Useful Information

Attorney Johnson-Parris Named Rising Star 2012 by Superlawyers Magazine

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:47:41 -0400

Attorney Afi Johnson-Parris was selected as a North Carolina Rising Star in the 2012 edition of Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters Service. Selection is based on peer nominations and evaluations. Lawyers are asked to nominate outstanding lawyers under the age of 40 who have been practicing less than 10 years. Inclusion on this list is a distinguished honor since an attorney cannot nominate themselves nor pay to be included. Only 2.5 percent of eligible young lawyers are selected.

Johnson-Parris graduated from the University of Miami with a major in Computer Information Systems on a ROTC scholarship. After serving her country in the Air Force as an officer and completing her MBA in Technology Management, she attended the University of Virginia where she completed her law degree. Johnson-Parris then began practicing complex civil litigation at Kilpatrick Stockton LLP in Atlanta. Prior to opening her own practice, she practiced employment and civil litigation with Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, also in Greensboro.

Johnson-Parris Law is a divorce and family law firm based in Greensboro, NC. We aim to guide our clients through the highs and lows of family life, tackling all matters from prenuptial agreements and adoptions to divorce, alimony and custody actions as the Trusted Counsel for Family Matters. The firm’s office is located in the Ward Black Law building at 208 W. Wendover Avenue.

Background Bio

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:41:26 -0400

Why us?
Afi Johnson-Parris is a divorce and family law attorney practicing in Greensboro, NC. She was given the honor of being named as a Rising Star of 2012 in the publication, Superlawyers of North Carolina to which she was nominated by her peers. She is a 2002 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and a published member of its Law Review. Ms. Johnson-Parris attended the University of Miami on a ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1994 with a BBA in Computer Information Systems. Before law school, she served her country as an officer in the Air Force and earned an MBA in Technology Management. After law school, Ms. Johnson-Parris began practicing complex civil litigation with Kilpatrick Stockton LLP in Atlanta and relocated to Greensboro in 2006 to practice employment and civil litigation with Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP. She founded her own divorce and family law firm in 2008. Ms. Johnson-Parris aims to guide her clients through the highs of lows of family life, tackling all matters from prenuptial agreements and adoptions to divorce, alimony and custody actions as their Trusted Counsel for Family Matters. As a mother, wife, veteran, volunteer, woman, and business owner, Afi Johnson-Parris knows the meaning of commitment and dedication and will go to bat for you

Consult With Us
Our law firm in Greensboro practices family law with sensitivity, compassion, professionalism, and integrity. Afi Johnson-Parris' main purpose in pursuing family law is to help clients through the highs and lows of family life- from pre-nuptial agreements to divorce. We believe in pursuing fairness for you when we deal with your divorce, property division and child custody and child support issues. The family law firm of Afi Johnson-Parris, PLLC follows up with all calls in a timely manner. Afi Johnson-Parris will take all calls directly when not in court, out of the office, or listening attentively to clients' needs. It is our goal to help families have positive outcomes, no matter how bleak the situation. Let us prepare you for divorce or, if we can, help you avoid it through advice and education. Prepare for marriage with our advice and prenuptial agreements.

Articles

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:35:57 -0400

The Diamond in Your Engagement Ring Will Last Forever, Your Marriage May Be a Different Story

Arlie Hochschild, renowned Author and Professor of Sociology at the University of California once said, "The influx of women into paid work and her increased power, raise a woman's aspirations and hopes for equal treatment at home. Her lower wage and status at work and the threat of divorce reduce what she presses for and actually expects."

This quote expresses much of the plight that is still prevalent with women today. Women dream as big as anyone else and desire to succeed just as men do. However, it puzzles me that we allow ourselves to fall short when it comes to protecting ourselves, specifically, our standard of living as it relates to divorce or widowhood. According to Psychology Today Magazine (1997) a woman's standard of living plummets 27% after a divorce; a man's standard of living increases 10% after the same event.

Don't Wait to Fall Out of Love to Make a Good Decision

Consider this, when you first met your potential mate, love blinded you to all of his faults and shortcomings. You could ask for anything and his number one goal was to please you. Eventually, you get married. Everything is fine for a while but then, the inevitable happens. You start hating each other. He feels like he's getting no quality time with you. In a moment of weakness, he finds someone who actually talks to him and laughs at his jokes; maybe he even manages to fit some time into his schedule for that newfound admirer. Suddenly, he's no longer waiting for or wanting your attention and he files for a divorce. You, on the other hand, are shocked because you didn't see this coming. You thought everything was fine.

