Ed West defends clients in white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, regulatory inquiries, professional licensing board matters and complex civil litigation.
Ed is an experienced criminal trial lawyer in both state and federal courts. He has handled investigations of companies and individuals by a myriad of state and federal agencies.
He has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in Business North Carolina's "Legal Elite" in the area of criminal law from 2015-2018.
Ed has advised and represented clients on a wide range of civil litigation in state and federal courts, including "qui tam" and "whistleblower" actions.
With others in the firm, he recently successfully defended the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation in a defamation suit in federal district court. Ed has been selected for inclusion in the 2017 and 2018 editions of The Best Lawyers in America© in the area of Litigation and Controversy - Tax.
Ed has been selected for inclusion in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© in the area of Litigation and Controversy - Tax. He has defended clients in Internal Revenue Service investigations involving tax evasion, failure to file, filing false returns, failure to collect, fraud and false statements, filing fraudulent returns and structuring. He and others in the firm have experience advising individuals with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTCA).
He has also represented North Carolina taxpayers and businesses under investigation and audit for failure to file, tax evasion, and embezzlement of funds by a public trustee regarding sales tax by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
Ed advises professionals and practices facing matters before licensing boards. He has advised and represented individuals with matters involving the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Medical Board, North Carolina Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners, North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors, North Carolina Real Estate Commission, North Carolina Irrigation Contractors Licensing Board, North Carolina Nursing Board, and North Carolina Social Work Licensing Board.
He is panel defense counsel for Lawyers Mutual of North Carolina.
Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Commercial Litigation (2018) and Tax Litigation and Controversy (2017-2018)
Recognized by his peers for inclusion in Business North Carolina's "Legal Elite" in Criminal Defense (2015-2018)
Recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) for Criminal Defense (2018)
Received an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell
Vice-Chair, Board of Advisors, Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest, Hampden-Sydney College (2017-present); Member (2015-present)
Member, Southeastern Economic Development Commission (2013-2017)
Chair, Board of Directors, The Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County (2016-2017); Member (2013-present)
Chairman, Board of Directors, New Horizons Elementary School (2013-2015)
Member, White Collar Crime Committee, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2011-present)
Past Chair and Council Member, Criminal Justice Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2006-2007)
Past Member, National Association of Corporate Directors (2009-2010)
Past Council Member, Corporate Counsel Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2009-2010)
Past Member, New Hanover County Schools Advisory Council on Education of Children with Special Needs (2008-2010)
Presenter, "The Lawyer as Crisis Manager," UNC School of Law Festival of Legal Learning, February 2018
Co-presenter (with Julia Ambrose), "Ethics Update for In-House Counsel: Litigation, Investigations and Management," Association of Corporate Counsel event, December 2017 (repeated for ACC Triad Chapter, March 2018)
