10 Best Family Lawyers in Charlotte, NC (2026)

This guide covers 10 family law firms that represent clients in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, and equitable distribution matters. Each firm was evaluated on three things: attorney credentials (most notably whether the firm has lawyers certified by the North Carolina State Bar as specialists in family law), depth of family law experience, and practice focus, meaning whether family law is the firm’s whole practice or one group inside a larger firm. The list includes family-law-only boutiques, multi-office regional firms, and full-service firms with a family law group.

When comparing these firms, three questions do most of the work. Does the attorney appear regularly in Mecklenburg County District Court, where Charlotte family cases are heard? Does the firm offer a route other than trial, such as mediation or collaborative law, and is it equally prepared to litigate if settlement fails? And can the firm handle the financial side of your case, such as a business interest, retirement accounts, or a claim for alimony, alongside custody? This list is not ranked and not sponsored. Firm details come from each firm’s own website, with attorney directories and business listings used for cross-checking.

1. Butler, Quinn & Hochman, PLLC

Attorney/Key Figure: Bradley W. Butler, Matthew Quinn, and Brian R. Hochman, Attorneys

Headquarters: 4801 E Independence Blvd, Suite 700, Charlotte, NC 28212

Phone: 704-569-9800

Website: butlerandquinn.com

Practice Areas: Family law (divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, modifications, domestic violence); immigration; criminal defense; personal injury; workers’ compensation

Firm Size: Boutique, 6 attorneys

Practice Area Page: Charlotte Family Lawyer

Social Profiles: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Butler, Quinn & Hochman has represented families in the Charlotte area since 2006, with a long record of advocacy for the region’s Latino community. Its family law attorneys handle divorce, custody, support, and property division cases that are heard at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse on East 4th Street, and the firm describes its approach as working toward an amicable settlement first while being ready to litigate when the other side will not negotiate in good faith.

Several practical features make the firm accessible to people who are starting a family case with little notice. It offers free consultations, takes Saturday appointments, welcomes new clients in person at its Independence Boulevard office, and publishes its site in both English and Spanish. Because the firm also practices immigration and criminal defense, clients whose family matter overlaps with one of those areas can keep the work under one roof.

2. Lehnhardt Price Family Law

Attorney/Key Figure: Dana B. Lehnhardt and Jessica E. Price, Attorneys

Headquarters: 205 Lancaster Avenue, Monroe, NC 28112

Phone: (704) 635-6278

Website: monroefamilylaw.com

Practice Areas: Family law, divorce, child custody, child support, adoptions, domestic violence, prenuptial agreements, alienation of affection and criminal conversation, equitable distribution, property division, spousal support, separation agreements

Firm Size: Boutique, two attorneys, more than 20 years of experience

Practice Area Page: Family Law

Social Profiles: Facebook

Lehnhardt Price Family Law is a practice devoted entirely to family law, led by Dana B. Lehnhardt and Jessica E. Price. The firm is based in Monroe and serves clients in Charlotte and the communities between the two, including Matthews, Weddington, Waxhaw, and Marvin. Dana Lehnhardt has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a North Carolina family law attorney, and the firm brings more than 20 years of experience to divorce, custody, and support cases.

The firm’s scope is a good fit for cases that go beyond a standard divorce. It handles adoptions, prenuptial agreements, and alienation of affection and criminal conversation claims, which are civil actions North Carolina still recognizes. Clients work directly with the two named attorneys, and the firm puts weight on helping people understand their options, including resolutions reached outside a courtroom.

3. Plumides, Romano & Johnson, PC

Attorney/Key Figure: Greg Plumides, Michael Romano, and Richard B. Johnson, Managing Partners

Headquarters: 2115 Rexford Road, Suite 320, Charlotte, NC 28211

Phone: 704-333-9900

Website: prjlaw.com

Practice Areas: Family law (divorce, child custody and support, alimony and spousal support, division of marital property, separation, pre and postnuptial agreements, paternity, grandparents’ rights, relocation, multi-state and international disputes, alienation of affection, annulments, contempt, domestic violence protective orders, collaborative law, mediation, appeals, same-sex divorce); criminal defense; personal injury

Firm Size: Boutique, 8 attorneys, over 175 years of combined experience

Practice Area Page: North Carolina Family Law Attorney

Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, X

Plumides, Romano & Johnson traces its history to 1956, when John Plumides opened the practice in Charlotte. Two of its three managing partners, Michael Romano and Richard B. Johnson, are North Carolina Board Certified Specialists in Family Law, a credential issued by the State Bar. Greg Plumides, Michael Romano, Richard Johnson, and David Krusch were all named to Business North Carolina’s 2024 Legal Elite.

