Burke County Lawyers

Matthew Moore was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and attended college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. During his undergraduate work, Matthew served as a member of the UNC Charlotte Pre-Law Society where he met his wife. He graduated on the Chancellor’s List, obtained a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Criminology and an Associate’s Degree in Spanish. While attending college, Matthew obtained a License from the North Carolina Justice Academy and became the youngest Concealed Carry Instructor in North Carolina. Upon graduation, Matthew attended law school where he served as a member of the Criminal Law Society, Family...

Time spent as an insurance claims adjuster made me realize that people need advocates to fight for them, and to fight for what matters most. Being on both sides of the claims process now as a personal injury attorney has taught me valuable information about how insurance companies will try to get you to settle for less than what you deserve. Whether it’s a personal injury attorney you need, medical malpractice, wrongful death, auto accident, workers compensation, or a matter involving civil litigation, my mission to get you what you are owed under the eyes of the law and...

Craig Law Firm, PLLC, provides legal services, including counsel; document and contract drafting, review, and enforcement; and negotiation and litigation assistance in State and Federal courts, in the following areas of law: Business Law: We work with small and medium-size business, including start-ups, in their formation, management, and transfer or dissolution. We work with sole proprietors, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations (S or C designations, and "B" corporations). Real Estate Law: We work with property owners and occupiers in ownership, leasing, and use issues. We assist in developing lease, purchase or sale, and other agreements. We also work with title,...

Brian is a Western North Carolina native, having been born and raised in Asheville. He attended Enka High School and then UNC-Chapel Hill for college. Brian attended Wake Forest University School of Law. After passing the Bar Exam, Brian practiced law in the Raleigh area, focusing his practice on serious personal injury, catastrophic injury cases, and wrongful death cases, for almost 20 years. He then moved his family and his law practice back to Asheville. Brian is an aggressive litigator who enjoys trying cases in the courtroom. He is very direct with his clients and with opposing counsel, does not...

Family and relationships are so important to me and I know they are for you as well. It’s one of the reasons that, after practicing many types of law, I’ve settled into the areas of law that we all will eventually face: including end-of-life planning and estate administration. I know these are often difficult topics with challenging decisions for individuals and families, especially for adult children of elderly parents, the terminally ill or those who are in domestic partnerships not legally recognized as marriage under North Carolina law. My job is to provide you with clarity on the law and...

Edward L. Bleynat, Jr. began his legal career by clerking for James G. Exum, Jr., then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. He later went to work with a major Greensboro law firm in a general litigation practice, focusing on business litigation and tort law.

In 1995, Ed, his wife and children relocated to Asheville, North Carolina to continue his law practice and to raise their family in Western North Carolina, where Ed grew up. After Ed started his own firm in 1997, he and Joe Ferikes merged their practices into Ferikes & Bleynat, PLLC in 2001.

Ed...

James O. Rice, Jr. is an experienced criminal defense attorney in Asheville, who can provide you with the strong legal representation you need to fight the charges against you. When your future is on the line, it’s critical that you have someone on your side who will fight zealously for your freedom. Attorney Rice has assisted numerous clients against criminal charges, and can offer you his expertise and resources in order to help you develop a solid legal defense against the prosecution. Attorney Rice has experience with a variety of criminal law matters in North Carolina, including but not...

Joe Ferikes began his practice in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia, representing such entities as the County of Dekalb. In 1983, Joe and his wife moved back to their hometown of Asheville to continue his law practice and raise their family. He has been a private practice trial lawyer since 1981, and was a solo practitioner until forming Ferikes & Bleynat in 2001.

Joe’s representative clients include the Towns of Woodfin and Fletcher, North Carolina, as well as the ABC Boards for Fletcher, Woodfin and Black Mountain. Joe has been actively involved in the Greek community and has coached youth sports for...

Powers Immigration Law is dedicated to the practices of United States immigration and naturalization law. Tanya represents individuals and businesses in all aspects of immigration and nationality law, including applications for adjustment of status, employment authorizations, deferred action for parental accountability (DAPA), deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), investor's visas, work and family based petitions, asylum petitions, K-1 visa petitions for the fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens, adjustments of status based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, naturalization, and assistance in preparing for immigration interviews.

