Family Law

We like to work with clients who desire a personal level of care and are willing to provide information about their situation so that we can develop a legal strategy unique to their circumstances and their desired outcome(s). We like to be creative in our approach and push the edge of established law and sometimes make new law, if necessary.

Family Law

• Name Changes
• Restraining Orders
• Enforcement Actions

Abuse

• Child Abuse
• Domestic Violence
• Sexual Abuse

Children

• Child Support
• Children's Rights
• Custody
• Paternity
• Visitation

Couples

• Common Law Marriage
• Living Together/Cohabitation
• Marriage
• Power of Attorney
• Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

Education & Schools

• Colleges & Universities
• Individualized Education Plans
• Private Schools
• Public Schools
• Student Rights
• Title IX
• Trade & Technical Schools
• Special Education

Elder Law

• Competency Hearings
• Guardianships & Conservatorships
• Powers of Attorney
• Advanced Health Care Directive
• Healthcare Power of Attorney
• Healthcare Proxy

Rights

• Grandparent Rights
• Termination of Parental Rights

Divorce

We like to work with clients who desire a personal level of care and are willing to provide information about their situation so that we can develop a legal strategy unique to their circumstances and their desired outcome(s). We like to be creative in our approach and push the edge of established law and sometimes make new law, if necessary.

Divorce

• Annulment
• Child Support
• Custody/Visitation Rights
• Delinquent Support Payments
• Division of Property
• Restraining Orders
• Uncontested Divorce

NC, Aug 2005
Bar Number: 34292

DC,
Bar Number: 497051

Certified Parent Coordinator (for high conflict child custody cases).

North Carolina, District of Columbia, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, Bankruptcy Court, and Eastern District of North Carolina.

American Bar Association, National Association of Trial Lawyers (past member), North Carolina Bar, North Carolina Bar Association, District of Columbia Bar, New Hanover County Bar Association, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (past member), Southern Association of Student Financial Administrators (past member), North Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (past member), The College Board (past member), Educational Loan Management National Advisory Board (past member), United Student Aid Funds Southern Regional Advisory Board (past member), Communities in Schools Board Member (past member), and St. Matthews Lutheran Church Council Member.

I have taught continuing education classes for mental health professionals, private investigators and auditors. I maintain my continuing legal education requirements by attending legal seminars on the topics of family law, high conflict child custody cases, property division, parent coordinator education and bankruptcy.

Should you Handle your Own Divorce?

Many Companies Offer a Cheap On-Line Divorce But It May Not Be a Good Option.

Collaborative Law & Divorce: Not a good fit for North Carolina.

Family Law clients should protect their personal information from identity theft.

Are you really ready for divorce? Ten steps to help you survive.

Discover Discovery: The importance of the Discovery Process in Family Law (a short primer).

Selecting a divorce attorney in North Carolina.

Grandparents' Visitation & Child Custody Rights in North Carolina.

Williams, M.S. (2004). "If You Are Unhappy With Your Tuition At One Of The Sixteen North Carolina Public Universities, Perhaps You Should Sue!" Campbell Law Observer, 3.

"Personal Information Protection & Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA): Analysis of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's Findings." Order of Privacy Officers, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

"Roundup of Recent Advertising Legal Decisions." Advertising Compliance Service, JL Com Publishing Co. LLC, Roxbury, N.J.

Williams, M.S. (2004). "Skin Formulas Belong in a Bottle: North Carolina's Diversity Scholarships are Unconstitutional Under Grutter and Gratz." Campbell Law Review, 26(2).

Williams, M.S. (2004). "Key factors in compensation of financial aid administrators," National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Washington, DC.

Williams, M.S. (2004). Financial Aid, Encyclopedia of Distributed Learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Reference & Fielding Graduate Institute.

Williams, M.S. & Williams, M.C. (2004). "Key factors in compensation of financial aid administrators and staff," Student Aid Transcript, 15(1), National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Washington, DC.

Williams, M.S. (2003). Federal Work-Study: How America's Colleges Use Federal Funds. Morrisville, NC: Lulu Press.

Williams, M. S. (Summer, 2000). "Technology and the financial aid profession," National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Student Aid Transcript, Washington, DC.

