Of Counsel | Chair, Community Banking Group
Roanoke, VA
mobile 540.588.7357
Mr. Wellons’s primary areas of practice are corporate law, banking and finance law, securities, and biotechnology law. He also chairs the community banking practice group.
 

Education

  • Duke University, B.A., 1978
  • Duke University, Fuqua School of Business, M.B.A., 1979
  • Washington & Lee University, J.D., 1987

Experience

  • Counseling a large variety of businesses, including large public companies, small closely-held businesses and financial institutions
  • Advising clients on matters such as corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, securities and regulatory compliance, and biotechnology
  • Handling mergers and acquisitions, securities filings, regulatory compliance and corporate governance issues for community banks in Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia
  • Serving as lead counsel on approximately 10 initial public offerings, 5 secondary public offerings, 20 acquisitions by larger companies and 10 private offerings
  • Serving as lead counsel on approximately 15 financial institution mergers
  • Serving as lead counsel on regulated industry transactions, including transactions in energy and financial sectors
  • Preparing Hart-Scott-Rodino filings and other anti-trust filings for the Department of Justice

Distinctions

  • Named to the "Leaders in the Law" list by Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2021
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® as "Lawyer of the Year" 2024, 2016 & 2012 in Roanoke, Va. in Banking and Finance Law
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® as “Lawyer of the Year” 2024, 2017 & 2014 in Roanoke, Va. in Financial Services Regulation Law
  • Nominated by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Banking and Finance Law, Biotechnology Law, Financial Services Regulation Law and Securities/Capital Markets Law
  • JD Supra Readers' Choice Top Author, Life Sciences, 2022

Admissions

  • Virginia State Bar

Memberships

  • Virginia Bar Association
  • Virginia State Bar
  • American Bar Association Section of Science and Technology, past chair
  • American Bar Association Section of Science and Technology, Life Science Division, immediate past chair
  • American Bar Association Committee on Biotechnology, past chair
  • Frequent lecturer on corporate matters, including corporate governance, securities law, strategic transactions, business formation, exit strategies, venture capital and other funding concerns, and biotechnology

Publications & Presentations

  • Editor, ABA book, Biotechnology and the Law, Second Edition
  • Senior editor and author of ABA book, Biotechnology and the Law: A Primer