North Carolina licensed attorney practicing personal injury and plaintiff's civil litigation.

Anthony’s dedication to service began at 17, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Yeoman. Over the course of his military career, he deployed twice to the Middle East and once to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ultimately retiring from the JAG Corps. As a JAG officer, Anthony prosecuted several courts-martial and advised on multi-million-dollar contracts and large-scale environmental impact projects. After earning his law degree, Anthony began his civilian legal career with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago—the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the nation—where he handled 10 to 30 hearings a day for 18 months. Assigned to the...

Edward, a Taylorsville native, knew from a young age that his calling in life was to be an attorney. Some of his earliest memories involve watching his father at his law office. Over the years, his desire to help others through legal work has only grown stronger. Edward is a third-generation lawyer, and it brings him immense pride to practice in the same building as both his father and grandfather before him.

An avid Tar Heel fan, Edward attended UNC Chapel Hill for his undergraduate studies. He received degrees in both economics and public policy.

For his legal education, Edward...

Britt graduated form the University of Oregon School of Law in 2003. She began her legal career with the District Attorneys office and served for 11 years including time spent as Chief Prosecutor for the 24th District Attorney’s office, prosecuting homicide cases in Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, and Madison Counties. Britt uses her knowledge and passion for litigation to work on behalf of her clients through the entire legal process from indictment, pre- and post-trial hearings, jury selection, and litigation to sentencing. Britt and her husband John live in Boone with their two children – Lilly and Reed.

Attorney Anderson is a passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated attorney who stands with her clients every step of the way. After spending over a decade in the health care industry, that experience coupled with her experience as an attorney has positioned her to deliver unparalleled service to her clients. Her experience allows her to seamlessly analyze medical records and apply the law to determine the validity of medical malpractice cases, nursing home abuse cases, and personal injury cases.

Attorney Anderson also focuses on Immigration cases. Immigration law is not just a professional choice; it is a calling. As an immigrant,...

My practice focuses on the representation of individuals and families dealing with the aftermath of severe injury and loss, including death. I have extensive experience with complex medical issues in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Our firm consists of four experienced trial lawyers and a remarkably talented and devoted support staff.

Vicki Webb is a native of North Carolina. She graduated from NC State University with a B.S. in Statistics. Knowing she wanted to work with people more than numbers and with a desire to make a difference in the world, she chose to pursue law. She saw a chance to broaden her horizons and view of the world when she was accepted to California Western School of Law in San Diego.

During law school, Vicki founded the Family Law Society at CWSL. She was chosen to participate in the year long Child Abuse Interdisciplinary Program, an intense...

Christian has always had a passion for protecting the rights and interests of those seeking justice. While injured clients are now the focus of his personal injury and social security disability practice, Christian was previously an immigration attorney and he was an Asylum Officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In those capacities, he adjudicated refugee claims for people fleeing their home countries as the result of brutal violence and persecution.

Christian understands that bad things happen to good people. He knows that when people become injured because of the negligence of others, they need an attorney who knows how...

A general law practice focusing on estate planning and elder law, veterans benefits, corporate planning, and issues affecting families. In addition to extensive litigation experience, Heidi is also an experienced mediator and collaborative law attorney. She focuses on helping clients resolve disputes amicably and provides mediation services to lawyers and private individuals.

BIOGRAPHY
Susan earned a B.A. in Psychology at Southern Methodist Universtiy in Dallas, Texas and went on to attend Loyola University New Orleans, School of Law, graduating in the top of her 2003 law school class. Susan began her legal training during law school working as a law clerk in the civil insurance defense and criminal practice areas.

Following licensure by the Louisiana State Bar in 2003, she began a private law practice in New Orleans where she focused exclusively on Criminal Law. She has gained extensive trial experience working for over 15 years as a litigator the private and public...

