Christopher S. Edwards

Christopher S. Edwards


Ward and Smith, P.A.

Recognized since 2022

Wilmington, North Carolina

Practice Areas

Appellate Practice

Commercial Litigation

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Chris is an appellate attorney who focuses his practice on complex legal issues in both federal and state courts of appeals. A North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice, Chris has handled both civil and criminal appeals raising a wide variety of legal issues. To take a few examples, he has handled appeals in constitutional litigation, child custody litigation, employment litigation, equitable distribution litigation, estate litigation, municipal litigation, patent litigation, personal injury litigation, tax litigation, trade secrets litigation, and unfair competition litigation. All told, since joining the firm in 2018, Chris has presented more than a dozen oral arguments in state and federal courts, and he has been the primary author of more than 30 appellate briefs.

As an appellate attorney, Chris also works with trial counsel before a final judgment has been entered. In this capacity, he drafts and argues significant motions, consults on legal strategy, and works to set the case up for a successful appeal.

Before joining Ward and Smith, Chris was a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee of the Fourth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan of the Eastern District of North Carolina. Outside of the firm, Chris is an active member of the appellate bar, administering the N.C. Bar Association’s Appellate Pro Bono Program and serving on its Appellate Rules Committee.

Location
  • University Corporate Center
    127 Racine Drive
    P.O. Box 7068
    Wilmington, NC 28406-7068
Education
  • Wake Forest University, B.A., graduated 2011
  • Wake Forest University, J.D., graduated 2014
Bar Admissions
  • North Carolina, North Carolina Bar Association, 2014
Affiliations
  • Wilmington Chamber of Commerce - Ambassador
  • North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program - Member
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Appellate Section, Pro Bono Committee Chair; Young Lawyers Division, Executive Council; Appellate Rules Committee; Antitrust and Complex Business Disputes, YLD Liaison
  • Fourth Circuit's Criminal Justice Act Appellate Panel - Member
  • Federal Bar Association - Member
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2021
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2017
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina, 2018
  • North Carolina, 2014

Ward and Smith, P.A.
Headquarters: New Bern, North Carolina

55 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

13 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

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Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2025 for work in:
  • Appellate Practice
  • Commercial Litigation
Awards:
  • North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice
  • Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout
  • NC Attorney Pro Bono Honor Society Inductee, NC Pro Bono Resource Center, 2021, 2020

  • Leadership Wilmington, Class of 2020

  • "Legal Elite," Young Guns, Business North Carolina, 2022

  • "40 & Under List," Benchmark Litigation, 2022, 202

  • The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers®, 2020-2024

  • "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, Appellate, 2023-2024

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Publications

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