Elections For Greensboro Bar Association Officers & Directors and JD18 Officers

The following members have been nominated to serve as officers and directors of the Greensboro Bar Association for June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019:

GBA President-elect (18th JD VP): Eric A. Richardson

GBA/18th JD Secretary: Chelsea E. Anderson

GBA/18th JD Treasurer: Desmond G. Sheridan

GBA Director (3) for 3-year term starting June 1, 2018 and ending in May 31, 2021:

Abigail E. Peoples

J. Grant Sigmon

Allie Petrova

GBA Director (1) for 2-year term starting June 1, 2018 and ending in May 31, 2020 (fill unexpired term of Eric Richardson):

Kimberly B. Gatling

The nominations were submitted by the 2018 Nominating Committee:

Jim Bryan, Damon Duncan, Ken Keller (chair), Nicole Patino, Camille Payton, Sarah Roane, Judge Teresa Vincent and Gerald Walden

GBA/18 JD President Elect/VP

Eric Richardson – Eric has served as the Chair of the GBA Herb Falk Society, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors.  Eric is the managing partner of the personal injury practice and family law practice for Oxner + Permar, PLLC. Since graduating from law school, he has built a litigation practice by handling a wide variety of cases before North Carolina District and Superior Courts, Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts, as well as the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Although Eric has represented a number of business interests and other entities during his legal career, he now focuses his practice on the representation of people who need assistance in maneuvering through the maze of civil litigation.

Born in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eric graduated from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Government. He worked for two years as a Federal Budget Analyst in Bethesda, Maryland before attending law school. Eric graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law where he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Wake Forest Law Review. He is a published author and contributes a significant amount of his time to community service, including serving as the General Chairman for the 2009 Wyndham Championship PGA tour event and coaching East Forsyth High School’s trial team in the NCAJ Mock Trial Competition. He is a member of the NC Advocates for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and the Multi Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum. He has served on the NC Bar Association’s Medico-Legal Committee, the NC Bar Association’s Family Law Section Committee, and as President of the Guilford County Family Law Section. He has also served as CLE co-chair for the auto torts section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and has been recognized in multiple years by the Greensboro Bar Association as a member of the Herb Falk society.  Eric is certified to practice in the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of North Carolina’s Federal Courts as well as the United States Supreme Court.

GBA/JD 18 Secretary

Chelsea Anderson – Chelsea has served faithfully and efficiently as the GBA Secretary for two years and chaired the very successful 2015 and 2016 GBA benefits for Legal Aid.  She was an active member of the Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors in 2014-2016. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Elon University and received her Juris Doctor from Elon University School of Law.  She has been practicing in the area of family law since 2013, and currently practices with Cordell and Cordell, handling domestic matters, helping individuals in matters relating to separation, divorce, spousal support (post-separation support and alimony), child custody, child support, adoptions, guardianships, name changes, and legitimations.

GBA/18 JD Treasurer

Desmond Sheridan – Desmond is currently completing his second year as Treasurer of the GBA, having also served as Treasurer previously.  Desmond completed his undergraduate work at the University of Florida and his law degree from UNC Chapel Hill, where he graduated with High Honors and was on the Law Review.  He has practiced in Greensboro since 1986, and formed the law firm of Isaacson Isaacson & Sheridan, LLP with Henry Isaacson and Marc Isaacson in 2000.  Desmond is a certified public accountant and, before law school, practiced public accounting in Washington, DC. After beginning his legal career in the tax area, he has expanded his practice to include business transactions, corporations, limited liability companies and commercial real estate. Desmond is active in Temple Emanuel and other community organizations. He has authored a number of articles on tax and legal topics and has given numerous continuing education presentations to CPAs and attorneys.  Most recently, Desmond presented a program on S corporations to over 200 CPAs at the North Carolina Association of CPA’s annual Symposium.

GBA Board of Directors (2020 – unexpired term of Eric Richardson)

Kim Gatling – Kim previously served on the GBA Board in 2006, was Treasurer in 2008-09 and chaired several committees including the Legal Aid Benefit and Law Day. Kim is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, cum laude and George Washington University Law School.  Kim is a Partner at Smith Moore Leatherwood, and concentrates her practice in intellectual property prosecution, licensing, and litigation.  She is also a member of the firm’s cybersecurity and data breach group, which assists clients with the management and protection of sensitive business and personal information. Kim is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Trademarks.  In addition to her business savvy, Kim works to help community members achieve a better quality of life. She serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Greensboro, the Board of the Cone Health Foundation, and is a strong supporter of her alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University, where she serves as Chair of the Board of Visitors.

GBA Board of Directors (2021)

Abigail Peoples – Abigail Peoples – Abigail has been active on the GBA Board for a number of years, having chaired the CLE committee and served a full term as a member of the Board of Directors.  She earned her J.D. from The College of William and Mary, Marshall Wythe Law School, along with a Masters in Counseling from Regent University and a Bachelor of Arts from UNC Chapel Hill.  She started her law firm right out of law school in 2009 and focuses her practice on estate planning/administration, wills/trusts, adoptions, and guardianships.  She has also served as an adjunct professor at Elon School of Law, Guilford College, and GTCC.

Grant Sigmon – Grant has served on the GBA Board of Directors as an ex officio member as President of the Greensboro Young Lawyers Section.  Grant is a graduate of East Carolina University and received his law degree from Elon University School of Law.  He founded Sigmon Klein, PLLC in 2016, where the majority of his practice focuses on personal injury, family law, and business disputes at the State Court level, although he is also experienced in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and in Federal Court. In addition to his law practice, Grant maintains consistent involvement in the Greensboro community. He is currently President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Greensboro Bar Association and is an active member of the Greensboro Rotary Club.

Allie Petrova – Allie has been very active in the GBA Bar, serving as liaison with the High Point Bar and organizing the Battle of the Bars trivia event.  She received her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, her advanced tax law studies with an LL.M. in Taxation degree also from Georgetown Law, and an LL.M. in International Economic Law degree from a bilingual program at The Sorbonne in Paris.  She received her B.S. degree in Business Administration and Economics with a Finance concentration, magna cum laude, with departmental honors from Greensboro College.

Allie focuses exclusively on business and taxation matters.  Allie developed her tax and transactional expertise as a senior M&A tax consultant at Ernst & Young in New York City.  Before founding Petrova Law, she practiced corporate and tax law with Schell Bray PLLC in downtown Greensboro.  She has worked at the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C.  Allie is an active member of the Greensboro Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.  She serves on the Tax Council of the North Carolina Bar Association and as a Vice Chair of the Closely Held Business Committee of the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association.