Ashley Michael
Ashley Michael is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law, 1 of 254* in the state to hold this distinction out of more than 20,000 licensed attorneys, and was licensed to practice by the North Carolina State Bar in September of 2006. She practices in Wilmington with Michael & Russell, PLLC and typically represents clients in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick and Onslow counties but can handle adoption matters across North Carolina, USA and internationally. Ashley practices in the areas of Family and Juvenile Law, including Collaborative Divorce, Adoptions, same-sex marriage and divorce matters, and Artificial Reproduction Technology. Additionally, she is a court appointed Guardian ad Litem for incompetency and minor estate matters, custody, and domestic violence actions. Ashley is a certified Mediator in Family Financial Matters with the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission as of May 2012. Ashley along with other attorneys and professionals formed the only Collaborative Divorce practice group in the coastal NC area in 2013, “Coastal Collaborative Colleagues” committed to “doing divorce differently” and providing an alternative to litigation. Ashley received her B.S. with the University of Asheville, was a Dean’s List graduate, and later earned her J.D. at Appalachian School of Law in Virginia where she was a member of the Moot Court Board and an editor of the Appalachian Journal of Law. While Ashley is a trained litigator, mediator, and collaborative law trained practioner she believes that upon thoroughly educating clients about various legal paths and options they may determine the right approach to their legal claims which best fit their personality, budget and familial needs.
Ashley lives in Wilmington with her husband, Garron Michael, who is also an attorney and their two children. She enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with family, participating in activities with her church, Pine Valley United Methodist Church in Wilmington, and volunteers in the community with the Domestic Violence Shelter, March of Dimes, GHS Autism Supports, and Nourish NC. Ashley serves on the Board of Directors for Coastal Collaborative Colleagues, NC-CAN (a statewide trade association for Collaborative Divorce in NC), New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and DREAMS of Wilmington.