Recognition

Recognition is a regular feature of NC Lawyer. To submit notices, email Russell Rawlings.

Brian, a Black man with black hair and a short beard, wears a blue shirt, black tie, and black jacket.

Brian O. Beverly of Young Moore and Henderson, P.A. in Raleigh received the Joseph Branch Professionalism Award at the Wake County Bar Association’s annual meeting in November. The award is the association’s highest honor. Beverly is a past president of the Wake County Bar Association, the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and the Capital City Lawyers Association, and a former member of the NCBA Board of Governors.

Samuel is a white man with dark brown hair. He wears a white shirt, red tie, and grey jacket.

Samuel M. Dearstyne of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP received the DRI Young Lawyers Committee’s Rookie of the Year Award last fall at the DRI Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Dearstyne was recognized for his contributions to the committee’s annual Young Lawyers Seminar, which included the recruitment of nearly a dozen in-house counsel from around the Charlotte area to participate in the program.

Diana, a white woman with curly light brown hair, wears a white blouse and black jacket. She has her arms crossed and is smiling.

Diana R. Palecek of Fox Rothschild LLP in Charlotte received the 2023 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from the Commercial Real Estate Women Network (CREW) Charlotte chapter, a global organization of real estate professionals. The award honors a CREW Charlotte member who helps to advance the organization’s goals to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in its membership and leadership. An active member of CREW and its DEI taskforce and champion for people with disabilities in the workforce, Palecek facilitated their inaugural commonality cohort for professionals with disabilities.

Phil, a white man with brown hair, wears a white shirt, red tie and black suit.J. Heydt Philbeck of Bailey & Dixon, LLP in Raleigh has been elected a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and was inducted in Seattle, Washington. Fellowship, which is by invitation-only and limited to practitioners who have practiced in the field for twenty or more years, is considered the highest recognition by one’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the practice of labor and employment law, exemplifying integrity, dedication, and excellence.

Meredith, a white woman with brown hair, wears a white blouse with a black pattern and a white blazer.

Meredith French Reedy of Moore & Van Allen PLLC in Charlotte was selected for the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2024 Women in Business Awards program. The program, now in its 28th year, recognizes 25 women who are making an impact in the Charlotte region through career accomplishments and community involvement. Reedy is co-founder and co-head of the firm’s Farm Credit Lending group, a sub-group of the Financial Services practice.

Deborah, a white woman with blond hair, wears a black blouse.

Deborah Sperati of Poyner Spruill LLP in Rocky Mount has been named chair of the the USLAW Network’s Women’s Connection, which encourages attorneys to further the status of women in the legal field through building personal and professional relationships, serving as mentors or mentees, and collaborating on projects. In this role, Sperati will lead the Annual Women’s Connection Conference in Asheville in June.