Browns Summit Lawyers

I represent clients going through divorce and family law issues, including separation agreements and prenuptial/premarital agreements, alimony, equitable distribution, child support and custody. I mediate cases for spouses that cannot reach a resolution on their own. My divorce practice across North Carolina gives me a wide range of experience on how judges rule.

I created a free downloadable North Carolina Child Support Calculator which reflects North Carolina's statutes. This can be found by contacting our firm.

Other attorneys also hire me to mediate their clients' disputes prior to going to court. I advance the practice and knowledge of law for...

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...

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.

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.

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...

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...

Courtney Roller is a licensed North Carolina attorney and counselor at law. She earned her law degree from Elon University School of Law. Prior to law school, Courtney attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a B.A. in journalism and mass communication. She is a certified legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and Red4NC. In 2013 Courtney was recognized by the National Association of Women Lawyers for her achievements, motivation and drive. in 2015, Courtney was elected secretary of the District 22b Bar Association. She is a member...

For more than a decade, attorney Autumn Osbourne has provided skilled representation to North Carolina families in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. She is Board Certified by the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization - a distinction held by less than 2% of all family law practitioners in the state - and has been recognized for her work by independent attorney rating organizations including but not limited to Thomson Reuters' and Avvo. However, for Autumn, the practice of law involves more than zealously advocating on behalf of clients and adhering to the profession's rules of ethics. "I feel every family...

A self-described 'nerd,' Matt is well-versed in economics, physics, chemistry, engineering, construction, technology, medicine, and more. Once a student with near perfect SAT and LSAT exam scores, Matt double-majored in economics and philosophy at The College of William & Mary, later becoming an economics scholar in Germany while obtaining his J.D. at the George Mason University School of Law. As an attorney, Matt has harnessed his love of learning into an exceptional ability to master each intricacy of his complex cases, and to easily go toe-to-toe with every expert witness he encounters.

These unique talents have served Matt's clients very...

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...

Mr. Payne is the CEO & Managing Partner of Apple Payne Law, PLLC, which he co-founded with retired attorney Bill Apple after owning his own firm Payne Law, PLLC. Mr. Payne's practice areas are estate planning, probate & business advising, and the firm also has family law and real estate teams to serve the full family's needs. Mr. Payne started the practice of law when he founded Payne Law, PLLC after graduation from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 2011. Before attending Wake Forest University School of Law, Mr. Payne attended Florida Coastal School of Law, where he was...

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...

Mr. Jacob Goad is a workers’ compensation and personal injury attorney with Law Office of Jacob Goad, PLLC. Mr. Goad graduated from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill where he majored in Spanish and minored in Social and Economic Justice. At UNC, Mr. Goad earned membership in Sigma Delta Pi, a Hispanic Collegiate Honor Society. After earning his undergraduate degree, Mr. Goad lived and worked in Peru, where he got involved with environmental advocacy and also coordinated international delegations. He accompanied CNN producers and Dr. Sanjay Gupta to the town of La Oroya where Mr. Goad introduced Dr. Gupta...

Barri Hilton Payne was born in High Point, North Carolina and grew up in Davidson County. She attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she majored in Religious studies and Sociology. Barri practiced for the last twelve years as a founding partner in the firm Brock, Payne & Meece, P.A. before opening her own solo law and mediation practice in 2013. Barri was involved with the Holderness Moot Court while in law school at UNC and earned her law degree in 1999. She has practiced in Durham, North Carolina since that time and concentrates her practice on...

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.

After training initially with one of the top biotech patent groups in the U.S. and practicing in large general practice firms for over 20 years, Carl has the experience to meet the intellectual property needs of startups, mid-size R&D companies, large biotherapeutic and pharmaceutical companies, and top tier, research-intensive universities. He enjoys doing single-project work, as well as comprehensive counseling and portfolio development for startups and growing companies.

Carl counsels scientific founders on initial protection strategies for their platform technology (timing, scope of disclosure, landscape analysis, ownership issues), develops licensing programs for biotechnology, and evaluates lifecycle management programs for marketed human...

Chris Hyland is an experienced personal injury lawyer and managing partner at Hyland, Padilla, & Fowler, PLLC. He is committed to protecting the rights of injury victims in Raleigh and Durham. Chris attended the College of Wooster for his undergraduate degree and earned his Juris Doctor from Campbell University School of Law. Active in the legal community, he is a current member and former Durham County Bar Association president. He is also a part of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the Fourteenth Judicial District, the North Carolina Bar Association, and more. For his dedication and success, he was awarded...

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. She also has a YouTube channel with free information about contracts, legal issues, and scams and frauds. Her YouTube channel has over 500 videos available to the public. You can view it at https://www/youtube.com/mslegalista. 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...

I practice personal injury law focusing primarily on motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, construction accidents, and slip and falls. After many years of representing injured clients, I have have a unique understanding of the difficulties and stresses an accident and injury can place on a person's life. I am very passionate about helping my clients through these difficult times and I fight to ensure all of my clients are fairly compensated for their losses. My goal is to provide all of my clients with a boutique law firm experience - I purposefully keep my client list low so...

Billie Guthrie has spent more than 20 years working with people experiencing challenging life situations and fighting for social justice, first as a social worker and later as an attorney. Billie, who has a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina, worked in the mental health field as an administrator and social worker. One of her primary roles was as a policy advocate, fighting for legal and systemic changes to improve outcomes for disabled adults and people dealing with persistent mental health issues and homelessness. As an attorney, Billie helps her clients navigate the complicated and often frustrating...

Matthew Burkert was raised in Durham, North Carolina, and still resides in the same area he grew up in. He is a graduate of East Carolina University, where he received a bachelor’s degree majoring in Criminal Justice in 2008. Matt then attended North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 2012. He passed the North Carolina Bar Exam in February, 2013, becoming a licensed attorney in the State. Matt joined the Constantinou Law Group, PA as a law clerk while in law school in 2010. He remained at the firm after passing the bar, becoming...

