Ruffin Lawyers

Casey Francis has a strong desire to help people, whether it’s through her work as an attorney or her role as a volunteer for numerous community groups. She joined the Deuterman Law Group in 2011 as an associate attorney in workers’ compensation, following previous stints here as a law clerk and new client coordinator.

Casey is one of a select group of board certified specialists in workers’ compensation law practicing in North Carolina.

Since she joined the firm, Francis has been the lead attorney on workers’ comp cases involving Spanish-speaking clients with a focus on representing undocumented workers in their claims....

Andrea Smaxwell is committed to being a strong, effective advocate for her veteran clients as they seek the legal benefits guaranteed by their past military service. She has a breadth of knowledge and experience in international law, workers’ compensation, and personal injury law.
Andrea earned her Juris doctorate with a distinguished specialization in international law from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco in 2009. She continued her studies at the school’s Sompong Sucharitkul Center for Advanced International Legal Studies. She earned her Master of Laws (LLM) in International Legal Studies there in 2010. While earning her second law...

To R. Anthony “Tony” Hartsoe, the law has always felt like a calling, not a job. He loves helping people through some of the toughest moments in their lives. With a family of his own and work experience that dates back to when he was 12 years old, Tony can relate to many of his clients and utilizes his knowledge to aggressively represent them with strength and integrity. He received his Bachelor of the Arts Degree from Oral Roberts University before attending Washington University School of Law. Tony graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1994. Attorney Hartsoe has worked...

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...

Thorough preparation and a thoughtful pace are vital in ensuring that your rights and interests are fully represented. Greensboro Family Law and divorce lawyer Rebecca Perry understands the value of preparation and commitment to excellence. Rebecca Perry has passionately represented the legal rights and vital interests of men and women in North Carolina since 1995. As a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist and Certified Family Financial Mediator, attorney Rebecca Perry can offer you the thoughtful legal counsel and thoroughly experienced representation you need in order to restructure and rebuild after separation. Or if it is time to create...

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...

I am a workers' compensation attorney in North Carolina representing employees that have been hurt at work. Contact me for a free consult if you have been hurt at work, you may have certain rights including: payment of medical expenses, payments for permanent impairment ratings, and disability benefits for the time you are out of work.

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...

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...

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...

Zachary Marquand began his professional career as a high school math teacher with Teach for America, working in a rural community in Eastern North Carolina.

Zachary is one of a select group of board certified specialists in workers’ compensation law practicing in North Carolina.

Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., Zach earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and Latin from DePauw University in Indiana. As a college undergraduate, Zach was senior captain of the men’s swim team.

After devoting two years to Teach for America, Zach attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he became...

Though she has worked in many areas of law, Christine’s true passion is helping injured and disabled people. At the Deuterman Law Group, Christine handles Social Security Disability cases. Her compassionate nature combined with her legal knowledge makes this a perfect fit for Christine.

Christine graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 with a degree in political science and a second major in English. Throughout college, she worked in the legal field as an office assistant at several firms.

Hoping to confirm the law was her true calling, she worked for two years as a legal assistant...

After growing up in Kernersville, NC, Allie attended Campbell University where she was a member of the Women's Soccer Team and received a B.S. in Business Administration. From Camel to Phoneix, she went on to attend the Elon University School of Law where she obtained her Juris Doctorate in December 2019. Allie has successfully completed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s course on DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, a 24-hour course taught to officers trained in DWI investigations. Allie married her High School sweet heart, Landon, in 2020. They enjoy being outdoors; watching sporting events (Go Canes!); and...

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...

As a personal injury attorney, Chase Coble enjoys the dual role he serves as his clients’ legal advocate and support system. When someone suffers a life-altering injury, they often are dealing with serious physical, financial, and emotional pain, and stress. Add to that the burden of dealing with insurance companies, health care providers and the legal system, and it can be overwhelming. Having an experienced advocate to guide them through the legal system allows Chase’s clients to focus on what’s most important: healing and getting their lives back on track. Chase, who grew up in Burlington, joined the Deuterman Law Group’s personal...

Jason Craig is an Attorney for iTicket.law based out of Asheville and personally serves our clients in Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Watauga Counties. Prior to working with iTicket.law, Jason worked with his father in Alamance County handling criminal and civil litigation. Jason moved to Western North Carolina in 2017 where he began work as a domestic violence and family law attorney with Pisgah Legal Services. Jason continues his work with Pisgah Legal Services as a Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer (MAVL) helping victims of domestic violence through pro bono representation.

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...

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...

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...

Karney | Clayton NC Motorcycle Accident Lawyer | Carolinas' Biker Lawyers I have built a reputation for protecting my clients. With a clear understanding of the obstacles motorcyclists face both on the road and in the courtroom, my team and I fight for motorcycle accident victims. Representing bikers since 1975 throughout the Carolinas with offices in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh.

Loch Saslow is a 2009 graduate of Elon University School of Law’s inaugural class. Loch joined Hill, Evans, Jordan & Beatty following admission that year. Loch is a trial lawyer. He focuses his practice primarily in the areas of family law, bankruptcy, civil disputes, including business matters, and contractual issues, as well as Wills, Estates & Trusts.

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Loch holds a B.A. in History from Furman University in 2006 where he served as Community Service Chair of Sigma Nu Fraternity, played Club Lacrosse, and coached lacrosse at Riverside High School in Greenville,...

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.

