About Colleen Byers

Colleen Byers, JD, MBA 

A seasoned civil litigator with deep business and legal experience, Colleen Byers focuses on mediating complex business, employment, trust, estate, fiduciary and family inheritance disputes to help companies, families and individuals solve their legal problems outside the courtroom.


Colleen’s conflict resolution approach weaves together practical business insight, active listening, and strategic foresight. Colleen leverages more than a decade of litigation experience to help people, whether business owners or families, settle legal disputes quickly, effectively, and creatively.


In choosing Colleen to help you negotiate a resolution to your legal problem or coach you through a communication challenge, you’ll find someone who combines empathy with pragmatism to achieve results.

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    Colleen’s training as a trauma-informed, registered yoga teacher also influences her unique mediation style. Applying yoga and mindfulness principles to her mediation practice, Colleen effectively de-escalates conflict and guides parties to expand their perspectives and achieve settlement outcomes. Colleen’s role as a mother, wife and community leader also provide her ample opportunity to practice her conflict resolution and communication skills.

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Education and Training

All of Colleen’s education is from Creighton University, a Jesuit University in Omaha, Nebraska. For the last sixteen years, it has been recognized as the number one “University in the Midwest.” She is proud to be a triple Blue Jay, having obtained a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, a Master of Business Administration, and Juris Doctorate (JD), cum laude from Creighton University.


As a lifelong learner, Colleen’s time at Creighton University prepared her to learn more, do more, and be more. After practicing law for years, Colleen pursued training as a collaborative lawyer and has completed advanced courses in interest-based negotiation and Insight Mediation. Colleen’s ongoing learning reflects a desire to bring her best to ensure your best. By deploying a variety of conflict resolution tools, Colleen works to maximize settlement outcomes.

Recognition

Colleen has received the following recognition:


  • Lawyer of the Year, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly (2020)
  • North Carolina Lawyer Weekly’s Leaders in the Law (2020);
  • Best Lawyers in America (2020, 2023, 2025);
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers (2023, 2024);
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2016–2018);
  • Business North Carolina Legal Elite, Young Guns (2016–2018); and
  • Chamber of Commerce Winston Under 40 Leadership Award (2017).


Colleen is humbled that these recognitions demonstrate how deeply she cares about doing her best, making an impact, and serving her clients.

2020 Lawyer of the Year

Professional & Community Leadership 

Colleen believes that we are all called to lead, and that everyone has a unique leadership opportunity. Below is where Colleen dedicates (or has dedicated) her time to help lead organizations in service of their missions:


  • NC Bar Association and Foundation, Board of Governors
  • NC Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section Council and CLE Committee Chair;
  • North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association (NCCCLA), Vice President;
  • Global Collaborative Law Council;
  • BarCARES, Board of Directors;
  • Forsyth County Bar Association;
  • Triad Restorative Justice;
  • Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, Advisory Council;
  • Chamber of Commerce Winston < 40, Advisory Board;
  • North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, Young Lawyers Division, Chair;
  • Forsyth County Women Attorneys Association, President;
  • Forsyth Humane Society, Board of Directors, Chair; and
  • Chief Justice Joseph Branch Inn of Court.


Those in italics represent leadership opportunities or activities that impacted Colleen dramatically as a young lawyer. While she is no longer active in those roles for the italicized organizations, Colleen remains supportive of them and grateful for their trust in her.


“The ability to see the situation as the other side sees it, as difficult as it may be, is one of the most important skills a negotiator can possess.”