Poyner Spruill LLP welcomed six summer associates to the firm. Each year, the firm invites law students to gain hands-on experience at the firm’s Raleigh, Charlotte, and Rocky Mount offices. Starting on May 12, 2025, this six-week program aims to provide law students with practical exposure across various practice areas. Throughout the program, the summer associates will participate in multiple sessions to learn about the workings of a law firm and the support Poyner Spruill offers its attorneys.
Learn more about each of the firm’s summer associates below.
Peter Christopherson (Rocky Mount) is a rising 3L at Wake Forest University School of Law.
At Wake Forest University School of Law, Peter is on the staff of the Wake Forest Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law and participated in both the Moot Court Walker Competition and Transactional Law Competition. Peter co-founded the Artificial Intelligence in Law Society and he served as the Finance Officer for the organization’s first two years. Peter is originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Gabriella Griffonetti (Charlotte) recently completed her first year at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
In addition to her studies, Gabriella volunteers on pro bono projects, including name change clinics with the LGBTQ Center of Durham. Gabriella obtained her undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University and worked as a communications coordinator before attending law school. In her spare time, Gabriella is learning to knit.
Trabia McFall (Charlotte) is returning to Poyner Spruill for her second year as a summer associate. She is a rising 3L at Wake Forest University School of Law.
Trabia is involved in her school community, as the President for the Black Law Student Association, 3L Representative of Honor Council, and Senior Staff of the Southern Journal of Policy and Justice. Before attending law school, Trabia graduated from Clemson University with a degree in sociology and worked in the field as a registered behavior therapist. She recently traveled to see the Grand Canyon.
Sutton Orndorff (Raleigh) is a rising 3L at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Sutton is the President of Carolina Law Ambassadors and a member of both Women in Law and Law Students Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. She also serves as a Notes Editor on the First Amendment Law Review. She has two dogs—a golden retriever and a poodle.
Diya Patel (Raleigh) recently completed her first year at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Diya served as the 1L Coordinator for the Carolina Health Law Organization and for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Women in Law. While obtaining her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Diya worked as a Resident Advisor. Diya is a dedicated reader in her spare time.
Jackson Webb (Raleigh) is a rising 3L at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Jackson is a member of the Veterans Advocacy Legal Organization and the Transactional and Corporate Law Association. He serves as the Publication Editor of the North Carolina Journal of International Law and is a Dean’s Fellow. Jackson spent the majority of his first summer of law school living and working in Germany.
