Norlina Lawyers

I will try any case, anytime, anywhere, if the cause is just.

Ben Ridings a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the firm practicing primarily in the areas of workers’ compensation and general civil litigation.

Ben graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts, with Honors and Distinction, in History. He received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2007, where he served as Articles and Comments Editor of the First Amendment Law Review and interned with The Honorable Robin E. Hudson of...

Michele focuses her practice on injury cases, particularly those involving automobile, truck and motorcycle wrecks.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University and is a proud alum. She earned her master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to becoming an attorney, Michele spent 10 years with the world-renowned Center for Creative Leadership, a leader in executive education, leadership development, and research.

She earned her juris doctor from the Elon University School of Law in 2009 and was admitted the same year to the North Carolina State Bar. Michele was a founding...

Casey Francis has a strong desire to help people, whether it’s through her work as an attorney or her role as a volunteer for numerous community groups. She joined the Deuterman Law Group in 2011 as an associate attorney in workers’ compensation, following previous stints here as a law clerk and new client coordinator.

Casey is one of a select group of board certified specialists in workers’ compensation law practicing in North Carolina.

Since she joined the firm, Francis has been the lead attorney on workers’ comp cases involving Spanish-speaking clients with a focus on representing undocumented workers in their claims....

Ben Burnside is passionate about representing the rights of mentally and physically disabled and injured people. He focuses his practice on helping disabled workers and veterans receive the Social Security Disability and VA benefits to which they are entitled, especially when they have been denied those benefits in the past.

Ben is a proven advocate for his clients. In 2008, he became a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a prestigious association of trial lawyers. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million dollar or multimillion dollar verdicts, awards or settlements for their clients. Fewer than 1 Social Security...

I am a workers' compensation attorney in North Carolina representing employees that have been hurt at work. Contact me for a free consult if you have been hurt at work, you may have certain rights including: payment of medical expenses, payments for permanent impairment ratings, and disability benefits for the time you are out of work.

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.

A native of New Bern, North Carolina, Daniel Barker completed his BA degree at NC State in 1989 after graduating from EHS in Alexandria, Va. He then attended Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama, earning a JD in 1992. During his third year of law school, Daniel was elected and served as President of the Student Bar Association. Daniel returned to Raleigh to begin his legal career as a sole practitioner for six years in the practice areas of real property transactions, criminal defense and civil litigation before joining the Raleigh office of Stubbs & Purdue in 1999....

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...

Barbara graduated from the North Carolina Central School of Law with honors in 2005. She was an Associate with the family law firm of Donna Ambler Davis in Chapel Hill before she established her own family law practice in May, 2008. Barbara works to establish strong, positive relationships with her clients and helps them navigate the emotional upheavals of divorce, achieve financial stability, and reduce the stress that divorce places on children. Whether in negotiation or litigation, she is a tough and determined advocate working to protect the best interests of her clients. In 2013, she completed training as...

John started his legal career in the trenches as a Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps Lieutenant with the United States Navy. He graduated from Naval Justice School in 1991, boarded the Guided Missile Cruiser (USS CHOSIN) in Hawaii, and finally reported to his permanent duty station at the Naval Legal Service Office in Yokosuka, Japan. As a Navy defense attorney for three years, John battled in court, day after day, for the wrongly accused. It was there that he developed and honed his advocacy skills for the injured, for whom he now goes to battle everyday in the...

For over 20 years, Julie has effectively advocated for individuals in family law matters in Durham and Orange County courts. A Mediator and Collaborative Divorce practitioner, she is a skilled and experienced negotiator, using creative problem-solving techniques to achieve excellent results. Julie graduated from UNC Law School in 1990. Following her association with the Durham law firm of Pulley, Watson, King & Lischer, she established her own family law practice in 1997. Focuses on finding practical, efficient solutions to her clients' legal problems, Julie helps her clients minimize financial difficulties and uncertainties and reduce parenting conflicts...

Ken was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961 and served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps from 1986 through 1990, where he was a member of the JAG Corps. Ken practices law in the following areas: workers’ compensation, personal injury litigation, wrongful death, bankruptcy, and trials in state and federal courts and arbitrations.

He is a Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist through the North Carolina State Bar and was recently appointed to a three-year term on the North Carolina Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section Council. Mr. King is also a member and frequent lecturer at the Workers’ Compensation...

