Office Locations

Asheville, NC
82 Patton Avenue, Suite 300
P.O. Box 2020
Asheville, NC 28802-2020
United States
828-348-6070 Call our Asheville, NC location at 828-348-6070 Get Directions Get directions to our Asheville, NC location
Greenville, NC
120 West Fire Tower Road
P.O. Box 8088
Greenville, NC 27835-8088
United States
252-215-4000 Call our Greenville, NC location at 252-215-4000 Get Directions Get directions to our Greenville, NC location
Raleigh, NC
751 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 300
P.O. Box 33009
Raleigh, NC 27636-3009
United States
919-277-9100 Call our Raleigh, NC location at 919-277-9100 Get Directions Get directions to our Raleigh, NC location
Wilmington, NC
University Corporate Center
127 Racine Drive
P.O. Box 7068
Wilmington, NC 28406-7068
United States
910-794-4800 Call our Wilmington, NC location at 910-794-4800 Get Directions Get directions to our Wilmington, NC location
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