Grimesland Lawyers

Mr. Dunn is an attorney at the law offices of Riddle & Brantley and brings a wealth of knowledge and resources to our legal team. With a number of courtroom victories and negotiated settlements to his credit, Donald is a valued member of our legal team.

Jason advises families and small businesses in a wide range of issues. His practice includes estate planning and administration, business law, real estate, litigation, and appeals. He has tried a wide variety of civil and criminal cases to jury verdict or hung jury.

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...

I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. I have a passion for helping others and decided to be an attorney to be an advocate for injured individuals. After college, I attended South Texas College of Law Houston. During law school, I was a Student Ambassador, Vice President of the Criminal Law Society, and a member of the Hispanic Law Students Association and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. In addition to my studies, I gained experience as a law clerk at several personal injury, general...

“We are a better State Bar because of people like Deborah Moy who want to be attorneys.”
Superior Court Judge Michael L. Robinson - Vice President, NC Bar Association; Councilor, NC State Bar

A self-professed “Air Force brat,” Deborah Moy was born in the Philippines and spent her childhood living in Gainesville, FL (Go Gators!); Dayton, OH (Go Reds!); Fairfax, VA (Go ‘Skins!); and Greensboro, NC. Deborah’s maternal grandmother, Eva Jones, was a tobacco sharecropper in Eastern NC, who raised nine children on her own. She credits Grandma Jones for instilling in her the importance of strength, hope, and humility, and for...

I have been practicing bankruptcy law and consumer law for over twenty years. In addition to looking at the relief that bankruptcy can offer, I also look for claims to assert against creditors. I will pursue claims against creditors for violations of the Fair Debt Collections Act, the North Carolina debt collection statute, Truth in Lending and RESPA violations. I also pursue mortgage servicing abuses arising under Regulation X. I am a board certified specialist in consumer bankruptcy law. I am also a two-time graduate of Max Gardner's nationally featured "bankruptcy boot camp" and have...

Attorney Barbara I. Nelson has a rich professional background, which includes not only legal practice but also writing, teaching, speaking, military service, and founding a Christian community theater organization. She brings decades of diverse life experience to her legal practice. She strives to be of service to her clients and community in every area of her life and sees her legal practice as a unique opportunity to be an advocate for those who might otherwise not have a voice in the judicial system. Ms. Nelson understands that our legal system is a tool, and is only as good as the...

Ashley is passionate about working with clients in construction, insurance coverage, and professional liability matters. Over the years, Ashley has cultivated a reputation of being known for her hands-on approach to her work with her clients. From working with North Carolina farmers at a pro bono office in Durham at the start of her career to crawling through a crawl space to understand a key issue in a construction case, or defending a salvage claim on a high-dollar vessel, Ashley’s priorities have always been to best serve those she represents in communities throughout the state. Complementing her hands-on approach, Ashley...

Mr. Brantley is a co-founder and Partner at the law offices of Riddle & Brantley, LLP. With a proven track record obtained from representing thousands of clients throughout North Carolina, Christopher is a board-certified North Carolina State Bar Specialist in Workers’ Compensation law that is also a recipient of the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum award. An honor provided to less than 1% of all trial lawyers in the United States that recognizes his achievement of obtaining a trial verdict, award or settlement in excess of $1 million or more.

Allen Murphy was born and raised in Eastern North Carolina. Born in Kinston, North Carolina, he later settled in New Bern after graduating from Law School in 1985. He lives with his wife of over 40 years, Jane, and son, Jordan. Their daughter, Lindsay, is also an attorney with Gillespie & Murphy, P.A. He has been practicing law since 1985, with experience in many areas of law. He helped form Gillespie & Murphy, P.A. in September 1991. His focus is primarily consumer bankruptcy law and debt relief. Allen graduated with honors from Mount Olive Jr. College and continued his education at...

As a Goldsboro native, Mr. Smith brings a wealth of knowledge to the law offices of Riddle & Brantley and has received numerous accolades within the legal community including being a recipient of the National Trial Lawyers To 40 Under 40 Award.

I am a native of Pitt County, North Carolina. After completing college I was commissioned in the US Navy and served as an Assistant Supply Officer during three deployments aboard the USS Independence (CV-62). I have an interest in politics, the law, history, the Episcopal Church and in Eastern North Carolina.

I am of counsel with the Kellum Law Firm, which has ten offices in North Carolina. I am also a NC DRC-certified mediator. Prior to working for Kellum, I was self-employed in mediation, and prior to that I was a Special Deputy Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission. I have 16 years' of experience primarily in worker's comp law. I am also conversational in Spanish and am happy to represent Spanish-speaking clients as well as to conduct bilingual mediations. I enjoy representing injured workers from all walks of life.

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...

Joseph P. Tunstall is a trial lawyer through and through, having been successful in numerous personal injury, auto accident, Social Security, and workers’ comp cases, many of them before a jury. He has handled cases at both the federal and state levels, including the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Joe has tried close to 100 jury trials to verdict always representing the injured and never corporations or insurance companies in Eastern North Carolina. If you ask other lawyers who handle personal injury they know Joe tries his clients’ cases to juries. He is on the Board of Governors for the...

I have been practicing law since 1995. I have handled Personal Injury cases, Medical Malpractice cases and Workers Compensation cases. I have argued cases before the North Carolina Court of Appeals and The North Carolina Supreme Court. Over the last several years, I have specialized in handling Social Security Disability cases. I have appealed these cases to Federal District Court and defended one these appeals before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. I have taught continuing legal education classes to other attorneys across the country on Social Security Disability.

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...

After 15 years with other firms, I started my own law practice in 2004. I am a disability lawyer practicing before the N.C. Industrial Commission and the Social Security Administration.