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Legal Legends of Color Award Honorees – 2026

The eleventh annual Legal Legends of Color Awards Celebration will take place Thursday, June 25. The Legal Legends of Color Awards Celebration demonstrates the NCBA’s commitment to embracing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. The celebration is a time to recognize and honor attorneys and other legal professionals of color whose legacies represent ceilings broken for all attorneys who follow in their footsteps and whose impacts on the legal profession are undeniable.

2026 Legal Legends of Color Award Honorees

The Honorable Rickye McKoy-Mitchell
Sharon Bey-Christopher
Andrea Leslie-Fite
Eric Pristell
William T. Wilson Jr. (posthumously)

The Honorable Rickye McKoy-Mitchell

Retired/Emergency District Court Judge Rickye McKoy-Mitchell is Mecklenburg County’s longest-serving District Court Judge and a double Tar Heel, having earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at Carolina, she was a James M. Johnston Scholar and a member of the Order of Valkyries Honor Society, recognized for excellence in scholarship, dynamic leadership, and innovative service. She is also a two-time recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine—one of North Carolina’s highest honors—and was and still is one of the youngest recipients ever to receive the award when she was first honored in 1980.

Before taking the bench, Judge McKoy-Mitchell practiced in both criminal and civil law at the state and federal levels. She went on to serve as a District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County for nearly twenty-five years, presiding in every district court and most recently serving as Child Support Court Lead Judge. She has also served as a faculty member for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, training judges across the country and internationally through Institutes focused on Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse, and Human Trafficking.

In addition to her judicial leadership, Judge McKoy-Mitchell has been deeply engaged in bar and community service, including serving in leadership roles within the Mecklenburg County Bar, founding the Excellence in Youth Awards through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and helping lead youth-centered racial equity initiatives. Her many honors include the Julius L. Chambers Diversity Champion Award, the Ayscue Professionalism Award, and recognition from numerous legal and civic organizations for her leadership, professionalism, and service.

Sharon Bey-Christopher

Sharon Bey-Christopher retired in 2025 after more than forty years of legal practice spanning New Jersey, Georgia, and North Carolina. A graduate of Cornell University and Rutgers University School of Law–Newark, she built a distinguished career grounded in both litigation experience and service to underserved communities. After relocating to North Carolina in the mid-1990s, she obtained admission to the North Carolina Bar as well as federal court admissions in the United States District Court and Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina.

Attorney Bey-Christopher began her career in commercial defense litigation, handling matters involving employment discrimination, construction defect defense, real estate, and creditors’ rights. She later transitioned to plaintiff-side civil work and, in 2005, joined Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc., where she eventually served as Managing Attorney of the Wilson office, overseeing a six-county service area. Her work at Legal Aid allowed her to apply her litigation background in the service of financially eligible North Carolinians, with a particular focus on consumer advocacy, foreclosure defense, loss mitigation, debtor representation, and client counseling. In 2014, after her work with Legal Aid’s Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Project, she was recognized as a co-recipient of the 2013 Defenders of Justice Award for Litigation. Attorney Bey-Christopher also advised nonprofit organizations on formation, governance, and tax-exempt compliance, an experience that continues to inform her post-retirement community economic development work. She remains active in leadership roles with the NC Association of Community Development Corporations, Legacy Bridge of North Carolina, and the Fertile Ground Food Cooperative.

Andrea Leslie-Fite

Andrea Leslie-Fite most recently served as Guilford County Attorney and brings more than eighteen years of experience in local government law. Her prior roles include serving as City Attorney for Shelby, Senior Assistant City Attorney for Charlotte, Assistant County Attorney for Cleveland County, and, earlier in her career, as an associate and later partner with Yelton Farfour. She earned her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law and holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Political Science and Communications.

Throughout her career, Attorney Leslie-Fite has provided strategic legal guidance on significant public projects and initiatives. In Guilford County, she was instrumental in supporting major economic development efforts, including JetZero, Cascade, and Lenovo, and also advised on the county’s $1.7 billion bond initiative and important land use matters, including the adoption of Guilford County’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Her leadership extends beyond her day-to-day practice. She recently served as president of the North Carolina Association of County Attorneys, is a member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association and the North Carolina Bar Association’s Government and Public Sector Section, and has been recognized as an IMLA Local Government Fellow—a distinction honoring attorneys as specialists in local government law.

