Newton Grove Arbitration & Mediation Lawyers

Managing Partner and the founder of The Law Group, Melissa Gott is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Campbell University School of Law. Melissa is a licensed North Carolina attorney, D.R.C. Certified Mediator, Financial (family law) Mediator, and Collaborative Attorney with Coastal Collaborative Colleagues. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Melissa graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration concentrating in finance and the legal environment of business. Melissa then matriculated to Campbell University’s School of Law. While in law school, Melissa was an editor...

Elder Law and Estate Planning attorney. Personal Family Lawyer (tm). Member NAELA and Wealth Counsel. Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering, Michigan State University College of Law. Compassionate, able to work with families experiencing dementia or other disabilities.

Jonathan, a director at Woodruff Family Law Group since 2006, has practiced family law for over 10 years, and is certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Family Law specialist. Jonathan focuses on the areas of custody, divorce, and property division, including retirement. He received his JD from Wake Forest School of Law.

Jon graduated from the University of Kansas in 1965, and Columbia University School of Law in 1968. Before joining the firm, he clerked for the Honorable Richard T. Rives of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and practiced with Carter, Ledyard and Milburn in New York City. He has taught at the law schools of Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest and is co-author of the practice volume of Larson's Employment Discrimination. Jon has served as President of the District Bar, Chair of the Dispute Resolution Section, Association's Labor and Employment Section and Appellate Rules Committee of the North...

Leah was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1967. Leah practices law in the following areas: workers’ compensation, personal injury litigation, trials in state and federal courts and arbitrations.
She is a Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist through the North Carolina State Bar and a frequent lecturer at the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers.

My practice is solution driven to find the best result for firm clients. I try to take a custom approach to each client to create a unique experience to help best serve the individual client's needs.

Durham disability, personal injury and traffic lawyer representing clients in Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and throughout North Carolina.

Ms. McCray loves the practice of law and enjoys helping people. She was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina and attended South Carolina College (the University of South Carolina's honors college) receiving undergraduate degrees in English and Psychology. Ms. McCray graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, South Carolina. During law school, she clerked for Judge C. Tolbert Goolsby at S.C. Court of Appeals and interned one summer in Raleigh for the North Carolina Family Policy Council where she gained intimate knowledge of the legislative process in North Carolina. During her third year, she clerked...

After college I was an insurance adjuster for home owner and auto claims for 2 years before I went to law school. This was good training for my practice. After law school at The University of Tennessee I worked in insurance defense of all types of cases including auto accidents, workers compensation, contract/insurance disputes, wrongful death cases and other litigated issues. Worker's Compensation Accident and Injury cases have been to bulk of my practice for the last 15 years. I also handle auto/truck accident injuries associated with work. The remainder of my time I spend as a mediator of a variety...

Have you been injured at work? Are you concerned about losing your employment because of a work related injury? Is your employer advising you relative to your medical care?

I am a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law and a Certified Superior Court Mediator. I have been practicing law and negotiating successful outcomes for my North Carolina clients since 1999. My practice is concentrated in the area of workers' compensation. I am an aggressive advocate focused on understanding and achieving the outcomes that matter to my clients.

I added mediation to my practice...

Nahomi, who is of counsel to the firm, graduated from Barnard College, cum laude, in 1967, and from Columbia University Law School in 1971. Before joining the firm, she practiced in the area of trusts and estates with Davis, Polk and Wardwell in New York. Nahomi is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Labor and Employment. She currently practices as a mediator with an emphasis on employment benefits and employment discrimination cases.

Todd M. Hess: Professional Engineer. Certified Financial Planner. Patent Attorney. NC Intellectual Property Mediator.

Todd Hess primarily concentrates his law practice in the North Carolina and South Carolina markets in all areas of intellectual property. He is additionally licensed to practice law in Georgia, and in federal court with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

He brings over a decade of intellectual property experience to Barnwell Whaley, particularly in counseling start ups in the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries as well as the craft brewing industry.

Paul Mengert II is a graduate of Elon University School of Law. During his eight-plus years of practice, Paul has accrued significant experience as a litigator and has handled all aspects of family law cases, including custody and divorce. Paul has a keen eye for big picture problem solving and a genuine desire to help his clients achieve their goals. Attorney Mengert is a native of Greensboro. As a young man, Paul achieved the highest rank in Scouting, the Eagle Scout Award. Paul has experience in acting, singing, and debate. While at Elon, Paul excelled at national-level mock trial competitions as...

Kelly was born and raised in North Carolina, and currently lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with her wife and daughter. Kelly has worked with the seriously mentally ill, at risk youth, troubled families, domestic violence aggressors and victims and as an intake counselor for a four county area in NC. She has extensive training as a mediator As an attorney, she has represented defendants with serious felony offenses through negotiated pleas or jury trials to verdict. She has represented a wide variety of clients in negotiated and litigated family law matters and believes that negotiation should always be pursued...

L. Bryan Smith’s primary practice areas are family law, criminal defense, and personal injury. He is proud of his dedication and responsiveness to clients. Bryan attended Francis Marion College in Florence, South Carolina, earning a degree in political science. He then matriculated to Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law for his juris doctor which he earned cum laude. After law school, Bryan was the founding member of a local law firm until he joined The Law Group as a partner.