Akerman advances Charlotte expansion with three partner additions

Charlotte, NC Akerman has added three partners to its local office, advancing the firm’s strategy to build a full-service platform in one of the nation’s fastest-growing commercial markets. The additions strengthen the firm’s capabilities in high-stakes corporate litigation, including matters venued in Delaware, and complex transactions. Amanda Pooler and Samuel Mann join the Litigation Practice Group, and Greg Faltin joins the Real Estate Practice Group.

Akerman opened its local office in November 2024, led by Renewable Energy and Electric Power co-chair Josh DeBottis, with an initial focus on project finance, renewable energy, and infrastructure. The addition of litigation and real estate capabilities marks the next phase of the firm’s Charlotte expansion, broadening its capabilities to meet client demand across high-stakes transactions, disputes, and regulatory matters.

“Charlotte is one of the most dynamic business markets in the country, with the scale, talent, and client base that support sophisticated legal work across practices at both the local and national levels,” said Akerman chairman and CEO Scott Meyers. “We designed this office as a full-service platform from the start. Amanda, Samuel, and Greg bring extraordinary talent, nationally focused practices, and deep local ties that strengthen what we’re building here.”

Pooler, who joins from Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor LLP, represents public and private companies, financial institutions, and their directors and officers in complex corporate, commercial, bankruptcy, and securities litigation. Her practice focuses on M&A-related disputes, contested transactions, fiduciary duty and securities matters, stockholder actions, and distressed company issues, including restructurings and recapitalizations.

Drawing on her experience as a law clerk to vice chancellor Sam Glasscock III of the Delaware Court of Chancery, Pooler regularly handles expedited proceedings, high-stakes governance matters, and appeals. She also advises boards and senior executives on corporate governance and litigation risk.

Prior to practicing in Charlotte, Pooler spent more than a decade in New York at a large international law firm. With her arrival, Pooler reunites with recently joined litigation partner Tammy Mercer in Wilmington, Delaware, strengthening Akerman’s ability to advise clients on high-stakes corporate governance and M&A-related disputes, particularly those venued in Delaware.

Mann, who joins from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, brings more than a dozen years of experience representing financial institutions, corporations, hedge funds, and senior executives in complex litigation and regulatory matters. His practice spans securities, antitrust, complex commercial, employment, insurance, and non-debtor bankruptcy matters, as well as internal investigations and enforcement actions. Mann has appeared before key regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the European Securities and Markets Authority. He regularly advises corporate clients on litigation and regulatory risk, internal investigations, and anti-corruption due diligence in corporate transactions.

Before joining Akerman, Mannpracticed at international law firms in New York and Charlotte. In addition to his practice, Mann maintains a strong commitment to pro bono service, including work on veterans’ benefits, domestic violence, and housing matters.

Faltin, who joins from Moore & Van Allen, has more than 25 years of experience advising developers, private equity funds, investors, lenders, and operating companies in complex commercial real estate and corporate transactions. His practice spans the full real estate lifecycle — from acquisitions and dispositions to financing, leasing, and portfolio transactions — with a focus on delivering practical, business-oriented counsel that aligns legal strategy with clients’ broader objectives.

Faltin represents public and private companies in the acquisition and disposition of office, hospitality, retail, industrial, and manufactured housing assets. He also advises on the real estate components of utility-scale solar and wind projects and supports M&A transactions by counseling clients on real estate diligence, entity formation, governance, and operating structures.

With his arrival, Faltin reunites with office managing partner Josh DeBottis, with whom he previously worked at Moore & Van Allen.

“The clients we work with in Charlotte are dealing with increasingly complex matters that cut across practice areas — a renewable energy developer facing a contract dispute, a financial institution navigating regulatory risk alongside a transaction,” said Josh DeBottis, office managing partner. “Amanda, Samuel, and Greg give us the ability to handle that work locally with the depth our clients expect, rather than staffing it from other offices.”