Brooks Pierce, a leading law firm in North Carolina, is pleased to announce that five new associates have recently joined the firm. Dan Colston and Collins Saint will work primarily at the firm’s Greensboro office, while Melissa Bailey, Amanda Whorton and Josh Yost will be based out of the Raleigh office.
“We are excited to expand our intellectual property, corporate, litigation, education, employment, entertainment and media practices with these talented new associates,” said Reid Phillips, the firm’s managing partner. “Each one of them brings passion and drive to our team, and we look forward to the great work they’ll do on behalf of our clients.”
Colston will focus his practice on intellectual property and corporate law, with an emphasis on working with startups. He has previously served as an intern for Judge James Wynn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, where he researched and analyzed case law and statutes and drafted bench memos on district court decisions on both civil and criminal matters. He also served as a research assistant to professor Dana Remus at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Colston received his juris doctor from the UNC School of Law. An accomplished musician, he has a bachelor’s degree in music from UNC, a master’s degree in music from Baylor University and a doctor of musical arts from John Hopkins University.
Collins will focus their practice on education law, employment law and litigation. A former educator, Saint has a background working with students and advocating for public education. They were a legal intern with the Council for Children’s Rights in Charlotte, where they navigated the special education and student discipline processes. They also worked as a summer associate at Brooks Pierce in 2016. Saint received their juris doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law. They have both a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of Alabama.
Bailey will focus her work on transactional law, including business mergers, acquisitions and entity formations. She will also do some work in commercial real estate, representing both buyers and sellers. Before joining Brooks Pierce, she clerked for North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark D. Martin. Bailey received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in international studies and economics from UNC.
Whorton will focus her practice on entertainment, media and intellectual property law. Before entering law school, she worked as a television producer for two PBS stations in Florida. In 2015, she served as a legal intern for the Office of the New York State Attorney General in the Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection, where she conducted legal research and drafted memoranda regarding bankruptcy, financial and consumer protection issues. She also worked as a summer associate in the Charlotte office of Troutman Sanders. Whorton received her juris doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law and has a bachelor’s degree from Southeastern University.
Yost will focus his practice on litigation. Before joining Brooks Pierce as an associate, Yost served as a law clerk for Judge Karen K. Caldwell on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He has also served as a judicial extern for Wynn on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit while in law school. Yost served as a summer associate twice at Brooks Pierce and once in the Raleigh office of K&L Gates. He received his juris doctor from the UNC School of Law and has a bachelor’s degree in history from Davidson College.
