B.T. Atkinson's general corporate and securities practice includes a wide range of experience with public and private companies - including significant work with community bank recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, and compliance.

Mr. Atkinson has experience in merger and acquisition transactions involving financial institutions and other public and private companies. He has been involved in the representation of both underwriters and issuers in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities. He also regularly advises a variety of public and private companies, broker-dealer firms, venture capital funds, hedge funds and investment advisers on regulatory compliance matters under federal and state law and general corporate issues.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Atkinson was an audit staff accountant with Price Waterhouse in its Charlotte office.

Select Representations

Mr. Atkinson's representative experience includes:

• Represented The Brand Banking Company, Lawrenceville, Georgia, in a $200 million recapitalization transaction led by The Carlyle Group, The Stephens Group LLC, and the Cousins’ family Nonami Investments LLC
• Represented Aliant Financial Corporation and its subsidiary, Aliant Bank, Alexander City, Alabama, in a control investment and subsequent acquisition by USAmeriBancorp, Inc., holding company for USAmeriBank, Tampa, Florida
• Represented First Community Bancshares, Inc., Bluefield, Virginia, in its acquisition of TriStone Community Bank, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Represented First Bank, St. Louis, Missouri, in the sale of 24 branches, $1 billion of deposits, and $300 million in loans comprising its Chicago Region to FirstMerit Bank, Akron Ohio
• Represented Piedmont Community Bank Holdings, Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina, in its formation as a private-equity backed bank holding company and its acquisitions of VantageSouth Bank, Rowan Community Bank, and Crescent Financial Corporation

Bar and Court Admissions

North Carolina, 1992

Education

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, J.D., 1992

University of North Carolina-Charlotte, B.S., cum laude, 1987

Professional Affiliations

• North Carolina Bankers Association – Affiliate Member
• North Carolina Bar Association – Chair of the Securities Regulation Committee

Civic Involvement and Honors

• Best Lawyers (Securities, 2010)
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Belk College of Business – Business Advisory Board Member
• Carolina Golf Club – President