Washington Family Lawyers

EDWIN HARDY has been practicing law for over 31 years. With more than 30 years experience at bankruptcy, he has over 3000 bankruptcies successfully filed to help people. He is a former member of the N.C. General Assembly as a State Representative in the N.C. House of Representatives where he served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He has served on the N.C. Courts Commission and the Governor's Crime Commission. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Beaufort Regional Health Systems which operated Beaufort County Medical Center. He has also served as President of the Beaufort...

D. Cole Phelps manages our office in the northeastern part of the state. Attorney Phelps is a native of Washington County, and he returned to his home community to serve and give back. After winning his first primary election with over 62% of the votes, he later became the youngest county commissioner at the time of his election to serve in any of North Carolina’s 100 counties. During his first term of office, he was selected by his fellow board members as vice chairman and then chairman. Currently, he is serving his second term of office as a member of...

Upon graduation from law school, I joined my present firm and began practicing family law. I am a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law, handling child custody and support, adoptions, alimony, equitable distribution (division of marital property), paternity, domestic violence, and issues related to military family law and non-traditional families. I also practice collaborative family law, a type of alternative dispute resolution.

I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and I have since dedicated my career to various areas of law including Criminal Law, Family Law, Landlord-Tenant issues, Civil Litigation, and Business Formation. As a trial attorney, I firmly believe in the power of trials to reveal the truth, which I consider the most formidable tool in the quest for justice. "Trials expose the truth and the truth is the greatest weapon in the pursuit of justice." I am committed to advocating fiercely on your behalf and ensuring that your interests are protected at all...

I am a former Marine, (1982-1986) who began practicing Federal Criminal law in 2001 in New York City. In 2004 I was admitted to the North Carolina Bar and have been a practicing trial attorney ever since. I say "trial attorney", because that is what I am. Whether you have a complex criminal felony, a misdemeanor, a DWI, or a domestic case; if I cannot reach a reasonable conclusion with opposing counsel, I am always prepared to empanel a jury and plead your case.

With nearly 19 years of Criminal, Domestic and Civil trial experience, both...

“We are a better State Bar because of people like Deborah Moy who want to be attorneys.”
Superior Court Judge Michael L. Robinson - Vice President, NC Bar Association; Councilor, NC State Bar

A self-professed “Air Force brat,” Deborah Moy was born in the Philippines and spent her childhood living in Gainesville, FL (Go Gators!); Dayton, OH (Go Reds!); Fairfax, VA (Go ‘Skins!); and Greensboro, NC. Deborah’s maternal grandmother, Eva Jones, was a tobacco sharecropper in Eastern NC, who raised nine children on her own. She credits Grandma Jones for instilling in her the importance of strength, hope, and humility, and for...

Gib Irons is the managing partner of Irons & Irons, P.A. in Greenville, NC. He is in charge of running the day to day operations of the business including but not limited to implementing firm policy related to cash flow and profitability, staffing, client development, time management, and productivity systems. His practice is focused on family law and personal injury litigation. He does extensive screening before accepting a family law or personal injury case. He seeks to limit the number of active clients that he is representing at any given time in an effort to streamline the litigation process....

Kelly L. Greene was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kelly attended high school at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. He attended Wake Forest University where he earned a B.A. in English in 1996. He attended law school at Campbell University and received a J.D. in 1999. Kelly was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1999. Kelly is a member of the Craven County Bar Association, serving as its President in 2003-2004. He is a member of the United States Eastern District of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Bar Association, and North Carolina Advocates for...

Attorney Van Apeldoorn majored in Trust and Wealth Management Pre-Law at Campbell University and graduated in 2018. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she stayed to attend Campbell Law School and was active in several organizations, including the Christian Legal Society, Women in Law, and the Re-Entry Project. During law school, she was an Honor Court Justice, interned at the Craven County District Attorney’s office for two summers, and also had an externship with Judge Flanagan at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. After graduating from law school, Attorney Van Apeldoorn passed the bar exam...

Angela McIlveen is the CEO and Co-Founder of McIlveen Family Law Firm.

The first thing you will notice when you meet Angela McIlveen is that she genuinely cares about her clients and the clients of the Firm.

Maybe it’s because she remembers going through her parents’ nasty divorce when she was 6 years old. Angela knows that her parents' divorce impacted her life. Angela McIlveen remembers growing up with her dad when kids didn’t grow up with their fathers and she says it definitely shaped her life. In case you are wondering, no her mom wasn’t a bad person. Her...

Most families will encounter the legal system at some point. Whether it involves divorce, adoption, child support, custody, or estate planning, it can all feel overwhelming. At Breeden Law Office, we remove the loneliness and uncertainty around domestic law issues. Attorney Jonathan Breeden is a North Carolina family lawyer with over 20 years’ experience, who aggressively fights for families in Johnston, Harnett, and Wake counties. No matter what your family is dealing with, we genuinely care about the outcome and have the skill to fight for your children, your financial security, and your future. Our clients expect honest advice and fierce...

