Avery County Lawyers

I am a local attorney with a focus on real estate, landlord-tenant, and wills and estates. But I can and will take any matter that arises should you need me, if I do not feel comfortable in handling your matter I will do my best to find you a lawyer that is. I live in Yadkin County and am raising my family here. I have served in the Army since 2004 and have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during my time in service. After completing my active service I attended UNC-Greensboro and then Wake Forest School of Law, and have continued...

As a practicing business attorney in Charlotte, NC, I provide guidance for protecting businesses from possible legal exposure, helping businesses grow stronger, and protecting them once a legal issue arises. The son of a Lebanese immigrant with his own small business, I understand the need for competent and affordable business law assistance.

I have experience dealing in entity formation, contract formation and disputes, wage and hour disputes, other employment disputes, preparing employment documents to protect businesses on the front-end, trademark registration/searches, copyright infringement assistance, and several other areas.

I have practiced in Raleigh, North Carolina for my entire legal career. I have tried cases in both North Carolina State Superior Court and Federal Court. In 2014, I was selected to the North Carolina Bar Association Leadership Academy which is a program for young attorneys who wish to hone their leadership skills. I ran for the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2018 and received almost 600,000 votes. I attended Elon University School of Law for law school and Wake Forest University for my undergraduate education. In my spare time, I enjoy going to Wake Forest athletic events and anything...

Elizabeth grew up in Aiken, South Carolina, watching her father, a plaintiff’s attorney, represent good people who were taken advantage of by large corporations. She connected with this mission and felt called from an early age to stand up for these hardworking people and give them the quality legal representation they deserve. After obtaining her undergraduate degree from Florida State University and her law degree from Florida State University College of Law, Elizabeth returned to South Carolina to follow in her father’s footsteps. She chose personal injury law because she has seen firsthand how a good personal injury attorney can make...

Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning & Probate Law

Alonzo McAlpine Alston, Esq. was born in Savannah, GA, is a loving and proud father, dedicated husband, and client-focused and service oriented attorney. Attorney Alston was born to entrepreneurial parents who were heavily involved in the civil rights movement, and is a product of their strong influential guidance to purpose his life and endeavors on social equality, cause-driven activism, and self-reliance with a focus on empowerment through community building. These values have also influenced his desire to espouse integrity, maintain ownership of his work-product, and develop clear communications. Attorney Alston said, "[O]ne of the primary reasons I became and attorney was...

Karney | Clayton NC Motorcycle Accident Lawyer | Carolinas' Biker Lawyers I have built a reputation for protecting my clients. With a clear understanding of the obstacles motorcyclists face both on the road and in the courtroom, my team and I fight for motorcycle accident victims. Representing bikers since 1975 throughout the Carolinas with offices in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh.

I am a board-certified specialist in North Carolina workers' compensation law. I have over a decade of experience handling workers' compensation claims. I have obtained favorable decisions from all levels of the Industrial Commission, NC Court of Appeals, and NC Supreme Court.

In addition to representing injured workers in workers' compensation claims, I also handle personal injury and general litigation claims. I am also certified as a mediator by the NC Dispute Resolution Commission. I primarily mediate workers' compensation claims.

“I understand that this is more than just a case for my clients; it is their life and their family’s livelihood, and I take that very seriously.” Marcus Spake is known for aggressively representing his clients, and for ensuring that their best interests are protected at all times. During his career, Marcus has represented both injured workers and defendants in workers’ compensation claims, giving him a vast depth of knowledge of both sides of the law. He firmly believes that every injured person deserves competent and effective counsel and uses his experience to his client’s absolute advantage. Marcus Spake is a...

Michelle Abbott is a Charlotte, NC criminal defense attorney. Michelle is licensed to practice law in North Carolina State Court and in Federal Court in the Western District of North Carolina. Her primary areas of practice are criminal defense and traffic. Michelle handles a broad range of misdemeanors and felonies, including, but not limited to: sex crimes, drug crimes, theft crimes, and violent crimes.


She works at Gilles Law, PLLC. Gilles Law client reviews can be read here: https://gilleslaw.com/client-testimonials/ Michelle believes in providing each client with thorough representation, zealous advocacy, and personalized services, tailored to each client's unique situation.

I serve as the managing attorney at Maginnis Howard, a civil litigation firm based in Raleigh, NC, in Wake County. Our firm is unique in that we represent both plaintiffs and defendants in legal disputes. On the plaintiff side, my work primarily involves consumer class actions and business litigation. I previously held the position of chair for the Consumer Areas of Practice at the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. Our firm handles consumer cases on a contingency basis, covering issues under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and related...

