History of Allen, Pinnix & Nichols, P.A.

 

Allen, Pinnix & Nichols, P.A., was first established in Raleigh, North Carolina as Allen and Pinnix by the formation of a partnership in 1977 between Noel L. Allen and John L. Pinnix.  In 1995, the firm became a professional association and the firm name changed to Allen and Pinnix, P.A. In 2011 the firm name was changed to Allen, Pinnix & Nichols, P.A.

Both founders are familiar with government and its workings.  Mr. Allen served early in his career as an Assistant Attorney General and as an antitrust consultant to former U.S. Senator Robert Morgan.  Mr. Pinnix's experience includes a stint on Congressman L. Richardson Preyer’s staff and service in the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.  The practice has long been known for its work in occupational licensing, antitrust and trade regulation, and immigration law.

The firm expanded in 1984 with the addition of C. Lynn Calder who developed further the practice of immigration and naturalization law.  Ms. Calder has been a national leader in the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Immigration Council (formerly AILF).

M. Jackson Nichols, a deputy legislative liaison to Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., and a Wake County Commissioner (1990-1994), became a member of the firm in 1995.  Mr. Nichols has focused on administrative law and civil litigation.

A.P. Carlton, Jr., a past president of the American Bar Association, joined Allen, Pinnix & Nichols, P.A. in 2008.  He brought with him a national network of contacts and 33 years of experience in banking, corporate governance, real estate and financial transactions.  A.P. Carlton, Jr. counts among his former partners three governors, a United States senator, and a number of congressmen.

Anna Baird Choi also joined Allen, Pinnix & Nichols, P.A. in 2008.  Ms. Choi has extensive experience in both immigration and administrative law. She is active in the N.C. Bar Association, currently serving as the Chairman of the Immigration Law Committee and as a council member of the Administrative Law Section.