Kennedy, P., Cornell, C., Fox, L., Osswald, A., Williams, M., Wilson, M. & Zuzack, C. (June, 2000). "E-Aid Office 2000: Financial Aid Software Selection, Implementation, and Operation," National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Washington, DC.

Williams, M. S., (October, 1999). "Staying afloat in the sea of financial aid" The College Board, College Counseling Connections, Washington, DC.

Williams, M. S., (October, 1999). "Staffing issues in student aid," National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Washington, DC.

Williams, M. S., Bayless, R., Christensen, T. & Felsen, B. (December, 1995). "Staffing issues in student aid: A report on the NASFAA Staffing Models Project," National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Washington, DC.

Williams, M. S. & Ball, D. (Spring, 1993). Graduates perceptions of selected factors on their ability to secure employment. Journal of Career Planning & Employment, 25-26.

Williams, M. S. (1992). The effect of emergency loans on student retention. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 22(3). 39-44.

Williams, M. S. (1991). The history of institutional assessment at Appalachian State University: 1940-1990. Unpublished master's thesis, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.

McIntire, D. D. & Williams, M. S. (1990). Alcohol and substance use and abuse: An Institutional assessment. The College Student Affairs Journal, 10(2). 37-47.

We brought suit on behalf of a client who met a man through an on-line dating service and who represented that he was divorced when he was in fact still married. We brought claims for, among other things, breach of contract to marry, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraudulent misrepresentation, annulment and seduction. We obtained a judgment in excess of $369,000.

We have represented several individuals in high-conflict child custody cases that often involve grandparent(s) as interveners. In one particular case, we helped a grandparent obtain full custody of her granddaughter after proving the mother was an unfit parent.

We have helped a number of clients with the division of their marital property. Some of these cases have involved complex business and/or pension valuations. In one case, we were able to show that our client's real property was actually her separate property, even though it was titled jointly to her and her husband, because she and her husband had verbally agreed to put it in trust for her son as an inter vivos trust not subject to the Statute of Frauds.

3

North Carolina and District of Columbia

We focus on family and education law. About 90% of our cases deal with child custody, equitable distribution (marital property division), child support, spousal support (e.g., post separation support and alimony), and related family law claims.

In 1992, Judge Rice left the bench and established the Law Firm of Charles E. Rice, III. This firm became Rice Law, PLLC in 2005 when I became an equity owner. Over the past fourteen years, the firm has represented more than 600 clients primarily with family law related issues, including alimony, child custody, child support, divorce, equitable distribution, post-separation support, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. In 2008, I purchased the firm and Charles E. Rice, III remains "of counsel."

Prior to becoming an attorney, I was the Director of Financial Aid & Veterans Services (FAVSO) at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and President of the Center for Higher Education Support Services (CHESS), a consulting firm serving colleges and universities.

I have fourteen years of experience in the administration of federal student financial aid programs and analysis of higher education research topics. I also have a broad range of experience in performance improvement consulting. My experience includes all activities related to the oversight and financial management of federal, state and institutional student aid funds including leveraging enrollment through financial aid awards, audits, reporting, and management. I have provided consulting services to more than 50 institutions of higher education including public, private, and community colleges.

Top 15% of Class
Law Review
Book Awards: Education Law; Christian Perspectives on Legal Thought
Distinguished Service Award, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (2005)
Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges (1990, 2005)
Who's Who Among American Law Students (2005)

Eva Shew.

(910) 251-6346

Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

No

No, but when necessary, we work with translators to represent individuals who do not speak English.

Separation Contract $500
Separation Agreement & Property Settlement $3,000 (depending on complexity)
Prenuptial Agreement (start at $3,000 depending on complexity)
Preparation of Complaint & All Ancillary Documents in Family Law Matter $1,000
Last Will & Testament $500 (depending on complexity)
Durable Power of Attorney $150
Advance Health Care Directive $150
Child Custody Litigation $10,000 (plus travel costs; depending on complexity)
Equitable Distribution (Property Division) Litigation $10,000 (plus travel costs, depending on complexity)

$75 - Paralegal
$170 - Associate Attorneys
$235 - Mark Spencer Williams
$300 - Charles E. Rice, III

No. We generally charge $200 for an initial consultation of 90 minutes and schedule them in person, over the phone, by video conferencing or through our Virtual Law Office (per client preference).

$7,500 (of which $650 is a true retainer and the remainder is a trust deposit toward hourly fees).