Orange County Family Lawyers

Christian was born and raised in Indiana and attended Indiana University in Bloomington where he received a degree in Philosophy and Political Science. During college, Christian worked as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in the summers. Christian then attended the University of Montana School of Law in Missoula. While attending law school, Christian interned with Justice Goff of the Indiana Supreme Court and the Federal Defenders of Montana. It was both of these experiences that inspired Christian’s passion for criminal defense. Upon receiving his J.D., he moved to Wilmington and began...

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.

Attorney Van Apeldoorn majored in Trust and Wealth Management Pre-Law at Campbell University and graduated in 2018. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she stayed to attend Campbell Law School and was active in several organizations, including the Christian Legal Society, Women in Law, and the Re-Entry Project. During law school, she was an Honor Court Justice, interned at the Craven County District Attorney’s office for two summers, and also had an externship with Judge Flanagan at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. After graduating from law school, Attorney Van Apeldoorn passed the bar exam...

Kelly L. Greene was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kelly attended high school at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. He attended Wake Forest University where he earned a B.A. in English in 1996. He attended law school at Campbell University and received a J.D. in 1999. Kelly was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1999. Kelly is a member of the Craven County Bar Association, serving as its President in 2003-2004. He is a member of the United States Eastern District of North Carolina, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Bar Association, and North Carolina Advocates for...

Mr. Kistler is dedicated to serving the people of Carteret and Craven County in both criminal and domestic matters. In law school, Mr. Kistler graduated fifth in his class, Summa Cume Laude. Before law school, Mr. Kistler was a member of the Crystal Coast community for many years where he worked as a sports writer for the Carteret County News-Times.

Maryana Yavdyk is licensed to practice law in North Carolina. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and Juris Doctorate from Charlotte School of Law.
From the beginning of her career, Maryana has been highly engaged in serving the ones in need. During her college years, she worked as a volunteer liaison for non-profit community centers and youth organizations. She has assisted refugees and new immigrants through a variety of social and educational programs designed to help them successfully navigate their...

After more than a decade of practicing as a family law attorney, I know that when our clients contact us, they are typically making one of the biggest decisions of their lives. They each have somehow empowered themselves enough to make the journey to change what he or she has known…whether it was for one year or twenty years. I understand it is not always hard for everyone, but change affects us all. I see it with my clients. I saw it with my own parents. In hindsight, I have to believe that the events of my childhood led...

J. Denice (Payne) von Gnechten was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina where her family of origin still resides. Her parents divorced when she was 15 so she has a special understanding of families transitioning through difficult periods, such as separation/divorce.  Denice attended East Burke High School, then the University of Denver . She transferred to the University of San Diego and spent a semester abroad in Oxford, U.K., graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1989. After working as a litigation paralegal for a number of years in Denver,...

Huntersville divorce and family law attorney David Self has been practicing law for over 10 years. He focuses exclusively on family law matters, choosing to hone his skill in this important and impactful legal arena. David is Board Certified in Family Law by the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization and is also a mediator, and he applies his expertise to his practice, fighting every single day for his clients’ rights and interests. David handles cases involving contested and uncontested divorce, divorce mediation, same-sex divorce, child custody, alimony, child support, modifications of orders, separation agreements, and more. He earned his...

Corey McManus was born in Monroe, North Carolina where he attend Monroe High School and graduated in 1994. Corey attended the University of North Carolina Central in Durham, North Carolina on an academic scholarship. At North Carolina Central he majored in Political Science and minored in English and graduated with Honors in 1998. He then attended Law School at Campbell University as a Campbell Law Scholar and Robert A. Dyer Scholar. While there, Corey was a Campbell Law Observer Case Writer, competitor in the Judge Conrad Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers member and...

Christina Clodfelter was raised in Statesville, NC, and is a graduate of Statesville High School. She received a B.A. degree in Political Science and English from the University of South Carolina in 2007. She then returned to North Carolina where she received her Juris Doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Ms. Clodfelter lives in Statesville and practices in the Statesville office. Ms. Clodfelter is excited to be practicing law in her hometown. She enjoys spending time with her family, who has strong ties to the Statesville community, and is an active South Carolina Gamecock fan.

Jennifer R. Pope has been an attorney in Jacksonville, North Carolina since 1988. She grew up in Jacksonville, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in 1985. She went on to attend Law School at UNC Chapel Hill, and graduated in 1988. Jennifer started her legal career with Ellis, Hooper, Warlick, Waters and Morgan, in general practice until 1992, when she joined Frank Pope and her brother, Gordon Robinson, Jr., in the firm of Robinson, Pope and Pope. In 1997, Jennifer decided to concentrate...

Family law is an often stressful, personal, and emotional matter. Whether I am representing a client as their attorney or serving as a family law mediator, I know it’s important to be responsive, prepared, and understanding of both the personal and legal implications of a family law case. My entire legal practice involves helping spouses and parents navigate an often tumultuous time in their lives and helping them through education, counsel, and legal advocacy towards a better, more stable, and more satisfying outcome. I pride myself on being able to help parties negotiate compromised settlements, either as an attorney or...

The DeCosta Law Firm is a boutique firm that handles all "family" matters, including: divorce, custody, child support, spousal support, will drafting, as well as small business matters. At The DeCosta Law Firm, we consider small business matters a "family" matter as most of our clients are family-owned and family-operated businesses, who rely on us for our breadth of expertise in domestic relations and business matters.

Tiyesha N. DeCosta, Esq., received a Bachelor of Science degree, with a minor in Finance from La Salle University, in Philadelphia, PA. Upon graduation, she went on to work in various small...

My greatest attribute is the ability to fully invest myself in my clients. To a client, this means that I will do everything possible to understand your needs, to stand up and advocate for your interests, to fine tune every detail of documents created on your behalf, and to secure a favorable outcome in your case. I understand that when a client comes to our law firm, they are often feeling stress, whether from a difficult family issue, being a defendant in a criminal matter, or trying to plan for the future of their loved ones. My goal...

Marie Hopper is a Chatham County native. She earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004 and holds her undergraduate in History from Earlham College. She is a Certified Family Financial Mediator by the North Carolina Board of Dispute Resolution, a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the 18th Judicial District Bar, the Chatham County Bar Association, and the Family Law and Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law sections of the North Carolina Bar Association. She served as President of the 18th Judicial District Bar in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, and as Vice-President...

Meet Attorney Nick Clark: Your Trusted Advocate in Family Law and Estate Planning! Located in the heart of Barco, North Carolina, Nick Clark is a dedicated family law attorney with a compassionate approach and an unwavering commitment to his clients. With years of experience navigating the complexities of family law, Nick understands that every case is unique—bringing not only professionalism but also a personal touch to each client interaction. In addition to his expertise in family law, Nick has expanded his practice to include estate planning, ensuring that he can support families through life's most important transitions and difficult decisions....

“My personal experience and frustration with the traditional divorce model inspired me to find an alternative more holistic and non-adversarial approach to divorce. I created ROAD to RESOLUTION to provide a place where cooperation and collaboration are cultivated and the best interest of the family remains the focus. My goal is to guide people, individually or as a couple, toward resolution.” Robin Perrigo - Founder ROAD to RESOLUTION