Brooks Pierce partners Beth Langley and Ed West have been recognized by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly as two of its “2020 North Carolina Leaders in the Law.”
The award honors legal professionals licensed and practicing law in the state of North Carolina who have gone above and beyond in their profession and their community. Honorees are selected by a panel of independent legal professional leaders and peers based on professional accomplishment and community involvement.
Langley has over 25 years of experience representing businesses in employment litigation in state and federal courts and administrative proceedings, including discrimination matters, civil rights, executive compensation disputes, non-competition agreements and trade secret protection. She counsels employers of all sizes in an array of employment law issues including regulatory and statutory compliance, litigation avoidance and dispute resolution. Langley has been recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers in Employment & Labor Law (2009-2020) including being named one of Top 50 Women Attorneys (2012-2013, 2019); selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Labor and Employment and Employment Law-Management (2014-2021), recognized by her peers for inclusion in Business North Carolina's “Legal Elite” in Employment Law (2004-2020), named one of North Carolina Lawyer's Weekly “Women of Justice” (2019) and recognized as a "Labor and Employment Star" by Benchmark Litigation (2020). She was also named to the Triad Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business in 2017.
West is an experienced criminal trial lawyer in both state and federal courts. He has represented companies and individuals under investigation by a myriad of state and federal agencies. He also advises and represents professionals before disciplinary and licensing boards. His work has been recognized by numerous organizations including being selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Commercial Litigation (2018-2021), Tax Litigation and Controversy (2017-2021), and Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2019-2021); being chosen for inclusion in Business North Carolina's “Legal Elite” in Criminal Defense (2015-2020); and being recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) for Criminal Defense (2018-2020).