My legal and business experiences enable me to offer clients a broad spectrum of professional services from the unique perspective of someone who is both an attorney and an entrepreneur.

H. Glenn Fogle, Jr., the founding member and principal of The Fogle Law Firm, LLC, is in his twenty-fifth year in the field of Immigration and Nationality Law. Raised in the United Kingdom until he was fourteen, Mr. Fogle returned to the U.S. with his family to attend high school and college. Mr. Fogle is a member of the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals of the Second Circuit, the Fourth Circuit, the Fifth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, the Ninth Circuit and the Eleventh Circuit. He is a longtime member of the American...

Kimberly Olsinski received her Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in History and Sociology from the College of William and Mary, where she completed her degree in three years. She attended Hofstra University School of Law, where she graduated in the top fourteen percent of her class. At Hofstra, she participated in the Law Reform clinic, and was an editor of the Labor and Employment Law Journal. Mrs. Olsinski has completed a ten-day intensive seminar emphasizing effective trial advocacy techniques.

While in law school, Mrs. Olsinski worked for the legal department of a big insurance company. Upon graduating, she switched sides and...

Mike is graduate of Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Law, and spent the early years of his legal career at a pair of global law firms representing the nation’s largest banks and corporations, public officials, and government officers and entities. Mike’s commercial litigation experience includes complex contractual disputes, business torts, warranty claims, employment issues, and white-collar investigations and defense. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer before attending law school, Mike also represents public officers and government agencies in liability defense, employment, and other police issues. In 2015, Mike was inducted into the American Society of Legal Advocates...

The unknown is a scary place for any individual, especially for a person whose family is undergoing a significant transition through divorce, a child custody dispute, a domestic violence situation, or even a hopeful adoption. Although I cannot tell you exactly what course your situation will take, I can help you navigate the legal system while addressing each concern and question. I strive to educate my clients about the law so they can make informed decisions about what is most precious in their lives. Whether you are a business owner employing multiple individuals and supplying income for even...

Mary Frances Parker has been licensed in Tennessee since 2007. Following a clerkship with the Honorable Judge Royce Taylor, Mrs. Parker joined the firm of Shuttleworth Williams. There she met her long-time mentor, Attorney Christopher “Kim” Thompson. Mrs. Parker opened her own firm in Nashville, Tennessee but was relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2013. Mrs. Parker has extensive trial experience including reuniting with Mr. Thompson in 2019 for a jury trial resulting in a $9,000,000.00 verdict. Mrs. Parker has successfully litigated or settled several personal injury cases in excess of $1,000,000.00. In 2020, Mrs. Parker joined the Benoit Law...

Shepard Smith is a managing attorney for the Charlotte office of Stewart Law Offices. Born and raised in Charlotte, Shepard became a lawyer because he wanted to be able to advocate for those who found themselves in overwhelming legal circumstances.

As the youngest of five siblings, Shepard learned the value of hard work at an early age while spending summers earning money as a landscaper and warehouse laborer. He knows how important a paycheck can be to a family, and how an injury can forever change a person’s life.

Shepard brings a unique perspective to personal injury cases and workers’ compensation claims...

People turn to an attorney when they need help dealing with a problem that has become too large for them to handle on their own. Every day, I see clients in difficult situations they did not create, dealing with pain they didn’t have before, trying to pay for medical expenses they can’t afford. And all the while, a large corporation or auto insurance company is trying to minimize what the victim is going through.

As an attorney licensed in North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Brad represents personal injury clients in cases throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. He began his legal career...

I am licensed to practice law in North Carolina, South Carolina & Tennessee. I am an attorney with McGrath & Spielberger, PLLC, where my areas of practice include real property (including loss mitigation and foreclosure defense) and business law. I received a Juris Doctor from Campbell University School of Law and a Master of Business Administration from Campbell University Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, as part of the joint JD/MBA program. I attended North Carolina State University and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology. Currently, I am pursuing an LL.M. (Master of Laws) postgraduate law degree in...

As an injury attorney, he’s found a job that combines his passion for research and for helping people who have often been wronged by the system that is supposed to protect them.

Jack graduated summa cum laude from N.C. Central University with a double major in political science and criminal justice. He earned his juris doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2016.

Originally from Basingstoke, England, Jack came to the United States on a tennis scholarship at N.C. Central. He started playing tennis at age 5 and was part of England’s national program as a junior.

