Our Legacy Lawyers William G.(Bill) Alexander Managing Partner Bill Alexander is a native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, and was graduated from Davidson College (BA, 1973), and Wake Forest University School of Law (JD, 1976). Bill has practiced law for 30 years and maintains an ‘A-v’ * attorney rating* by Martindale-Hubbell. He works closely with business and family clients on wealth transfer and asset protection, Medicaid strategies and Qualification, counseling for wills and trusts, and the handling of estate administration and probate. . Bill is a member of the Estate Planning Section and Elder Law Section of the NC Bar Association; he was a “Charter Member” of the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys and is active with WealthCounsel and WealthCounsel Advisors Forum as well as the Mid-South Network of Estate Planning Attorneys. He regularly provides continuing education for Attorneys, CPA’s, financial advisors and insurance agents for Estate and Business Planning. Bill is a former Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He retired in 2004 from the North Carolina Air National Guard with the rank of Colonel. Bill was the top legal officer in the N.C. Air Guard and in his last two assignments for the Guard, he taught as an adjunct faculty member at the USAF Judge Advocate General School and served as the ANG Assistant to the Air Force Special Operations Command. Bill was the Editor in Chief of the legal training course for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and managed the U. S. Air Force Civil Affairs program; he continues to act as a Subject Matter Expert for the UN in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Bill was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Service Medal; he was recognized by the Governor of North Carolina for his service to the state by induction into “The Order of the Long Leaf Pine.” Bill is married with two sons. He is an active member and Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh. *An ‘A-v’ rating by Martindale-Hubbell reflects an attorney who has reached the heights of professional excellence, has usually practiced for many years and is recognized by other attorneys for the highest levels of skill and integrity. John J. Peck Managing Partner John J. Peck received his undergraduate degree in Business and Economics from Belmont Abbey College in 1972 and his Juris Doctorate from Campbell University School of Law in 1980. He was admitted to practice law in North Carolina in 1981, the United States District Court in 1982, the United States Supreme Court in 1984, and the United States Tax Court in 1987. John is a charter member of the Advanced Planning Legal Network. John is an active member of Wealth Counsel and a founding member of Wealth Counsel's Advisor's Forum. John is also a member of the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Elder Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, and the Midsouth Forum of Estate Planning Attorneys. John has been a practicing attorney in eastern North Carolina for over twenty-five years. He now practices exclusively in the areas of estate planning and elder law and spends six to eight weeks each year in continuing legal education for these two areas of practice. In addition, John participates as an instructor at educational workshops and seminars in the areas of estate planning and elder law throughout North Carolina and the southeastern United States. He recently co-authored, Giving, Philanthropy for Everyone, a book on charitable giving, The North Carolina Consumer’s Guide to Medicaid Planning and Asset Protection and most recently, Solve Your IRS Tax Problem Today. Edward D. Gray Associate Attorney Edward D. Gray graduated from Howard University in 1994 cum laude and as the Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate. He was graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in May of 1997 with a Juris Doctor degree and received the Phillip G. Davidson, III Award for Scholarship and Leadership. He then served as Law Clerk for United States District Court Judge Curtis L. Collier, Eastern District of Tennessee. Ed was commissioned as an attorney in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). Over the course of his nine year military career, Ed served as the Chief of Medical Law advising hospital administrators and physicians, Chief of Government Procurement Law advising on commercial transactions in excess of 200 million dollars and was a top government litigator. He served as the senior prosecutor overseeing one of the Air Force’s busiest jurisdictions, and later as a defense counsel in the Air Force’s largest judicial circuit. He has also served at the Pentagon working for the Under-Secretary of Defense. Ed deployed to the Middle East including a tour in Afghanistan and a tour in Saudi Arabia. In his last active duty assignment, he was hand-selected by the top attorney in the Air Force, The Judge Advocate General, to serve on the faculty of the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School teaching government contracting to other lawyers, foreign students, and United States government executives. While in the Air Force, Ed received numerous awards including the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Forces Award with gold combat decoration, and the Air Mobility Command Albert Kuhfeld Outstanding Attorney Award. Now, Ed works as an Associate at the law firm of Legacy Lawyers, PLLC in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has completed specialized training in estate planning and elder law. He works primarily on business and government contracting issues. Ed is married and lives in Apex, North Carolina. Erica N. Conklin Associate Attorney Erica Conklin is originally from Encino, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Riverside and her Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law. Erica is licensed to practice law in Ohio and North Carolina and works as an Associate in the law firm of Legacy Lawyers, PLLC, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her practice focuses on Elder Law, Medicaid eligibility, and Special needs planning. Erica advises family clients on estate and long term care planning, special needs planning as well as planning for incapacity and guardianships. She assists senior citizens and disabled individuals qualify for and maintain government benefits, while preserving their assets and protecting their family from the astronomical cost of nursing home care. Her professional associations include membership in the Estate Planning Section and Elder Law Section of the NC Bar Association, WealthCounsel, the Mid-South Forum of Estate Planning Attorneys, and the Raleigh Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association. Erica began her legal career as an officer in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). During her first assignment in the JAG Corps, Erica served as the Chief Tax Advisor for all personnel assigned to Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. In addition, she quickly became the resident expert in health law, advising local hospital administrators and physicians on patient rights, quality of care matters, privacy issues, and medical malpractice claims. During her last assignment in the JAG Corps, Erica deployed to Qatar in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as the Chief Legal Advisor to the Commanding General of the largest fighter base in the Central Command. Upon her return, Erica was the Chief Prosecutor for Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. During this time, Erica also taught Business and Aviation Law as an adjunct professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Currently Erica has taken a leave of absence from her full time law practice to be with her husband and new born child. She continues to work with Legacy Lawyers on a part-time basis. OUR STAFF: Raleigh Office 3717 Benson Drive: Beth Robertson: Paralegal Tracy Pulley: Law Office Manager, Paralegal Marian Tucker: Community Education and Outreach Coordinator Nikki Thomas: Legal Assistant Wilmington Office 428 Eastwood Road: John Peck, Jr: Law Office Manager Sandy Cyphers: Client Services Coordinator & Legal Assistant Robert G. Lamb III Legal Assistant