Family law matters can affect your children, your finances, and your home. The choices you make during a separation, custody case, or divorce can shape your life for years. It is important to understand your options before those choices are locked in.
We help clients with separation, custody, child support, equitable distribution, and divorce matters across Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Yadkin, and Iredell County.
Family law often involves separation, custody, support, property, debt, and urgent decisions about what happens next. These are the matters we commonly help clients work through.
Divorce
Guidance through the no-fault separation period, the filing, and the related claims under North Carolina law.
Child Custody and Visitation
Help with parenting schedules, decision-making authority, and custody disputes.
Child Support
Review of income, overnights, childcare, insurance, and the support calculation.
Spousal Support and Alimony
Guidance on whether support may apply, how it is evaluated, and what to expect.
Property and Debt Division
Help identifying marital property, separate property, debts, and how they divide.
Separation Agreements
Drafting and review of written agreements covering property, support, and custody.
Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
Agreements that set out how property and support would be handled.
Modifications
Help changing custody or support orders after a significant change in circumstances.
Domestic Violence Protective Orders
Help seeking or responding to a North Carolina 50B protective order.
Enforcement and Contempt
Help when a custody, support, or property order is not being followed.
A few decisions in a family law matter are hard to undo, and it helps to understand them before anything is filed or signed. These are the ones people most often get wrong on their own.
STEP 01
A separation agreement is a binding contract. Once you sign, your options narrow, so a review first can prevent a costly mistake.
STEP 02
Equitable distribution and alimony generally have to be raised before the absolute divorce judgment is entered. If they are not, you can lose the right to bring them at all.
STEP 03
You must be separated for a year before you can file for an absolute divorce, and the decisions you make during that year often matter most.
STEP 04
Talking with an attorney early keeps your options open and your decisions informed.
Talk through your situation with us.
Schedule a consultation and we'll help you understand your options.
We start by understanding what is changing in your family, what needs to be protected, and which decisions are most urgent. From there we explain your options in plain language and help you choose a path that fits your situation.
Many family law matters are resolved through negotiation or a written agreement rather than in a courtroom. When a case does need to go to court, we prepare for it with the same steady, practical approach. Our attention stays on your children, your finances, and a practical way forward.
Family law and divorce matters are handled by Julie Ann O. Parker, who was recognized in 2026 by Lawyers of Distinction for Excellence in Family and Divorce Law. She has practiced law since 1987, is admitted to the North Carolina bar, and focuses her work on family and juvenile law. She works from the firm’s Mocksville office and chairs the Davie County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. That focus is what we bring to your case. We explain how custody, support, and property division work in local courts, and we help you decide what to do before those decisions are locked in.
North Carolina has a specific path to an absolute divorce, and the order of steps matters.
01
To file for an absolute divorce, you and your spouse must live separate and apart for at least one year, with at least one of you intending the separation to be permanent. You must also have lived in North Carolina for at least six months before filing.
02
You do not have to prove wrongdoing to end the marriage. The one-year separation is the basis for the divorce itself. Fault, such as adultery, can still matter for alimony.
03
Despite the name, this is not an actual divorce. It is a court-ordered separation based on fault that can address living arrangements and support while the parties remain legally married. It is a tool for specific situations, not the standard path.
Before your divorce is finalized, some claims can be lost.
Property division and alimony claims generally need to be raised before the absolute divorce judgment is entered. If they are not, you may lose the right to bring them at all. This is the part people most often get wrong on their own, so it is worth talking with an attorney before the divorce is filed.
Property and debt are often the most contested part of a divorce. We work to make sure everything that should be counted is identified before any division is decided.
North Carolina uses equitable distribution to divide what a couple acquired during the marriage.
Marital property
Marital property is generally what either spouse acquired during the marriage, regardless of whose name is on it.
Separate property
Separate property is generally what you owned before the marriage or received individually by gift or inheritance. The line between the two is not always obvious, especially with a home, a retirement account, or a business.
Equal division is the starting point, but it is not the only outcome. A court can order an unequal division when the facts support it, weighing factors such as each spouse's income and property, the length of the marriage, and contributions each made. We help you account for everything that should be on the table and argue for a fair result.
Few parts of a case matter more than your children. We help you sort custody and support with their stability as the priority, by agreement where possible and in court when it is necessary.
North Carolina courts decide custody based on the best interest of the child. There is no automatic preference for either parent. Courts look at each parent’s relationship with the child, stability, the ability to care for the child, and the circumstances of the family. Custody can be set by agreement between the parents or, when needed, by the court.
Support is calculated under the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, which use both parents’ gross incomes, the number of overnights with each parent, work-related childcare, and the cost of the child’s health insurance. In some cases the court can deviate from the guideline amount. We make sure the inputs are right, because small errors in the worksheet change the number significantly.
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Whether support is part of your case depends on the facts. We help you understand where you stand before any numbers are discussed.
North Carolina recognizes two kinds of support between spouses:
Post-separation support
Post-separation support is temporary support paid while the case is pending.
Alimony
Alimony is longer-term support decided as the case resolves.
Support turns on whether one spouse is a dependent spouse who relies on the other, and whether the other is a supporting spouse with the ability to pay. The court weighs factors including the length of the marriage, the standard of living, each spouse's income and earning capacity, and marital misconduct. Support is not automatic, and the amount and length depend on the specific facts. We help you understand where you stand and present the financial picture clearly.
After a divorce, your will, beneficiaries, and powers of attorney usually need to be updated so they match your new circumstances.
If your case involves selling, refinancing, or transferring the marital home, we can handle the closing or transfer.
You must be separated for at least one year before you can file for an absolute divorce. After filing, an uncontested divorce often finishes in a couple of months. Related issues like property division, custody, and support can take longer and are often handled during the separation period.
No. North Carolina grants an absolute divorce based on a one-year separation, not on proving wrongdoing. Fault such as adultery can still affect alimony.
Through equitable distribution. Marital property and debt are divided fairly, starting from an equal split but allowing for an unequal division when the facts support it. Property you owned before the marriage or received by gift or inheritance is generally separate.
By the best interest of the child. Courts look at each parent’s relationship with the child, stability, and ability to provide care. Parents can also agree on a custody arrangement without a judge deciding for them.
Under the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, using both parents’ incomes, the number of overnights, childcare costs, and the child’s health insurance. The court can adjust the amount in certain situations.
It depends on whether one spouse is financially dependent on the other and on factors the court weighs, including the length of the marriage and each spouse’s income. Support is not automatic.
Not always. Many couples resolve their issues through a separation agreement or negotiation. Court becomes necessary when the parties cannot agree or when a matter needs a judge’s decision.
Yes. A prenuptial agreement is signed before marriage and a postnuptial agreement during the marriage. Both can set out how property and support would be handled. We draft and review them so the terms are clear and enforceable.
Often, yes. Custody and child support can be modified when there has been a significant change in circumstances since the order was entered. We handle these post-separation modifications.
Have your own attorney review it first. A separation agreement is a binding contract, and once you sign it, your options narrow. A short review before signing can prevent a costly mistake.
Yes. We help clients seek a domestic violence protective order, known as a 50B order, and we represent people responding to one that has been filed against them.
When a custody, support, or property order is not being honored, the court can be asked to enforce it through a contempt action. We handle these enforcement matters.
If you are facing a divorce, custody, or support matter in Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Mocksville, or the surrounding area, talk with a family law attorney about where you stand and what your options are.
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