John A. Morrice

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach that works for privately held companies. Each one is as unique as the family, or professionals, that started it. My focus first is to hear all the opportunities and concerns and understand the relationship dynamics. Regardless of size, industry, reach and goals, I bring the right blend of experience dealing with technical, business and legal issues and genuine caring for the people who’ve built each successful enterprise.

John Morrice is a go-to counselor and advisor to privately held and family-owned companies. For more than 35 years, he has worked with business owners, entrepreneurs and executives of manufacturing, distribution and construction clients. In addition, John helps physician and medical practices, as well as law, accounting, architectural and engineering firms in their business and tax planning, growth strategies, growing pains and exit options. Client revenues range from hundreds of millions to start ups. Clients hire John because he’s seen “it” and dealt with it before: employment and labor, financial management, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, employee benefits, wealth transfer and generational planning. Succession planning is at the center of John’s work – the transfer of assets from one generation or a key owner to the next. His sensitive, practical and caring approach, combined with his thoughtfulness about fees, inspires confidence and trust. John uses the expertise of his partners with respect to estate planning and litigation. While John’s clients are primarily headquartered in North Carolina, their customers and markets are around the world. John and his team provide turnkey representation for clients distributing products throughout North America, as well as offshore manufacturing relationships in China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific Region. He also represents foreign manufacturers from Canada, Central and South America, Germany, Japan and England in their distribution of products throughout the Southeast U.S. His manufacturing clients are enterprises in the textile, plastics, machinery and material fabrication industries. John served as co-managing partner of Johnston, Allison & Hord from 1997 to 2005 and is past chair of the firm’s Corporate Group.