About William Cory
William Cory Reiss combines a background in journalism with a decade-and-a-half in the courtroom. He earned his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2010 after completing undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, where he received a B.A. in English Language and Literature and in Rhetoric and Communication Studies in 1994. His academic path gives him a mix of analytical training and attention to language that informs both his writing and his advocacy.
Reiss began his professional life in newsrooms. He worked on student publications as managing editor of The Observer in 1994 and moved into professional reporting soon after. He joined the Wilmington Star-News as a reporter in 1997 and later served as Washington correspondent for The New York Times Regional Media Group in 2000. Those years covering local and national issues sharpened his investigative instincts and taught him to distill complex stories for public audiences.
He shifted into law after completing his J.D. and entered legal practice in 2010 at Shipman & Wright, LLP. There he handled matters that required careful factual development and precise legal writing. His move from reporting to practicing law was a change in venue, but not in method: he continued to rely on document review, witness interviews, and clear exposition of facts and arguments.
In 2020 he assumed a leadership role at Reiss & Nutt, PLLC, where he continues to work. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina and is authorized to appear before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He holds memberships in the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. Those professional affiliations keep him engaged with the broader legal community and current developments in state and federal practice.
Colleagues describe him as a lawyer who brings a reporter’s discipline to case preparation and a lawyer’s care to argument. He prepares briefs and handles court appearances, emphasizing clarity in written work and directness in oral presentation. He represents clients in matters arising in North Carolina and before the Fourth Circuit. He now practices at Reiss & Nutt, PLLC and represents clients in matters in North Carolina and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
