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Bio

For more than two decades and in forums across the country, Kelly has been engaged in protecting his clients’ most valuable assets and resolving their most challenging issues. A large part of Kelly’s practice has been devoted to safeguarding his clients’ intellectual property and trade secrets and resolving disputes involving noncompetition and non-solicitation agreements, unfair competition claims, and claims arising under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for local, regional, and international companies ranging in size from start-ups to publicly traded, Fortune 100® firms. In addition to employment and business tort litigation, Kelly routinely represents clients in defending and resolving complex, multi-party commercial matters, regulated investment advisor and broker litigation, and bankruptcy-related litigation.

On a pro bono basis, Kelly has been involved in civil rights and constitutional litigation and international child abduction litigation under the Hague Convention in federal District Courts, the United States Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.

Kelly is licensed to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Kelly spent more than two decades in the commercial litigation and intellectual property groups at Perkins Coie in both Washington, D.C. and Idaho, where he served as the managing partner of that firm’s Boise office. In Winston-Salem, Kelly was a partner at Wall Babcock LLP before joining Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey PLLC.

Bio

Joe brings over 45 years of litigation experience to the firm, most recently as a partner with Wall Babcock LLP and prior, Carruthers & Bailey, P.A., a Winston-Salem-based firm that he founded with Dennis Bailey in 2001. He handles a broad range of litigation matters through trial and appellate review, including medical malpractice defense, business and banking disputes, wrongful death, serious personal injury, and products liability. Joe also is a certified Superior Court Mediator.
 

Joe practiced at the law firm of Bell, Davis & Pitt from 1981 until 2000 Prior to that, he was an associate at Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice from 1977 until 1981.

Joe received a J.D. degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law, and a B.A. degree in political science from Duke University in 1974. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Forsyth County Bar Association, and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys.

Bio

A former Third Circuit law clerk, Chris handles sophisticated litigation and appeals including real estate and contract disputes, trade secrets litigation, constitutional claims, fiduciary litigation, fraudulent transfer cases, and shareholder and partnership disputes.

In 2024, Chris successfully briefed and argued an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit involving a novel issue of employment law. Chris briefed and argued an appeal to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit in 2025 that resulted in a highly favorable opinion preventing manufacturers from discharging future mass tort liability.

In addition to his federal court practice, Chris regularly appears in North Carolina’s state courts including, in 2025, a multi-million-dollar commercial foreclosure action and a protracted multi-jurisdiction litigation involving billions of dollars of healthcare and insurance fraud.

Clients seek Chris’ advice on a variety of business-related matters that require both sophisticated legal expertise and deep knowledge of the underlying business context.

Chris lives in a house on a river with his wife, four kids, two dogs, and nine chickens.