Meeting/Event Information

2023 Attorney Panel

Please join us for one of our most popular programs of the year, the Attorney Panel. This program provides members with answers to their employment related legal questions. The Panel will respond to questions on current topics. Please note we have extended this event by 30 minutes to allow for additional Q&A so don't forget to bring your questions!  Email questions in advance to [email protected].

This year our panel will include:

Dalton Green, Attorney with Ogletree Deakins, has exclusively represented employers for nearly twenty years, . Dalton counsels employers on all aspects of employment law, including hiring and termination practices, policy and handbook drafting, discrimination/EEOC claims, wrongful termination under the North Carolina Retaliatory Discrimination Act (REDA) and Title VII, wage and hour disputes (FLSA), and unemployment claims.  She has also represented numerous employers and insurance carriers in discrimination claims before administrative agencies (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor) and in state and federal courts. In addition, Dalton has represented employers and insurance carriers in workers’ compensation claims before the North Carolina Industrial Commission and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Dalton has a special interest in the intersection of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) with workers’ compensation laws, often referred to as “the Bermuda Triangle” of liability. Her experience in both employment practices liability and in the workers’ compensation arena make her uniquely qualified to address these issues. She has presented at seminars advising employers on how to avoid and defend against potential litigation and routinely counsels clients on such matters.  Dalton is also a past Board Member and past President of the LCFHRA.

Will Oden, an attorney with Ward and Smith, P.A., has practice experience that encompasses various areas of employment and workplace-related counseling and civil litigation in both the federal and
state courts at the trial and appellate levels. He regularly represents employers and employees before the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL), the North Carolina Industrial Commission (NCIC), the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security (DES), and federal and state wage and hour divisions. He is a frequent lecturer and advises clients on a wide range of personnel issues, including Title VII, Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act, and Fair Labor Standards
Act.
Additionally, Will serves as a mediator and has been certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission since 2013 He has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) since 2008 and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).  The Safety and Health Council of North Carolina and North Carolina Department of Labor have certified Will as a Manager of Environmental Safety and Health Programs (MESH).  He also is a certified mediator.  Will is a past Board Member and past President of the LCFHRA.

Devon D. Williams, one of Ward & Smith's Managing Directors, whose practice encompasses a wide range of labor and employment issues, including wage and hour matters, federal contractor compliance, employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, employee discipline and termination decisions, personnel policies and practices, restrictive covenants, and background checks. Devon regularly counsels HR executives and C-suite officers, navigating them through the many state and federal requirements for employers with the aim of helping clients avoid costly litigation and improve workplace relations. In addition to offering clients proactive solutions to avoid costly litigation, Devon routinely dives in to handle complex employment litigation matters, including defending FLSA Collective Actions, wage and hour class actions, Medicare Secondary Payer Act claims, discrimination and harassment lawsuits, breach of contract, and other legal matters arising out of the employment or quasiemployment relationship. In matters relating to employee benefits, she concentrates on issues confronting welfare benefit plans (such as medical, dental, and other plans) and their sponsors, including the provisions and impact of the Affordable Care Act. 

As a member of the firm's Hemp Law practice group, Devon regularly assists clients in the agribusiness, hemp and CBD industries navigate the complexities of ever-changing labor and employment laws impacting their business, including helping clients ensure proper protection for their confidential and proprietary information. She also advises clients in other industries on the novel issues triggered by the legalization of hemp and CBD, particularly as it relates to traditional forms of drug testing and compliance with various state and federal drug testing requirements. 

Devon is also a member of the firm's E-Discovery, Employee Benefits, Employment Litigation, Health Care, In-House Counsel, LGBTQ+ and EEO Handbook Policies Review, Litigation, Outdoor Sports and Recreation, and Workplace Safety and Health practice group. 

Avery J. Locklear,  Attorney at Ward & Smith, has a diverse practice that focuses on labor and employment law.  She helps businesses of all sizes, as well as individual employers and human resources professionals. Avery is committed to finding practical, efficient solutions to the challenges that employers face every day.

Avery is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law. While attending, she was highly involved on campus, serving as President of Women in Law, Vice President of both Carolina Law Ambassador and Law Students Against Sexual Domestic Violence, working as an Innocence Project case manager, and completing more than 100 hours of pro bono
service.

Prior to joining Ward and Smith full-time, Avery worked as a Summer Associate. 

Benton Toups, a partner in the Wilmington office of Cranfill Sumner.  Benton concentrates on representing businesses in all aspects of Labor and Employment Law.  He has extensive experience assisting employers with claims of harassment and discrimination under Title VII, the ADA, the NC Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act (REDA), as well as claims for unpaid wages and overtime pursuant to the FLSA and NC Wage and Hour Act.  Benton also represents clients in business disputes and commercial litigation matters and is a certified mediator.

Nicole Patino, Attorney at the Law Offices of L. Nicole Patino.  Nicole regularly advises and represents businesses and employees with employment and labor issues and claims, including NLRB and ERISA matters, handbook drafting and revisions, employment agreements, severance packages, and claims under Title VII.  She also regularly represents supervisors and managers when they are sued in the course and scope of their employment. Prior to law school, Nicole worked as a substance abuse counselor and uses that experience in practice, interpreting medical records, evaluating emotional distress damages, and assessing the credibility of witnesses. She is the President of the Greensboro Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, is a Board member of Piedmont Triad Women Attorneys, is the Legislative Chair for the Lower Cape Fear Human Resources Association, and is active with the Greensboro Bar Association.  Nicole served as the Legislative Chair for the LCFHRA in 2019 & 2020, 2022 and is returning for 2023.