Kerry Shad Packs a Punch to Land on North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Power List

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly has named Smith Anderson attorney Kerry Shad to its inaugural Employment Law 2021 Power List.

"Described by her colleagues as a powerful litigator who is called on to solve companies' most pressing problems, Kerry Shad is also considered a trusted, collegial and well-respected attorney in state and national legal communities," NCLW says. Among Kerry’s many career highlights, she has successfully represented leading employers before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state and local fair employment practices commissions across the country regarding investigations of single claimant and class allegations.

The NCLW Power List honors attorneys who are well-versed in their respective practices. They know nuances of case law and the statutes and regulations clients will encounter, and they think creatively while identifying all options for a client. They are lawyers to whom other attorneys make referrals because of their expertise and accomplishments. They are professional and collegial in their interactions with other members of the judicial branch, and other attorneys contact them for their own legal assistance.

Kerry co-leads Smith Anderson’s Employment Litigation practice and advises companies of all sizes, including global companies. She works on United States Department of Labor wage and hour investigations and was part of the defense team that successfully represented GlaxoSmithKline in a case that went to the Supreme Court with a favorable defense ruling.

Earlier this year, Benchmark Litigation named Kerry as a Top 250 Women in Litigation, and within and outside the firm, Kerry is known as a leader and advocate, serving as co-chair of Smith Anderson’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She has spent her entire legal career at Smith Anderson and credits the honest relationships with her colleagues that have led them to elect her in a leadership role each year since she became partner in 1999.

"Employment law is all about people, at their best and at their worst," Kerry said. "Employment-related disputes can be full of drama and chaos, and I like bringing a sense of calm and order to whatever is happening and work to solve the problem in a way that allows everyone to move forward and beyond whatever created the dispute in the first place."

NCLW subscribers can see the entire Power List special section here.

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly is the state’s leading weekly legal newspaper reporting news, court opinions, verdicts and settlements and other issues of importance for North Carolina’s legal community.