William R. Terpening

William R. Terpening is a Member (partner) focusing on white collar criminal defense and federal civil litigation in the Business Litigation Group in Charlotte, N.C.

He has extensive courtroom (trial and appellate) experience focusing on the defense of:

• Federal white-collar criminal matters
• Securities, tax, and other complex fraud allegations
• Business disputes
• Subpoena and search warrant response

He has also defended Securities and Exchange Commission and FINRA investigations and cases; has a background in class actions and shareholder disputes; and has significant appellate experience in the federal system.

Additionally, Mr. Terpening clerked for Chief Judge Graham C. Mullen on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

He has received numerous accolades and professional honors, and was voted a “Rising Star” in white collar criminal defense by North Carolina Super Lawyers® magazine. Active in the North Carolina Bar Association, he has served as a council member in the Criminal Justice Section since 2011.  He was previously membership chair of that section.

Mr. Terpening earned his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University in Providence, R.I. where he was selected for the Phi Beta Kappa honors society.  He earned his master’s degree from the Duke University Graduate School and law degree from the Duke University School of Law. 

He is an adjunct professor at the Charlotte School of Law, where he has taught white collar crime and trial practice, and he was profiled in an article "Law and Literature 101" in the February 2011 edition of North Carolina Super Lawyers® magazine.

• Named as a “Rising Star” in white-collar criminal defense by North Carolina Super Lawyers® magazine (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
• Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™ rating
• North Carolina Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section, Council member (2011-2013)
• Charlotte School of Law, Adjunct professor

• In past five years, acted as counsel for more than four dozen criminal defendants in federal court in the Charlotte area, as well as numerous other cases in other districts. More than a dozen federal appeals during the same period.
• Counsel for various professionals, including focus on doctors, and finance and securities professionals, in matters related to practice transitions, including covenants not to compete. 
• Representations of individuals in SEC investigations and in professional licensing board inquiries, including experience with the N.C. Real Estate Commission and N.C. Medical Board.

• Nexsen Pruet Up in Ranking of Largest U.S. Law Firms
  Nexsen Pruet has moved up in The National Law Journal’s annual ranking of the largest law firms in the United States.
• Nexsen Pruet Boosts White-Collar & Litigation Practices
  Nexsen Pruet announced today that William R. Terpening and Christopher C. Lam have joined the firm’s Business Litigation Group as Members (partners) and will practice in Charlotte

• Book Review: Spinning the Law: Trying Court Cases in the Court of Public Opinion
  Nexsen Pruet white-collar crime defense attorney, WiIl Terpening, shares insight on Kendall Coffey's Spinning the Law: Trying Cases in the Court of Public Opinion with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers publication, The Champion.
• Ignoring the Warning Signs: You Don't Need to be an Investment Professional to Spot Signs of Fraud
  In an article published in the Charlotte Business Journal, Will Terpening shares critical warning signs for investment fraud and his insight as a criminal-defense attorney.
• These Paper Tigers Have Teeth: Anticipating and Responding to Document Subpoenas from Government Authorities in Federal Matters
  Criminal-defense attorney Will Terpening discusses the importance of planning for and adequately responding to government subpoenas in an article written for The Champion, a publication of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Professional Success: Making It Work For You - Focusing on Work/Life Balance for Students & Lawyers, Thursday, April 19, 2012, Charlotte School of Law.

Working With Elderly & "Vulnerable" Investors, April 20, 2011, Carroll Financial Associates, Inc. Investment Committee (Charlotte, NC).

Search Warrant Response, Subpoena Response, and Internal Investigations, September 14, 2010, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Chapter # 28 (Charlotte, NC).

A Primer on Avoiding Obstruction of Justice, December 2008, Mecklenburg County Bar (Charlotte, NC)

A Different Kind ofIdentity Crisis: A Primer on Identity Theft, October 2007, North Carolina Association of CPAs (Greensboro, NC).