Areas of Practice Business Law & Taxation • Mergers & Acquisitions • Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning & Estate Administration •
Mr. Diab has substantial experience as lead counsel in structuring, negotiating and closing of mergers and acquisitions, representing both buyers and sellers in taxable and tax-free acquisitions, divestitures, strategic alliances, and investments by venture capital and private equity firms since 1990. He has represented closely-held business owners in business, tax and estate planning matters, assisting them with personal and business matters including succession planning, charitable giving, estate and tax planning strategies and conservation easements. He has been involved in numerous land acquisitions and sales, including Section 1031 exchanges. Mr. Diab became licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in 1991, and was formerly an auditor at Ernst & Young, LLP. He has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2006 in the Trust and Estates category and has been repeatedly recognized by fellow members of the North Carolina bar for inclusion in Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite and North Carolina Super Lawyers® magazine.
Professional Experience
- Representing closely-held analytical laboratory in stock sale;
- Representing large multi-national company in strategic acquisitions and investments in U.S. and abroad;
- Representing closely-held business owner in succession and estate planning over 15-year period through trusts and related strategies and subsequent sale of company to REIT and private equity firm;
- Representing newly-formed entity in the acquisition of consumer products company financed by private equity
Professional Activities & Affiliations
- North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants
- North Carolina Bar Association, Member of Estate and Fiduciary Law Section
- Member of the local bar in New Hanover County, North Carolina
Community Activities and Affiliations
- Chair, University of North Carolina Wilmington Foundation Board, 2003 – 2005
- President, New Hanover County Estate Planning Council, 1998 – 1999
- President, Rotary Club of Wilmington West, 1998 – 1999
- The Hill School of Wilmington, Inc. – Past Member of Board of Directors
Honors & Awards
- Selected for inclusion in North Carolina Super Lawyers® magazine, 2007 – 2020
- Selected for inclusion in Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, 2003 – 2010, 2012, 2014-2020 (Business)
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2006, Trusts and Estates
Article, Publications, Speeches
Shrinking The Taxable Estate; Gifting Strategies; Section 1031 Exchanges; Asset Protection Planning