Butner Lawyers

Jeff brings to the law a career background in nonprofits and the public interest. He now focuses on young families and mature couples and individuals planning their futures. In addition to his work for private clients, he serves as an appointed attorney guardian ad litem through the Durham Public Defender. Always interested in making the law more accessible, he manages several online legal databases maintained by the University of North Carolina’s School of Government at Chapel Hill. He serves his community as a volunteer attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina and by managing the web site and summer...

James Minick is the NC DWI Guy. James works relentlessly to hold officers accountable in their DWI investigation process. When he meets with his clients, he will review all the potential consequences, criminal, driving and otherwise, and come up with a comprehensive game plan for obtaining the best possible outcome on the case. Find more information at www.minicklaw.com or call (828) 333-5024 for a free consultation.

Angela L. Haas, of Haas & Associates, PA, is an experienced family law attorney and mediator, who serves both traditional and non-traditional families in every aspect of family law, estate planning and administration. A double-major honors graduate of Appalachian State University and Campbell Law School, Angela is dedicated to working with each client to develop creative and effective solutions to protect themselves and their families. Ms. Haas offers a refreshing perspective on the challenges and opportunities that each client faces, and seeks to take advantage of the best legal and practical solutions available in each case.

Managing partner Benjamin T. Cochran oversees the operation of Hardison & Cochran Attorneys at Law in addition to representing individual clients in cases involving workers’ compensation and personal injury law.

A lifelong North Carolinian, Cochran knew from his high-school days in High Point that he wanted to be an attorney. He received a B.A. degree in economics and African-American studies from the University of North Carolina in 1999 and then enrolled at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University.

As a second-year law student, Cochran started working part-time in the law firm he now manages. During his third year...

Melissa Dewey Brumback is an AV-rated litigation partner at Ragsdale Liggett PLLC, where she focuses her practice on defending and protecting engineers and architects in both construction law and business disputes. The bulk of Melissa's practice consists of representing architects and engineers in construction-related claims, including construction administration and management, plan defects, testing failure claims and delay claims. Melissa has represented design professionals in State and Federal courts as well as in binding arbitration, when the parties wish to avoid the formality, time, and expense of a trial. Her practice includes the defense of all sizes of claims, from...

Construction & Business Lawyer representing Owners, Developers, Sureties, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Suppliers, and other Construction Industry Participants in Litigation, Mediation, and Arbitration. Federally Certified Mediator for the EDNC, United States District Court. Certified Arbitrator for Wake County District Court. Private Arbitrator for Construction and Commercial disputes. Arbitrator and Mediator, Construction Industry Panel of Neutrals, American Arbitration Association (AAA)

John G. Miskey IV is a board certified specialist in Family Law and leads the Firm’s Family Law department. He has maintained an interest in Family Law, families and policy throughout his educational and professional career.

Mr. Miskey’s character and work ethic was forged in his childhood. His first job was delivering daily newspapers through the snow-filled neighborhoods of Buffalo, NY. Very close with his family, he chose to attend local schools for his education. Mr. Miskey graduated summa cum laude from Niagara University and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from The State University of New York at Buffalo with...

Paul is an experienced Estate Planning Lawyer with an approachable model and a focus on the client-attorney relationship and the peace of mind of his clients that sets Paul apart from other traditional lawyers. Paul takes his fiduciary role very seriously. His relationship-centered philosophy emphasizes a focus on solutions rather than just documents and deliverables. He believes in focusing on the client’s goals and pain points – not a stereotypical “one-size-fits-all” method. At the initial Strategy Session, Paul sits down with prospective clients, discusses their specific family and financial concerns, educates them on how the law works in North Carolina, and...

With over 30 years of diverse legal experience including civil litigation, mediation, negotiation, counseling and consulting, Laura’s passion is offering clients personal and powerful representation on employment law issues. The Noble Law is a recognized leader in employment law with offices in New York, Raleigh, and Charlotte. Our goal is to level the playing field for employees. We work to deliver outcomes with integrity and empathy for the client’s journey. Our success is measured by delivering positive impacts for our clients and serving as a catalyst for changes in employment law and society as a whole. Laura developed this conviction from...

