Checking In: February 22, 2022
Parker Poe Welcomes Shalanna Pirtle as Chief Talent, Diversity & Inclusion Officer
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.
Behr Appointed Bankruptcy Administrator to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
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.
Carisetti Joins Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
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.
Eisinger Joins Cranfill Sumner LLP
Vince Eisinger has joined the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner LLP as an attorney in Civil Litigation. He will focus his practice primarily in the firm’s White Collar, Government Investigations and Special Matters Practice Group and the Business Disputes and Litigations Practice Group. Eisinger previously practiced in New York City and served as a law clerk to Judge Jon O. Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Richard M. Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law where he graduated cum laude and served as articles editor for the New York University Law Review. He received his B.S. summa cum laude from Brigham Young University.
David Sherlin Joins Epstein Law Firm – Now Epstein Sherlin, PLLC
David Sherlin, formerly of Holt Sherlin LLP, is now a partner in The Epstein Law Firm, PLLC, which has changed its name to Epstein Sherlin, PLLC. The firm, founded by Jake Epstein in 2013, has relocated to the historic Caveness House at 1804 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. Sherlin has represented individuals in a broad range of personal injury cases over the past decade, including wrongful death, injuries arising out of motor vehicle negligence and medical malpractice. Sherlin received his J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina. He is a past president of the Wake County Bar Association and currently serves as president of the Theatre in the Park Board of Directors.
King Law Offices, PLLC Welcomes New Associates
Michael Chapel, Joshua Fowler, Ethan Trice, Anna Kegley and John J. Sauve have joined King Law Offices, PLLC.
Associate Michael Chapel will be working in the firm’s Marion office, focusing on family law and estate administration. He received his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and his B.S. from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Associate Josh Fowler is based in the firm’s Lincolnton office and will also serve clients through the Cleveland County office. Fowler received his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. His practice will focus on the areas of civil litigation and estate planning.
Associate Ethan Trice is working in the firm’s Polk and Rutherford County offices. He received his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Mercer University. He also earned a master’s degree in history through the University of Nebraska.
Senior associate Anna Kegley will be working from the firm’s Marion and Forest City offices. She has served on Rutherford County’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, as a contract attorney with the Department of Social Services and with the Public Defender’s Office. Her practice focuses on the areas of family law, estate administration and planning and criminal law. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Charlotte School of Law, where she was senior editor of the Property Law Review Journal and student leader and contact for Mecklenburg County Teen Court. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina.
Senior attorney John J. Sauve is based out of the firm’s Polk County office. He has over a decade of public and private sector service experience spanning litigation, risk management, budgeting, program and project management, personnel development, crisis response and communication, and legal analysis. His practice will focus on criminal, government, administrative, and corporate litigation across western North Carolina. He earned his J.D. from Charlotte School of Law and received his bachelor’s degree from Waldorf University. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina.
Soufan Joins James Scott Farrin
Personal injury attorney Jeanine Soufan has joined the litigation team at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. Based in the Durham office, Soufan has practiced in multiple areas of the law, including bankruptcy, legal cybersecurity, consumer protection, academic and foreclosure hearings, and wrongful termination. She received her J.D. from Campbell Law School and her B.A. from North Carolina State University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Soufan serves as appellate counsel in the Guardian ad Litem Pro Bono Program and is a member of the NCBA Minorities in the Profession Committee.
Morningstar Law Group Names Three Partners
John Kivus is a software and intellectual property attorney with more than 10 years of experience. Kivus utilizes his expertise in engineering and software to assist software companies in complex legal disputes. He received a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.S. from Clemson University.
Jeffrey Roether practices business litigation. Roether helps clients with a number of litigation issues in both state and federal courts. He has experience working on commercial disputes and real property disputes. He received a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. from Columbia University.
Molly Stuart is a commercial real estate attorney. She assists clients with development and transactions and represents owners and developers in a variety of matters, including in public/private developments, downtown redevelopment, land use and zoning, and more. She earned a J.D. at Harvard Law School, a Master of City and Regional Planning at The Ohio State University, and a B.A. from Kenyon College.
Parker Poe Names Two New Partners
Amy Flanary-Smith is a health care law attorney, as well as a litigator and teacher. She has experience serving in several interim operations counsel roles for clients. Flanary-Smith’s practice is focused on operational compliance and enterprise effectiveness. Before her role with the firm, she represented a North Carolina hospital for nine years. Flanary-Smith received a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.A. in biology from UNC.
Merrick Parrott focuses her practice on renewable energy. She assists solar, wind, and other developers, represents energy clients before the North Carolina Utilities Commission, and helps developers, local governments, and private parties in matters of land use and zoning. Before becoming an attorney, Parrott worked for the Contemporary Art Foundation in Raleigh. She holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. in English, with distinction, from the University of North Carolina.
Robinson & Lawing, LLP Selects New Partner
Jeremy Demmitt practices general civil litigation and insurance defense law. He has been an attorney with the firm since 2015, following his service as law clerk to Magistrate Judge L. Patrick Auld of the Middle District of North Carolina. Demmitt graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law, magna cum laude, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.
Smith Anderson Selects Three New Partners
Alex Bowling is now a partner with the firm. Bowling focuses on public company securities, corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. He has practiced with the firm since 2013. A member of the corporate team, Bowling represents a variety of companies, including start-ups, growth companies, and large corporations. He earned a J.D. with high honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He holds an M.A.T and a B.A. from UNC.
James Jolley was also named partner. His practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and public company securities. He is vice chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and serves with Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Lawyer on the Line program. He received a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the director of UNC Law’s Pro Bono Program. He holds an M.A. from Wake Forest University and a B.A. with highest distinction from UNC.
Darrell Fruth is now a partner with the firm. He has been an attorney with Smith Anderson since 2018, where he is a member of the intellectual property group. He assists clients in software, tech, ag-tech and life science industries with licensing and other matters. He earned a J.D. from Yale Law School, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. in environmental engineering science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.