The firm’s family practice covers the full range of a contested case, from custody and alimony to relocation disputes, multi-state jurisdiction questions, and family law appeals, and it also offers collaborative law and mediation for clients who want to settle. Its attorneys appear in the courthouses of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, Iredell, Cabarrus, and Lincoln counties from a SouthPark office, and the firm serves Spanish-speaking clients.

4. Sodoma Law

Attorney/Key Figure: Nicole Sodoma, Founder and Managing Principal

Headquarters: 217 North Graham Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 (additional offices in Belmont, Cornelius, Monroe, and Raleigh, NC, and in Rock Hill and Greenville, SC)

Phone: 704-442-0000

Website: sodomalaw.com

Practice Areas: Divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, post-separation support, equitable distribution, separation agreements, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, adoption, domestic violence, alienation of affection, criminal conversation, collaborative family law, mediation, parenting coordination, guardian ad litem, appellate practice

Firm Size: Large, over 40 attorneys across seven offices in two states

Practice Area Page: Family Law

Social Profiles: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Yelp

Sodoma Law has practiced family law in Charlotte since 2008 and has grown to more than 40 attorneys across seven offices in North and South Carolina. Founder Nicole Sodoma is a family law attorney and the author of a book on divorce, Please Don’t Say You’re Sorry. Beyond representing spouses and parents, the firm’s lawyers serve in neutral roles the courts rely on in custody disputes, including parenting coordinator and guardian ad litem.

What sets the firm apart is its service model. It staffs “divorce concierges” and describes a whole-person approach in which the client is connected with a team of professionals for the non-legal parts of a separation. Attorneys coordinate schedules so that one is available for new client calls during business hours. The trade-off is scale: with more than 40 attorneys in seven offices, the experience depends heavily on which attorney and office handle the file.

5. James, McElroy & Diehl, P.A.

Headquarters: 525 N. Tryon St., Suite 700, Charlotte, NC 28202

Phone: 704-372-9870

Website: jmdlaw.com

Practice Areas: Divorce, child custody and child support, alimony and spousal support, equitable distribution, collaborative separation and divorce, separation agreements, prenuptial and post-marital agreements, alienation of affection and criminal conversation; also estate planning, tax, corporate, and real estate

Firm Size: Large, full-service firm with more than 50 attorneys and over 60 years in practice

Practice Area Page: Divorce

Social Profiles: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X

James, McElroy & Diehl is an Uptown Charlotte firm with more than six decades of history and an established family law group. The firm describes itself as a pioneer of collaborative divorce in the area, and it handles both ends of the spectrum: uncontested divorces resolved through a negotiated separation agreement, and full trials on equitable distribution, support, and custody.

Its distinguishing feature is depth outside family law. The family lawyers work in teams with the firm’s estate planning, tax, corporate, and real estate attorneys, which matters when a divorce involves a closely held business, complex compensation, or trusts. The firm’s clients range from executives and public officials to small business owners and stay-at-home parents. As a large full-service firm, it is a heavier option than most people need for a straightforward, low-asset divorce.

6. Hatcher Law Group

Attorney/Key Figure: J. Gregory Hatcher, Managing Partner

Headquarters: The Davenport Harris Building, 801 East Trade Street, Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28202

Phone: 704-375-3911

Website: hatcherlawgroup.com

Practice Areas: Separation and divorce, child custody, child support, property distribution, post-separation support and alimony, separation, prenuptial, and postnuptial agreements, collaborative law, domestic violence, adoption, same-sex couples, alienation of affection and criminal conversation

Firm Size: Boutique, 8 attorneys, family law only

Practice Area Page: Family Law

Social Profiles: Facebook, Instagram

Hatcher Law Group is an Uptown boutique that practices family law exclusively. Three of its attorneys are Board Certified Specialists in Family Law: managing partner J. Gregory Hatcher, partner Paul A. DeJesse, Jr., and Christine M. Melvin. For a firm of eight lawyers, that is a high concentration of the State Bar’s specialist credential.

