Ryal W. Tayloe

Ryal W. Tayloe


Ward and Smith, P.A.

Recognized since 2009

Wilmington, North Carolina

Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation

Construction Law

Litigation - Construction

Litigation - Real Estate

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Litigation - Construction
Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Litigation - Construction Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2021 - Litigation - Construction
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Ryal is an experienced litigator. He has handled a wide range of litigation cases in state and federal courts, many of them jury trials. Ryal has extensive construction law experience, including lien law, federal and state bond claims, and defective workmanship cases. He also has significant experience with agribusiness litigation, property owner association disputes, personal injury, and all types of real estate disputes, including title insurance claims, trespass, adverse possession, condemnation, easement rights, and wrongful timber cutting. Ryal has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law.

Ryal is a frequent speaker on a variety of legal topics. Most recently, he spoke at a seminar entitled "Contemporary Topics in Water/Wastewater Construction" hosted by the North Carolina Section of the American Water Works Association (NC AWWA) and The North Carolina Member Association of the Water Environment Federation (NC WEA) in Wilmington on December 6, 2016. His presentation covered Construction Performance Bonds, which included Performance and Maintenance Bonds for Water and Wastewater Projects and Subdivision Development Bonds that ensure infrastructure in a proposed residential subdivision will be properly and completely installed.

Contact & Links
Location
  • University Corporate Center
    127 Racine Drive
    P.O. Box 7068
    Wilmington, NC 28406-7068
Education
  • Wake Forest University, J.D., graduated 1982
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AB, graduated 1979
Bar Admissions
  • North Carolina, 1982
Affiliations
  • * Please see the following websites for an explanation of the membership standards for the following recognitions: - www.bestlawyers.com; businessnc.com/special-sections/legal-elite/; and www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina.
  • American Board of Trial Advocates - Member
  • International Right of Way Association - Member
  • North Carolina Bar Association - Sections: Construction Law; Litigation
  • North Carolina Land Title Association - Member
  • Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association - Member
Court Admissions
  • All state courts in North Carolina
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
  • United States Supreme Court

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

Best Law Firms Badge Visit Website View Firm Profile

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Litigation - Construction Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2021 - Litigation - Construction
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Litigation - Construction, Wilmington, NC (2025)
  • Litigation - Construction, Wilmington, NC (2021)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction Law
  • Litigation - Construction
  • Litigation - Real Estate
Special Focus:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
Awards:
  • "Lawyer of the Year," Best Lawyers®, 2021
  • "Legal Elite," Construction, Business North Carolina, 2022-2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2009-2024
  • "Super Lawyer," North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2013-2024
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation

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Publications

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