Smith Anderson Welcomes Three New Partners to its Partnership

The largest business law firm headquartered in the Research Triangle region, Smith Anderson, announced today it has admitted attorneys Toby Coleman, Amanda Keister and Sharita Whitaker to the firm’s partnership effective January 1, 2019.

Toby, Amanda, and Sharita all joined Smith Anderson after interning with the firm in the summer of 2010. 

• Toby Coleman, recognized as a North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star (2014-2018), is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Development group and focuses his practice on land use and zoning, real estate development, and construction. Toby’s practice includes advising on real estate and construction disputes involving private and public projects, as well as all facets of land use through the representation of developers and land owners before governing authorities, agencies, boards and commissions throughout North Carolina. Toby received his law degree from Duke University.

• Amanda Keister advises companies on a host of corporate legal matters, principally related to raising capital and corporate governance. Her predominant areas of practice include securities regulation (serving as issuer counsel in public and private offerings of reporting companies and providing ongoing compliance advice and assistance) and working with private companies that are preparing to enter the public markets. Prior to obtaining her law degree and Master in Business Administration degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Amanda interned with the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Sharita Whitaker is a member of the firm's Real Estate Development group and focuses her practice in the areas of commercial real estate and real estate development. Sharita assists clients with a wide variety of real estate objectives, including acquisitions, dispositions and leasing, condemnation/eminent domain actions, title disputes, right-of-way acquisitions, public utility issues, and easement negotiation. Sharita received her law degree from North Carolina Central University. She is a member of Smith Anderson’s Diversity Committee and is a former Chair of the Minorities in the Profession Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association. In 2016, Sharita was the recipient of the inaugural Chambers Diversity Award for “Future Leader – Minority Lawyers (Private Practice)”.