Daniel R. Taylor, Jr

Counselor / Attorney at Law

A man in suit and tie smiling for the camera.

Dan is a 1968 graduate of the United States Military Academy, a decorated Vietnam veteran, and a 1976 cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law. Following law school, Dan served as a law clerk to United States Chief District Court Judge Hiram H. Ward.

Dan was a partner in Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, an international law firm, for 31 years, handling cases throughout the United States. He was the firm’s senior trial lawyer in North Carolina for many years and served as the Chair of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton’s Contingent Fee Committee, which evaluated cases for the firm to accept at its own risk.

Dan is a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a permanent former member of the Judicial Conference of the Fourth Circuit, and a member of the Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University School of Law.

Dan has long held an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell, recognizing the highest level of skill and integrity, and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers of America from 2005 to the present for his expertise in Mass Tort/Class Actions Litigation, Securities Litigation, ERISA Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Banking and Finance Litigation.

He was “Lawyer of the Year” (The Best Lawyers in America, Triad Region of North Carolina) on six separate occasions: Litigation – Securities 2012; Litigation – Banking and Finance 2016; Litigation – Banking and Finance 2018; and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants 2019; and Litigation – Banking and Finance 2021; and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants 2022.

He was named a North Carolina Super Lawyer from 2006 to the present, and a “Top 100 North Carolina Super Lawyer” from 2008 through 2015. Dan was recommended for Trade Secrets Litigation in 2014 and 2016 by Legal 500 US, among other professional recognitions.

A man and woman shaking hands in an office.

Dan has represented individuals and business entities of all sizes in a wide range of business-related matters throughout North Carolina and the United States. He is a practical counselor and an aggressive advocate. Dan has led teams of lawyers that have recovered over $100 million for clients, including two awards in excess of $10 million each in securities and accounting-related cases. He has also led teams of lawyers to defeat claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a variety of different substantive legal areas. Most notably an ERISA class action that was appealed three times to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit wich ultimately affirmed the judgment of the district court for the defendant. Additionally, Dan is an active American Arbitration Association Panel Member for Large & Complex cases and is a court-approved mediator for the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and for the Superior Court Divisions of the North Carolina General Court of Justice. Dan was a founding director of the Triad Business Bank, a publicly traded financial institution that services the business community of the Triad region, and a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees of North Carolina.

Dan has represented special committees of “for-profit” and “nonprofit” corporate boards tasked with investigating a variety of alleged corporate improprieties.

Long active in Pro Bono matters, Dan was inducted into the 2017 North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society on May 16, 2018, and has continued to be so recognized in each subsequent year, by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and serves part-time as volunteer Counsel in Residence at Winston Starts, a non-profit corporation supporting entrepreneurs resident in Winston-Salem.

Dan welcomes inquiries for consultation or engagement on business issues and business-related litigation matters. A listing of substantive matters he has handled, as well as professional references, is available upon request.