Checking In: March 22, 2022
Compiled by Jessica Junqueira
Ramseur Maultsby LLP Welcomes Tina Hlabse
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 Joins Bell and Howell
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. 
April Giancola has joined the senior staff of Campbell Law School as the Assistant Dean of Career Services and Professional Development. Giancola has 21 years of experience in legal and program management. She was the Director of Public Interest Advising for the University of North Carolina School of Law’s Career Development Office. She served as the Chief Legal Program Officer for Disability Rights N.C., as well as a civil attorney and post-conviction managing attorney for N.C. Prisoner Legal Services Inc. After earning her J.D. from the New England School of Law, she worked in the Maricopa County (Arizona) Public Defender’s Office as a trial attorney. Giancola also holds a B.S. in speech and communications from Emerson College. Giancola is certified to practice law in the Eastern, Middle and Western District Courts of North Carolina, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a member of the NCBA Minorities in the Profession Committee.
Hall Booth Smith announced that Brock Wolf has joined the firm’s Charlotte office. His area of focus is medical malpractice defense, data privacy and cyber security, and general liability litigation. Wolf has experience serving as a law clerk and summer associate with the firm. He received a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. There, he was the managing editor of the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy. He obtained a B.A. from Virginia Tech.
Emily L. Guarascio has joined the Law Office of Manisha P. Patel, PLLC. Guarascio will focus her practice on family law. She earned a J.D. from Elon University School of Law, where she was a member of the Innocence Project, the Women’s Law Association, and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. She also holds a B.A. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Adelphi University.
Matt Wolfe serves on the North Carolina Bar Foundation Board of Directors. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and currently serves as vice chair of its Behavioral Health Practice Group. He is also a member of the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys Board of Directors and previously chaired the national Health Law Section of the Federal Bar Association. A member of the Health Law and Administrative Law Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association, he co-chairs the Legislative and Ethics Committee of the Health Law Council and has served on the NCBA’s Strategic Planning and Emerging Trends Committee and the Future of the Law Committee.
Kenneth Burgess previously served as the Senior Director of Legal Services and Facility Operations of the American Health Care Association and as the General Counsel of North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association. He is past president of the North Carolina Society of Healthcare Attorneys, and a past member the NCBA Health Law Section Council. He received the Health Law Section’s Distinguished Service Award in 2016. He is a legal consultant and member of the North Carolina Medical Society Ethical and Judicial Affairs Committee and serves as chair of the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association Associate Advisory Committee. He currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of FutureCare Foundation of North Carolina.
Matt Fisher represents health care providers, with an emphasis on HIPAA compliance, privacy, and information security matters, and Certificate of Need law. He is a member of the American Health Law Association and the North Carolina Bar Association, and is active in the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys, where he currently serves as chair of the Governance & Planning Committee. 
Matthew G.T. Martin has joined First Citizens Bank as chief counsel. He will oversee corporate and general bank legal functions and litigation management, and he will advise executive management and its corporate board on legal matters. Martin will also serve as Corporate Secretary to the First Citizens BancShares Board of Directors. Before his role with First Citizens Bank, Martin was the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, and as part of this role, he led the U.S. Department of Justice prosecution office. Martin has prior experience as Associate General Counsel of Duke Energy. He received a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was the editor in chief of the North Carolina Law Review, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina.
Brian Assessor has joined the firm as a senior associate attorney. Assessor helps companies obtain patent protection for their computer and software technologies. He oversees U.S. and international patent drafting and prosecution in a number of technical areas including hardware, software, network infrastructures, semiconductors, and more. Assessor has previous experience in international law and intellectual property law, and he worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. He holds a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a B.S. in computer engineering with a concentration in cognitive science from Villanova University.
Deborah Gerhardt has joined Michael Best as of counsel and will work in the Intellectual Property practice group. She represents a variety of clients who include Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, museums, and more. She was in private practice for nearly 10 years before becoming a professor of law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. While practicing with Michael Best, she will continue to work as the Reef C. Ivey II Excellence Fund Term Professor of Law at UNC School of Law. Gerhardt received a J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and she holds an A.B. from Duke University. 
J. Michael Wilson has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as partner in the Charlotte office. He will practice in the firm’s Tax and Trusts and Estates groups. His areas of focus include taxation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and fund formations. He has experience in real estate transactions, such as joint ventures, acquisitions, development, sales, and more. Wilson also has prior experience as a tax consultant. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law with a J.D. and from UNC Chapel Hill, where he received a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in accounting.
Austin Rowe Kessler has joined the Asheville office of Hall Booth Smith. He focuses on insurance defense and general liability. Kessler has experience conducting trials and hearings in District Court and Superior Court. He has practiced in the areas of family law and civil litigation, estate planning, and criminal defense. Kessler graduated from Campbell Law School with a J.D. and from Guilford College with a B.A. in criminal justice and a minor in sociology.
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin announced that Sheri Bangura has joined the firm as a personal injury attorney. Bangura has worked for insurance companies for more than 15 years as a multi-state insurance claims adjuster. Sheri graduated cum laude from North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she earned a J.D. While in law school, she was a torts tutor and research assistant and was involved in the NCCU Student Bar Association as a 2L representative. She holds a a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice with a minor in sociology from Old Dominion University.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has announced that 24 attorneys have joined the firm’s offices, including Lissette C. Payne, who has joined the Charlotte office as an attorney in the Banking and Financial Services Practice Group. She is designated as a Certified Information Privacy Professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, with U.S. Private Sector (CIPP/US) and European (CIPP/E) concentrations. Payne received her B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Scott Harkey established Harkey Litigation, located in Winston-Salem. Harkey was the Senior Financial Crimes Prosecutor for the the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. He specializes in white collar defense, investigations, and complex civil litigation. A Board Certified Specialist in North Carolina Criminal Law, Harkey is a member of the North Carolina Bar Foundation Civic Education and Engagement Committee. He holds a B.A. from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from Campbell Law School.
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin announced that Alexandria Tuttle is now an associate attorney with the personal injury department. Tuttle obtained a B.A. in political science from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law. During law school, Tuttle worked full-time as a paralegal with The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. As an attorney with the firm, she serves on the Social Services Committee to help local non-profits.