Gaaron U. Goldsmith will practice on the Commercial Real Estate team and will be involved in helping clients in matters such as the purchase, sale, development, and leasing of property. Goldsmith previously was a clerk with a local firm whose focus was construction, insurance and banking. He was a clerk to a North Carolina Superior Court Judge in Wake County. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2025. While in law school, he was recognized as a Dean’s Fellow, served as a mentor to first-year law students and was a staff member of the North Carolina Journal of International Law. Goldsmith earned his bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of North Carolina.
Troy Reid has joined the firm’s Litigation team, where he will assist clients with commercial and business litigation, employment, construction disputes, estate disputes and other litigation matters. Reid previously was a summer litigation clerk with Carruthers & Roth. Reid received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2025. There, he served as chair on the Dean’s Advisory Council and as president of the Carolina Law Ambassadors, and he participated in the Pro Bono Program. He holds a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Reid earned a North Carolina Real Estate License and is a licensed private pilot.
Poyner Spruill Selects Managing Partner
Chad Essick was elected to serve as the next managing partner of Poyner Spruill. Essick succeeded Dan Cahill, who is also an NCBA member. Cahill served as the firm’s managing partner since 2017. Essick represents clients in real estate acquisition and development. His primary focus is land use, zoning and entitlements. He represents land owners and developers before local Boards of Adjustment, Planning Commissions, City Councils and County Commissioners on matters including zoning, permitting, variances, annexations, special use permits, site plans and more. Essick previously served as chair of the NCBA Zoning, Planning & Land Use Section (2019-2020). He holds a law degree from Campbell Law School and a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from North Carolina State University.
Smith Debnam Announces New Attorney
A. Caroline Austin has joined the firm, where she will practice with the Divorce and Family Law practice group. Austin represents clients in issues such as equitable distribution, child custody and support, domestic violence protective orders and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. She holds a law degree from Campbell School of Law; there, she was a Dean’s Excellence Scholar. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, cum laude, from the University of Alabama.
Two Attorneys Join Young Moore
Lukas Epps-Dawson has joined the firm, where he focuses his practice on civil litigation and insurance law. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a clerk to Judge Julee T. Flood at the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He received his law degree magna cum laude from Campbell Law School in 2024. While in law school, he was a Bluebook Editor on the Campbell Law Review. Prior to going to law school, he received a bachelor’s degree in English and government from Hampden-Sydney College.
Kathrynn D. Johnston has joined the firm. Her practice is focused on trusts and estates, tax planning, business law and related matters. She graduated magna cum laude from Campbell Law School in 2025, where she served as Publication Editor for Campbell Law Review and on the boards of several student organizations, including Women in Law. She received a master’s degree in intercultural studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Christian University.
After practicing law in the nonprofit arena for almost 30 years, Suzanne Chester has opened her own small practice where she focuses on child-centered family law services. She spent most of her career at Legal Aid of North Carolina where she provided legal services for low-income clients in child custody, domestic violence, landlord tenant, and fair housing litigation. She spent the last eleven years directing The Child’s Advocate at LANC and promoting legal representation for children at the national level. Chester earned a Ph.D. in the humanities from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from UNC School of Law.
Smith Anderson Welcomes Of Counsel
Ralph Strayhorn is now of counsel with the firm. Strayhorn has more than 40 years of experience in executive leadership in banking and other industries. He is executive chairman of New Republic Partners, Inc. and New Republic Bank in Charlotte, where he formerly served as president and CEO. Strayhorn was appointed by the governor and reappointed by the speaker of the House to serve as chair of the Golden LEAF Foundation. Strayhorn graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his undergraduate degree, and from UNC School of Law.
Moore & Van Allen Announce Future Relocation
Moore & Van Allen announced it will relocate its Charlotte office from the Bank of America Corporate Center to Tower Two at Queensbridge Collective in 2028.
The firm’s new office building will be constructed at 1111 South Tryon Street, a location connecting Charlotte’s South End and Uptown districts. The firm’s offices will span nine contiguous floors of the 43-story building. This new space will increase the firm’s current square footage from 165,000 square feet to 206,000 square feet. Some of the features of this new location include one full acre of outdoor green space, a 10,000 square foot fitness and wellness facility and meeting and event space within the building and outdoors, including a rooftop terrace.
