Checking In: August 17, 2021

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

First Citizens Bank Welcomes Matthew G.T. Martin As Chief Counsel

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.

Attorneys Join Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

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.

Mason Maney is now an associate with the firm. Maney represents companies in business disputes and civil litigation matters. He has prior experience as a litigation associate. Maney served as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia, where he was in the Major Crimes unit. He has experience as the lead counsel on jury trials and bench trials, hearings and sentencings. Maney received a J.D., cum laude, from Florida State University College of Law and a B.A., cum laude, in philosophy and religion from Florida State University.

Matthew Parker also joins the firm as an associate. He will work in the Intellectual Property practice. His focuses his practice on obtaining patent protection for mechanical and electro-mechanical technologies. Parker is co-founder of a start-up. He has almost ten years of experience as a livestock farm manager and consultant. In this role, he created infrastructure elements and equipment. He was a patent law extern at SAS Institute and a teaching scholar at Cambell Law School. Parker earned a J.D. from Campbell Law School and a B.S. in biological engineering from North Carolina State University.

Marcus Walker has joined as an associate with the firm. His practice is focused on domestic and international patent prosecution directed to electrical and software technologies. Walker has experience with a variety of innovations such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, cloud computing and systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Software as a Service (SaaS), and more. He has practiced law as in-house counsel and as a solo practitioner. He holds an LL.M. from the University of Houston Law Center, a J.D. from the Southern University Law Center, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Southern University A&M College.

Ragsdale Liggett Welcomes Two New Attorneys

Marie L.D. Hervey has joined Ragsdale Liggett as an associate attorney in the Raleigh office. She is a part of the civil litigation practice with the firm. She focuses on business litigation, professional liability, real property litigation and insurance defense. Hervey has previous experience as in-house counsel and as a litigator. Hervey is an adjunct professor at Regent University School of Law. She earned a J.D. from Regent University School of Law and an M.A. in government and public administration from Regent University, Robertson School of Government. She holds a B.A. in English and political science from Augustana College.

John R. Cella Jr. has also joined the Raleigh office of Ragsdale Liggett as of counsel. He works in the business department of the firm. His practices focuses on estate planning, administration & probate. He assists clients in trust, estate, and business, as well as related tax-planning matters. He received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, an L.L.M., with honors, from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (formerly the John Marshall Law School), and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.