Sterling Spainhour

Sterling is a part of the Supply Chain & Operations Management Practice and as such brings a wealth of business and legal experience.  

He is recognized as an experienced trusted leader and advisor.  Sterling also has in-depth experience in handling and developing practical solutions to complex domestic and international issues.  His area of focus are in  technology and information security, intellectual property, global outsourcing and off-shoring, supply chain management, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions. 

Sterling began his career with Wachovia Corporation and progressed to Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel reporting directly to the General Counsel.  Following Wachovia’s $15 billion merger with First Union Corporation, Sterling was responsible for recruiting, hiring, and managing a staff of senior level attorneys, paralegals, and administrative personnel. 

As a senior member of Wachovia’s legal department management team, he was responsible for providing strategic management, direction and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the legal department, which consisted of approximately 400 legal professionals and had an annual budget of $100m.  He also was the legal executive responsible for all corporate real estate transactions both domestically and internationally, including all related acquisitions, leasing, zoning and environmental matters related to corporate real estate transactions, as well as all corporate technology, supply chain, intellectual property and outsourcing legal issues.

He has been awarded the Legal Elite designation by North Carolina Business for 2008 and 2009. He is certified as a mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission and is a member of the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Committee of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association.

Sterling received a B.A. degree from Hampton University and a J.D. degree from Notre Dame School of Law. 

He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.