MVA was founded by Bob Lassiter, Jim Moore, and Bill Van Allen in the late 1940s. Today the firm has attorneys at its headquarters in Charlotte and also in Morrisville, North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Its business and corporate work is or ganized into the following practice groups: bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employee benefits and compensation, employment and labor, environmental, estate and wealth planning, financial services, public affairs, healthcare, intellectual property, litigation, mergers and acquisitions/securities, and real estate and taxation.
The firm prides itself on its ability to serve clients in a range of areas, regardless of how complicated the issue might be. Clients can also count on access to a number of technology platforms including extranets and electronic billing. The firm is willing to work with clients on an individual basis to determine the most beneficial fee structure.
In an effort to serve the communities where they live and work, attorneys at MVA are committed to pro bono projects in a range of matters. The indigent, children, the elderly, and non-profit groups are typically served through the firm's pro bono work. Organizations that MVA regularly work with include the ACLU, The Children's Law Center, the National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children, the North Central Legal Assistance Program, and many others. Furthermore, the firm sponsors a 19-member public service committee to handle both long-and short-term commitments on behalf of those in need.
In addition to the services provided by MVA attorneys, the firm also runs a summer associate pro bono program. Through this program, law students are invited to work with an MVA attorney on cases related to domestic violence and landlord-tenant issues.