Meet the Staff

City Attorney Patrick Baker - Patrick is the city attorney for the City of Charlotte.  He was appointed in March 2019 by City Council. Prior to this appointment, Patrick served as the city attorney for the City of Durham.

Deputy City Attorney Lina James - Lina serves as the deputy city attorney for the City of Charlotte.

Mariely Bermudez - Mariely serves as the Office Manager and provides administrative, business, budgetary and personnel support to the City Attorney’s Office.

Elizabeth Smithers, Interim Supervisor Senior Assistant City Attorney - Elizabeth serves as interim lead legal counsel to the Aviation Department overseeing the work of the Aviation legal team and advising on Federal Grant Assurances, and other Airline matters.

John Joye, Senior Assistant City Attorney – John serves as legal counsel to the Aviation Department and advises on construction matters, Disadvantage Business Enterprise, and large-scale litigation strategy.

Jude Starrett, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Jude serves as legal counsel to the Aviation Department and supports legal matters arising from architectural and engineering services, planning, environmental and construction litigation.

Samuel Shames, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Sam serves as legal counsel to the Aviation Department and supports legal matters arising from operations, goods and services procurement and real estate.

Benjamin “Bobby” Sullivan, Senior Assistant City Attorney – Bobby serves as legal counsel to the Aviation Department and advises on first amendment, bankruptcy, commercial development and goods and services procurement.

Bradley Thomas, Supervisor Assistant City Attorney - Brad serves as lead counsel to the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Stuart Pratt, Senior Assistant City Attorney – Stuart serves as legal counsel to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) with a primary focus on technology contracting and federal procurement and grant regulations.

Racheal Baker, Assistant City Attorney - Racheal serves as legal counsel to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) with a primary focus on real estate and transit-oriented development.

Joseph Brook, Assistant City Attorney - Joe serves as legal counsel to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) with a primary focus on procurement, transit advertising and federal compliance.

Tenika Neely, Assistant City Attorney - Tenika serves as legal counsel to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) with a primary focus on development projects and CATS operations.

Jessica Battle, Supervisor Assistant City Attorney - Jessica serves as lead legal counsel to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Richard “Rusty” Perlungher, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Rusty advises the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on contracts and public record requests.

Brittany Howze, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Brittany represents the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in matters before the City of Charlotte’s Civil Service Board.

John Aldridge, Assistant City Attorney - John serves as the primary legal instructor at the Police Training Academy where he provides legal training to recruits and officers.

Brett Few, Assistant City Attorney - Brett represents the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in matters heard by the City of Charlotte’s Citizens Review Board.

Lisa Flowers, Team Lead – Assistant City Attorney - Lisa serves as legal counsel to Strategy & Budget, Charlotte Firefighters Retirement System Board, and Finance.  She advises on matters pertaining to constitutional issues, policy/constitutional litigation, and arts and cultural projects. 

Jill Sanchez-Myers, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Jill serves as legal counsel to several quasi-judicial and administrative boards for the city, such as the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Historic District Commission, Housing Appeals Board, Storm Water Advisory Committee, Tree Advisory Commission, Passenger Vehicle for Hire, Chapter 10 Assessment Hearings, and System Protection Hearings.

Mindy Sanchez, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Mindy serves as legal counsel to the Human Resources Department and employment issues.

Adam Jones, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Adam advises and represents the city on legal matters including Procurement, Internal Audit, and Information & Technology.  

Tamara Okoli, Assistant City Attorney - Tamara serves as legal counsel to the Human Resources Department and employment issues.

Nicole Hewett, Assistant City Attorney - Nicole serves as legal counsel providing advice pertaining to public records law and legal ethics.

Terrie Hagler-Gray, Team Lead – Senior Assistant City Attorney - Terrie has primary responsibility for advising city officials and staff on legal issues concerning land use and annexation. She works with the Planning Department, the Zoning Administrator and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. She also provides legal counsel to the Historic District Commission staff and the Landmarks Commission. She represents the Board of Adjustment in appeals to State courts from the Board's decisions. Terrie also sits in for the City Attorney at the City Council Zoning Meetings.