Daphne Edwards & her team focus exclusively on divorce and family law matters addressing the most complex issues facing divorcing couples: custody, asset division, alimony and child support, mediation and divorce arbitration, and the crafting of reliable separation agreements, as well as issues surrounding domestic violence, surrogacy, and assisted reproductive technology matters. Daphne’s approach is simple: each case is unique and each client receives personalized attention and the highest standard of care available while her team works to achieve that client’s specific goals.

Daphne has over twenty years of experience and is known to be an aggressive advocate for her clients...

The Houser Law Firm, P.C. is a Professional Corporation and full service, General Practice law firm located in Jacksonville, that serves Onslow Jones and surrounding counties in Southeastern North Carolina. We know that in these tough economic times, saving money wherever possible is important to most people. Our philosophy has always been to provide our clients with prompt, courteous and professional legal services at an affordable fee. While we never compromise on our legal professionalism, we do strive to manage our cost and expenses so that we can offer high quality legal services at fees that are...

Since 1992 I have focused my practice primarily on criminal defense. In 1998, along with Seth Blum, I founded the Raleigh Law Firm of Kurtz & Blum PLLC. At Kurtz & Blum we help people who have been accused of crimes from minor traffic cases and DWIs all the way up through high profile murder trials. On our civil side we help people who have been harmed by the negligence of another such as in car wrecks, nursing home negligence cases and legal malpractice cases. We round out our practice by helping people with family law...

Angela L. Haas, of Haas & Associates, PA, is an experienced family law attorney and mediator, who serves both traditional and non-traditional families in every aspect of family law, estate planning and administration. A double-major honors graduate of Appalachian State University and Campbell Law School, Angela is dedicated to working with each client to develop creative and effective solutions to protect themselves and their families. Ms. Haas offers a refreshing perspective on the challenges and opportunities that each client faces, and seeks to take advantage of the best legal and practical solutions available in each case.

The son of a government official, Andy grew up in various parts of the country, including Ohio, Colorado, and Texas. He attended the College of William and Mary and graduated in 1988 with a B.A. with honors in Government. Andy then went to the University of Richmond Law School, obtaining his J.D. in 1991. While in law school, he won the moot court competition, the trial competition (twice), and the writing competition. After passing the Virginia bar exam in 1991, Andy worked in one of the largest law firms in the country in its Norfolk office, primarily defending large...

Brian Demidovich is the Managing Member of The Law Corner. In 2001, Brian moved to Raleigh, North Carolina after he graduated from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. After spending the first five years in corporate law and as a partner in a litigation law firm, Brian created The Law Corner in 2006. The Law Corner was created with one simple, but important, core principal: customer service. Brian firmly believes the legal profession IS a service industry. That is why since 2006, Brian has offered an initial $99.00 consultation and established...

Steve Mansbery joined Tharrington Smith in 2006 after earning his law degree from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to law school, Mr. Mansbery attended the University of Kentucky, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Finance, with Departmental Honors, and graduated magna cum laude. He is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.

Mr. Mansbery has been appointed to the Wake County Bar Association and the Tenth Judicial District Bar Professionalism Committee every year since 2009. He was recognized as a “Rising Star” in North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine for the years...

Need a Raleigh Family Law or Contract Litigation Attorney? Call Bryant Paris today at (919) 832-5577. Since 2002, Bryant has represented people from all walks of life across North Carolina as well as small businesses in a wide-variety of civil and criminal law cases. Through the years, he worked tirelessly to obtain just results for his clients in an effort to put them in a position to move on with their lives after their cases are resolved. Bryant uses his vast experience gained from actual courtroom hearing and trial experience, as well as in arbitration and mediation, to...

If you are facing a divorce or child custody matter, you are probably feeling overwhelmed. Where you previously may have been able to resolve your family matters internally and privately, you must now retain the help of a legal representative to protect your (and your children’s) best interest in the public court system. Finding someone with the right mix of emotional support for you during this very difficult time, while at the same time being relentless in their fight to protect you is harder then you may think. Jammie Lynn Wacenske is a proven advocate with a...

Jeff Marshall has practiced family law for over 21 years. He brings a high level of experience to the firm along with a strong commitment to ethics and the desire to aggressively advocate for his clients and their best interests. Mr. Marshall is a Board Certified family law and divorce attorney in Raleigh who is well known for his ability to handle difficult cases in a professional manner. He handles a wide variety of family law and divorce-related cases including complex equitable distribution matters and highly contested child custody cases. Most of his clients come from...

Mark E. Sullivan is the principal of Law Offices of Mark E. Sullivan, P.A. in Raleigh, North Carolina. A retired Army Reserve JAG colonel and a Board-Certified Specialist in Family Law, Mr. Sullivan is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the author of The Military Divorce Handbook, (ABA, 2nd Ed. 2011).