Born and raised in Hillsborough NC, at an early age I found that I l loved helping people. By the age of 16 I was working at Duke Medical Center part-time. I graduated from Orange County High School, and began attending Elon University to study Biology. My plan was to go to medical school, but after serving on a murder trial at 19, I became enamored with the legal arena and the challenges of representing others. I graduated Cum Laude from Elon in 1992 and married my high school sweetheart, Roland. While he farmed, I spent my time volunteering with Make-A-Wish foundation....

For over 21 years, Julie has effectively advocated for individuals in family law matters in Durham and Orange County courts. As a mediator and Collaborative Divorce practitioner, she is a skilled and experienced negotiator, using creative problem-solving techniques to achieve excellent results for her clients. 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. Julie focuses on finding practical, efficient solutions to her clients' legal problems. She helps her clients minimize financial...

Workers who have been injured on the job or who suffer occupational diseases oftentimes must face a frustrating waiting game to receive the benefits they deserve. Attorney James Adam Bridwell, who focuses his practice solely on workers’ compensation cases, knows what it takes to help clients get their lives back together. Bridwell is a native South Carolinian. He received a B.A. in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina before coming to Raleigh to attend Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. While in law school, he was a case summary writer for the Campbell Law Observer and...

Ellis Family Law, PLLC was founded in 2002 by board certified attorney Gray Ellis with the singular goal to provide the very best legal representation to North Carolinians facing challenging family law issues. Since that time, the firm has successfully represented hundreds of husbands, wives, children, grandparents, and other family members in courts across the state. Our work has not gone unnoticed as the firm has earned awards from both national and local organizations such as Super Lawyers, North Carolina’s Legal Elite, and Best of Durham.

Stuart Matthews is the founding immigration attorney of Matthews Immigration Group in Raleigh, NC. His practice is nationwide and focused on business and corporate immigration matters. Prior to relocating to Raleigh, Stuart gained well over a decade of diverse immigration law and policy experience in Washington DC, Baltimore, and Nashville. Stuart has delivered immigration strategies and solutions to Fortune 50, Fortune 500, and Global 500 companies as well as other domestic and multinational corporations, middle market companies, small business start-ups and entrepreneurs, research organizations and DC think tanks, academic institutions, law firms, and individuals across a wide range of industries,...

Attorney J. Wallace Pierce was born in the Republic of South Africa. In the course of his tenure as a scholar, he spent much of his time studying, exploring and grasping the complexity that surrounds South Africa's race relations. In early 2001, Attorney Wallace Pierce relocated to Durham, North Carolina with his family. Attorney J. Wallace Pierce acquired his Bachelors in History, Concentration in African American History, from North Carolina Central University in 2006. Attorney Pierce finished this four yearlong program in only three years. His determination and enthusiasm to furthering his involvement in the local community grew as...

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...

I am a North Carolina divorce attorney. I help clients with divorce filings, disputes, litigation, and legal documents. I charge on a flat-fee basis, rather than an hourly rate.

Family Law and Divorce attorney with 16 years of experience. Lecturer for over 5 continuing legal education seminars teaching other attorneys about family law and divorce.

Carter Whittington concentrates his practice in North Carolina workers’ compensation law, helping injured workers seek the benefits they need and deserve after sustaining a job related injury. Whittington started working at Hardison & Cochran while he was a third-year student at Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. After graduating cum laude and receiving his J.D. in 2016, he joined Hardison & Cochran as a full-time attorney. A North Carolina native, Whittington grew up in Winston-Salem and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a B.A. in political science in 2012. In law school, Whittington was...

In joining Hardison & Cochran in 2008, Joel Jackson Hardison made a transition from defending insurance companies in Workers Compensation cases to representing injured and disabled workers. He applies the insights he gained from representing insurance companies to assist the injured workers he represents. There is little doubt about which type of practice he prefers. Hardison received a B.A. degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina in 1999 and a J.D. from the UNC School of Law in 2004. He was a member of the law school’s Holderness Moot Court team and was named to the Dean’s List. He launched his...