Lisa Flowers, Assistant City Attorney - Lisa serves as legal counsel to the Charlotte Department of Transportation and provides legislative support.  

William “Andrew” Kelly, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Andrew serves as legal counsel to the Real Estate Division of General Services.  He advises on real estate contracts and negotiations and asset management issues.

Ryan Rich, Team Lead - Senior Assistant City Attorney - Ryan serves as lead attorney providing legal services to the Risk Management Division of the City's Finance Department.  He is responsible for defending the city and trying cases before federal and state courts, negotiating settlements, and providing advice and counsel to Risk Management and other city officials, and managing outside counsel.

R. Harcourt "Court" Fulton, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Court serves as the tort defense attorney providing legal services to the Risk Management Division of the City's Finance Department. He is responsible for trying cases before federal and state courts, negotiating settlements, and providing advice and counsel to Risk Management.

Jill Sanchez-Myers, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Jill serves as legal counsel to several quasi-judicial and administrative boards for the city, such as the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Historic District Commission, Housing Appeals Board, Storm Water Advisory Committee, Tree Advisory Commission, Passenger Vehicle for Hire, Chapter 10 Assessment Hearings, and System Protection Hearings and handles appeals from these boards.

Mindy Sanchez, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Mindy serves as legal counsel to the Human Resources Department and in EEOC and other employment litigation.

James “Bert" Concepcion, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Bert serves as legal counsel for condemnation actions filed on behalf of the City of Charlotte.

Roger McCalman, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Roger serves as the tort defense attorney providing legal services to the Risk Management Division of the City's Finance Department.  He is responsible for trying cases before federal and state courts, negotiating settlements, and providing advice and counsel to Risk Management.

Anna Schleunes, Team Lead - Senior Assistant City Attorney - Anna serves as legal counsel to Housing and Neighborhood Services, Economic Development, the Fire Department, Emergency Management Office, Community Relations Commission, and the Cemeteries division of General Services. She advises on public and private partnership agreements for Economic Development and coordinates housing code civil penalty litigation and foreclosures upon housing code liens.  

William “Andrew” Kelly, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Andrew serves as legal counsel to the Real Estate Division of General Services.  He advises on real estate and asset management issues and public and private partnership agreements for Economic Development.

Team Lead - Senior Assistant City Attorney Thomas Powers, III - Thomas serves as legal counsel to Charlotte Water, Solid Waste Services, and the Charlotte Business Inclusion Program.   

Karen Weatherly, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Karen serves as legal counsel to the City’s Storm Water Services division of Charlotte Water and primary counsel on citywide environmental issues.

Alicia Young Hall, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Alicia serves as primary legal counsel to the General Services Department.

Tasha Sheehy, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Tasha serves as legal counsel to the Storm Water Services division of Charlotte Water. 

Mandana Vidwan, Senior Assistant City Attorney - Mandana serves as legal counsel to the Charlotte Water Department.

Nicole Bellamy - Nicole provides general paralegal assistance to the City Attorney’s Office.

Kim Donadio – Kim primarily provides paralegal assistance for condemnation matters.

Shannon Dixon - Shannon provides paralegal support primarily to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department legal staff.

Currshia Gonzalez - Currshia primarily provides paralegal assistance for condemnation matters.

Michelle Haines - Michelle primarily provides paralegal assistance for real estate and condemnation matters.

Nicholas Holt – Nick primarily provides paralegal assistance for litigation team.

Scott Monti - Scott provides general paralegal assistance to the City Attorney’s Office.

Melanie Epperson - Melanie primarily provides administrative legal support to the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Jaynes "Dolly" Queen - Dolly primarily provides administrative legal support to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department legal staff.