The firm handles litigated cases and also maintains a collaborative law practice for couples who commit to settling without court. Because the firm does nothing but family law, clients who also need estate planning or business counsel after a divorce will be referred elsewhere for that work.

7. Miller Cushing Holladay

Attorney/Key Figure: Nick Cushing, Brett Holladay, Chris Miller, and Kate Miller, Attorneys

Headquarters: 508 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203

Phone: 980-321-5590

Website: mchpllc.com

Practice Areas: Divorce (contested, uncontested, collaborative), child custody (evaluations, relocation, parental alienation, grandparent visitation), child support, alimony and post-separation support, equitable distribution, separation agreements, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, mediation, arbitration, paternity, annulment, domestic violence, LGBTQ family law

Firm Size: Boutique, family law only, over 80 years of combined experience

Practice Area Page: Divorce Lawyer

Miller Cushing Holladay is a Dilworth firm devoted entirely to North Carolina family law. Its team includes Board Certified Family Law Specialists and certified family financial mediators, which means the same office can act as counsel in a contested case or as a neutral mediator in someone else’s.

The firm’s practice list is unusually granular on custody, with dedicated work on custody evaluations, relocation, and parental alienation, and it offers arbitration as well as mediation and collaborative divorce. It operates from a single Charlotte office, so clients in outlying counties should expect to travel for in-person meetings.

8. Krueger-Andes Law, PLLC

Attorney/Key Figure: Lynn Krueger-Andes and Matt Krueger-Andes, Attorneys

Headquarters: 1018 East Blvd., Suite 8, Charlotte, NC 28203

Phone: 704-272-1266

Website: thekafirm.com

Practice Areas: Divorce and separation, child custody, child support, alimony and spousal support, property and debt division, paternity, domestic violence, separation and premarital agreements, alienation of affection and criminal conversation; also mediation, arbitration, early neutral evaluation, civil appeals, and business litigation

Firm Size: Boutique, 2 attorneys

Practice Area Page: Family Law

Krueger-Andes Law is a small East Boulevard firm built around family law and litigation, led by Lynn Krueger-Andes and Matt Krueger-Andes. The firm takes cases ranging from a simple separation agreement to a contested divorce or custody dispute, and it describes its approach as tailoring the representation to the family’s needs rather than pushing every case toward trial. Best Lawyers recognizes two of its lawyers, in Family Law and Family Law Mediation, and Matt Krueger-Andes has been named a Super Lawyer in recent years.

The firm’s range of dispute-resolution services is its distinguishing feature. Alongside representation, it offers mediation, arbitration, and early neutral evaluation, so a client can start with a settlement-focused process and move to litigation if talks stall. It also handles civil appeals and business litigation, which helps when a divorce involves a company or a disputed ruling. With two attorneys, clients work directly with the named lawyers, though the firm has less capacity than the larger offices on this list.

9. Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney/Key Figure: Mathew R. Arnold and J. Bradley Smith

Headquarters: The Historic John Price Carr House, 200 N McDowell St, Charlotte, NC 28204 (additional offices in Ballantyne, Mooresville, and Monroe)

Phone: 704-370-2828

Website: arnoldsmithlaw.com

Practice Areas: Divorce, child custody, child support, alimony and spousal support, equitable distribution, high-net-worth divorce, military divorce and retirement benefits, mediation and arbitration, collaborative divorce, adoptions, paternity, domestic violence and restraining orders, termination of parental rights, grandparent rights, annulment

Firm Size: Mid-size, four offices in the Charlotte region

Practice Area Page: Family Law and Divorce

Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Justia

Arnold & Smith works from the historic John Price Carr House in Charlotte and from satellite offices in Ballantyne, Mooresville, and Monroe, taking family cases in Mecklenburg, Iredell, Cabarrus, Gaston, and Union counties. The firm’s divorce and family law team includes Board Certified Specialists in Family Law, and it serves clients in Spanish.

The practice covers niche areas that many firms do not address directly, including military retirement benefits, divorce later in life, and termination of parental rights. The firm does offer collaborative divorce and mediation, but its public messaging is built around trial readiness, so clients looking for a low-conflict process should say so in the first meeting.

