Spotlight On: Andy Culicerto, Charlotte Managing Partner, Shumaker

Key points:

• • Rising client focus on value and AI efficiency is reshaping legal staffing, pricing, and service delivery.
• • Charlotte’s population and business growth are driving demand across real estate, construction, IP, and private equity transactions.
• • Strategic growth, strong talent recruitment, and community engagement remain central to long-term competitiveness.

March 2026 — Invest: spoke with Andy Culicerto, Charlotte managing partner of Shumaker, about how rising client expectations around value are reshaping legal services, the practical impact of AI on day-to-day work, and why Charlotte’s continued growth is expanding demand across real estate, construction, and emerging practice areas. “Clients are constantly asking what value you’re providing that they can’t replicate internally,” Culicerto said.

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How have recent market shifts and external pressures shaped demand for legal services in the Carolinas, and how are those changes affecting your priorities?

Clients have a growing awareness of value. They do not want a bill with lawyers piling on fees that do not add value to the situation. That has always been true, but in the face of AI, it is becoming even more important. I suspect you are hearing about AI in a lot of interviews, and you are going to hear about it from me, too.

Clients are increasingly trying to do more work in-house through AI and related tools. I do not think the technology is fully there yet for legal work, but it is getting closer, and you can see it coming. Clients are constantly asking what value you’re providing that they can’t replicate internally, and that question is forcing firms to be more intentional about staffing, efficiency, and the outcomes we deliver.

What makes Charlotte an ideal location, and how has population growth translated into new types of legal work?

Charlotte has a diverse economy and a diverse population. People are coming from different states, and it can feel like nobody is from Charlotte anymore, which makes it easy to fit in and do business. It is welcoming, business-friendly, and attractive to companies looking for an educated workforce.

The geographic location helps, too. You can be in the mountains in about two hours, at the beach in three, and you live in a city where the weather is good most of the year. It is clean and easy to navigate, and as growth accelerates, legal demand follows. More companies, more people, and more development drive activity across real estate, hiring, contracts, compliance, and transactions.

Where are you seeing the strongest demand for legal services, and how do you differentiate your firm?

Shumaker has been around for 100 years, and the foundation of value is talent. The first key is providing experienced, talented lawyers who can do the work and provide value through judgment and perspective, not just hours billed.

When you have the right people on a matter, you spot risk earlier, move more efficiently, and give advice that is grounded in experience. Our focus is on delivering a quality product through depth and consistency, so clients feel the legal team made the process easier, not harder.

How are you approaching talent attraction and retention in a competitive market?

Attraction is the bigger challenge right now, not retention. Once people join, the culture tends to speak for itself, and we do not lose many employees.

To attract talent, we emphasize a platform for growth, opportunity, and autonomy. If someone has a plan they can execute on, it will be supported. People do not want to be overmanaged, so we focus on high-level guidance and support, rather than pressure or rigid direction.

Which parts of the regional economy are becoming the biggest drivers of legal work?

Real estate and construction are major drivers, and focusing on those areas makes sense in a growing city like Charlotte. Development creates a wide range of related legal needs, including transactional work, employment and HR issues, buying and selling assets, and mergers.

We have also seen a big jump in intellectual property and related areas, including AI and data security. As more business becomes online and AI-driven, security concerns grow, and protecting the people creating new tools and ideas becomes more important. Charlotte also has a healthcare component, given the major hospital systems in the region.

Another factor is investment activity. As more private equity capital comes into the market, it creates more deal flow, which drives ongoing buying and selling of businesses and the legal work that comes with it.

How do you approach growth and client development in a market that is moving quickly?

The greatest way to sell your product is to provide great services to the people who are already receiving them. You can advertise, you can show up at events, and you can knock on doors, but what really drives growth is doing good work for a client and having that client tell someone else.

At the same time, you have to put yourself into the community in a strategic way. People want to work with people they like personally and know, so we try to put attorneys in places where they can build relationships naturally. The goal is not a full-court press. It is making sure people know what you do and that you can deliver, and then doing a great job once an opportunity comes through the door.

How do you balance technology, relationships, efficiency, and cost control?

You have to have the best intentions for your client at all times. Technology is doing things lawyers have traditionally billed for, and clients may not always know that. It is our responsibility to educate them and present more efficient, cost-effective paths when appropriate.

That also means understanding the tools clients use, so when they call, we are not starting from scratch. Relationships still matter, but using technology thoughtfully can remove friction and help us deliver clearer, faster advice while keeping quality high.

How do local operational decisions connect to firmwide strategy?

Shumaker wants to continue growing, but we view it as strategic growth. We are not chasing a fixed number of offices or lawyers. Growth has to fit our model and align with where markets are expanding.

In the Carolinas, we are focused on Charleston, Charlotte, and Greenville. Those are dynamic, growing business communities, and the firm is intentionally putting resources into regions with strong growth trajectories. At the office level, the work is consistent: serve clients well, recruit the right people, and stay positioned for the next opportunity.

How does community involvement factor into your long-term strategy?

People want to do business with people they like. Communities do not stay strong by accident. It takes leaders who are willing to give back and stay engaged.

We want to be active members of the community, supporting growth and meeting the people we will do business with. That means being present where thought leaders gather, from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce to industry groups aligned with our practice areas. On a practical level, it is also about placing the right attorneys in the trade organizations where their clients and future clients spend time.

Looking ahead, what are your top priorities for the next two to three years?

The priority is getting talented people who can do quality work that impresses clients. From there, it is about growing practice areas strategically in sectors that are active locally and nationally: real estate and development, construction, and the AI-related areas, including intellectual property and data security.

Transactional work tied to business growth should also remain steady, especially with continued buying and selling of businesses and investment activity. In a market like Charlotte and the broader Carolinas, that combination should continue to create meaningful opportunities.

Want more? Read the Invest: Charlotte report.