Saleisha N. Averhart

Saleisha N. Averhart is a civil rights attorney and a partner at Wallis, Bowens, Averhart & Associates, PLLC. Dedicated to helping clients navigate heavy weather, her experience and judgment provides assurance in some of the most demanding business settings. She is a native of Trinidad & Tobago, and has called North Carolina home since childhood. 

Attorney Averhart has spent a large part of her professional development in crisis management. Her unique perspective in creating options when none are readily apparent is a driving force of her practice. She has worked extensively in business development, education advocacy for students with disabilities, school suspension, teachers, and public charter schools serving significantly overlooked populations, as well as plaintiff's and defense counsel for personal injuries & defense counsel for auto accidents, plaintiff's and defense for contract disputes and litigation, commercial real estate transactions, wills & estate planning, licensing board matters, state agencies compliance authorities, and district court matters such as traffic, DWIs, and misdemeanor criminal. 

Saleisha's desire for better outcomes for everyone led her to a path of service. She currently serves on the City of Raleigh's Hispanic and Immigrant Affairs Board and is a Global Business Advocate for InvesTT, a Trinidad & Tobago organization dedicated to promoting the business affairs of her home county, Trinidad & Tobago. Attorney Averhart also serves as the Appointed Attorney for the Wake County Democratic Party amongst other roles in supporting her local community. She is a former Legal Aid of North Carolina attorney, and continues to  volunteer as a Legal Aid of North Carolina's Lawyer on the Line program attorney volunteer. "I strongly encourage attorneys to find ways to serve our most vulnerable populations. Legal Aid of North Carolina's Lawyer on the Line program is a great way to start."  She is the immediate past 1st Vice President for the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers. She is a key partner for the  4th Trimester Project, a University of Chapel Hill research-based project dedicated to combating the maternal health crisis where her particular focus is  advocating for better outcomes for Black women and American Indian women during pregnancy, child birth experience, and post partum care. "Pregnant people deserve to be believed- children demand it and our voices are the only way we can support children in this way."     

Saleisha earned her J.D., cum laude, at North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2009, and her B.A., with Honors, from Southern Adventist University in 2006. She is admitted to the bars of North Carolina state, the Middle and Eastern Districts of North Carolina Federal Courts, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.