10. Conrad Trosch & Kemmy, P.A.

Attorney/Key Figure: Louis A. Trosch, Sr., Founder; Eric C. Trosch, Partner

Headquarters: 301 S. McDowell Street, Suite 1001, Charlotte, NC 28204 (second office at 5821 Fairview Road, Suite 405, in SouthPark)

Phone: (704) 553-8221

Website: ctklawyers.com

Practice Areas: Divorce, child custody, child support, post-separation support and alimony, equitable distribution, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, separation agreements, third-party custody, paternity, collaborative divorce, domestic violence, alienation of affections and criminal conversation; estate planning

Firm Size: Boutique, 8 attorneys, more than 50 years in practice

Practice Area Page: Family Law

Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, X

Conrad Trosch & Kemmy has practiced in Charlotte for more than 50 years, and three members of its team are certified as family law specialists. Partner Eric C. Trosch is a board-certified family law attorney and co-author of Divorce in North Carolina, a book that answers more than 350 common questions about the process. Mallory A. Willink, also board certified, represents clients in both North Carolina and South Carolina.

The firm handles family matters on both sides of the state line, including registering and modifying out-of-state orders in South Carolina, and it has an estate planning practice for updating wills and beneficiary designations once a divorce is final. With eight attorneys dividing their time between family law and estate work, the family law bench is smaller than at the larger firms on this list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do you have to be separated to get a divorce in North Carolina?

North Carolina requires spouses to live separate and apart for at least one year before either can file for an absolute divorce, and at least one spouse must have lived in the state for six months before filing. No written separation agreement or court filing is needed to start the one-year clock. The separation begins when the spouses start living in different residences with at least one of them intending the split to be permanent.

Do I lose my right to alimony or property division if the divorce is finalized first?

In most cases, yes. Claims for equitable distribution and alimony generally must be filed, or resolved in a signed agreement, before the judgment of absolute divorce is entered. A spouse who lets an uncontested divorce go through without asserting those claims can lose them permanently. This is one of the main reasons people consult a family lawyer even when the divorce itself is not contested.

Where are family law cases heard in Charlotte?

Family cases in Charlotte are heard in Mecklenburg County District Court, part of North Carolina’s 26th Judicial District, at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, 832 E. 4th Street. The district runs a dedicated family court with its own local rules and forms. Parents in a contested custody case are ordinarily required to complete a parent education program and attend custody mediation before a judge hears the dispute, unless the court grants a waiver.

What does board certification in family law mean in North Carolina?

The North Carolina State Bar certifies lawyers as specialists in family law through its Board of Legal Specialization. Certification requires substantial involvement in family law practice over a period of years, continuing education in the field, peer review, and a written examination. Several firms on this list have certified specialists, including Plumides, Romano & Johnson, Hatcher Law Group, Miller Cushing Holladay, and Conrad Trosch & Kemmy.

Should I hire a small family law firm or a large one?

It depends on what the case involves. Two-attorney and boutique practices such as Lehnhardt Price Family Law, Krueger-Andes Law, and Hatcher Law Group offer direct access to the lawyers named on the door. Large family law firms such as Sodoma Law have more attorneys, more office locations, and support staff for a case with many moving parts. A full-service firm such as James, McElroy & Diehl makes sense when a divorce involves a business, tax questions, or trusts that call for lawyers from other disciplines.

Can a divorce be settled without going to court in Charlotte?

Yes. Most North Carolina family cases settle, and spouses can resolve custody, support, and property in a separation agreement without a trial. Mediation uses a neutral third party to help reach terms, and collaborative law is a structured process in which both spouses and their attorneys commit in writing to settle without litigation. Firms on this list that offer one or both include Miller Cushing Holladay, Arnold & Smith, Krueger-Andes Law, and Plumides, Romano & Johnson, and Butler, Quinn & Hochman describes a settlement-first approach to its family cases.

Disclaimer

This article is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship. The courts, the North Carolina State Bar, the Mecklenburg County District Court, and any government agency do not endorse, sponsor, or approve the firms listed. The order of the firms should not be interpreted as an official ranking, preference, or guarantee of legal quality, representation, or outcome.

Firm information, attorney rosters, board certification statuses, office details, practice areas, firm sizes, and third-party ratings or business listings are subject to change over time. Information gathered from firm websites and business directories should be independently verified before making legal decisions. Readers should consult a qualified North Carolina family law attorney regarding their specific circumstances, as past results do not guarantee a specific legal outcome.