Karney | Clayton NC & SC Motorcycle Accident Lawyer | Carolinas' Biker Lawyers I have built a reputation for protecting my clients and I work to make sure that good people are not cheated or taken advantage of. With a clear understanding of the obstacles motorcyclists face both on the road and in the courtroom, my team and I fight for motorcycle accident victims. Protecting bikers throughout the Carolinas with offices in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh.

“Board Certified Specialist” in family law by The North Carolina State Bar – 2006 to present

Rated “AV” Preeminent (Judicial Edition), the Highest Possible Rating in both legal abilities and ethical standards reflecting the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and Judiciary – Martindale-Hubble / Lexis-Nexis – 2013 to present

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...

Adam W. Arthur is a skilled and seasoned trial lawyer with the law firm of Arthur & Kirkman PLLC located in downtown Greensboro, NC. Adam widely recognized as a leader in litigation, mediation, and arbitration.

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.

I have been a practicing attorney since 1987. I began my legal career in Los Angeles, California. I joined the Office of the Public Defender in 1990. During my 18 year career as a Deputy Public Defender, I was able to gain invaluable trial experience. I was promoted to the highest trial level position and was assigned death penalty cases. I lectured at attorney training seminars on the topic of juvenile mitigation and fitness and taught a felony trial series for new felony lawyers.
Upon relocating to North Carolina, I worked as an Assistant District Attorney for the County of Durham...

Attorney Hudson has been a successful advocate fighting the US Immigration System on behalf of immigrants, including himself and his family members, who have all successfully been granted citizenship in the US. Additionally, Attorney Hudson has served as an advocate to many undocumented immigrants by defending deportations, filing for temporary protected status and asylum, and many more.

Hugh Hudson, Esq. M.B.A. is a full service United States Immigration Attorney. Attorney Hudson provides exceptional counsel and representation for immigration needs including employment-based, family-based, and removal defense cases.

Attorney Hudson is the founding member of the The Law Office of Hugh...

James Darren (J.D.) Byers jdbyershs Education Wake Forest U, JD, 1992 The Citadel, BA, 1989 Bar Admissions North Carolina State Bar All Federal Courts in North Carolina Biography Practicing in North Carolina since 1994, J.D. Byers is an attorney dedicated to serving clients in legal practice areas where he has strong qualifications and experience. A diligent and aggressive criminal defender, he looks at all defense angles, visits scenes of accidents when necessary, and communicates actively with clients. His track record includes success in both state and federal courts, on offenses ranging from traffic...

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...

Kirk Sanders handles condemnation cases (Eminent Domain Lawyers). The firm represents/ed hundreds of clients statewide and led the challenge of the N.C. Map Act as an inverse condemnation by the NCDOT. See landmark decisions in Kirby v. NC Department of Transportation, Chappell v. NCDOT, Beroth v. NCDOT, Stimpson v. NCDOT et al. Kirk Sanders is a practicing attorney who handles estate and trust litigation cases and eminent domain matters. Kirk Sanders has successfully litigated Will Contests cases (will caveats) for both the caveators (challengers of the will) and propounders (defenders of the wills). He has successfully recovered millions in...

Seth Cohen has spent his legal career fighting against discrimination and advocating for people whose civil rights and civil liberties have been violated or infringed.

The veteran labor and employment, civil rights and civil liberties attorney is Of Counsel at the Deuterman Law Group.

In this senior role, he represents clients in their labor and employment claims. He works closely with the rest of the DLG team to ensure that our workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability, VA Disability and personal injury clients receive the justice they deserve.

Before joining DLG, Cohen was a partner for 25 years with Smith, James, Rowlett & Cohen...

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. ...

Ben Burnside is passionate about representing the rights of mentally and physically disabled and injured people. He focuses his practice on helping disabled workers and veterans receive the Social Security Disability and VA benefits to which they are entitled, especially when they have been denied those benefits in the past.

Ben is a proven advocate for his clients. In 2008, he became a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a prestigious association of trial lawyers. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million dollar or multimillion dollar verdicts, awards or settlements for their clients. Fewer than 1 Social Security...

Attorney Mark V.L. Gray, founder of the North Carolina law firm of Gray Legal Group has been practicing law since 1982.

Our founding lawyers are trusted in the legal community and are members of many prestigious organizations. Mark V.L. Gray is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group that is limited only to those who have recovered many millions of dollars for victims of negligence, as well as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). We are respected by our peers for our diligence in standing up for the rights of our clients.

Attorney Grays’ longevity means that...

Ben Ridings a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the firm practicing primarily in the areas of workers’ compensation and general civil litigation.

Ben graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts, with Honors and Distinction, in History. He received his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2007, where he served as Articles and Comments Editor of the First Amendment Law Review and interned with The Honorable Robin E. Hudson of...

Tyler S. Benson is an attorney based out of Raleigh, NC. Tyler focuses his practice on criminal, DWI, and traffic matters, and has represented clients throughout the State of North Carolina on thousands of cases. He knows the ins-and-outs of traffic laws and DMV regulations, and has handled criminal matters ranging from felonies to misdemeanors. He is also an experienced entertainment attorney, and handles contract and venue negotiations for a number of musical acts. Prior to working with iTicket, Tyler worked for a large criminal & traffic firm in Chapel Hill, and his practice has taken him all over central...

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...

Ben Hiltzheimer is an experienced trial lawyer who has fought for the accused for his entire career, beginning as a public defender at the nation's preeminent Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and now based in North Carolina.

We recognize that a criminal charge -- whether it's a DWI, a drug charge, financial fraud, or first degree murder -- is often the most serious and stressful experience in the life of the accused. We listen to our clients and their priorities and we craft each defense in close contact with our clients.

Hiltzheimer Law Office is a criminal...