Six New Attorneys Bring Diverse Backgrounds and Skill Sets to Smith Anderson

(Raleigh, N.C.) Smith Anderson, the largest law firm in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area, has welcomed six attorneys to the firm since January. The newest additions will carry forward the firm’s growth of key practice areas, including life sciences, mergers and acquisitions, finance, health care and trusts and estates.

Ansley Chapman Cella is a new partner in the firm’s Trusts and Estates group and has assisted closely-held business owners and high-net-worth individuals with estate planning matters for over twenty years. Cella advises on tax and non-tax aspects of lifetime and post-mortem wealth transfers, business succession, asset protection and charitable planning.

Prior to joining Smith Anderson, Cella practiced trusts and estates law at a Raleigh law firm. She received her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She also obtained a Master of Laws degree, which provided her advanced, specialized legal training in estate planning, and that allows her to work in a multinational legal environment.

Victoria “Tory” Hartmann advises private and public biotechnology and technology companies in various aspects of corporate law, with an emphasis on licensing transactions. Her biotechnology sector experience includes drafting and negotiating collaboration agreements, commercialization agreements, research services agreements, co-promotion agreements and manufacturing and supply agreements.

Prior to joining Smith Anderson, Hartmann practiced corporate law in the Boston office of an international law firm. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Olivia N. Jamrog received her law degree from the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and has spent her career thus far performing pro bono work. At Smith Anderson, Jamrog will assist clients with commercial financing and represent borrowers and lenders. Most recently, Jamrog served as an intake coordinator for Justice for Military Families, which assists families of service members who have passed away. She has served as clerk for the Cambridge Crown Court.

Tricia McNeill has joined the firm’s Finance group. Before joining Smith Anderson, McNeill practiced in the Charlotte office of an international law firm and focused her work on commercial lending, corporate finance, private equity and mezzanine financing and commercial real estate finance transactions. That work included representing lenders, public and private borrowers and private equity and mezzanine investment funds. McNeill serves as president of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s North Carolina and South Carolina region. She obtained her law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Philip Romohr has joined the firm’s Finance group and represents banks and other financial institutions with regard to banking and regulatory matters, loans and finance transactions, and general commercial and corporate law issues.

Prior to joining Smith Anderson, Romohr was vice president, associate general counsel at Pacific Western Bank, a commercial bank that serves entrepreneurs and venture capital firms in the technology and life sciences industries. Prior to joining Pacific Western Bank, he practiced in the Boston office of an international law firm. He received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

Christine Walchuk, a life sciences licensing and technology transactions attorney, has joined the firm as a partner in the Intellectual Property (IP) and Technology Transactions practice groups.

Walchuk joins the firm from a global law firm in Northern Virginia and has spent over a decade with some of the foremost life sciences law firms in the world leading high-profile, cross-disciplinary deal teams on high-complexity collaboration deals in the life sciences and technology sectors, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics, vaccines and agricultural technology. She received her J.D. from University of Richmond School of Law.

“We are pleased to welcome such a dynamic and diverse group of attorneys to the Smith Anderson family,” Smith Anderson Managing Partner Byron Kirkland said. “I’m also excited to share that we are expecting to welcome ten additional attorneys during the second half of this year. Delivering exceptional service to our growing client base remains our utmost priority and our goal is to provide our clients with top legal talent who will partner with them to learn their business and help them achieve their goals.”

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About Smith Anderson

Smith Anderson is the largest business and litigation law firm headquartered in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina—one of the country’s fastest-growing hubs for innovation. We are passionate about advising dynamic regional, national and global companies and providing them unparalleled client service. It’s that client focus which has proudly earned us accolades from leading legal publications, including our recognition as a “Client Service A-Team” firm by BTI Consulting Grou­p. We are a rare combination of legal and business innovators with a culture and heritage that has been shaped for more than 100 years. Grounded in the time-tested principles that have guided our firm to where we are today, we are dedicated to the success of our clients and the communities we serve. Please visit us at www.SmithLaw.com to learn more.