Eric Pristell

Eric Pristell has devoted more than two decades to advancing affordable housing, higher education, community development, and public service. He serves as Principal, Shareholder, and Vice President of The Banks Law Firm, P.A., one of the nation’s largest minority-owned law firms, and manages the firm’s Atlanta office. Licensed in North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, Attorney Pristell has built a respected practice centered on affordable housing and community economic development. Over the course of his career, he has structured and closed complex public-private partnerships that have expanded economic opportunity and helped develop and preserve thousands of affordable and workforce housing units in communities across North Carolina.

Attorney Pristell has also made significant contributions to higher education, particularly through his work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He leads The Banks Law Firm’s HBCU practice and has advised institutions and related foundations on development, governance, compliance, financing, and student housing matters. His legal leadership has supported the growth of North Carolina A&T State University, Bennett College, North Carolina Central University, and Saint Augustine’s University at critical moments in their institutional development. A graduate of North Carolina Central University and Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Attorney Pristell began his commitment to community development before law school through work with the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development. He has continued that commitment through service to educational, faith-based, cultural, and civic organizations and through leadership in transformative projects, including major affordable housing developments and the Miracle League Field of Dreams in Durham. His career reflects a sustained commitment to opportunity, institutional advancement, and strengthening communities throughout North Carolina and beyond.

William T. Wilson Jr. (posthumously)

William T. Wilson Jr. devoted his legal career to making a difference in the lives of everyday people. After serving in the United States Army and later working as a civilian with the Department of Revenue, he was inspired to pursue the law after observing the judicial system while serving on jury duty. He graduated with honors from North Carolina Central University School of Law and, in 1977, left his hometown of Apex to open a law practice in Sanford, North Carolina. That practice grew into the firm now known as Wilson, Reives & Doran, where he spent decades helping lead a team committed to serving clients and community with integrity, compassion, and skill.

Throughout his career, Attorney Wilson remained focused on helping people navigate difficult moments with practical, accessible legal guidance. He represented clients in matters involving automobile accidents, workplace injuries, and wrongful death, while maintaining a practice rooted in trust, respect, and client-centered service. He was equally committed to civic engagement and community leadership, earning honors such as the Governor’s Volunteer of the Year award and Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year. His service extended to numerous local and statewide organizations, including the NC Community Development Initiative, the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees, Brick Capital Community Development Corporation, and the Kiwanis Club of Lee County. Attorney Wilson’s legacy is one of professional excellence, deep community commitment, and a lifelong dedication to improving the lives of others.

Previous Legal Legends of Color Honorees

  • 2025 Honorees – The Honorable Loretta Copeland Biggs, The Honorable Allyson Kay Duncan, Charles Edison Smith, James E. Williams Jr.
  • 2024 Honorees – The Honorable James Andrew Wynn, Charles L. Becton, The Honorable Patrice A. Hinnant (Ret.), Cindy Marie Patton, Karl Adkins (posthumously)
  • 2023 Honorees – Judge Joe L. Webster, Judge Addie M. Harris Rawls (Ret.), Former Rep. Annie, Brown Kennedy (posthumously), Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell, Brenda Ford Harding
  • 2022 Honorees – Judge Ola M. Lewis (posthumously), Attorney Arlinda F. Locklear, Attorney Margaret Dudley, Attorney Georgia Jacquez Lewis
  • 2021 Honorees – Judge Elreta Melton Alexander (posthumously), Attorney Karen Bethea-Shields, Judge Wanda G. Bryant, Professor James E. Coleman, Jr., Attorney Julian Pierce (posthumously)
  • 2020 Honorees – Judge Yvonne Mims Evans, Attorney Anthony Fox, Attorney J. Kenneth Lee* (posthumously), Senator Dan T. Blue, Jr., Professor George R. Johnson, Jr.
  • 2019 Honorees – Professor Charles Daye, Former U.S. Attorney Janice McKenzie Cole, Former Legislator H. M. “Mickey” Michaux Jr., Judge Sammie Chess, Attorney Julius Chambers (posthumously)
  • 2018 Honorees – Judge Shirley Fulton, Judge Paul Jones, Attorney Glenn Adams, Attorney Victor Boone
  • 2017 Honorees – Judge Albert Diaz, Former Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, Professor Irving Joyner
  • 2016 Honorees – Chief Justice Cheri Lynn Beasley, Former Chief Justice Henry E. Frye, Attorney James E. “Fergie” Ferguson II