He was co-founder of the military committee of the North Carolina State Bar in 1981, and he has been a member of the committee or its director ever since. He is a past chair of the Military Committee of the ABA Family...

Bobby Mills is the principal in the Law Office of Bobby D. Mills, PLLC and a Fellow in the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, Bobby is an experienced adoption lawyer and Board Certified Specialist in Family Law. Since 1991, Bobby has concentrated in adoption, surrogacy, family building, and family law related matters. His clients are adoptive parents, birth parents, and individuals seeking to build their families through surrogacy and other assisted reproductive technologies.. He formerly co-directed a private adoption agency and has represented adoption agencies and professionals. He has extensive experience in agency and independent adoptions, stepparent, relative and grandparent...

Lawrence founded Tickle Law Office in 2013 after graduating from Campbell University School of Law and passing the North Carolina State Bar. Lawrence earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from East Carolina University in 2010 as well as his Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Public Administration from Liberty University in 2015. Lawrence served in the United States Marine Corps after high school where he learned the essential leadership and management skills necessary to be successful as a zealous advocate for his clients. A native of Reidsville, NC, Lawrence now calls Franklin County home. He prides himself...

Lynn Burleson is a native of Albemarle, North Carolina. He was admitted to the practice of law in North Carolina after receiving his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his Juris Doctor degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law. Before joining Tharrington Smith, Mr. Burleson served as a district court judge and was a partner in the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton. He has served as an adjunct professor of law for the Wake Forest University School of Law and High Point University....

Casey Fidler grew up in Huntersville, North Carolina. She graduated with Highest Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication with a second major in Political Science. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Wake Forest University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in North Carolina.

While in law school, Casey served as the Executive Editor of the Wake Forest Law Review and was a member on the Moot Court Board. She was also a student advocate in the Elder Law Clinic. Throughout her time...

Mary Aiken Barrow, a Raleigh native and Broughton graduate, is a partner at Tharrington Smith. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law.

Prior to joining Tharrington Smith in 2012, Ms. Barrow earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006 and subsequently received her law degree from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in 2012. During her time at Campbell Law School, Ms. Barrow served as a member and as submissions co-editor of the Law Review. Additionally, she was a family law research assistant for Professor Jean...

Dr. Stanley Elliot After being married for 13 years, I was going through a rough separation. This was not easy for me and the separation also involved a custody battle for our child. I met with several attorneys and all of them were suitable. But I didn't just need a suitable attorney, I needed an experienced, litigation-savvy attorney. Richard Gantt was that attorney. When we met over lunch, he was informative, empathetic, and also ready to do battle in the courtroom. Richard was available to talk day and night. He has thought of innovative ways to proceed with all aspects...

Family Law and Divorce attorney with 16 years of experience. Lecturer for over 5 continuing legal education seminars teaching other attorneys about family law and divorce.

It doesn’t take more than a phone call to learn that this Asheville native is a tenacious, straight-talking lawyer who won’t back down from your fight.

Kathleen has an uncanny ability to meld unembellished honesty with compassion. You will always know what to expect on the road ahead–and no matter the challenge–you’ll feel confident knowing Kathleen is on your team.

After graduating from Campbell University Law School, Kathleen worked alongside some of the most respected family law attorneys in the Triangle. Absorbing her colleagues’ tenured wisdom and meshing it with her own style, Kathleen has helped clients find hope–even when they had...

Matthew Stauff believes the practice of law is a privilege that requires him to fight for those needing advocacy during life’s most trying times. He represents clients in divorce proceedings, child custody hearings, and defends those who have been wrongfully terminated from their jobs. During his nearly seven years with Legal Aid of North Carolina he developed extensive experience in family law, employment law, and civil litigation. While court is an option in many cases, Matthew believes that working matters out amicably through settlement leads towards a longer lasting outcome that is more cost-effective and efficient outcome.

Born and raised in...

Alice C. Stubbs is a partner in the firm. She joined Tharrington Smith in 2006 after having served for eight years as a Wake County District Court judge. First appointed in 1997 by Governor Jim Hunt, she was elected to the judgeship in 1998 and 2002. During her time on the bench, Ms. Stubbs presided primarily in domestic court. She was certified as a juvenile judge in 2001 and was designated and presided as a family court judge from 2002 until she came to Tharrington Smith.

Ms. Stubbs is a native of New Bern. She graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover,...

Jill Schnabel Jackson originally is from Wisconsin. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1996. Ms. Jackson graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1999. While in law school, Ms. Jackson was a staff member for the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation and a member of the Holderness Moot Court National Team. She also received the Gressman-Pollitt Award for outstanding oral advocacy during her first year of law school. Before joining the firm, Ms. Jackson served for two years as a law clerk to the Honorable...