G. Gray Wilson

1000 Lissa Anne Lane
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Office: (336) 703-2001
Email: wilsongg@forsyth.cc
 

Initially Appointed: July 2024

Term Expires:
December, 2024

G. Gray Wilson has been a full-time practicing trial lawyer in Winston-Salem for 47 years, following his service as a lieutenant in the United States Army. He currently practices with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Winston-Salem, and is the author of North Carolina Civil Procedure, a two-volume treatise. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and taught trial advocacy at Wake Forest University School of Law. Commissioner Wilson served as president of the North Carolina Bar Association from 2005-2006, and as president of the North Carolina State Bar from 2018-2019. He joined the Board of Directors of Lawyers Mutual in 2006 and served as chair of the board from 2016-2021.

Commissioner Wilson graduated from Davidson College and Duke University School of Law and has distinguished himself in his service to the Winston-Salem community through his work with the Old Hickory Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and has served as chair of the board of trustees of First Christian Church, Centenary United Methodist Church, and Messiah Moravian Church. He is an avid aviation pilot and long-distance runner, and the author of a crime novel, The Killing Pond, published in 1992. He is married to Cheryl McCraney Wilson, and they have six children.

For almost a decade, Commissioner Wilson was privileged to work with an outstanding team of attorneys in Forsyth County who were lobbying the county to build a new courthouse. This new facility was just dedicated last year.

Wilson is currently focused on support for law enforcement to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in the community, with an emphasis on programs to advance treatment of substance use disorders. He recognizes the acute housing shortage in the county, coupled with the need to attract first-tier business opportunities to compensate for the exodus of large companies from the area in recent years.

Commissioner Wilson has received numerous accolades, including the Advocates Award from the Litigation Section of the North Carolina Bar Association (2024), both the Power List award (2023) and the Leaders in the Law award (2020) from North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, and the J. Robert Elster Award for Professional Excellence from the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (2019). He has been recognized annually since 1997 by The Best Lawyers in America® in multiple trial law categories. He has also been Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated for more than 20 years and recognized by North Carolina Super Lawyers® (2007–2023).