Dysart Willis is pleased to announce that seasoned attorney Drew Nelson has joined the firm. Drew will primarily lead the firm’s Appellate Practice area and represent clients before the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and in the federal appellate courts, including the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He will also assist and advise the firm’s attorneys on other litigation and administrative matters.
Drew was born and raised in Wilmington, NC. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Drew graduated, with honors, as a joint-degree student from the UNC School of Law and Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. He served as an Executive Editor of the North Carolina Law Review while at UNC-Law.
After graduating from law school, Drew worked as a litigation attorney and served as an Assistant General Counsel at North Carolina State University. At NC State, Drew advised the University concerning litigation and liability issues, and represented the University during the termination of a high-profile faculty member. Most recently, he was with the Raleigh firm Epstein Sherlin.
Founding partner Ryan Willis is excited to again work with Drew; the two were partners at Willis Johnson & Nelson prior to Willis’ departure to form Dysart Willis in 2016. “Drew’s exceptional ability to research and argue complicated criminal justice issues will be an immediate asset for the firm. Drew’s appellate experience compliments our firm’s state and federal criminal defense practice, allowing Dysart Willis to truly be full-service,” noted Willis. Drew’s past experience as an Assistant General Counsel at NC State was also especially attractive to the firm.
Drew has argued multiple cases before the Supreme Court of North Carolina and the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and has taught appellate practice courses as an adjunct professor.
Located in Raleigh, NC, Dysart Willis serves clients across the state in serious criminal cases and across the country in complex antitrust matters, Grand Jury investigations, and federal criminal litigation. The firm also represents college students and employees facing Title IX and disciplinary matters, which often have parallel criminal proceedings.