A Voice for the Voiceless and a Fight for the Client: Black Attorneys Across Legal Paths
By Josiah Townsend ‘28
In college, we are taught in our law classes that there are multiple ways to practice law, but most people go into two different paths: public interest and private practice. Two distinctly different types of law, but still preserving the main topic: to help different parties feel represented. However, representation in the American legal system can be considered by many to be lacking. Black attorneys remain underrepresented, comprising five percent of practicing lawyers nationwide. Amber Creft and Kyle Watson are both black attorneys. Amber works in public interest law in Charlotte’s Student Legal Services Department, solely focusing on landlord-tenant, civil litigation, and consumer protection. Kyle works in private practice, at his own law firm, focusing on handling personal injury matters, plaintiff’s side employment law, criminal defense, and civil litigation. They come from vastly different backgrounds and have different day-to-day lives, but they still share the same notion of helping different parties feel represented. Creft describes it by saying, “I love being a voice for the voiceless.”
Creft, born and raised in Charlotte, has credited her upbringing for how it has influenced her passion for the law. She comes from a family that has been in the legal field. Her father was an attorney and graduated from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. Her aunt was a retired judge from Mecklenburg County, whom she credits as a role model for her. Growing up, she reflects on being primarily the only black individual in most rooms. She states, “growing up, I was usually the only black girl in my class, but as time moved forward, I experienced being around more people of color.”
Fast-forward to her time in college: she graduated from Charlotte in 2018, double-majoring in political science and psychology, and credits most of her passion to her time here. She says, “Psychology helped me realize that people make decisions, but there are a lot of factors that can impact a person.” She also mentioned some role models from her time here at UNC Charlotte, such as Dr. Bailey, the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs; Professor Szmer, a professor in the Political Science Department; and Coach Ayanna, the Coach of the Cheer Nation cheer team. She reflected on everyone who mentored her and continues to do so by saying, “I look up to people all the time. I'll always ask for help because I wouldn't be here without it.”
Law school for Creft was traditional. She attended the same law school her father did, North Carolina Central School of Law, and described it by saying how she loved law school, which, for many lawyers, can be a debatable topic. She reflected on her time by articulating that it was the hardest three years of her life. “I did well academically, but law school was the first time I think I was challenged in a way where I was like,“‘“Oh wow, I really have to try for real,”’” said Creft. Additionally, she credits her law school journey and drive to her discipline, highlighting that discipline is what makes you stand out amongst your peers. “I studied hard, stayed up late, but I think I got out what I put in.” Finally, when discussing her law school journey, she credits North Carolina Central School of Law, saying, “I think they did a good and great job of making sure that you feel seen in that space and making sure that you understand the material, because it is hard.”
Creft has been passionate about public interest law since her childhood. Due to the 2008 financial crisis, she was personally impacted and had to move from place to place, which deeply influenced her to focus on landlord-tenant, civil litigation, and consumer protection law. She states, “...housing law was an area I wanted to be in, because I realized that your home life contributes to your life in general.” In her role as a staff attorney, an attorney employed by an institution to provide legal advice, document review, and research, she frequently encounters legal violations that lead to civil litigation, where individuals seek compensation for financial losses or damages they have suffered. She states, “a lot of the legal violations end up becoming civil litigation, where people are trying to get money back for what they might be rightfully owed or the damages that have been caused to them.” Overall, her background and the work she does now deeply reflect how she is committed to helping people, especially when it comes to making sure they’re treated fairly and get justice in housing and civil law.
In contrast, Kyle Watson’s background provides a different perspective on the legal system. Shaped by his own experience and early exposure to the law, he offers context for his own approach. Watson, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Winston-Salem, knew in middle school that he wanted to be an attorney. Similar to Creft, Watson also grew up in a family full of individuals who have been in the legal field. His mom was a paralegal for 17 years. As a result of his mom’s influence, Watson knew that he wanted to make things right for someone. He states, “I've always had an affinity towards... not necessarily argument, but realizing something isn't right and wanting to make it right for a particular person, when that particular person or group of people don't have someone else to do that for them.”
Law school for Watson was untraditional. He first attended the Charlotte School of Law after moving to Charlotte originally for his undergrad, where he attended UNC Charlotte. However, he had to transfer after one semester to the University of South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law, after the Charlotte School of Law permanently closed due to losing its state license and failure to meet the American Bar Association requirements. He described the transition by saying, “that presented a lot of challenges, going from different sections where you have students that you kind of have a lot of the same classes with to going into a completely different state, completely different school, completely different people, and completely different professors.” He also reflected on some role models that he had while in law school: Dick Willis, who is now at Williams Mullen, Brett Bane, Kinley, and Matt Abey, his mock trial coaches, and described them by saying, “they were amazing mentors…”
After law school, Watson began his legal career at one of South Carolina's longest-standing law firms, Baker, Ravenel, and Bender. There, he focused on insurance defense litigation and criminal defense. Notably, he was the second black attorney in the law firm's 126-year history. He then transitioned to a top Am Law 200 law firm, Fisher Phillips. He credits Phillips with helping him pay attention to detail. He states, “I learned detail there, and how much attention you've got to give to detail.”
In December of 2022, Watson decided to start his own law firm, called the Watson Law Firm. When describing the start, he mentioned that it was relatively easy and handling the business aspect wasn’t too terrible. However, he did say that having his own law firm can sometimes be a personality issue for some. “I say it's a personality thing because I would 100% rather make $50,000 a year working for myself than to make $200,000 a year working at another law firm.” Additionally, he goes on to say, “I've got a way that I want things to be done, and that works for me, and I will make my own mistakes…I will still have issues to fix, but I would rather those be on me as opposed to them affecting somebody else, or having somebody else dictate my life.”
Both Creft and Watson have had amazing careers thus far. Creft describes how she still isn’t finished with goals just yet, stating, “I'm always looking to achieve more… I feel like I'm just literally getting started, and I think I have so much more to accomplish.” Watson described his vision for his goals to be not personal but for his firm, stating, “…my goals are always changing, and I'm always adding stuff to it. So yes, I still have more stuff that I want to do, largely surrounding and expanding the business.”
Accomplishing their previous goals has been met with many hardships, but they still persevered. When asked about how small the percentage of black lawyers is in the legal system, and how it has motivated her to push forward, Creft described it by saying, “I think about it all the time…we need to be in the spaces, we need to be at the table, we need to be having input, we need our voice to be heard because it has value and I know that.” Watson stated, “...it's motivated me to just be on my game, and pay more attention to that detail and work even harder so that when the time comes for that hearing, or that trial, or that deposition, that mediation, or it's time to make that argument, there's no one in the room that's more prepared than me.” Ultimately, both Watson and Creft show that despite systemic barriers, their determination to succeed and ensure their voices are heard not only drives their own success but also helps pave the way for equal representation within the legal profession.
Josiah Townsend is a sophomore majoring in political science.
Sources
Creft, Amber. Popp Martin Student Union. Interview by Josiah Townsend. Undergraduate Law Review at Charlotte, February 5, 2026.
Watson, Kyle. J. Murrey Atkins Library. Interview by Josiah Townsend. Undergraduate Law Review at Charlotte, March 4, 2026.
