Collier Marsh, Office Development Partner, Parker Poe

In an interview with Invest:, Collier Marsh, office development partner at Parker Poe, discussed the Raleigh-Durham market’s continued strength, the challenges of managing regional growth, and the evolving role of legal advisers. “We come in and find the common thread between the different sides and try to find a win for everybody,” Marsh said.

How has the Raleigh-Durham market shaped the firm’s work over the past year?

My perspective is often grounded in real estate and development. Parker Poe is a full-service, midsize regional law firm handling a broad range of business law matters. My day-to-day work is largely driven by real estate, land use, and development.

Within the Raleigh-Durham market, the firm continues to see strength and growth. The region has remained stable and consistent despite broader economic uncertainty. Raleigh has continued to generate solid work and productivity for us.

Being in the state capital creates significant government-related legal work. The life sciences sector and Research Triangle Park also drive growth in the legal industry, including activity in corporate and life sciences matters.

The city’s continued expansion fuels work throughout the firm, from transactional real estate to land use, development, and other commercial real estate matters. Those remain some of the biggest local drivers. Even when the national real estate outlook is negative, the Triangle does not seem to experience the same degree of impact as many other markets.

What makes Raleigh attractive to businesses entering the market?

It is about having the right balance. The region has a distinctive workforce because of the universities throughout the surrounding area, which help create a high-caliber talent pool.

Raleigh also has many of the economic drivers associated with a large city while maintaining the quality of life of a smaller community. The city has experienced rapid growth, but it has not reached a point where that growth feels beyond control.

Local municipalities have done a good job of keeping pace with the expansion generated by the economy. That has helped Raleigh remain livable and relatively affordable while continuing to attract people and businesses.

How should land use and development policies evolve as the region grows?

Getting growth right is one of the biggest challenges facing the Triangle and its municipal governments. The region will continue to grow. More people will move here, the existing population will expand, and additional housing will be needed. Managing that process effectively is critical.

Infrastructure must keep pace with the growth we are experiencing. Traffic needs to continue flowing as it should, and transportation and infrastructure issues must be addressed within realistic and reasonable timelines.

Affordability is another major component. As the region grows and prices rise, we need to avoid pricing people out. Municipalities across the region are prioritizing that issue, even when affordability may not yet feel urgent in an individual community. They recognize that it will eventually become a challenge.

The encouraging part is that people throughout the region appear aware of these pressures. Municipalities are looking ahead and considering what their communities will look like in five, 10, or 20 years.

Comprehensive plans account for significant growth, and municipalities are updating those plans more frequently to reflect the pace of change. They are adjusting their models and continuing to think ahead.

They are also responding to constituents who may prefer that everything remain the same. One challenge is keeping existing residents satisfied while recognizing that growth will continue. The region needs to be thoughtful and strategic about how it manages that expansion.

What role do attorneys play in public-private development partnerships?

Attorneys are often where the rubber meets the road in partnerships involving developers, people building within the community, and municipalities. I sometimes describe our role as being mediators, translators, negotiators, and the go-between for parties that may begin from different positions.

A developer may have an ambitious or aggressive project, while a municipality may be struggling with the pace or implications of growth. We come in and find the common thread between those two sides and try to find a win for everybody.

That requires understanding the goals and pressures facing each party and helping them reach a result that supports the project while responding to the needs of the community.

What broader legal trends are affecting the profession?

The issue being discussed across nearly every industry is how artificial intelligence will affect daily work and long-term operations. We are paying close attention and trying to stay ahead of how it may influence the way we practice law.

Most people recognize that AI will affect legal practices. We need to embrace it as we would any new technology, understand how to use it, and determine the appropriate applications.

The legal industry also has another layer of responsibility. Attorneys operate under ethical rules and obligations to their clients, and we must continue meeting those standards while adopting new technology.

There is still a great deal to learn about how AI relates to those responsibilities. Firms will need to evaluate the technology carefully and ensure that efficiency does not come at the expense of professional obligations. It is clearly one of the foremost issues on the minds of legal practitioners.

How is the attorney’s role as a strategic adviser evolving?

The legal industry can distinguish itself from some technology-driven services because legal work has an important personal component. Much of what attorneys do relies on one-on-one, in-person interaction.

We work directly with clients, courts, municipalities, and local elected officials. Those relationships and interactions remain essential.

I expect that personal capability to become increasingly important. Attorneys still need to negotiate effectively, present before public bodies, and manage the human aspects of a client relationship or engagement.

In a world shaped by technology, the ability to handle those in-person components of the practice will help distinguish certain legal professionals.

What are your priorities for developing the next generation of legal talent?

We always want to bring in the best and brightest people, and I believe we have done a good job of that. We continue working with local law schools to recruit attorneys entering the legal profession, while also looking for strong lateral candidates.

Training is becoming especially important as firms adopt new technology. Younger attorneys should be able to use emerging tools, but they must also learn the traditional methods of practicing law.

We want them to understand the basic fundamentals and avoid missing important steps in their development. Technology can be valuable, but it should complement a strong legal foundation rather than replace it.

What is your outlook for the office over the next two to three years?

Our goal is to remain strong in the market. Steady growth has always been the plan, and I do not expect that to change.

We want to remain present in people’s minds throughout the Raleigh-Durham market and maintain a strong connection to the community. Although Parker Poe has a regional footprint, it is important for the Raleigh office to remain closely tied to the local community.

As office development partner, part of my role is making sure we are intertwined with the community in a variety of ways. We want to be present, recognized, and involved in local organizations and initiatives.

That local engagement is a good way to build a strong firm and a positive reputation within the market.