Mike Godley has practiced family law in Mooresville, North Carolina for 31 years. Family law deals with issues concerning the break up of a marriage such as divorce, custody of children, child support, spousal support and division of property. Family law also involves issues prior to marriage such as prenuptial agreements and issues after marriage such as separation agreements.

Mike serves his clients as an educator, adviser and advocate through the legal system, which can often be very confusing, frustrating, and time-consuming without a guide to help through the process.

Mike Godley is also a mediator who helps parties and their...

Matthew Damon Byerley was born and raised in Alexander County, graduating from Alexander Central High School in 2003. Matthew is a 2007 graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. He obtained his law degree from Elon University School of Law in 2011. While at Elon Law, Matthew concentrated his studies in general practice and litigation. He became a licensed attorney in North Carolina in August 2011, and has been practicing in Alexander and the surrounding counties since that time. Matthew and his wife, Catherine, also an attorney, reside in Conover, North...

Jason is a 1993 graduate of Oak Ridge Military Academy. From there, he attended The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in business administration in 1997. Jason attended Cumberland School of Law, at Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama where he received his Juris Doctorate in 2000. He has been a member of the North Carolina State Bar since 2001. Jason has practiced law full time in the Iredell County and surrounding areas since 2001 and joined the firm of Gottholm, Ralston and Benton, PLLC in 2014. Jason practices primarily in...

Born in Shelby, NC July 18, 1978. I grew up in Kings Mountain, NC. Appalachian State University, 2002; University of South Carolina School of Law, 2008. Member: North Carolina Bar Association; Iredell County Bar Association Bio: I taught US History for three years at Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia North Carolina. During my time as a teacher, I also coached the boys and girls soccer teams and participated in other school activities. I am an avid Appalachian State football fan and enjoy traveling to Boone, NC for the games. ...

Martin is a partner at Gottholm, Ralston and Benton, PLLC. In almost 20 years of practicing law, his experience includes roles as an assistant District Attorney and District Court Judge. Martin practices primarily in the area of criminal defense. He has represented clients on charges ranging from speeding tickets to first degree murder. Having been a former Judge and Prosecutor has brought Martin a varied perspective and wealth of experience as a criminal defense Attorney. That experience is both recognized by his peers and appreciated by his clients. You will find no one more zealous and committed to advocating on...

Erin November is a Associate Attorney, primarily at the Columbus, North Carolina office. Erin’s practice area is mainly focused on Family Law. She is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. Erin graduated from Wingate University, with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. She graduated from Campbell Law School, receiving her Juris Doctors. While attending law school, Erin was the social media coordinator and founding member of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.

Paul J. Ditz has been practicing law in Cleveland County, NC and surrounding counties for nearly 20 years. He has extensive experience in both criminal and civil courts having tried dozens of cases during that time. As a former prosecutor, he possesses the insight necessary to prepare and present your case successfully and to help you get the best result under the law.

I am a North Carolina native who was born in Marion, but grew up in Rutherfordton. While I was truly blessed to be raised in a loving, caring, and stable home, I realized at a young age that not everyone had that opportunity and always had a heart to help my friends who were hurting. Upon graduating high school, I began working with my father who has a real estate office in Bat Cave, North Carolina, while at the same time, attending Gardner-Webb University. I was seeking what direction to go with my career. At the...

Attorney Brandon Jaynes is the managing partner and owner of Archonix Law, primarily working in the areas of estate planning (wills, trusts, probate, etc.) and business law . Brandon received a Bachelors of Computer Science and a Bachelors of Mathematics from Gardner-Webb University in 2003 where he graduated magna cum laude. While at Gardner-Webb, Brandon was President of both the SIGMA Math Association and the Association for Computing Machinery, Gardner-Webb chapters. In 2006, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend Campbell University’s Norman A. Wiggins School of Law, graduating cum laude with his Juris Doctor degree in 2009. While in...

Mr. Teague is general practice attorney and a graduate of Appalachian State University and Wake Forest University School of Law. Mr. Teague is originally from Boone, North Carolina and returned to Boone to practice in 2007. Mr. Teague believes strongly in a commitment to personal service when handling his clients legal issues.