Once completed, the construction will be the eighth-tallest building in Charlotte. The building will be constructed by Riverside Investment & Development and is expected to be completed in 2028.
Brooks Pierce has opened a new office in Charlotte. The firm also has offices in Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington. Three new partners, David Allen, Ben Chesson and Anna Majestro have joined the firm.
David Allen has practiced law for more than thirty years. He has empaneled nearly 100 juries since the beginning of his career. He previously served as president of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. He is a councilor of the North Carolina State Bar and a former chair of its Ethics Committee. Allen has also served the legal community through lecturing on the topic of trial practice. He is the 2020 recipient of the NCADA Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy. In July 2025, Allen was selected by the N.C. State Bar’s Nominating Committee to stand for election as N.C. State Bar vice president. He holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ben Chesson has tried nearly 20 cases to verdict. Chesson has a range of experience in his practice, including shareholder disputes, product warranty claims and more. He has tried both corporate and individual clients in state and federal courts across North Carolina. He has represented clients in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, all appellate courts in North Carolina, and the South Carolina Supreme Court. He holds a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, where he served as editor of the Wake Forest Law Review. He received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Anna Majestro is licensed to practice law in West Virginia and South Carolina. She focuses her practice on commercial litigation. After graduating from law school, she clerked for a federal court in West Virginia. Majestro served as chair of the Mecklenburg Bar Association Civil Litigation Section and as a volunteer guardian ad litem with Mecklenburg County. She holds a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a senior editor for the annual survey on White Collar Crime for the American Criminal Law Review at Georgetown. She received a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University. Read more
Checking In: October 28, 2025
Checking InCompiled by Jessica Junqueira
Carruthers & Roth, P.A. Adds Two New Associates
Poyner Spruill Selects Managing Partner
Smith Debnam Announces New Attorney
Two Attorneys Join Young Moore
Checking In: September 23, 2025
Checking InCompiled by Jessica Junqueira
Chester Opens Child’s Voice Law
Smith Anderson Welcomes Of Counsel
Moore & Van Allen Announce Future Relocation
Moore & Van Allen announced it will relocate its Charlotte office from the Bank of America Corporate Center to Tower Two at Queensbridge Collective in 2028.
The firm’s new office building will be constructed at 1111 South Tryon Street, a location connecting Charlotte’s South End and Uptown districts. The firm’s offices will span nine contiguous floors of the 43-story building. This new space will increase the firm’s current square footage from 165,000 square feet to 206,000 square feet. Some of the features of this new location include one full acre of outdoor green space, a 10,000 square foot fitness and wellness facility and meeting and event space within the building and outdoors, including a rooftop terrace.
Once completed, the construction will be the eighth-tallest building in Charlotte. The building will be constructed by Riverside Investment & Development and is expected to be completed in 2028.
Checking In: August 26, 2025
Checking InBrooks Pierce Opens New Charlotte Office
Brooks Pierce has opened a new office in Charlotte. The firm also has offices in Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington. Three new partners, David Allen, Ben Chesson and Anna Majestro have joined the firm.
David Allen has practiced law for more than thirty years. He has empaneled nearly 100 juries since the beginning of his career. He previously served as president of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. He is a councilor of the North Carolina State Bar and a former chair of its Ethics Committee. Allen has also served the legal community through lecturing on the topic of trial practice. He is the 2020 recipient of the NCADA Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy. In July 2025, Allen was selected by the N.C. State Bar’s Nominating Committee to stand for election as N.C. State Bar vice president. He holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ben Chesson has tried nearly 20 cases to verdict. Chesson has a range of experience in his practice, including shareholder disputes, product warranty claims and more. He has tried both corporate and individual clients in state and federal courts across North Carolina. He has represented clients in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, all appellate courts in North Carolina, and the South Carolina Supreme Court. He holds a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, where he served as editor of the Wake Forest Law Review. He received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Anna Majestro is licensed to practice law in West Virginia and South Carolina. She focuses her practice on commercial litigation. After graduating from law school, she clerked for a federal court in West Virginia. Majestro served as chair of the Mecklenburg Bar Association Civil Litigation Section and as a volunteer guardian ad litem with Mecklenburg County. She holds a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a senior editor for the annual survey on White Collar Crime for the American Criminal Law Review at Georgetown. She received a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University. Read more