Thomas Kerner | Wilmington Business Lawyer

At Kerner Law Firm, my primary focus is business law. This includes both transactional work and litigation.

One of my primary areas of focus is on representing buyers or sellers in connection with the purchase or sale of a business. Such sales often involve issues relating to non-competes, licensing or assigning intellectual property rights, commercial leases, franchise agreements, and regulatory matters.

This transactional work is informed by extensive experience with business litigation. Many of the parties I've represented had cases involving breaches of contract, claims by shareholders or LLC members related to internal company matters, and intellectual property disputes.

In addition, I have defended a former executive of a publicly traded corporation in a stock options case; defended a corporation in a suit related to the issuance of shares of stock; and represented LLC members in multiple contested LLC dissolutions.

Having seen how these issues play out in in a courtroom, I work with clients to avoid future litigation by crafting agreements with a clear view toward potential risks and foreseeable litigation outcomes.

Notable transactions have included representing the sellers of Wilmington Yoga Center in a large seller-financed deal involving dozens of IP license transfers, domain name transfers, numerous employee contracts, and secured by the purchasers' membership interests. In addition, I have closed numerous franchise purchases, as well as purchases and sales of a variety of manufacturing, retail, web-based, and service businesses.

Specialties: Business Law, Purchase and Sale of Businesses, Intellectual Property, Licensing, and
Commercial Litigation

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Managing Partner	Kerner Law Firm, PLLC	Wilmington, NC	Present

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
California Western School of Law	J.D.	Law School	1998
St. Mary's College of Maryland	Bachelors	Philosophy	1992

State / Court	Date
North Carolina	2005

• 5th Judicial District Bar Association | Member | 2006 - Present
  North Carolina Bar Association | Member | 2005 - Present
  New Hanover County Bar Association | Member | 2005 - Present
  Admitted to practice in the Eastern and Western Federal District Courts for North Carolina.
  NC LEAP Volunteer
  NC Certified Superior Court Mediator
  Arbitrator for the 5th Judicial District (New Hanover and Pender Counties).

• American Jurisprudence Award - Business Organizations | California Western School of Law | 1997
  Academic Achievement Award - Law and Technology | California Western School of Law | 1996

• Espetus Churrascaria, Inc. v. Espetus Brazilian Steakhouse, Inc.
  Won on motion to dismiss.

Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.
	8:30 am - 5:00 pm	8:30 am - 5:00 pm	8:30 am - 5:00 pm	8:30 am - 5:00 pm	9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Call or email to schedule an initial consultation.

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