Checking In: November 22, 2022
Compiled by Jessica Junqueira
Carruthers & Roth, P.A. Adds New Associates
Sydney ter Avest is now an associate attorney in the firm’s Business, Tax and Estates practice. She will focus on corporate and business law, estate planning, and wealth transfer and preservation. Ter Avest received a J.D. from Campbell Law School, where she was a teaching scholar and research assistant. While in law school, she received numerous awards and served as a peer mentor and president of the Health Law Association. She earned a B.A. in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
James R. Paul is now an associate attorney, and he will work in the firm’s Commercial Real Estate practice. Paul will assist clients in real estate matters and disputes. He was a legal extern in St. Joseph County, Ind., where he represented indigent juvenile justice clients. He also interned in the Forsyth County Public Defender’s Office. Paul earned a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame, where he was the 2020 recipient of the Faculty Award for Excellence in Health Care and Canon Law. He received a B.S., magna cum laude, from East Carolina University.
McGuireWoods Selects New Partner
Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette was elected to partner. Mallette represents companies in product liability claims, complex civil litigation, and environmental litigation in state and federal courts. She also represents veterans pro bono through the National Veterans Legal Services Program. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, she served for ten years in the military, where she was an Intelligence Officer, a Wing Executive Officer and an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate with the JAG Corps. In 2017-2018, Mallette was a clerk to Associate Justice Barbara A. Jackson in the North Carolina Supreme Court. Mallette previously served as the NCBA Military & Veterans Law Section Communications Chair. In 2022, she was selected as an NCBA Citizen Lawyer Award recipient. Mallette holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.S. in legal studies from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
The firm announced that Jill Walters is a shareholder. Walters has joined the Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group and practices in the Raleigh/Research Triangle office. She has more than 15 years of experience counseling clients in matters of corporate insolvency, distressed lending, restructuring and bankruptcy, and complex Chapter 11 cases. Walters is a member of the NCBA Bankruptcy Section and serves as the Sponsorship Committee Chair. She is on the Board of Directors for A Note in the Pocket and volunteers with Legal Aid of North Carolina. Walters holds a J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law and a B.A. from Lake Forest College.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP announced that John S. McCool is now an associate attorney. McCool practices in the Charlotte office. He has joined the Construction Practice Group with the firm, where his focus is on construction litigation and transactions. He has experience as in-house counsel with an engineering and construction firm. He received a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, where he was recognized as a Cali Award recipient and where he served as an editorial staff member. He holds a B.S. from the University of Alabama.
Peyton L. Derrow has joined the firm’s Wilmington office. He practices civil litigation, with a specific focus on admiralty and maritime law and construction law. Derrow has previous experience in business and personal injury law. He served as an intern at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Derrow holds a Master of Business Administration and a J.D. from Campbell Law School, where he was involved in international moot court competitions. He traveled to Ghana in 2019 to study international human rights and comparative law. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Bryan Boyd has joined Edwards Beightol, LLC as a litigation attorney. Beightol will work in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, birth injury, traumatic brain injury, trucking accident, toxic exposure, nursing home abuse and neglect, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, whistleblower/qui tam and wrongful termination litigation. Boyd was a professor at Campbell Law School for over 15 years, and he continues to teach the Wire in the spring semester. He has served as the Clerk of the North Carolina Supreme Court. He received a J.D. from Campbell Law School and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Mars Hill University.
The Law Offices of Wiley Nickel announced that its name is has been changed to Nickel & Granados, PLLC. The law firm assists individuals charged with traffic and criminal matters and provides expungement relief. Wiley Nickel established the firm in 2009, and Lindsey Granados joined the firm in 2020. Granados assisted in expanding the firm’s practice to include high-level felonies in both state and federal courts. She is the Vice President of Wake Women Attorneys and formerly served as president of the association. She also serves the president of the Wake County Academy of Criminal Trial Lawyers. She holds a J.D. from Stetson University College of Law and a B.A., magna cum laude, in political science from Oklahoma Baptist University.
Bradley Anderton has joined the firm. He has prior experience serving as the Assistant District Attorney of the 15th Prosecutorial District of North Carolina. He holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. There, he was a recipient of the Gressman-Pollitt Award for Outstanding Oral Advocacy. In his role as a Juvenile Justice Clinic student attorney, he volunteered over 100 hours. Anderton also holds a Bachelor of Science in economics, summa cum laude, from North Carolina State University, where he was a part of the Honors Program.
