Charlotte, NC – Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP is pleased to announce the election of 11 new partners for 2023. Amanda Williams in Charleston; Nicholas Lee, Dominic Lerario, Tim Logan, and Elizabeth Trenary in Charlotte; Katon Dawson in Columbia; Erika Byrd, Tasneem Dharamsi, and Madison Felder in Greenville; and Michael Goldsticker and Spencer Guld in Raleigh were voted into the firm’s partnership.
Erika Byrd practices primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and litigation finance, and general corporate law. She represents private companies in a variety of transactions, including stock and asset acquisitions and dispositions, mergers, private placements, equity and debt financings, and corporate reorganizations. She represents commercial lenders and borrowers in various financing transactions and is knowledgeable in the related areas of securitization, fintech, and multi-level financings. Erika also is active in various aspects of litigation finance, including the representation of both funders and law firm borrowers. Following receipt of a bachelor's degree in business management from Clemson University, Erika received a four-year joint JD/MBA degree from the University of South Carolina.
Katon Dawson’s practice primarily focuses on complex commercial, construction, and health care litigation. He has experience litigating contractual disputes, class action claims, and defense of personal injury and other tort claims. Katon has advised extensively on issues related to the enforcement of agreements to arbitrate, surety bonds, and mechanics’ liens. He has been involved in appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the South Carolina Supreme Court, and the South Carolina Court of Appeals. Katon received his law degree and IMBA from the University of South Carolina and his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University.
Tasneem Dharamsi counsels clients on obtaining, protecting, licensing, and enforcing their intellectual property. Tasneem views intellectual property as a valuable asset intertwined with each client’s business. She works with clients to grow these assets, solve problems, and minimize risk. Tasneem is a registered patent attorney with significant experience in enforcing patent rights before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in post-grant proceedings and in federal court in patent litigation matters across all industries and technologies including the mechanical, electrical, and pharmaceutical arts. She earned her law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, where she was an Echols Scholar.
Madison Felder focuses his practice on state and local tax (SALT) and federal tax issues related to economic development and public finance transactions. His experience includes drafting and negotiating fee-in-lieu of tax (FILOT) and infrastructure credit agreements, filing claims for refund, filing applications for state and local property tax exemptions and state sales tax exemptions, and advising clients on all aspects of tax incentives available for economic development projects. He also represents clients before the South Carolina Department of Revenue on alcohol licensing issues. Madison received his master’s degree in taxation from the University of Florida, his law degree from the University of South Carolina, and his undergraduate degree from Wofford College.
Michael Goldsticker is a commercial litigator. He is a vital member of the Firm’s team of litigators and trial attorneys who handle, investigate, and litigate cases involving complex commercial disputes, including claims under the False Claims Act/Qui Tam actions and other business fraud cases. His case experience also includes class actions and multidistrict litigation. Michael has handled investigations and litigation arising from clinical laboratory, life sciences, healthcare, solar energy, construction, and government contract businesses. As a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael further specializes in government and internal investigations and white collar criminal defense. Michael graduated magna cum laude from Duke Law School and received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College.
Spencer Guld drafts and negotiates IP and technology-related transactions to protect and commercialize highly valued intellectual property for his clients. In the life sciences field, Spencer negotiates sponsored research agreements, discovery and validation projects, licenses for genetic tests, collaborations between pharmaceutical companies and laboratories, material transfer agreements, and supply agreements for proprietary instruments, chips, and consumables. He also regularly drafts and negotiates sourcing and procurement, consulting, manufacturing, cloud software, supply and distribution agreements for his clients. Spencer received his law degree from the University of Richmond and his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech.
Nicholas Lee is a litigator in Parker Poe’s Charlotte office focusing his practice on complex commercial litigation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of matters, including cases related to trade secrets and other intellectual property, securities fraud, corporate governance, construction litigation, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and foreign trade zones. He handles cases in state and federal courts and also conducts arbitrations. Nicholas earned his law degree from Regent University and his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University.
Dom Lerario focuses his practice on international business, economic development, and mergers and acquisitions. Dom assists companies with investments and expansions in the United States, including site selection and incentives, outbound investments and structuring, and domestic and cross-border M&A. He also counsels corporate venture capital divisions, family offices, and other private investors on investments into startups and emerging companies. In addition, Dom counsels clients on commercial contracting and general corporate law issues. He received his law degree and his LLM in International and Comparative Law from Duke University and his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar.
Tim Logan advises companies and individuals in the acquisition, sale, development, leasing and financing of commercial real estate, including multifamily, single-family, industrial and office properties. His prior experience representing lenders in loans secured by real estate collateral, including the origination and servicing of securitized loans, allows Tim to represent borrowers effectively and efficiently in their financings. Tim received his law degree from the University of Virginia and his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Elizabeth Trenary counsels public and private clients on commercial, corporate, and transactional issues. These include complex commercial arrangements, technology licenses, joint ventures, mergers, asset and stock purchases, securities offerings, debt issuances and governance issues. Her clients include both small businesses and large domestic and international clients in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, banking, energy, technology, automotive, hospitality, and education. Elizabeth received her law degree from the University of Miami and her undergraduate degree from Furman University.
Amanda Williams defends employers on a range of employment issues involving claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and wage and hour disputes. She counsels clients on all aspects of the employment relationship from hiring to discharge and regularly defends employers in litigation matters pending in South Carolina state and federal court, as well as in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. Amanda earned her law degree from Louisiana State University and her undergraduate degree from Clemson University.
About Parker Poe
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has more than 275 lawyers in eight offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, DC. The firm provides legal counsel to many of the Southeast's largest companies and local governments.
Parker Poe is a member of two leading international legal networks: TerraLex and the Employment Law Alliance. TerraLex and the ELA have chosen Parker Poe to help guide clients through global business challenges.