Leighton is based in the Charlotte office and has a diverse educational background and a deep commitment to international law and business.
Leighton obtained her Juris Doctor (JD) and an International Master’s in Business Administration (IMBA) from the University of South Carolina (UofSC), where she played pivotal roles in various programs related to International Law and Business. Her leadership included serving as the President of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Court Moot, President of the International Law Society and Chair of the UofSC China Law Exchange. She also made significant contributions as a managing attorney at the Nonprofit Business Legal Clinic and authored an academic paper on the China Law Exchange, published in the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs in May 2023.
Leighton’s entrepreneurial spirit also shone through as she secured second place in the “Proving Ground” entrepreneurship competition at UofSC, earning an investment prize for her innovative educational platform aimed at facilitating cross-cultural business management between Chinese and United States enterprises.
Prior to law school, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature and Chinese Language and Literature from the University of Georgia, graduating summa cum laude with highest honors. Leighton’s passion for Chinese culture led her to study in Harbin, China, as part of an honors international scholarship program, and she later received a fellowship from the Princeton in Asia program, teaching at Shihezi University.
In her free time, Leighton enjoys leisure activities such as reading, playing tennis, going to the theater, and being with friends and family.
Most Recent Posts
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The Eleventh Circuit Upholds the CTA, But the Compliance Picture Remains Unsettled
On December 16, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in National Small Business United v. U.S....
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Business Court Sends Trade Secret Matter to Trial; Denies Summary Judgment
On July 23, 2025, the North Carolina Business Court denied summary judgment in United Therapeutics Corp. v. Liquidia Technologies, Inc.,...
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A Brave New World: The Future of AI in the Legal Field
The legal profession stands on the brink of a technological revolution, with generative artificial intelligence (AI) poised to transform the...
News
Leighton Carlock Moderates Panel on AI in Arbitration
Attorney Leighton Carlock recently served as a moderator for a discussion entitled “Rage Against the Machine: Governing the Use of AI in International Arbitration” which featured Professor S.I. Strong. ...
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