Troy D. Shelton has been named a partner with the firm. He practices in the Litigation Department in the firm’s Raleigh office. Shelton has both trial and appellate experience. He has litigated cases in the areas of class actions, antitrust, employment disputes, land use and family law. He is a class action consultant to attorneys within the firm as well as outside it. After earning his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, Shelton served as a Guardian ad Litem, and following that role, as an appellate attorney. He also holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Megan McGee Stacy has joined the firm’s Charlotte office of counsel. Her practice is focused on commercial contracts and business torts, construction, general liability, medical malpractice, premises liability, products liability, professional liability, and transportation matters. She has prior experience in commercial litigation law. She earned a J.D., summa cum laude, from the Charlotte School of Law. She also holds a B.A. in history, with honors, from High Point University.
Laura Gregory has also joined the Charlotte office. She focuses on general liability, medical malpractice, labor and employment, and workers’ compensation law. Gregory serves with the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and the Junior League of Charlotte, and she is a mentor with the Carolina Youth Coalition. Before joining the firm, she practiced workers’ compensation law. She holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
William Thomas has joined the firm as an associate attorney. Thomas focuses his practice on civil litigation, insurance coverage and defense, and employment law. He has prior experience in employment litigation and workers’ compensation law. While in law school, Thomas served as an intern for Associate Justice Samuel J. Ervin IV with the Supreme Court of North Carolina and Judge R. Christopher Dillon with the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Fox Rothschild LLP announced that Bradley M. Risinger is now the Managing Partner in the firm’s Raleigh office. Risinger is a trial attorney focusing on business litigation and complex disputes. He has experience litigating in the North Carolina Business Court, as well as in state and federal courts across the Southeast. Risinger served on the Board of Directors for United Way of North Carolina and on the Board of Directors for NC 2-11. He holds a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. with high distinction from Indiana University.
K&L Gates announced that Courtney B. Thomas is now a partner. Thomas is a part of the corporate practice group. He focuses his practice on commercial technology and sourcing and corporate/mergers and acquisitions. Thomas has prior experience serving as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for an international technology company. He also practiced as a senior lawyer at a large investment bank. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina School of Law. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from Duke University.
Tina Hlabse has joined Ramseur Maultsby. Hlabse engages in employment litigation, counseling, training, and workers’ compensation defense. She has more than 20 years of experience in litigation and counseling. Hlabse previously served as General Counsel for the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and as a Special Deputy Attorney General with the Tort Claims section of the N.C. Department of Justice. Hlabse also worked in private practice. She graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law with a J.D. and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received a bachelor’s degree.
Daniel Goldstein has joined Bell and Howell as corporate counsel. Goldstein has prior experience in the areas of business law, intellectual property, litigation entertainment and sports law. He is a 2020 graduate of Campbell Law School, where he was a member of the Order of Old Kivett and received Book Awards for International Business and Criminal Procedure. He holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he double majored in political science and peace, war and defense and minored in history.
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP announced that Shalanna Pirtle will serve as its Chief Talent, Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Pirtle will oversee all aspects of talent management, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is overseeing a professional development program that will offer learning, skill and career development, coaching, mentorship, feedback and evaluation opportunities. Pirtle is a partner with the firm, where she practices mediation and employment law. She is certified as a mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission and serves on the panel for Alterity ADR. Pirtle earned a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and a B.A. from Indiana University.
The circuit executive for the Fourth Circuit announced that Brian C. Behr has been appointed Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The announcement follows news of Marjorie K. Lynch’s retirement effective May 2022. Behr has served as the senior staff attorney for the courts since 2008. Prior to this role, he was an Adjudications Officer with the Department of Homeland Security. Behr graduated from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and from North Carolina State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and international politics.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings recently announced the addition of 26 new attorneys, including Maria Carisetti of Bradley’s Charlotte office. Carisetti is an associate in the Construction Practice Group. She received her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she served on the Pro Bono Executive Board and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Executive Board. Carisetti earned her M.A. and B.A. in political science from Virginia Tech with concentrations in legal studies and environmental politics and policy.
Benjamin Milam is now a partner with the firm’s Charlotte office. He is a member of the Banking & Financial Services Practice Group. His practice is focused on policyholder insurance coverage, commercial auto liability, title remediation, and financial services litigation. Milam assists in resolving insurance coverage disputes and defends mortgage lenders and servicers. He holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Partner Jonathan Schulz is a member of the Litigation Group with the firm and also practices in the Charlotte office. Schulz represents clients ranging from individuals and family-run small businesses to public corporations. He advises clients on the dispute resolution process and litigates claims related to fraud, unfair and deceptive trade practices, breach of fiduciary duty, and more. He has represented clients in state and federal courts. He received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina.