Devon D. Williams

Devon D. Williams


Ward and Smith, P.A.

Recognized since 2024

Raleigh, North Carolina

Practice Areas

Employment Law - Management

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Devon is one of the firm's Managing Directors. Her 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 quasi-employment 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 groups.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 751 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 300
    P.O. Box 33009
    Raleigh, NC 27636-3009
Education
  • University of Maryland, B.S., graduated 2009
  • Campbell University, J.D., graduated 2012
Bar Admissions
  • North Carolina, North Carolina Bar Association, 2012
Affiliations
  • Triangle Benefits Forum - Member
  • Society for Human Resource Management - Member
  • Ronald McDonald House of Durham - Member, Development Committee
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Chair, Career Services Task Force
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Member — Division: Young Lawyers
  • North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys - Member
  • Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce - Member, Young Professionals Network
Court Admissions
  • United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina
  • North Carolina, 2012

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 The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Employment Law - Management
Awards:
  • "Labor and Employment Star," Benchmark Litigation, 2018, 2019, 2020
  • "40 & Under List," Benchmark Litigation, 2018-2023
  • "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, Young Guns, 2019, 2020-2021

  • "Power List," Business North Carolina, 2021-2023
  • "Rising Star," North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2019-2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers®, 2024
  • "Power List: Managing Directors to Watch," NC Lawyers Weekly, 2023
  • "Legal Elite," Business North Carolina, Employment, 2020-2024

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Publications

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