Mike has been practicing law with Martin & Jones for more than 20 years and his practice focuses on representing individuals suffering from asbestos-related diseases including malignant mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer and asbestosis. His clients include workers who were occupationally exposed to asbestos in industrial settings such as power plants, chemical plants, railroads, shipyards, paper mills and other manufacturing facilities. Mike has represented clients from states all over the United States as well as from various provinces in Canada.

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...

Forest has been practicing law for more than twenty-five years. He spent the first six years of his career as a partner with a large “defense” law firm mainly defending large corporations in civil lawsuits. Seeing the inequalities that existed in the justice system between wealthy and powerful companies and regular people, Forest was motivated to change his law practice, join Martin & Jones and help level the playing field for ordinary, hard-working men and women and their families.

Steven maintains a varied practice focusing on representing workers who have been injured on the job and people who have been injured due to the negligence of others. His practice also includes representing consumers who have been harmed by unfair or deceptive business practices.

Steven started his legal career with the office of the North Carolina Attorney General, where he worked primarily defending the state of North Carolina in workers’ compensation cases, before deciding to join Martin & Jones out of a desire to help real people who have been injured or harmed. Steven understands how difficult it is for people...

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...

Ellis Family Law, PLLC was founded in 2008 by board certified family law specialist 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, Martindale Hubbel, North Carolina’s Legal Elite, NC Lawyer's Weekly Power List, NC leader's in the Law, and the...

John Alan Jones is the founding member and managing partner of Martin & Jones, where he has worked since he began practicing law in 1982. John Alan handles both trial and appellate work in state and federal courts throughout North Carolina and around the U.S. He heads the firm's medical malpractice group, which is comprised of three attorneys and seven staff members. John Alan dedicates a large percentage of his practice to representing individuals catastrophically injured by medical negligence, defective pharmaceuticals, toxic substances or other negligence. He also devotes a significant amount of his work time to consumer...

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...

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...

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. ...

Keith Stroud is a 25+ year veteran of the practice of law. Keith supports businesses in the Triad, spouses going through a separation and divorce, individuals and couples through estate planning, executors and administrators handling the estate of a loved one, and seniors and their family members in long term care and asset protection matters. He provides a straightforward and comprehensive approach to legal representation, and offers unique solutions designed to meet the goals of his clients.

While Keith’s practice is structured to help his clients avoid litigation, he is first and foremost a trial lawyer. His civil and past criminal...

Eleanor Panetti is a Winston-Salem lawyer who has been practicing family law for nearly three decades. Eleanor provides comprehensive legal counsel to men and women involved in family law disputes, to spouses creating and expanding families through adoption, and to those protecting and caring for children of family members. She is skilled and experienced in all matters related to divorce, custody and paternity, property settlement and support, the legal issues unique to the LGBT community, and those specific to senior populations.

Eleanor is passionate in her representation of people involved in family disputes, whether through divorce, supporting parents through child custody...

John Barrow has 27 years of Trial Experience in District and Superior Court in Piedmont North Carolina, Primarily Forsyth County, Kernersville and Winston Salem, NC. John is a relentless advocate inside and outside the courtroom. Enjoys an excellent reputation among the Forsyth County Bar and clients alike. Aggressive, knowledgeable and effective. Award winning Criminal Defense. Publishes an annual Law Calendar addressing DWI and Criminal laws and issues in trials and sentencing. Prior life - Grocery store manager, carpenter, mechanic, restaurateur, Racer. Enjoys - Life, Wife and Family - Plans and Projects. ...

Becoming a lawyer has been part of Julie Vergara Duque’s game plan since childhood. From the time she enrolled in law school, she knew she wanted to use her expertise to improve other people’s lives and help them navigate legal challenges. In 2024, she joined the Deuterman Law Group as an associate attorney in the workers’ compensation practice, working primarily out of the Winston-Salem office. As a native Spanish speaker, she will focus her practice on cases involving Spanish-speaking clients who have been injured on the job. Julie’s family immigrated from Colombia when she was a child, and an attorney’s work on...

Attorney Pittman is on staff with iTicket.law and manages our "eastern front" of North Carolina along with fellow associate Attorney Phelps. While previously serving as an assistant district attorney in Pitt County since 2014, Pittman has prosecuted cases ranging from minor traffic offenses, impaired driving offenses, juvenile crimes, non-capital murder cases, and felony drug offenses to felony financial crimes. “In spite of the case, fairness is most important to me,” he says. Now, as a criminal defense attorney with the Hatley Law Office, Attorney Pittman can leverage his unique perspective and experience to seek the best possible outcome for his...

Shannon Altamura is a highly reputable and skilled personal injury attorney with a primary office located in Asheboro, North Carolina. Ms. Altamura's personal injury practice assists injured clients in the following areas: car and trucking accidents, nursing home abuse or neglect, wrongful death, pedestrian injury, slip and fall injuries, premises liability, product defect, and worker's compensation. Ms. Altamura regularly battles insurance companies and other large corporations to obtain fair and favorable results for her clients, and she prioritizes providing exceptionally kind and attentive care to every one of her clients. Shannon Altamura has obtained numerous high value settlements in recent...

Amelia joined Partin, Patton and Brown in August 2003 and became a partner in January 2009. Her practice focuses in the areas of Social Security Disability and Long Term Disability. Amelia is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law. Amelia attended law school at Wake Forest University School of Law (2003) and joined Partin, Patton and Brown after her graduation. As a law student, Amelia was active in the Public Interest Law Organization and Guardian Ad Litem program. Amelia is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Bar...

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...