Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Tom has been recognized by Best Lawyers, and his practice focuses primarily on closely held businesses and investment vehicles. He represents investors, borrowers and lenders in a range of complex transactions including debt and equity investments, financing, mergers and acquisitions and representing private equity funds.
• Business Disputes
• Business Transactions
  Prior to joining Schell Bray, Ms. Alderman was Vice President of Commercial Transactions and in-house counsel for Investors Title Insurance Company. There, she was responsible for establishing and managing the company’s commercial transactions department, overseeing the placement and acceptance of reinsurance, and drafting and negotiating agreements in connection with reverse tax deferred exchanges for a company affiliate in its capacity as exchange accommodation titleholder.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Ms. Christy has negotiated and prepared organizational documents for partnerships, limited liability companies, joint ventures, special purpose entities, real estate funds and other types of ownership entities.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Holly Alderman focuses her practice on commercial real estate matters and typically represents local, regional and national retail, residential, restaurant, office and mixed-use development clients in the assemblage, acquisition, development, leasing, financing and disposition of properties. Ms. Alderman also has a wide range of experience in preparing the legal infrastructure for residential communities and retail developments, including property owners’ association documents, declarations of restrictive covenants, condominium declarations and sales contracts. She has represented lenders and borrowers in connection with acquisition and construction loans and the work-out of distressed loans.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Barbara Christy’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions. She assists clients in all aspects of the acquisition and disposition of commercial real property, including preparation of contracts, due diligence, review and negotiation of loan documents, examination of title, 1031 exchange issues and closing. Ms. Christy has extensive experience with multi-family and shopping center properties, but has closed virtually every type of commercial property, including undeveloped lots, office buildings and senior living facilities. In connection with these transactions, she has represented borrowers in obtaining a wide variety of financing, including conventional, securitized, mezzanine and Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae loans.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Jesse R. Offchiss focuses his practice on assisting individuals and families with all aspects of the estate planning process, with the goal of helping clients protect what they have built over a lifetime of work and minimizing the tax liability brought on by inheritance.
• Wills
  Jennifer has been recognized by both Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. She counsels clients on issues ranging from simple wills and powers of attorney to very complex estate planning and wealth preservation techniques, including GRATs, LLCs, complex charitable planning, and succession planning for family-owned businesses.
• Trusts
  Jesse also guides families through the process of estate and trust administration and is committed to providing personalized and compassionate legal services to each and every client. He understands that the probate process can be emotional and stressful in the wake of the loss of a loved one, and strives to make the process as smooth as possible.
• Power of Attorney
  Amy has been recognized by both Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers. She is an experienced trusts and estates attorney who focuses on tax planning and asset protection planning. She counsels on a wide variety of estate planning and tax issues, including simple and complex charitable giving, multigenerational planning, family limited liability companies, power of attorney matters and income taxation of estates and trusts.
• Probate
  Bristol is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the North Carolina State Board of Legal Specialization.  At Piedmont Trust Company, she was Senior Trust Officer and on the leadership team. Prior to her work with Piedmont Trust Company, she was in private practice, specializing in estate, trust and charitable planning, and estate and trust administration.

Finance Law

• Tax Law
  Kristin also has significant experience with private client matters. She advises high net worth individuals, their family offices and their enterprises on federal, state and local income tax, transfer tax and other legal matters, and has particular expertise in the international tax aspects of these matters. She frequently advises trustees, beneficiaries, and grantors on cross-border trust operations. Kristin counsels individuals regarding US tax residency and global taxation considerations, pre-immigration and post-residency tax planning, and the tax implications of relinquishing US citizenship or green cards. Kristin helps US persons investing or doing business across borders through the maze of foreign information reporting requirements and alphabet soup of US tax regimes (PFIC, CFC, GILTI, etc.).