Description of field of expertise

LaToya Parker is a partner in the Real Estate and Commercial Development Group of Parker Poe. Across the board, clients value her practical, solution-oriented approach, her dedication to understanding their business, and her natural ability to connect with them. LaToya advises companies and individuals on the acquisition, sale, development, leasing, and financing of commercial real estate across the country. Her practice covers the full spectrum of commercial real estate projects, including retail, general and medical office, industrial, mixed-use, and planned community projects. LaToya works closely with colleagues in the corporate, health care, and tax practices at Parker Poe and has advised clients on a broad spectrum of commercial transactions related to the transfer of property involved in mergers and acquisitions. 

LaToya has been a guest speaker at industry conferences and has taught real estate courses to professionals seeking to acquire, sell, or lease commercial real estate. She oversees the attorney training curriculum for the Real Estate and Commercial Development Practice Group. LaToya participates in several industry-oriented organizations, including Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) of Charlotte and the Urban Land Institute’s Charlotte Chapter. She was a member of the inaugural class of “Leaders Under 40,” a program for emerging leaders through Charlotte’s Community Building Initiative, and she is a graduate of the Arts & Science Council’s Cultural Leadership Training Program. She has been recognized consecutively in The Best Lawyers in America publication (2022-2025). In 2024, she received the Mecklenburg County Bar and Mecklenburg Bar Foundation’s rarely awarded Extraordinary Service Award, in recognition of her instrumental role as counsel in critical real estate transactions for those organizations. 

When LaToya is not practicing law or serving the community, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two young daughters, working on her latest interior design project, and vocal performance

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

As a new attorney entering a law firm, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that your role is simply to do what’s asked. You may not yet have clients of your own, and you’re likely working within someone else’s systems, book of business, and way of doing things. But here’s a powerful mindset shift: Think like a solo practitioner, even if you’re not one. This means approaching every task, matter, or project as if it’s yours — one day it will be. Ask yourself: If this were my client, firm, and reputation — how would I handle this? This perspective creates a sense of ownership that’s easy to lose when you’re just starting out, but invaluable to your growth. Ownership breeds responsibility and invites creativity and resourcefulness. You’ll find yourself thinking not just about what you’ve been asked to do, but what’s best for the client, the transaction, and the business.