Pinnacle Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

I have been practicing federal and state criminal defense in Charlotte for over 20 years. Since 2010, I have been a State Bar Board Certified Specialist in State and Federal Criminal Law. Since 2012, I have been selected each year as a North Carolina Super Lawyer and have received the highest peer rating (AV preeminent) from Martindale-Hubbell. I have handled every type of criminal case and have always striven to obtain the best possible results for my clients. Unlike many criminal defense lawyers, I do not run a high volume practice where the client is expected...

Harrison A. Lord is the founder and managing member of Lord & Lindley, PLLC. His practice focuses on helping small businesses reduce their risks, collect the money owed them, and plan for a successful future. Harrison represents clients in commercial litigation and disputes of all sorts. In that role, he’s tried cases before judges and juries all over North Carolina. But first and foremost, Harrison is a problem solver. His focus is always on getting the best result for his clients, and helping them find the solution that works for them and their business. Sometimes...

Derrick Hensley is a Child Welfare, Family, and Immigration lawyer who manages a small law firm in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Derrick founded his own firm in order to ensure he could take cases that make a real difference for his clients, and to ensure that his practice always observed the highest principles of the legal profession. Derrick is dedicated zealously advocating for his clients and to fostering an open, communicative attorney-client relationship based on trust and honesty.

Derrick's firm has practices in several fields of law, focusing on the intersections between them, including international family law, humanitarian and family immigration, and...

Stephen David Koehler earned his Bachelor of Science in English and Computer Science degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1987 and his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1991. Mr. Koehler joined the firm in 2012 after owning his own firm since 1999. Mr. Koehler is admitted to practice in the State Courts of North Carolina, and in North Carolina's Middle and Western United States District Courts. Mr. Koehler has handled and tried cases in almost every area of business and tort litigation. Mr. Koehler has handled major cases involving General Civil...

Ashley Crowder is a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist who has focused her practice on Appeals, Civil Appeals, Criminal Appeals, Post Judgment Relief, Post-Conviction Relief, MAR, Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Equitable Distribution, Alimony, Post Separation Support, Prenup, Postnup, Separation Agreements, Termination of Parental Rights. She is passionate about working with clients to ensure they understand their options and actively participate in their representation.

Kiel actively advises and represents clients faced with pending or active litigation. While he has experience handling a variety of civil matters, he primarily handles cases involving contractual disputes or other business related matters. He is a skilled litigator and represents both companies and individuals at both the trial and appellate court levels.

Nathaniel “Nat” Smith heads up the firm’s civil litigation practice. He handles serious personal injury and workers’ compensation cases in addition to business litigation, trust and estate litigation cases. He also works on civil appeals on behalf of the firm’s clients. Mr. Smith grew up in Raleigh, where he was a member of Broughton High School’s 50th graduating class in 1979. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. He graduated with honors from UNC School of Law in 1993. While in law school, he clerked...

Having practiced at both an international law firm and as in-house counsel at a large publicly traded company, Rich McAvoy has a history of providing superior litigation and other legal services to some of the most discerning clients. By engaging the Law Office of Richard McAvoy, PLLC, you or your business can receive the same quality representation that the world's largest corporations receive, but at a fraction of the cost, right here in Apex, North Carolina.

Relevant Experience
-Represented Fortune 50 client in state and federal court litigation at both the trial court and appellate court level
-Negotiated $70 million investment in...

I represent individuals in all types of employment disputes, including discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower actions, severance negotiations, equal pay violations, sexual harassment and assault, non-compete contracts, labor rights, wage and hour violations, leaves of absence, workplace safety, and executive compensation matters.

I have won trial victories for clients in federal jury trials, state court trials, and arbitration. I have fought employers who discriminated against clients based on their race, gender, age, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, and military service. I have fought back against retaliation based on our clients’ reports of unsafe working conditions, nuclear safety threats, and illegal overtime...

One of a few North Carolina Bar-certified appellate law specialists in Charlotte, Leslie Rawls has handled exclusively appeals since 1995. Rawls handles both criminal and civil appeals. She has argued hundreds of cases in the federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and the North Carolina Supreme Court. She has petitioned the United States Supreme Court for discretionary review. Rawls has taught appellate writing principles under the Rules of Appellate Procedure in seminars for lawyers and for paralegals. She also assists other attorneys by helping ensure compliance with the appellate rules, and by ghost-writing or...

Foil Law Offices is a law firm specializing in family and juvenile law, serving Durham, Orange, Alamance, and Chatham counties since 1976. Foil Law Offices has offices in Durham and Hillsborough North Carolina. The attorneys at Foil Law Offices practice law relating to marriage, divorce, alimony, child custody (including grandparent custody) and support, equitable distribution, enforcement of support, domestic violence, legitimation, and adoption. Foil Law Offices has successfully represented clients at the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court.