Weede Law, PLLC is a criminal defense law practice that handles all types of state and federal criminal cases. We serve the Triangle area as well as surrounding communities.

Attorney Patrick B. Weede, a former state and federal prosecutor and an experienced trial attorney, is uniquely qualified to handle your case. He knows how to identify the key issues and how to think like a prosecutor.

As a prosecutor, Mr. Weede handled almost every type of case, including traffic, DWI, drugs, fraud, property crimes, firearm offenses, common law/armed robbery, and murder. In addition, he...

A North Carolina native, Ashton has called the Triangle home for more than twenty years.

She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Journalism and Women's and Gender Studies. Refusing to leave her Tar Heel roots behind, Ashton returned to Chapel Hill to attend the University of North Carolina School of Law. While at UNC, Ashton was published in Volume 15 of the First Amendment Law Review for her article, "The Right to Post: How North Carolina's Revenge Porn Statute Can Escape Running Afoul of the First Amendment Post-Bishop." Ashton then...

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...

Michelle Dewkett-Kochhar found her passion for workers’ compensation law dabbling in personal injury, workers’ compensation, and criminal defense law after graduating from law school. Dewkett-Kochhar graduated from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law in 2019, and passed the North Carolina Bar Exam that same summer. A northerner at heart, Dewkett-Kochhar grew up in Rhinebeck, New York. She first moved to Raleigh to attend North Carolina State University, where she received a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. While at law school, Dewkett-Kochhar served as a research assistant and interned with the Wake County Public Defender’s Office, a personal...

Jonathan Blair Biser is a partner at Hardison & Cochran and heads the law firm’s busy Social Security Disability division. His goal is to make the complicated and bureaucratic process of obtaining disability benefits as simple as possible for clients. “It can be a slow process to begin with,” he says. “But we do our best to help our clients maneuver through the process as efficiently as possible.” Biser got his introduction to Social Security Disability law when he was an undergraduate at Wake Forest University. He worked in his uncle’s law office, where the primary focus was Social Security cases, and...

I am a Board Certified Specialist in Immigration Law. I am fluent in Spanish. I assist families, businesses, and individuals in finding solutions to their immigration problems.

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.

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

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. ...

I concentrate in education law including special education law. I also represent petitioners and respondents in guardianship hearings in the Triangle area. Gahagan Paradis, PLLC accepts education law cases in every North Carolina county, and we are the largest parent friendly education law firm in North Carolina.

Shelia Huggins is a North Carolina licensed attorney with almost 20 years of experience in working with businesses in a variety of capacities. Her extensive experience includes business formation, contracts, government relations, entertainment law, and social media. Shelia is a former adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University where she taught Entertainment and Business Law, and she has spoken at numerous events including the Long Leaf Pine Film Festival, the Duke University School of Business Black and Latinx Conference, and the Wake Forest School of Law Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium. Shelia's personal interests include documentary film and video production. She has...

During much of past thirteen years of my career as an attorney, I worked in the non-profit public interest law sector to provide legal services and technical support to North Carolina’s financially distressed and limited resource property owners seeking to preserve their homes, land, farms, and rural livelihood.  I've also worked briefly at a small private law firm representing clients in personal injury and business litigation cases.

I was raised in the West End community of Mebane – my father’s hometown and a historical black community founded by former slaves after the Civil War in Alamance County.  During the past several years, the West End Revitalization Association...

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...

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...

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.

A North Carolina native, David was born and raised in a commercial fishing family on the Outer Banks. He decided to attend law school while he was at North Carolina State University earning dual BAs in Economics and Business Management. Even then, he knew that “fighting for the little guy” was his destiny. After 20 years, he and his partners continue to stand for the same principles.

An avid Top Dragster racer (with an IHRA Class B license), David has written articles on the importance of adequate insurance coverage and appropriate legal representation for several racing industry publications.

He spent years dedicated...