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Meet Colin Shive

Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation
Experienced litigator with diverse practice including federal criminal defense, commercial, education, employment, election, and environment law, as well as internal investigations and appeals.
Contact Colin Shive
Colin Shive
Biography

Colin’s practice includes a broad range of civil litigation, as well as federal criminal defense and appeals. He has particular experience in education, employment, election, and environmental law, alongside general commercial litigation.  Colin also has substantial experience conducting sensitive internal investigations, particularly for public institutions. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Clemson University in 2006 and earned his law degree with High Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011. After graduation, Colin served as a law clerk for the Honorable William L. Osteen, Jr., in the Middle District of North Carolina.

Some of Colin’s representative cases include defending boards of education against employment claims, advising a county board of elections, representing a judicial candidate in an election law dispute, representing a health insurance provider in a bid protest, and defending individuals against contract claims from former employers. He handles cases in both state and federal courts across North Carolina.

Outside the office, Colin is a former amateur boxer. Although he no longer competes, he continues to enjoy training.

Credentials

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  • Juris Doctor, 2011
  • High Honors, Order of the Coif
  • North Carolina Law Review, staff member and editor

Clemson University

  • B. A. 2006
  • Magna Cum Laude

 

Memberships and Admissions

  • North Carolina State Bar, 2011
  • Wake County Bar Association, 2011
  • North Carolina Bar Association, 2011
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District NC, 2012
  • United States District Court for the Middle District NC, 2012
  • United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2013
  • United States District Court for the Western District NC, 2017
Experience
  • NCBA Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities Section Council Member, 2015, Chair, 2020-21
  • Past Editor, The Constitutionalist (Newsletter of NCBA Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities Section)
  • Young Lawyers Division Member, Site Coordinator for Ask a Lawyer Day
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, law clerk for the Honorable William L. Osteen, Jr., 2011-2012
Awards & Honors
  • Best Lawyers: Recognized in 2023 as Ones to Watch® in America for Education Law
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers: Selected to Rising Stars, 2016, 2018-2021
Engagement
  • North Carolina State Bar, 2011
  • Wake County Bar Association, 2011
  • North Carolina Bar Association, 2011
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District NC, 2012
  • United States District Court for the Middle District NC, 2012
  • United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2013
  • United States District Court for the Western District NC, 2017
  • NCBA Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities Section Council Member, 2015, Chair, 2020-21
  • Past Editor, The Constitutionalist (Newsletter of NCBA Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities Section)
  • Young Lawyers Division Member, Site Coordinator for Ask a Lawyer Day

Publications

  • “Piecing Together the Puzzle of North Carolina’s Redistricting Litigation.” The Constitutionalist, November 2015.
  • “School Systems and the Affordable Care Act: Current Issues.” NCBA Education Law Newsletter, April 2015.

Profiles

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Raleigh, NC 27602

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