Born in New York City, in 1964, Alan grew up in New York and received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1986. He received his law degree from California Western School of Law in 1990. During law school, Alan earned the Academic Achievement Award for his excellent achievement in the First Amendment Seminar.

After graduating from Law School and being admitted to the practice of law in North Carolina in 1990, Alan joined the firm and has concentrated his practice in developing and expanding the Professional License Defense Section of the firm. His principle area of practice involves representing lawyers, doctors and other licensed professionals on ethics and disciplinary matters, including providing confidential advisory opinions on ethics issues and preventative consultations. He also represents applicants before the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners. Alan is the former Chair of the Ethics Committee for the North Carolina Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section and currently serves on the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers’ Ethics Committee which monitors proposed ethics opinions issued by the State Bar’s Ethics Committee and serves as a sounding board for Academy members facing ethical questions. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, which is an independent national organization consisting of lawyers concentrating in the fields of professional responsibility, legal ethics and defense of attorneys in disciplinary matters. He has been selected to serve on the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers’ Committee on the Judiciary to review issues involving judicial independence, judicial speech, and judicial selection (appointment versus elections).

Alan has spoken and written on topics involving legal ethics, professional responsibility and defending lawyers in disciplinary proceedings. In 2001, he was selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America’s Best Lawyer Consumer guide. He has received an “AV” rating, the highest rating awarded by Martindale Hubbell National Law Directory.

Alan is married to Anna Lamm Schneider and they have three beautiful children, Megan, Mitchell and Matthew.