Checking In: Nov. 23, 2021

Compiled by Jessica Junqueira

Alterity ADR Welcomes Danae Woodward

Alterity ADR, the first national alternative dispute resolution firm to be founded and led by a Black woman, announced that Danae Woodward has joined the firm. Woodward focuses her practice in labor and employment law. She has experience both as a litigator and as an in-house attorney. Woodward practiced law as in-house counsel for 12 years in Charlotte and now practices with Woodward & Woodward PLLC, also located in Charlotte. She is a North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission Certified Superior Court Mediator. She holds a J.D. from Emory University School of Law and a B.A. from the University Of Texas at Austin.

Campbell Law School Announces April Giancola Will Serve As the New Assistant Dean of Career Services and Professional Development

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.

Brock Wolf Joins Hall Booth Smith

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.

The Law Office of Manisha P. Patel, PLLC Welcomes Emily L. Guarascio

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.

Nine Attorneys Join Poyner Spruill’s Education Law Practice Group

Poyner Spruill announced that an Education Law Practice Group has been added to the firm. Four partners, one of counsel, and four associate attorneys have joined the firm as part of the new practice group. All members of the group will be based in the Raleigh office and will also spend time in the firm’s offices located in Rocky Mount and Charlotte.

Katie Cornetto has joined the firm as partner. Her practice is focused on education law. She has prior experience as the Director of Member Advocacy for the Professional Educators of North Carolina. She also served as in-house counsel with the North Carolina State Board of Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She holds a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law and a B.A. in political science and public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rachel Hitch has joined the firm as partner. Hitch focuses her practice on education law with an emphasis on special education. She has represented school systems in matters of due process actions, state complaints, and OCR investigations. She has been invited to join working groups at the state and national level to offer input on state special education issues and the anticipated Congressional revision of the IDEA. Hitch is a past chair of the NCBA Education Law Section. She earned a J.D. from Campbell Law School and a B.A. from Bloomsburg University.

Brandon McPherson has also joined as partner. McPherson focuses his practice on education law and represents clients in a variety of areas, including litigation, construction, finance, personnel matters, and disaster relief and recovery. He has held leadership roles within the NCBA Education Law Section since 2017 and has served as chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. He holds a J.D. from Campbell Law School and a B.A. in political science with a minor in philosophy from North Carolina State University.

Brian Shaw has joined the firm as partner. Shaw has extensive experience practicing education law. He provides counsel to public school systems throughout North Carolina. Shaw served on the Board of Directors for the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys. He is an adjunct professor at Campbell Law School. Shaw has served with the NCBA Education Law Section as chair. He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A., cum laude, from Harvard College.

Laura Crumpler has joined the firm as of counsel. She has served as an education law practitioner for more than 30 years. In 2017, Crumpler retired from the Education Section of the Attorney General’s Office as Special Deputy Attorney General. She has experience practicing as the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Wilmington and General Counsel for the NC School Boards Association. Prior to attending law school, Crumpler was an elementary school teacher. She holds a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and a B.A., cum laude, from Salem College.

Amy Clay has joined the firm as an associate attorney. She is focused on helping public school systems in all aspects of education law. She has an educational background in school psychology and has completed training in public schools, hospitals and private clinics. She is a member of the NCBA Young Lawyers Division. Clay earned a Ph.D. in School Psychology from North Carolina State University, a J.D. from Campbell Law School, and a B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rachel Nicholas has joined the firm as an associate attorney. She focuses on assisting public school systems in North Carolina. Nicholas serves on the NCBA Education Law Council as treasurer and is a member of the NCBA Young Lawyers Division. Prior to attending law school, she was a teacher in Rocky Mount through Teach For America. She holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Grace Sykes Pennerat has joined the firm as an associate attorney. She has experience as a research assistant in the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also worked as a course administrator for the Honors Carolina Burch Field Research Seminar in Washington, D.C. Pennerat received a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and a B.A. in political science and global studies with a minor in art history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rebecca Williams has joined as an associate attorney and will assist public school systems in matters of education law. Before pursuing a career in the legal field, she taught Spanish for several years at the high school and college level. She holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, an M.A. in Spanish language and literature from the University of New Hampshire, and a B.A. in foreign languages, magna cum laude, from West Virginia University.

Young Moore Announces Wes Tripp III Has Joined the Firm

Samuel W. (Wes) Tripp III has joined Young Moore as an associate attorney. Tripp’s practice is focused on estate and fiduciary litigation, occupational licensing boards and administrative law. He has experience in appellate advocacy, bankrupty and creditors’ rights, landlord/tenant disputes, medical malpractice, and more. Tripp obtained a J.D. from Campbell Law School, a B.A. from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, and an associate’s degree, magna cum laude, from Johnson University.