Bill Alexander has practiced law for over 48 years in North Carolina and maintains the highest attorney ratings possible— ‘A-V Preeminent’ peer rating by Martindale-Hubbell and a “10-Superb Attorney” Avvo rating. He now manages an asset protection, estate and eldercare planning law practice as the founding attorney of W.G. Alexander & Associates, PLLC. His law practice was heavily influenced by life circumstances; his older brother was severely injured, unconscious for two months and survived with traumatic brain injury. Hence Bill learned how to deal with special needs; eventually, he became his brother’s care manager and Trustee. He also...

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...

A Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist, Tom Manning brings 33+ years of experience to focused and determined criminal defense representation of clients charged with serious offenses in North Carolina state and federal courts. Manning has tried to verdict more than 200 cases, including first degree murder, drug trafficking conspiracies, federal money laundering and drug conspiracies, political corruption cases, bank and wire frauds, criminal environmental violations and attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assaults and child sexual abuse cases.

I finished law school in 2005 and immediately opened my own firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. I began my practice taking criminal cases in North Carolina state courts, with matters ranging from simple speeding tickets up to high level felonies. My practice has been a success because I care deeply for my clients, I consistently get them fantastic results, and I create fee structures that people can actually afford. Over my career, I have taught several seminars to other attorneys on how to properly defend criminal and traffic cases, with a significant emphasis on teaching defense of...

For 40 years, Gene Riddle has been fighting for the rights of the injured. As the founder and Managing Partner of Riddle & Brantley, LLP, Gene has earned a reputation of excellence within the legal community and is a valued leader at our law firm. Under Gene's leadership, Riddle & Brantley has recovered over $850 million in compensation for clients since 2000 alone (see disclaimer). Today, Gene believes honesty, integrity and willingness to work hard are the bedrock principles of a good attorney. That is what he and the other lawyers at Riddle & Brantley provide to their injured clients. Gene...

I am a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law (one of only twenty-nine in the state). I graduated with Honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2009 and have over five years of full-time immigration law experience. I love my job because on a daily basis I work closely with families, businesses, and individuals to make an otherwise intimidating immigration process smooth and worry-free. I approach each case with honesty and integrity and will work diligently to achieve a favorable outcome for each client.

Alexia Dominguez is a licensed attorney in North Carolina. She received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016 where she majored in Biology. Alexia earned her law degree from Campbell University School of Law in 2019. While at Campbell, Alexia served as the Vice President of Campbell Law Women in Law and the Hispanic Law Student Association and as the co-coordinator for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Alexia founded Smith Dominguez, PLLC in November of 2019 with her law partner, Ayeshinaye Smith. At Smith Dominguez, Alexia enjoys handling residential real estate closings and...

Valerie A. Johnson graduated from the University of North Carolina and from the UNC School of Law in 1994, with honors Before entering law school, Valerie was an elementary school teacher.

Valerie is a specialist in workers' compensation law. She teaches trial advocacy at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Valerie also has taught workers' compensation law at Wake Forest University's School of Law.

Valerie serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and chaired the workers’ compensation committee. She is a former board member of the Lawyers Coordinating Committee...

Douglas Wickham is one of the most experienced bankruptcy attorneys in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. He has been certified as a specialist in both consumer and business bankruptcy by the North Carolina State Bar since 1987. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina, as well as before all North Carolina federal courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Doug earned a bachelor's degree in History from Yale University. He received his law degree from the Yale Law School and earned an LLM at the Harvard law School. He was a professor...

With offices in Cary and Raleigh, Vincent-Pope Law Firm focuses its practice on the settlement and trial of major personal injury cases, including injuries and wrongful death from car and truck accidents and professional negligence. We also represent clients in commercial and insurance litigation cases.

Hunt's practice at Martin & Jones focuses on representing people who have been harmed by the negligence of others, including from tractor-trailer collisions, car wrecks, defective products and construction accidents. He has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict for his clients before juries across the state of North Carolina. He is licensed to practice in all North Carolina courts, as well as all federal courts in North Carolina and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Hunt has been recognized by Super Lawyers every year since 2016 as a Rising Star.

Amily (she/her/hers) is an attorney with 20 years of experience working in the anti-domestic violence field. She assists domestic and sexual violence victims by representing them in protective orders and Title IX hearings, defending them in criminal cases so that a criminal record does not act as a barrier to escaping an abusive partner.

Amily also focuses her practice on representing non-predominant aggressors in criminal defense cases as a primary prevention strategy to help foster economic stability- one of the greatest protective factors for living violence free. She represents those charged with everything from misdemeanor and felony drug offenses, to...

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...

