Morrisville, NC

Nathaniel “Nat” C. Smith

Nathaniel “Nat” C. Smith heads up the firm’s civil litigation practice, handling serious personal injury and workers’ compensation cases, civil appeals and business, trust and estate litigation cases. He’s spent 30 years representing clients in courts throughout North Carolina and is a shareholder in the firm. Born and raised in Raleigh, Mr. Smith attended UNC-Chapel Hill, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1983 and graduated with honors from the UNC School of Law in 1993. Mr. Smith has practiced law in the state and federal courts of North Carolina since 1993 and in the Eastern and Middle District Bankruptcy court and has received favorable decisions from the NC Court of Appeals on a wide variety of legal issues. A member of the NC Bar Association and the NC Advocates for Justice, Mr. Smith served as president of the 15-B Judicial District (Orange and Chatham Counties) in 2004-05. Mr. Smith works pro bono for the NC Bar Association’s “Lawyers on the Line” program and has served as an arbitrator in Orange County District Court. Nat also plays bass with the local bluegrass/old-time string band The Guilty Pleasures.

Thomas R. Holt

Pennsylvania native Thomas R. Holt headed south, first to West Virginia to acquire a bachelor’s degree in Sociology before moving to Chapel Hill in 1980. He spent several years in the field of social work before enrolling in law school at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor and being admitted into the North Carolina State Bar in 1990. A shareholder in the firm, Tom has been with Bagwell Holt Smith P.A. for over 30 years, and currently anchors the Southern Village office location. His primary focus is residential and commercial real estate transactions. His social work background and calming demeanor in closings has proved to be valuable in helping clients navigate important and at times stressful financial transactions. Downtime is spent primarily with family, fishing when he can, but always fiercely following the Tar Heels. Tom devotes time to community service, having previously sat on the board of the Freedom House Recovery Center, inc., and currently serving on the board of the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation. He volunteers with the North Carolina Lawyers Assistance Program of the North Carolina State Bar, and was the recipient of the 2013 Chief Justices LAP Award.

John G. Miskey IV

John G. Miskey IV is a board certified specialist in Family Law and leads the Firm’s Family Law department. He has maintained an interest in Family Law, families and policy throughout his educational and professional career. Mr. Miskey’s character and work ethic was forged in his childhood. His first job was delivering daily newspapers through the snow-filled neighborhoods of Buffalo, NY. Very close with his family, he chose to attend local schools for his education. Mr. Miskey graduated summa cum laude from Niagara University and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from The State University of New York at Buffalo with a concentration in civil litigation. While in law school, he clerked at the firm of Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria and the district office of a United States Senator. Mr. Miskey relocated to North Carolina and established the firm’s family law practice following his admission to the North Carolina Bar in 2006. In 2012, he became a shareholder at Bagwell Holt Smith P.A. Clients who seek family law counsel are often in the midst of an emotionally trying situation; Mr. Miskey finds it rewarding to assist families navigate the legal system and transition through difficult circumstances. His cases range high net worth divorce cases to providing pro bono representation to those in need. In the community, Mr. Miskey served on the board of directors and presented at a monthly divorce workshop at the Compass Center for Women and Families in Chapel Hill, an organization that assists victims of domestic violence. He is the co-chair of the Orange Family Law Bar after holding the same position with the Durham Family Law Bar. Mr. Miskey has been a guest lecturer at North Carolina Central’s law school and served as a panelist presenting to attorneys and therapeutic professionals. Outside of the office, Mr. Miskey enjoys working in his yard, traveling and spending time with family.

Michael R. Ganley

Mr. Ganley leads the firm’s full-service, comprehensive community association practice, representing homeowners associations, townhome associations and condominium associations throughout North and South Carolina. Mr. Ganley resolves disputes with vendors, collects delinquent assessments, mediates conflicts among homeowners, amends covenants and by-laws, and litigates matters on behalf of HOAs. A member of both the North and South Carolina State Bars, Mr. Ganley is also a part of the firm’s commercial real estate practice, representing purchasers and sellers in a variety of real estate transactions. This includes builders, developers, investors and multiple Fortune 500 companies in multimillion-dollar real estate acquisitions throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Mr. Ganley is deeply involved throughout the acquisition and sale process, drafting and revising contracts, resolving title defects, negotiating with opposing parties and counsel, and ultimately coordinating the closing process among multiple parties. Mr. Ganley is active in the Real Estate Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and the South Carolina Community Association Law Committee and has served on the board of directors for regional non-profit organizations.

Danielle Irwin

Danielle Irwin is an associate attorney handling residential real estate transactions. She gained her bachelor’s degree in Political Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and Master’s degree in Public Administration. She worked as a development officer in the nonprofit sector before pursuing her law degree at NCCU School of Law, graduating cum laude. She joined Bagwell Holt Smith and practices real estate law. Danielle enjoys helping guide clients through the home buying process.

Betsy Gold

Elizabeth “Betsy” Gold was born aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and was raised in a Marine Corps family. After moving around the world in her early childhood, her family returned to their native eastern North Carolina (Jacksonville) where she finished middle and high school. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from North Carolina State University in 2006. Post-graduation, she worked as a paralegal for a general practice firm in Morehead City, where she was inspired to go to law school. She received her Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central University in 2011 and was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar that same year. Before joining Bagwell Holt Smith in 2020, Betsy practiced for years as a commercial and residential real estate attorney at a busy Raleigh law firm. She loves real estate and helping her clients navigate the important and memorable moments of developing, selling, and buying real estate. Betsy lives in Durham with her husband and two sons. In her free time, she is active in the local Down Syndrome community and enjoys reading with her book club, traveling, and being a basketball/soccer/baseball mom.

O. Kenneth Bagwell Jr.

Mr. Bagwell is the founder of the firm. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from UNC - Chapel Hill, and graduated from UNC’s School of Law in 1979. In 1984 he founded the firm that is now Bagwell Holt Smith P.A. After twenty-six years of private practice, in 2005 he accepted an offer to go in-house with D.R. Horton, Inc., the nation’s largest homebuilder. He served as Horton’s Chief Counsel for the East Region of the United States for sixteen years, retiring from Horton in April of 2021. He is now back, of counsel, with the firm he founded.