While at...

Ben Hefferon is a highly rated divorce and family law attorney with extensive experience in handling cases related to divorce, equitable distribution, child custody, visitation, and spousal support. A graduate of North Carolina Central School of Law with High Honors, Ben is committed to achieving favorable outcomes for his clients through both court proceedings and negotiations. His dedication to the field and his ability to navigate complex family law issues make him a valuable advocate for those he represents.

Kara Goodman is a dedicated, experienced, and compassionate lawyer who practices in the area of family law. As a child of parents that divorced before she was 10 years of age, Kara developed a passion for family law at an early age. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. Kara ultimately settled in Charlotte, North Carolina where she obtained her Juris Doctorate and began her legal career. Kara spent her first two years of practice with a small law firm in Concord, North Carolina, spending...

Amelia joined Partin, Patton and Brown in August 2003 and became a partner in January 2009. Her practice focuses in the areas of Social Security Disability and Long Term Disability. Amelia is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law. Amelia attended law school at Wake Forest University School of Law (2003) and joined Partin, Patton and Brown after her graduation. As a law student, Amelia was active in the Public Interest Law Organization and Guardian Ad Litem program. Amelia is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Bar...

With his history of activism and public service, it’s not surprising that Chris Stevens was drawn to a law career where he could help people. He is passionate about helping those who are in need, especially military veterans who are fighting the Department of Veterans Affairs to get the benefits to which they are entitled.

Chris earned his juris doctor from the UNC School of Law. He graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor of science in business administration, double majoring in economics and marketing. While in law school, Chris won the Eugene Gressman & Daniel H. Pollitt Appellate...

Andrea Smaxwell is committed to being a strong, effective advocate for her veteran clients as they seek the legal benefits guaranteed by their past military service. She has a breadth of knowledge and experience in international law, workers’ compensation, and personal injury law.
Andrea earned her Juris doctorate with a distinguished specialization in international law from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco in 2009. She continued her studies at the school’s Sompong Sucharitkul Center for Advanced International Legal Studies. She earned her Master of Laws (LLM) in International Legal Studies there in 2010. While earning her second law...

As a personal injury attorney, Chase Coble enjoys the dual role he serves as his clients’ legal advocate and support system. When someone suffers a life-altering injury, they often are dealing with serious physical, financial, and emotional pain, and stress. Add to that the burden of dealing with insurance companies, health care providers and the legal system, and it can be overwhelming. Having an experienced advocate to guide them through the legal system allows Chase’s clients to focus on what’s most important: healing and getting their lives back on track. Chase, who grew up in Burlington, joined the Deuterman Law Group’s personal...

Though she has worked in many areas of law, Christine’s true passion is helping injured and disabled people. At the Deuterman Law Group, Christine handles Social Security Disability cases. Her compassionate nature combined with her legal knowledge makes this a perfect fit for Christine.

Christine graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 with a degree in political science and a second major in English. Throughout college, she worked in the legal field as an office assistant at several firms.

Hoping to confirm the law was her true calling, she worked for two years as a legal assistant...

After training initially with one of the top biotech patent groups in the U.S. and practicing in large general practice firms for over 20 years, Carl has the experience to meet the intellectual property needs of startups, mid-size R&D companies, large biotherapeutic and pharmaceutical companies, and top tier, research-intensive universities. He enjoys doing single-project work, as well as comprehensive counseling and portfolio development for startups and growing companies.

Carl counsels scientific founders on initial protection strategies for their platform technology (timing, scope of disclosure, landscape analysis, ownership issues), develops licensing programs for biotechnology, and evaluates lifecycle management programs for marketed human...

Becoming a lawyer has been part of Julie Vergara Duque’s game plan since childhood. From the time she enrolled in law school, she knew she wanted to use her expertise to improve other people’s lives and help them navigate legal challenges. In 2024, she joined the Deuterman Law Group as an associate attorney in the workers’ compensation practice, working primarily out of the Winston-Salem office. As a native Spanish speaker, she will focus her practice on cases involving Spanish-speaking clients who have been injured on the job. Julie’s family immigrated from Colombia when she was a child, and an attorney’s work on...

Whether civil or criminal, the legal process can be very frustrating, intimidating, and the outcome may seem too uncertain. As such, Dmitriy understands the importance of maintaining prompt communication and step-by-step comforting guidance. He also strongly believes that every case is defensible and that every client deserves the utmost dedication and attention.

