Legal Elite – Family Law 2014

Lori M. Vitale
Vitale Family Law, Raleigh

My high-school jobs in Texas included the typical: mall-store clerk, waitress and baby sitter. The not-so-typical jobs included wedding-dress model, playing Chuck E. Cheese at ShowBiz Pizza and dressing up in costumes and delivering balloons — until the owner had me dress up in a bunny costume and sing happy birthday to a guy in a bar. My mom told me to quit and had a few choice words with the owner. It all builds character, right?

Vita: Born April 21, 1970 in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; bachelor’s degree from Randolph Macon Woman’s College and law degree from Wake Forest University; husband and three children.

Why she chose to specialize in this field: It’s rewarding to watch my clients learn to navigate through change, gain independence and move forward in their relationships. What I do is challenging. Aside from having to channel the emotion involved in a productive manner, the law can be complex and require creativity and strategy to effectively resolve matters. I enjoy my colleagues. They are mentors, friends and professionals.

Memorable case: A young mother with breast cancer and two children so young they will likely not remember what beauty and tenderness she brought to their lives. I keep a picture of her on my desk.

Passions: The simple things — laughing with my kids, running on the beach with my dog, preparing a yummy meal and listening to music with my husband, spending time with friends, experiencing something beautiful.

Don’t ask her to: Share my opinion unless you are ready to hear it.

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FAMILY LAW

WINNER – Lori M. Vitale, Vitale Family Law, Raleigh

W. Lee Allen III, Colombo Kitchin Attorneys, Greenville
Lisa M. Angel, The Rosen Law Firm, Raleigh
Marcia H. Armstrong, Armstrong & Armstrong PA, Smithfield
George W. “Trey” Aycock III, Greensboro
M. Douglas Berry, Gabriel Berry Weston & Wells LLP, Greensboro
Robert S. Blair Jr., Essex Richards PA, Charlotte
Heidi C. Bloom, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh
Harold L. Boughman Jr., Adams, Burge & Boughman PLLC, Fayetteville
Jenny Bradley, Cheshire Parker Schneider & Bryan PLLC, Raleigh
Kimberly Bryan, Cheshire Parker Schneider & Bryan PLLC, Raleigh
Cary Close, Cary Close Family Law, Raleigh
Charles W. Coltrane, Coltrane and Overfield PLLC, Greensboro
Michelle D. Connell, Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, Raleigh
Joslin Davis, Davis Harwell & Biggs PA, Winston-Salem
William K. Diehl Jr., James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte
Christine S. Eatmon, Eatmon Law Firm PC, Wake Forest
Jonathan D. Feit, James, McElroy & Diehl PA, Charlotte
Marilyn Feuchs-Marker, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro
Janet L. Gemmell, Cape Fear Family Law, Wilmington
Kristin M. Hampson, McGill & Hampson PA, Raleigh
Michael S. Harrell, Manning, Fulton & Skinner PA, Raleigh
J. Gregory Hatcher, Hatcher Law Group, Charlotte
Elizabeth T. Hodges, Horack, Talley, Pharr & Lowndes PA, Charlotte
Cathy C. Hunt, Gailor Hunt Jenkins Davis & Taylor PLLC, Raleigh
Jill Jackson, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh
Afi Johnson-Parris, Ward Black Law PA, Greensboro
K. Mitchell Kelling, Horack, Talley, Pharr & Lowndes PA, Charlotte
James F. “Rik” Lovett, Rik Lovett & Associates, Raleigh
Laura A. McCoy, Howard, Green & Moye LLP, Raleigh
Patrick S. McCroskey, Gum, Hillier & McCroskey PA, Asheville
Jaye Meyer, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh
Fred Morelock, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh
Barbara R. Morganstern, Barbara R. Morganstern PLLC, Greensboro
Gena G. Morris, Horack, Talley, Pharr & Lowndes PA, Charlotte
Scott T. Pollard, Dozier, Miller, Pollard & Murphy LLP, Charlotte
Robert A. Ponton Jr., Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP, Raleigh
Max R. Rodden, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, Raleigh
Julianne B. Rothert, Wake Family Law Group, Raleigh
Linda B. Sayed, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed LLP, Wilmington
Michele G. Smith, Hill Evans Jordan & Beatty PLLC, Greensboro
Nicole H. Sodoma, Sodoma Law PC, Charlotte
Ketan P. Soni, Hull & Chandler PA, Charlotte
Robin J. Stinson, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem
Rose M. Stout, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers LLP, Raleigh
Alice C. Stubbs, Tharrington Smith LLP, Raleigh
Susan M. Sullivan, Winston-Salem
Gene B. Tanner, Sullivan & Tanner PA, Raleigh
Tamela Wallace, Tamela T. Wallace PA, Charlotte
Elise M. Whitley, Tash & Kurtz PLLC, Winston-Salem