Evan Lohr is an attorney in Raleigh, NC. He focuses his practice on estate and trust litigation. He has also represented hundreds of clients in estate planning, probate administration, and guardianship matters. Evan graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2006 and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee. He is a past editor of The Administrative Lawyer, a publication of the North Carolina Bar Association. A Raleigh native, Evan is a graduate of Sanderson High School and is past president of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

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...

Jason Michael Burton is a fifth-generation attorney with broad experience in significant personal injury cases. The son of a career-long insurance defense attorney, he has a detailed understanding of how insurance companies review and handle claims, which he uses to maximize personal injury compensation for his clients.

Since serving as a judicial clerk in the North Carolina court system, Mr. Burton has helped secure more than $40 Million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of individuals harmed by the wrongful conduct of others. He focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury cases resulting in life-altering injuries, prolonged...

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....

Originally from Grand Haven, Michigan, Andrew Bullard attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He later attended Michigan State University College of Law and obtained his J.D. in 2010. Andrew Bullard primarily practices estate planning, estate administration, special needs law and guardianships at the firm. Andrew’s experience includes assisting individuals and families as they navigate the process of planning and administering estates and trusts. Additionally, he guides fiduciaries through their duties in the probate process and helps families plan for the care of loved ones with long-term special needs. Andrew takes...

Mr. Spain was admitted to the State Bar in 2013 and practiced as an estates and business law attorney prior to joining BHSPA in 2018. Jason focuses on Estate Planning and Probate law, helping clients plan for their family’s future and to assist clients in administering the estate of a loved one. He also is proficient in helping small business owners set up business succession plans that will allow their companies to be passed on to the next generation and help provide financial security for their families in the event of retirement, death, or disability. ...

Margaret S. "Meg" Westall anchors iTicket in Western North Carolina, handling traffic matters in Buncombe and Madison Counties. One of Attorney Hatley’s oldest friends, Meg has helped our law firm expand all the way to the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. Prior to joining iTicket.law, Meg worked in a small Asheville-based firm where her practice focused on estate and trust planning and administration. Advising fiduciaries and neutralizing conflict in matters of administration has afforded her a no-nonsense approach to technical problem solving. Meg is also involved with the Pisgah Legal Services Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer program, for which she assists low-income...

Kellie Corbett chose the University of South Carolina for her undergraduate degree for two reasons: the pageantry of big-time college football and the fact she hates snow. She got the pageantry but it came with snow – a freak storm, 8” of the stuff, her freshman year.

There’s a lesson there but we’re not exactly sure what it is — yet.

Kellie was accepted at the University of North Carolina School of Law where she became the first law student in the history of American law schools (that dates back to 1793) to fall in love with Trusts and Estates while taking...

Stephanie joined the Cary Estate Planning team in May of 2023 as an Estate Planning Lawyer. She spent a combined eight years as a solo estate planning practitioner and then pro bono attorney in Pittsboro, North Carolina. She believes in proactive planning at all stages of our lives and aims to provide client-centered service. Stephanie lived in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Ohio before attending Duke University in North Carolina, where she studied comparative religion. She relocated permanently to Chatham County after returning to Ohio briefly to study at Miami University. During law school at North Carolina Central University, Stephanie served as...

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...

Sara Barlowe is an associate attorney at Bagwell Holt Smith where she practices in the Firm’s Family Law department. Sara joined the Firm in July of 2020 shortly after relocating to the Research Triangle area from Astoria, Queens with her family and their two cats. While in New York, Sara worked as an Assistant District Attorney with the Bronx District Attorney’s office where she focused primarily on domestic violence and special victims cases with the exception of a year-long stint in the office’s Special Investigations Division where she handled long-term wiretap investigations. Sara received her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Benjamin...

2020 will be the 14th year that I have practiced law exclusively in criminal defense. My legal career began as a deputy public defender in Los Angeles County where I received extensive training and experience. During my tenure as a public defender, I tried approximately 18 jury trials and more than 50 juvenile cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies and strikes, including one murder case in the juvenile system. Now in private practice in North Carolina, I maintain the original passion and dedication to my clients that drew me to this work while still in law...

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...

Attorney Peace is a managing partner at the Law Office of Peace & Squires, PLLC practicing in the areas of Business, Contracts, and Personal Injury Law. Attorney Peace has worked extensively negotiating North American and International contracts, and has used her notable negotiations skills to effectuate first-rate results for her clients.

Attorney Peace earned her Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central University in 2008, her Master of Business Administration, Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University in 2004, and her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University in 2002. While attending North Carolina...