Dmitriy graduated from UNC Charlotte, Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in Finance. He further attended the Charlotte School of Law and graduated Cum Laude. Dmitriy now works as a Managing Partner at Biazzo & Panchenko Law, PLLC, and serves Charlotte and surrounding areas (Mint Hill,...

Keith Stroud is a 25+ year veteran of the practice of law. Keith supports businesses in the Triad, spouses going through a separation and divorce, individuals and couples through estate planning, executors and administrators handling the estate of a loved one, and seniors and their family members in long term care and asset protection matters. He provides a straightforward and comprehensive approach to legal representation, and offers unique solutions designed to meet the goals of his clients.

While Keith’s practice is structured to help his clients avoid litigation, he is first and foremost a trial lawyer. His civil and past criminal...

Eleanor Panetti is a Winston-Salem lawyer who has been practicing family law for nearly three decades. Eleanor provides comprehensive legal counsel to men and women involved in family law disputes, to spouses creating and expanding families through adoption, and to those protecting and caring for children of family members. She is skilled and experienced in all matters related to divorce, custody and paternity, property settlement and support, the legal issues unique to the LGBT community, and those specific to senior populations.

Eleanor is passionate in her representation of people involved in family disputes, whether through divorce, supporting parents through child custody...

Mr. Olsinski went to law school with one focus, to become a criminal defense attorney. Upon graduation and moving down to Charlotte North Carolina, he spoke with other attorneys in the area and decided to open his own practice. He opened the firm in January 2010 and has been growing his experience and the firm throughout the years. Mr. Olsinski has successfully defended cases from B1 Felony First Degree Sex Offenses all the way down to Misdemeanor marijuana charges. He has been named a Top 40 under 40 Attorneys in North Carolina by the National Trial Lawyers as well as...

Attorney Michael Litrenta brings the unique experience of working for years as both a prosecutor and then as a defense attorney. He has worked in multiple different state and federal courts on a variety of different matters.

Bringing extensive courtroom experience to Litrenta Law, Michael knows the best offense is always a good defense. He is a dedicated advocate for his clients and has won Avvo’s Client’s Choice Award. Attorney Litrenta is committed to listening and understanding each of his client’s needs and is determined to secure the best outcome possible.

Attorney Litrenta began his career as a prosecutor before he transitioned...

"Jon Moore grew up in the Kansas City, Missouri area where he earned his Eagle Scout badge and graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. He attended college at Northwestern University outside of Chicago, where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies. Following his graduation from Northwestern University, Jon got accepted to Georgetown University Law School, but elected to defer his acceptance for a year. During that year, Jon returned to his hometown where he taught English and Debate at a local high school. Jon continued to pursue his interest in teaching while at law...

Attorney Andrew Sabourin is the Owner of Lake Norman Wealth Counsel. Lake Norman Wealth Counsel, is a full-service estate planning law practice based in Huntersville, North Carolina. Lake Norman Wealth Counsel focuses exclusively on helping clients with estate planning matters. By concentrating on this single area of law, they have developed deep and broad knowledge to apply to every client need. They represent clients who seek to protect assets now and into the future, preserving their hard-earned legacy for their heirs.

Lake Norman Wealth Counsel can set up trusts for yourself, your spouse or your children so that your assets...

"Paige Pahlke focuses her practice in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death and medical malpractice. Paige grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska before attending college at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. There she majored in Political Science and Dance, while also excelling on Creighton’s Division I golf team and performing in the Creighton Dance Company. After graduating summa cum laude from Creighton in 2007, Paige elected to start the pursuit of her law career at the University of Iowa College of Law. Prior to earning her Juris Doctor in 2010, Paige was a Student Writer and Contributing Editor...

• DACA - In 2012-2013 I successfully processed over 75 DACA applications in North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina. Each successful application resulted in my clients obtaining employment authorization leading to the acquisition of a Social Security number and a valid drivers license. These clients no longer live in the shadows of society. • BIA Appeal Success! With only a few hours before my client was scheduled to be deported, I filed an emergency motion with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to "stay" his deportation and have my client's matter "re-opened" based on new evidence and...

Chad joined Partin, Patton & Brown in July 2004 and became a Partner in January 2009. His practice focuses in the areas of Social Security Disability and personal injury. Chad is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law. Chad attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1999) where he was an Articles and Notes Editor for the North Carolina Banking Law Institute and Journal. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Robert F. Orr on the N.C. Supreme Court and served as an Assistant District Attorney...