Campbell Law 45th Anniversary Spotlight: Lindsey Reedy ’20
Nominator: Sarah Skinner, Class of 2019
Sarah Skinner is a 2019 graduate of Campbell University School of Law. Skinner is a junior partner at the BILTgroup in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Nominee: Lindsey Reedy, Class of 2020
Lindsey Reedy is a 2020 graduate of Campbell University School of Law. She is an associate attorney at Hill Law, PLLC located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her firm has worked with a diverse array of startup companies and small businesses. She advises her clients on contract negotiation and drafting, employment matters, business and employment litigation, startup documentation, intellectual property, and general business issues. She is a partner with the founders and business owners she works with throughout the lifetime of the company. She also currently is a Member on The Leaders Council for the Women Business Collaborative. For Reedy’s passion project, she serves as a volunteer attorney for the North Carolina Guardian ad Litem program where she represents the best interests of the children involved in cases on appeal.
Reedy earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from North Carolina State University in 2017. During her time at Campbell Law, Reedy was a member of the Business Law Club, the Secretary of the Intellectual Property Club, and served as an Honor Court Justice all three years. During her second year of law school, Reedy competed on the 2019 Vis East Moot Hong Kong team. While Reedy was in law school, she also simultaneously obtained her Master of Laws in International Legal Studies from Nottingham Law School and also received an Advanced Certificate of the Study of International Business Law through the University of Reading.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?
A: My favorite thing about my job is the chance to meet incredible entrepreneurs and the opportunity to assist them with building their businesses. I graduated in May of last year – in the thick of the first wave of COVID-19. I wasn’t sure what to expect starting as a business attorney in the middle of the pandemic. It was discouraging to see so many small businesses struggling and unsure of what the future would hold. However, I have witnessed so much resilience and perseverance – constantly being inspired by the business owners I have the privilege to work with. I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them as they confidently continue to navigate the ever-changing world we are currently living in.
Q: How did Campbell Law School prepare you for your career?
A: The best way in which Campbell Law School prepared me to be a business attorney is by taking the Contract Planning Class with Professor Susan Dunn and participating in the Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic with Professor Benji Jones and Professor Jim Verdonik. I took Professor Dunn’s Contract Planning course my second year of law school. In that course, she provided practical tips and guidance on how to advantageously draft contracts for your clients. I still utilize the book I bought for her class today. I also had the opportunity to be a student in the inaugural class for the Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic. I was instructed by Professor Jones and Professor Verdonik during my time with the clinic. In the clinic, I learned how to assist entrepreneurs with entity selection and formation, general business counseling, intellectual property counseling, and business contracts. This experience solidified my passion for serving small business owners and startups.
Q: What attracted you to business law?
A: Growing up I watched my father give everything he had to the medical practices he was a partner at. Through the late nights, long hours, and hard decisions, he remained passionate about serving his patients and managing the businesses. As mentioned earlier, the tenacity and hard work of entrepreneurs has ever since inspired me. That inspiration was simply confirmed by my time in the Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic at Campbell Law School where I had the opportunity to serve entrepreneurs.
Q: Share a memory or experience that has had a lasting impact on your career.
A: One of the experiences that confirmed my decision to be a small business and startup attorney occurred while I was in the Innovate Capital Business Law Clinic at Campbell Law School. I was working with a client in the clinic who had made an S election for their company, which disqualified them from the small business stock gains exclusion under Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code. This was a costly mistake for the company’s shareholders related to the already issued stock, so I dived into research on how we could potentially qualify the company for the small business stock gains exclusion. At that time, Professor Verdonik had already spoken with several accountants who informed him it wasn’t possible to qualify the already issued stock. After days of research, I determined that the company had an option that the accountants hadn’t considered. After pitching my research to the accountants, they ended up agreeing with my proposal and we were able to qualify the company for the small business stock gains exclusion. It was a very gratifying experience where I was able to help my client and teach other professionals something new.
Q: What does Campbell University’s motto “leading with purpose” mean to you?
A: For me, Campbell University’s motto means that you use your talents and skills to better the world around you. This can be done through pro-bono work, mentoring and pulling people up the ladder behind you, as well as in other ways. Everyone has a different way of giving back – mine just so happens to be my pro-bono work as a North Carolina Guardian ad Litem volunteer attorney. Through the work I do with the program, I am able to passionately advocate for the best interests of children involved in appeal cases where parental rights have been terminated.
Want to nominate a Campbell Law Alumna/Alumnus to be featured in a 45th anniversary spotlight?
If you would like to nominate a fellow alumnus/na who is living the university’s motto “leading with purpose,” please contact Lisa Snedeker at lsnedeker@campbell.edu for more information.
