(CHARLOTTE, N.C.)—Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP (Parker Poe) has announced the election of Thomas N. Griffin III as Managing Partner. Mr. Griffin succeeds William P. Farthing, Jr., who has served in that role since 2002.
As Managing Partner, Mr. Griffin will chair the firm's Board of Directors and serve as its chief executive. In these roles, he will work to establish and implement strategic efforts while overseeing day-to-day management and operations with the assistance of the firm’s administrative management.
“I am honored to be elected by my peers to succeed Bill as Parker Poe’s Managing Partner,” Mr. Griffin said. “Our profession and business in general face unprecedented challenges and change, but our firm definitely has the energy and desire to confront these challenges and adapt the way we do business to best serve our clients and our lawyers.”
Mr. Griffin has practiced for nearly three decades, concentrating his work in environmental law and litigation. His work spans a broad range of matters with a heavy emphasis on redevelopment and renewable energy, including biomass, wind energy, solar and Brownfield projects. Mr. Griffin also handles high profile cases in federal and state courts. He has particular experience in matters relating to water, wetlands, wildlife, endangered species, the National Environmental Policy Act, Brownfield and federal and state permitting. Prior to being elected as Managing Partner, Mr. Griffin served on the firm’s Board of Directors for more than 12 years.
Mr. Griffin has earned numerous honors for his legal work, including designation in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers, North Carolina Super Lawyers, Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite and Charlotte Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year (Environmental Law).
Among his most important roles as Managing Partner will be implementing Parker Poe’s new strategic plan, which Mr. Griffin described as “very well crafted and reflecting the best thinking available.”
The pillars of the plan are maximizing value for clients, strengthening operating efficiency and profitability and building community both internally and externally. Younger partners and lawyers at the firm are integral to the plan design and implementation, since “the future of the firm lies largely with them,” Mr. Griffin said. “As always, we’re aiming for a culture that delivers unmatched service to clients and a fulfilling professional and personal experience for attorneys.”
Mr. Farthing, 63, will remain fully engaged in the firm after more than a decade of service as Managing Partner, in a newly defined role that is primarily externally focused.
“It is an exciting opportunity for me to take on a new role, to focus myself into the heart of cultivating and nurturing our client and community relationships,” Mr. Farthing said. “It is a perfect time in my career to make that change. And, it is a perfect time for Tom to become Managing Partner. He will be a wonderful leader for us. With Tom at the helm, supported by a thoughtful and aggressive Board, we’re in extraordinarily capable hands.”
About Parker Poe
Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has 210 lawyers in six offices located across North Carolina and South Carolina. The Firm provides legal counsel to large commercial and public organizations on litigation, corporate and regulatory matters. It has been recognized as one of the fastest growing law firms in the United States and as an award-winning leader in the use of technology to provide better and more efficient service to domestic and international clients.