Josh DeBottis, Managing Partner, Akerman Charlotte

Invest: sat down with Josh DeBottis, the managing partner of Akerman’s Charlotte office, to discuss the law firm’s first year in the market, its strategy for building a full-service platform, and the growth forces reshaping Charlotte’s legal landscape. “The intersection of energy, data centers, and artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented demand,” DeBottis said.

What were the biggest drivers of growth and key changes for Akerman’s Charlotte office over the past year?

For us, it was our first year. I came over in November 2024 with my team from Moore & Van Allen. We opened the office and moved into our physical space in January 2025. While the lawyers have all been in Charlotte and part of the local legal market for a long time, this was the firm’s first presence here.

The first year was about getting established. That meant securing space, building out infrastructure, and handling all the operational elements that come with launching a new office. It was a stabilizing year, focused on getting our feet under us.

As we move into year two, the focus shifts to growth. We’ve already added meaningfully to the office, and now we’re accelerating. What’s most exciting isn’t just growth in headcount, but growth in practice depth.

My own practice is focused on renewable energy and project finance, but that was never meant to define the office. From the beginning, the plan was to build a full-service Charlotte office that reflects the major transactional and litigation practices common in this market. 

Why is Charlotte the right place for Akerman to deepen its presence, and how does the market stand out within the Southeast and nationally?

I grew up in North Carolina and have been back for almost 11 years. Personally and professionally, Charlotte stands out. It’s a great place to live and raise a family, but it’s also a remarkable business community.

I’ve spent time in the Triangle, grew up in the Triad, and lived in Charlotte long enough to see how the major metro areas in the state compare. They all have strengths, but Charlotte is the crown jewel. It sits at a critical junction in the Southeast between Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and continues to attract businesses and talent at an impressive pace.

The growth is visible everywhere. In the time I’ve been here, the skyline has changed dramatically, with new office towers, major redevelopments, and large-scale projects like The Pearl. Those developments exist because the underlying business opportunity is real. Job growth has been broad-based and sustained, and while banking remains a defining sector, the economy has diversified well beyond that.

You’re seeing expansion in life sciences, healthcare, and technology alongside financial services. I recently saw a headline noting that Charlotte added roughly 40,000 jobs in a year while other markets struggled. That kind of growth inevitably brings challenges, but it also creates opportunities.

From a legal market perspective, Charlotte was one of the largest growth markets where Akerman did not yet have a presence. Over the past decade, you’ve seen waves of expansion into Texas, South Florida, and other markets. I think Charlotte is now in the early stages of a legal land rush. Even though we’ve only been open for 18 months, we’ve already seen a number of recently launched local offices for national firms, and I expect more to follow.

What opportunities does your presence represent for clients, and what capabilities does Akerman bring as a national firm?

The thesis for the office is straightforward. We have strong local talent serving national and global work. That includes Charlotte-based clients, but also national clients with operations, investments, or interests here.

Charlotte is home to a large number of national and international institutions. Even within my niche of renewable energy project finance, there are well over a dozen banks with dedicated team members based in Charlotte. That level of specialization surprises people who still think of the market narrowly.

Akerman’s national platform allows us to serve that ecosystem effectively. We operate without office boundaries and are highly collaborative across locations. Deals are staffed based on expertise, not geography. On a single transaction, I might work with partners in DC or on the West Coast and associates in other markets. That model allows us to deliver depth and efficiency while remaining flexible.

In Charlotte, that approach differentiates us. Some large firms here focus heavily on a narrow set of financial services practices. We want to build something broader. That includes finance, corporate, M&A, real estate, litigation, and other core practices that reflect the diversity of the market. Financial services work is important, but it’s not the only pillar we’re building around.

How are innovation and technology shaping your operations and client experience?

For us, innovation starts with how we staff and manage work across offices. The ability to seamlessly assemble the right team, regardless of location, creates efficiencies for both clients and attorneys.

There’s a lot of conversation in the legal industry around AI and new tools. AI is a collaboration partner and deeply embedded in everything we do at Akerman. But beyond technology, especially on the transactional side, the biggest impact comes from integration across the firm and a shared platform that allows teams to work together effectively.

How are you attracting and retaining talent in Charlotte’s competitive legal market?

One of the things that drew me to Akerman was its high-trust culture. That becomes clear quickly when you talk to people who have been with the firm for a long time. There’s an emphasis on giving lawyers room to grow their practices and shape their careers in a way that works for them.

The practice of law can be demanding and difficult to sustain over decades. We’re intentional about building a culture where people can do excellent work for sophisticated clients without sacrificing long-term sustainability. It’s a fantastic place to work and have an outstanding legal career that at the same time isn’t the most interesting or exciting thing about you, and that matters.

In Charlotte, our goal is intelligent growth. We want to build a full-service office with people who see this as a long-term professional home. We have high expectations, but we also trust our partners to deliver in ways that align with both their own goals and the firm’s values.

What additional priorities or areas of focus are shaping the Charlotte office?

Our Charlotte office has growing bench strength in corporate transactions, real estate development, federal and state tax planning and tax controversy, and complex commercial litigation. An area we are becoming especially known for is energy and digital infrastructure, and they happen to align perfectly with where the market is headed.

The intersection of energy, data centers, and artificial intelligence is creating unprecedented demand. Data centers require enormous amounts of power, and meeting that demand will be one of the defining challenges of the next decade. Uncertainty around how energy needs will be met creates complexity, and complexity is where lawyers add the most value.

As we’ve built our data center and energy team, the focus has been on anticipating future challenges and helping clients navigate them. Questions around power availability, land use, infrastructure, and regulation are affecting a much broader range of clients than many realize. Those pressures are already reshaping decision-making across industries.

That’s why we’re investing in this space nationally and building teams equipped to address what’s coming next. Charlotte has played an important role in that growth, but the platform is truly national, and the issues we’re working on are increasingly universal.