I am a sole practitioner in Wilmington, North Carolina with over 15 years of experience. I limit my practice to domestic relations (about 70%) and workers' compensation claims (about 30%). My office, conveniently located about a quarter mile from Independence Mall, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The small size of my office enables me to maintain a quality relationship with each and every one of my clients, relationships based on integrity, respect, and open communication. I have 24-hour voicemail that enables me to confer with clients as needed during evenings, weekends, and holidays.

When you first telephone my office you will speak with Stacy Olson, my paralegal. She takes initial background information, which I personally review before I either speak directly with you or schedule an appointment for an initial consultation, for which I charge $100. Lori works closely with me on all of my cases and frequently answers clients' questions if I am not readily available. She helps me respond to the Email and Guest Book inquiries I receive through my Web Site.

I charge an hourly rate of $150 for most of my domestic relations work. Typically I require a deposit or retainer of anywhere from $1500 - $5,000 which I deposit in my trust account, and then draw on as I spend time working for you. We send out monthly statements to keep you apprised of the status of your account. I charge flat fees, available upon request, for uncontested absolute divorces, simple separation agreements, and adoptions.

I earned my Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1984 from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Prior to beginning my studies there I was employed in Pittsburgh by the National Labor Relations Board as a Field Examiner. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science in 1977 from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

From 1984 to 1989, I served two different federally funded legal services programs as a Staff Attorney, in Portsmouth, Ohio and then in Ashland, Kentucky. Upon moving to Wilmington with my husband in 1990, I was admitted to the bar on reciprocity and entered practice as an associate attorney at a small general practice firm. I opened my own solo practice in 1995.

I limit my practice to domestic relations and divorce (about 70%) and workers’ compensation claims (about 30%). I am a member of the Family Law Sections of the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Academy.

I have a special interest in working with victims of domestic violence. As a Legal Services attorney I frequently represented battered women seeking civil protection orders, and I’ve continued that practice as a private attorney since moving to North Carolina. I served on the Board of Directors of Domestic Violence Shelter and Services, Inc. from August 1990 until January 1998, the last two years as President. I continue to volunteer with the Shelter and am a member of the Domestic Violence Advocacy Council, an informal interagency group that meets monthly to work on issues and concerns related to domestic violence. On January 28, 2000 I spoke on "Effective Representation of Domestic Violence Victims" at the Regional Pro Bono attorney continuing legal education conference on domestic violence held in Wilmington.

My husband and I have a ten-year-old son who attends public school in Wilmington. I believe I’ve gained a lot of insight into the joys and challenges faced by my custody clients since becoming a mother myself! I am an active member of St. Andrew’s-Covenant Presbyterian Church, having been raised in the Presbyterian Church as a child. I have a twin sister who lives in Virginia and a younger sister in Connecticut who is an ordained Presbyterian minister-turned-lawyer.