MANAGING PARTNERS TO WATCH
LESLIE C. PACKER MANAGING PARTNER ELLIS & WINTERS RALEIGH, N.C.
As one of Ellis & Winters’ founding members, Leslie Packer has served as the firm’s managing partner for 10 years. For over three decades, she has helped clients navigate disputes over health care-product liability. She loves the variety associated with her practice, and she is always seeking new challenges. Packer is detail-oriented and known for her serious, goal-driven approach to providing legal services. She enjoys giving back to the legal profession through leadership and volunteerism in a variety of professional organizations. In 2009, she received the Andrew C. Hecker Award, honoring the best article published in the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Quarterly Packer has been active in the Special Olympics since 1999, when she was instrumental in bringing the World Games to Raleigh, provided pro bono legal services, and served on the World Games board. She also is an athlete herself, having competed in three marathons — the New York City Marathon, the Virginia Beach Marathon and the Chicago Marathon.
ALLEN K. ROBERTSON MANAGING PARTNER ROBINSON BRADSHAW CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Growth and transformation have been Allen Robertson’s vision for Robinson Bradshaw since he took the reins as managing partner in 2015. He led the establishment of a new Raleigh office in 2020 and is spearheading the process of relocating the firm’s Charlotte headquarters from its current home of four decades to a new Uptown office tower. In addition, the firm has increased its headcount by 48 lawyers over the past eight years. Demonstrating his commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Robertson established a firmwide Racial Justice Task Force to address racial disparities and social injustices on a broader scale. The task force has expanded into the Carolinas Social Impact Initiative and its first program, the Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses (CLIMB), which provides pro bono legal services to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Charlotte area. Known for his deep respect for the firm’s history and his strong vision for its future, Robertson considers the firm culture and its core ideals of excellence, professionalism and teamwork in every decision he makes as managing partner.
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REID L. PHILLIPS MANAGING PARTNER BROOKS PIERCE GREENSBORO, N.C.
Across his seven-year tenure as managing partner at Brooks Pierce, Reid Phillips has led the 125-year-old law firm with vision and a steady hand. These attributes were important when the firm faced the COVID-19 crisis, but through it all, Phillips not only provided top-level leadership, but he also stayed focused on the future and created an environment of inclusivity and equity for colleagues. In addition to elevating the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s role, he appointed its first full-time director of diversity and inclusion, a partner-level position. Phillips is known for his ability to lead by example and is recognized as a tireless coach and enthusiastic cheerleader who loves seeing others thrive and fully realize their potential. His imprint is everywhere at Brooks Pierce, but his hand is unseen. Colleagues recognize Phillips as an authentic leader who skillfully leverages intellect, hard work and a clear sense of right and wrong to create solutions that drive favorable outcomes and help people and organizations thrive.
MARY NASH K. RUSHER RALEIGH MANAGING PARTNER McGUIREWOODS RALEIGH, N.C.
In addition to her role as managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Raleigh office, Mary Nash Rusher works closely with local governments, nonprofit agencies, and other organizations to finance capital improvements using tax advantage financing — primarily tax-exempt bonds. She has played a role in nearly every affordable housing bond issue in North Carolina over the past decade that involved tax-exempt bonds and 4% tax credits, and she regularly works with local governments to find innovative ways to provide affordable housing in the state. She says she feels gratified when she can help fund the infrastructure that communities need. In a 2019 interview with North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, Rusher said she balances work and personal commitments by limiting her involvement to activities she is especially passionate about. She treats nonwork obligations with the same importance as work events. One of those activities is the YMCA of the Triangle, where she has served on the board of directors, including as its chair, for over a decade.
NOVEMBER 2023
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N O R T H C A R O L I N A L A W Y E R S W E E K LY