Checking In: February 27, 2024

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

Brooks Pierce Announces Raleigh Office Expansion

Brooks Pierce has expanded its Raleigh office with the addition of 5,915 square feet of space on the eighteenth floor of the Wells Fargo Capitol Center at 150 Fayetteville, bringing the law firm’s total Raleigh footprint to 43,047 square feet. The expanded office space is connected to the existing space with a newly designed internal staircase. As part of the expansion, the law firm added important works to its distinguished collection of North Carolina art, including works by Gayle Stott Lowry, Joe Cox, Henry Pearson, and Keiko Genka, as well as a commissioned work by Raleigh-based artist Mia Yoon.

Capua Law Adds Attorneys

Natalia Lynn Talbot has joined Capua Law Firm, and she is based in the Asheville office. She brings more than ten years of experience as an attorney to this role. She has practiced criminal prosecution, bankruptcy litigation, commercial litigation, and federal appellate litigation. She graduated from Boston College Law School. After earning her J.D., she became an assistant district attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She served as a federal law clerk under W. Carleton Metcalf, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of North Carolina. Talbot serves on the board of directors for BarCARES and was an NC Pro Bono Honor Society inductee (2022).

Sam Maier has also joined the firm. He is experienced in litigation strategy development and trial preparation. Before joining the firm, he practiced in Wilmington. He also has experience as an attorney with the International Maritime Group in Seattle, Wash. He received his J.D., cum laude, from George Washington Law School, where he graduated with honors and was a Thurgood Marshall Scholar. He holds a B.S., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. He majored in political science and philosophy with a minor in European studies.

Carruthers & Roth, P.A. Selects New Directors

Trisha Barfield and Brandon Jones have been named directors of the firm.

Barfield is a member of the firm’s litigation practice. She focuses on matters related to businesses, shareholders, construction projects, labor, employment and compliance, creditor’s rights, insurance liability, landlord-tenant relationships, real estate disputes and estates, wills, and trusts disputes. She holds a J.D. from Elon University School of Law, where she was a member of the law school’s first two-and-a-half-year cohort. She holds a B.S. from Methodist University.

Jones is a member of the business, tax and estate planning practice with the firm. He focuses on estate planning and business law. He has experience in estate and trust administration and guardianship proceedings, especially for disabled adults. He also works with small business owners and entrepreneurs on all aspects of business ownership and operation. He holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Wake Forest University. He holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Attorney Joins The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

Valentina Mejia is now an attorney with the firm. She holds a J.D. from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law. While in law school, she was clerk of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society and communications director of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. She received her B.A. in political science and legal studies certificate from the University of Georgia. She was honored with several awards for providing pro bono services, in part for helping underserved members of the Hispanic community to access the legal services they needed. She is a volunteer with the United Way of Greater Charlotte.

McAngus Goudelock & Courie Welcomes Attorney

Carolyn Marcus has joined the firm’s Raleigh office, where she focuses on workers’ compensation. She brings close to 20 years of legal experience to this role. Marcus represents many self-insured employers, insurance carriers and third-party administrators. For her clients, she offers continuing education seminars on hot topics as well as on complex workers’ compensation issues in North Carolina. She holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.A., summa cum laude, from North Carolina State University.

Morningstar Law Group Announces New Partners

Morningstar Law Group shared that two attorneys, Hank Gates and Ben Martie, were named partners.

Hank Gates has practiced with the firm since 2018 as an associate attorney in the Durham office. He is a part of the firm’s litigation and employment practice groups. He is experienced in several areas, including complex contract, business tort, insurance coverage and construction disputes. He previously served as a law clerk to Judge Jackson L. Kiser of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Richmond School of Law and magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University, where he received a B.A.

Ben Martie has been with the firm since 2023 and practices in the Raleigh office. He has served as lead counsel in a variety of matters, which include licensing deals, asset purchases, commercial transactions, manufacturing and supply agreements, wholesaler and distributor agreements, commercial launches, pricing and more. Prior to joining Morningstar, he served as in-house counsel with privately held and publicly traded pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. He leads the firm’s FDA and healthcare regulatory practice group. He received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Georgia.

Chester Joins Panorama Global

Suzanne Chester has been hired by Panorama Global, a social impact nonprofit, to lead The Child’s Voice Project, a national program piloting client-directed attorneys for children in family courts in select jurisdictions. Chester has more than 28 years practicing at Legal Aid of North Carolina and other nonprofits providing access to justice for low-income North Carolinians in child custody, domestic violence, landlord/tenant and housing discrimination cases. Chester has spent the last ten years leading The Child’s Advocate, a Legal Aid of North Carolina project that provides attorneys to children caught in contentious custody cases. Chester has authored articles and blog posts on children’s advocacy and family courts. She is the recipient of the Gwyneth B. Davis Award for promoting the rights of women and children under the law and the Wake Woman of the Year Award. Chester holds a J.D., cum laude, from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She received a Ph.D. in French literature from LSU and a B.A. from University College Dublin.

Smith Debnam Names New Partner

Ned W. Mangum is now a partner with the firm. He has practiced law for more than twenty years. In 2021, Mangum was appointed by Chief Justice Paul Newby to serve as Chief District Court Judge for Judicial District 10 (Wake County). Prior to this role, he served as Wake County District Court Judge. At Smith Debnam, his practice will be focused on divorce and family law, civil litigation, and professional licensing representation. Before his tenure as a judge, he served as Wake County Assistant District Attorney for eight years. Since 2006, he has taught courses as an adjunct professor at Meredith College, and he has provided more than 100 hours of Continuing Legal Education for North Carolina attorneys. He was the 2018 president of the Wake County Bar Association and was recognized as the recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in 2014. In 2024, Governor Cooper honored Mangum with the Old North State Award. Mangum serves on the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners.

Wagner Hicks Announces Counsel

Jonathon D. Townsend is now counsel with the firm. He will practice as a member of the complex commercial litigation team. He has more than ten years of experience representing clients in courts at the state and federal level. He provides litigation counsel in an array of business disputes, such as those involving antitrust, breach of contract, employment discrimination, misappropriation of trade secrets, fraud, deceptive trade practices, and appellate litigation. He received his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Young Conaway Opens New Law Office in Charlotte

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP has announced the opening of its newest office in Charlotte. Located at 227 West Trade Street, Suite 1910, the office officially opened its doors on February 22. Partner Felton E. Parrish will be responsible for overseeing Young Conaway’s North Carolina team. Parrish has extensive experience representing parties in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy cases and other situations involving financial distress. He graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law and received his bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Parrish has been admitted to the bar in North Carolina and Georgia.

Young Moore Selects Shareholder

Andrew D. (Andy) Webster has been named a shareholder with the firm. Since 2007, Webster has practiced as a civil litigation defense attorney in the transportation field. He joined Young Moore in 2019, where he focuses on representing motor carriers and their drivers. He has extensive experience in managing the immediate handling of catastrophic losses. He graduated from Capital University Law School and was a member of the Order of the Curia. He holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia.