Washington County Lawyers

Evan Horwitz was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University in 1997 and graduated from the Norman A. Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in 2001. While in law school, Mr. Horwitz was the managing editor of the Campbell Law Review. After graduating, Mr. Horwitz served as a law clerk to Justice Robert F. Orr at the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Tharrington Smith in 2008, Mr. Horwitz spent almost six years as an associate at Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A., where he was a member of the firm’s litigation section practicing...

Upon graduation from law school in 1980, Doug Kingsbery joined the firm of Tharrington, Smith & Hargrove in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he worked as an associate in the areas of education law and criminal defense. He was made Partner in 1985, and has developed an extensive litigation and trial practice which includes trial and appellate work in civil, criminal and administrative law. Over the past 28 years, he has tried dozens of civil and criminal jury trials in numerous state and federal courts across North Carolina and he has received an AV rating from his peers as reported in...

Jaye Meyer is listed in the Best Lawyers in America® and North Carolina Super Lawyers®. Ms Meyer received the Super Lawyers award for Top 50 Women Lawyers in North Carolina from 2010-2014, and Top 100 Lawyers in 2011. She has been recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as one of the “Legal Elite” in North Carolina. Ms. Meyer is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law, a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and is certified as a Family Financial Mediator.

Ms. Meyer was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1990. She received her B.A. cum laude from...

Jeffrey R. Russell is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law. A Western North Carolina native, he is a member of the Family Law section at Tharrington Smith, LLP. Mr. Russell earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina in 1999 and subsequently graduated magna cum laude from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. During his time at Campbell Law School, Mr. Russell served as a candidate member and as Chief Comments Editor of the Law Review. Additionally, he was a research assistant for Professor James B. McLaughlin...

Charles “Charlie” Gray spent his entire life in Wendell, North Carolina. A lifelong Wolfpack fan, Charlie attended N.C. State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a Minor in Biological Sciences. Charlie then made his way to Campbell University where he received his law degree (JD) and, simultaneously, received a Master of Laws (LLM) from Nottingham Law School in the United Kingdom. While in law school, Charlie developed a passion for representing the criminally accused and being in the courtroom. Charlie’s enthusiasm for criminal defense stems from a desire to guide others through the complex criminal justice...

Ryan is a Raleigh-based criminal defense attorney with over 20 years of experience representing clients in North Carolina’s state and federal courts. He focuses on high-level felony cases, including drug trafficking, white collar crimes, violent offenses, and sex crimes. He has tried more than 35 cases to verdict and is known for securing acquittals in complex, high-stakes trials. Ryan has successfully defended clients accused of first-degree murder, armed robbery, felony assault, and second-degree rape. He also works behind the scenes to protect clients during investigations, often preventing charges from being filed or convincing prosecutors to dismiss weak cases. In federal matters, Ryan...

Sean is licensed to practice state courts in North Carolina and Washington State (currently on inactive status), and in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eastern District of North Carolina, and Western District of Washington Federal Courts.

A graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, Cecil represented the law school in a national moot court competition at UCLA in 2005 after placing first in the intra-school competition. After law school, Sean's first job was as a public defender, there he realized a lifelong passion for helping the underprivileged and questioning authority. Attorney Cecil has been lead...

Matthew Stauff believes the practice of law is a privilege that requires him to fight for those needing advocacy during life’s most trying times. He represents clients in divorce proceedings, child custody hearings, and defends those who have been wrongfully terminated from their jobs. During his nearly seven years with Legal Aid of North Carolina he developed extensive experience in family law, employment law, and civil litigation. While court is an option in many cases, Matthew believes that working matters out amicably through settlement leads towards a longer lasting outcome that is more cost-effective and efficient outcome.

Born and raised in...

Len C. Mueller graduated in 1982 from North Carolina State University with a B. S. in English, and graduated in 1985 from The Campbell University School of Law with her J. D. She has been practicing domestic law in Wake County since that time. Ms. Mueller was certified as a specialist in the area of family law by The North Carolina State Bar in 1994. Ms. Mueller is also certified as a Family Financial Mediator. Ms. Mueller credits her former law partners, prominent local attorneys, Richard (“Rick”) Gammon and Russell W. DeMent, for her success as a trial lawyer. She...

Ana S. Nuñez practices in both our Criminal Defense and our Immigration practice areas. She was recruited from the Public Defender’s office in Wake County. Being an immigrant herself, she understands the importance of having an advocate in your corner when you need it the most. Fluent in Spanish, Ana serves on the Governor’s advisory council on Hispanic/Latino affairs, she has been named a Top 40 Under 40 Attorney by the National Trial Lawyers, and she was recognized with the Citizen Lawyer Award by the NC Bar Association for exemplary public service to her community. She is a graduate of...

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...

