Cedar Falls Lawyers

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.

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

Karina Herhusky is a dedicated professional who strives to provide the best legal representation for her clients. She believes that empathizing with clients is the key to successful representation. Karina understands the importance of keeping clients informed throughout every step of the process.

An immigrant herself, Karina understands a client’s perspective, including the challenges they face to legalize their status and other issues that may have an impact on their legal status. As a wife and mother, Karina empathizes with families who may be facing the threat of separation due to their immigration status. She fiercely advocates on behalf of...

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 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.

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

As an injury attorney, he’s found a job that combines his passion for research and for helping people who have often been wronged by the system that is supposed to protect them.

Jack graduated summa cum laude from N.C. Central University with a double major in political science and criminal justice. He earned his juris doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2016.

Originally from Basingstoke, England, Jack came to the United States on a tennis scholarship at N.C. Central. He started playing tennis at age 5 and was part of England’s national program as a junior.

While at...

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. ...

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,...

Carter Whittington concentrates his practice in North Carolina workers’ compensation law, helping injured workers seek the benefits they need and deserve after sustaining a job related injury. Whittington started working at Hardison & Cochran while he was a third-year student at Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. After graduating cum laude and receiving his J.D. in 2016, he joined Hardison & Cochran as a full-time attorney. A North Carolina native, Whittington grew up in Winston-Salem and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a B.A. in political science in 2012. In law school, Whittington was...

Alexander J. Eiffe is an associate counsel at A.G. Linett and Associates. Alex is licensed to practice law in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Alex’s practice at A.G. Linett & Associates focuses on the constantly evolving field of Immigration Law. Alex grew up in Winston-Salem North Carolina and attended UNC Chapel Hill where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. He earned his law degree from the University of Villanova School of Law. In law school Alex was Co-President of the Latin American Law Student Association and acted as...

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...

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...

Garen McClure is our Hillsborough-based attorney and litigator, with experience in traffic, business law, and estate planning. Garen utilizes his experience as a former New York City legal services attorney in assisting his clients to achieve their goals with respect to their litigation matters.* Garen has very broad litigation skills & the ability to work closely with his clients to ensure their involvement, providing very personal & responsive service. As a publicly educated attorney, Garen never strayed too far from his rural upbringing, and now uses his legal skill for the greater good.

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...

During much of past fifteen years of my career as an attorney, I worked in the non-profit public interest law sector to provide legal services and technical support to North Carolina’s financially distressed and limited resource property owners seeking to preserve their homes, land, farms, and rural livelihood.  I've also worked briefly at a small private law firm representing clients in personal injury and business litigation cases. I was raised in the West End community of Mebane – my father’s hometown and a historical black community founded by former slaves after the Civil War in Alamance County.  During the past several years, the West End Revitalization Association...

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...

Nathaniel “Nat” Smith heads up the firm’s civil litigation practice. He handles serious personal injury and workers’ compensation cases in addition to business litigation, trust and estate litigation cases. He also works on civil appeals on behalf of the firm’s clients. Mr. Smith grew up in Raleigh, where he was a member of Broughton High School’s 50th graduating class in 1979. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. He graduated with honors from UNC School of Law in 1993. While in law school, he clerked...

Stuart Paynter is an experienced trial attorney who specializes in catastrophic personal injury cases and product liability. Mr. Paynter began his career at Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the country's top law firms, before starting in own law firm in 2005. Under his leadership, Paynter Law has obtained over $500 million in verdicts and settlements, including verdicts exceeding $100 million. Mr. Paynter fights to ensure that all his client have their day in court. Mr. Paynter has sued and won against Fortune 500 companies and other large corporate entities--including groundbreaking litigation against the NCAA that resulted in a $60 million...

Trained as a real estate and estate planning attorney initially in my career, my practice areas have expanded to encompass estate administration, special proceedings, and corporate formation, as well as, real estate and estate planning. I am a young, energetic attorney determined to become the best in my field through excellent representation of each and every client. I am constantly learning new aspects of the law and surrounding myself with opportunities for growth. Have you reviewed your estate plan lately? If not, maybe it’s time we take a peek at it!

The Law Office of Sarah Young is providing services in person in Clemmons, NC, by phone and video conference. Estate Planning Law, Personal Injury Law, Startup Law, Property Law, Trust and Estate Litigation, Wills Planning Law and Real Estate.

Michelle Dewkett-Kochhar found her passion for workers’ compensation law dabbling in personal injury, workers’ compensation, and criminal defense law after graduating from law school. Dewkett-Kochhar graduated from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law in 2019, and passed the North Carolina Bar Exam that same summer. A northerner at heart, Dewkett-Kochhar grew up in Rhinebeck, New York. She first moved to Raleigh to attend North Carolina State University, where she received a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. While at law school, Dewkett-Kochhar served as a research assistant and interned with the Wake County Public Defender’s Office, a personal...