Keith Metz heads up our Charlotte office, serving clients in Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, and Iredell Counties. After finishing law school, Mr. Metz opened his own law firm in Charlotte, focusing on criminal, family law, and small claims matters, which he continues to run in addition to his practice with iTicket.law. Mr. Metz also serves as a Pro Bono attorney for Safe Alliance, a Charlotte non-profit, aiding victims of domestic violence. Through his pro bono representation in court, Keith helps victims of domestic violence get the protection they need to live a safe life. Mr. Metz enjoys hiking with his German...

J. Michael Malone is a Raleigh, North Carolina lawyer that represents people injured as a result of someone's negligence or intentional acts. Mike represents injury victims across the State of North Carolina and has handled complex injury cases in most of the counties in North Carolina.

Mr. Malone focuses on complex personal injury cases including tractor-trailer wrecks motorcycle accidents, bicycle wrecks, car wrecks, burn injuries, insurance disputes, nursing home and assisted living abuse and mistreatment, pedestrian accidents, and virtually any other type of serious injury claim.

Mr. Malone also handles class action cases including insurance disputes and evacuation and...

Raleigh corporate lawyer Bob Morton is a true business and civil litigation generalist. He has successfully tried multiple civil jury trials. He regularly assists his business clients with planning, litigation avoidance, employment matters and virtually all other legal matters that his business clients face.

Bob believes that providing personal service and going the extra mile for clients isn’t just a good way to do business — it’s the only way to do business.

He has been featured as a consumer advocate on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” has served Three Terms as Chairman of the local Better Business Bureau (BBB), been recognized as...

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.

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...

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...

For the last ten years I have dedicated myself and my practice to fighting for my clients who have been accused of criminal misdeeds and for others who have been injured by someone else's negligence. I am in the courtroom most every day fighting for my clients, whether they have been charged with DWI or drug offenses or major felonies. I also stand up to the insurance companies who may not want to pay what you deserve after being injured. I have helped my clients navigate through some of the toughest and most trying times of their lives. I am...

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. ...

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...

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...

Joel Rhine has handled cases involving construction issues, trucking accidents, products liability and wrongful death for over 27 years. He has tried numerous cases successfully to verdict as well as obtained recoveries through arbitration, settlement or alternative dispute resolution. He is often called upon to serve on arbitration panels for construction litigation matters.

David Russotto began his legal career as an attorney with the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps. He was stationed at Naval Base Norfolk as Defense Counsel and then as Trial Counsel and Legal Services Attorney at Naval Air Station Oceana.

After attending Staff Judge Advocate School, David went on to work as staff Judge Advocate at FCTCLANT Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, providing legal advice to the base commander. In 1991, he went into private practice and in 2000, Mr. Russotto helped found Marcari, Russotto, Spencer & Balaban.

David’s long familiarity with the military and respect for the sacrifices made...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

Jerry D. Parker, Jr., is a co-founding principal partner of Parker & Frey, PLLC. Mr. Parker directs all litigation operations. Mr. Parker is personally involved in every case and insures that each client receives impeccable representation. Mr. Parker's litigation team includes very experienced attorneys and paralegals as well as investigators who have worked as a cohesive unit successfully for over 25 years. Jerry recently received an AV rating from his peers, which means that he was deemed to have very high professional ethics and preeminent legal ability. Only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability receive a...

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.

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...

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...

Leto has many years of experience litigating cases for plaintiffs in the North Carolina state and federal courts. Her practice is now concentrated primarily on representing victims of crime, particularly sexual abuse. She also handles catastrophic personal injury cases. Leto has received widespread recognition for the effectiveness of her work. She has the highest rating (AV) for legal ability and ethical standards given by Martindale-Hubbell. She has been listed in Best Lawyers in America and in North Carolina Super Lawyers, where she has been named multiple years as one of the top fifty women lawyers in...

Dr. Stanley Elliot After being married for 13 years, I was going through a rough separation. This was not easy for me and the separation also involved a custody battle for our child. I met with several attorneys and all of them were suitable. But I didn't just need a suitable attorney, I needed an experienced, litigation-savvy attorney. Richard Gantt was that attorney. When we met over lunch, he was informative, empathetic, and also ready to do battle in the courtroom. Richard was available to talk day and night. He has thought of innovative ways to proceed with all aspects...

Robert Frey is recognized by his peers and his clients as an expert in Workers' Compensation cases. In his law career, he has helped countless of injured workers and their families obtain the medical care and the compensation they deserve. Known for his accessibility, compassion and tenacious trial preparation, Mr. Frey is one of the leading worker's compensation attorneys in North Carolina. Mr. Frey has litigated complex workers compensation and personal injury cases. He takes pride not only in advocating for victims of workplace and personal injury, but in providing them with the resources and information they...

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...