The gravity of the situation hits you as a "newly single" mother when you need money to pay the bills and buy food. He took care of all of the finances and you assumed your financial situation would be in good order, but now you are finding out it's not.

Compared to men, women are known to love hard and to love fast. I'm not going to judge whether it's right or wrong, it's just a fact. It takes a man a longer time to completely fall head over heels and when they do, some may argue that their feelings are fleeting. However, when they are "in love" they are most likely to do anything and everything to gain and retain the favor of their beloved.

With all of these juicy tidbits in mind, when do you think will be the best time to ask for protection in the case of divorce or widowhood? When he's totally and blindly in love with you or when he's "through" with you and has moved on to another life?

Pre- and Postnuptial Agreements Protect Your Interests

A Prenuptial Agreement is a private contract between two people intending to marry, and a Postnuptial Agreement is between two people who have already married. A typical Prenuptial Agreement discloses each person's assets and liabilities that they bring to the marriage. The agreement generally will settle financial and property issues that arise in the event of divorce or death- who gets the house, who pays spousal support and what property will be considered separate or marital. Most importantly, Prenuptial Agreements settle the issues normally governed by family and estate laws, which will be overridden by the agreement. This can help avoid drawn out legal battles in divorce court or probate.

Death and divorce are understandably unromantic topics for any couple to approach when they are planning on spending the rest of their lives together, but planning for these events, one certain and the other increasingly likely, is part of handling the business of marriage. Just as you buy car insurance to protect yourself and property and life insurance to protect those you leave behind, a Prenuptial Agreement provides a form of insurance protection as well. You protect yourself, your property and those you leave behind. Beyond that protection, the greatest value in a Prenuptial Agreement is the discussion it generates between the two people getting married, the expectations it sets as they start their marriage, and the knowledge each person gains about their current and future financial picture. That knowledge is power and often a tool the couple can use to avoid financial pitfalls that doom many marriages.

Believe in the Power of Love, but Don't Do it Blindly

Nowadays, when a couple enters into marriage at a later stage in life, they typically come with more assets and often more debt. Therefore, it is wise to establish up front how everything will be divided if things don't work out or if one person dies. This tends to make sense for second marriages that involve blended families or situations where third parties, like aging parents, are dependent on a member of the couple for support. If you came to the marriage with a substantial 401(k) or property, then you can be certain that those assets will remain separate in a divorce or will be passed to someone other than your spouse. When an agreement such as this is established it remains unaffected by estate laws in the event of your death.

Additionally, consider if your husband leaves you for another woman and you were the primary breadwinner in the household. Do you really want to subsidize the entertainment of a new girlfriend with your hard earned money? A Pre- or Postnuptial Agreement will protect you from having to witness the financial pain that comes from watching your ex-spouse move on and will protect your interests to make sure you retain what was yours going into the
marriage or what you earned during it. After all, who wants to watch their ex wine and dine someone else, let alone, end up having to be the one who has to pay the tab?

It is a natural thing to want to believe in happy endings. After all, no one would ever get married if they walked into it thinking they were going to split up. However, statistics are statistics and facts cannot be ignored. Two out of three marriages today end in divorce. Consider your future, be smart and investigate your options as it relates to a Pre- or Postnuptial Agreement and rest assured that if the fairy tale goes south you won't end up being the damsel in distress waiting for another prince to rescue you.

BY: Sherri Brown of Cali Pearl Corporation
and
Afi Johnson-Parris, JD, MBA

Community Involvement

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:35:44 -0400

The Johnson-Parris Law, PLLC gives back to the local community by volunteering with various Piedmont Triad organizations.

Afi Johnson-Parris serves as a Program Chair for Leadership Greensboro Class of 2011

ESGR - ( Employer Support For Guard Reserve)
YWCA of Greensboro

Greensboro Bar Association

Junior League of Greensboro

Member of the War memorial Foundation for the construction for the Carolina Field of Honor at Triad Park

GCAPP - (Guilford Coalition on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention )

Member of Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

Afi Johnson-Parris graduated in Leadership Greensboro Class of 2010

Helpful Links/ Legal Aid

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:35:21 -0400

Divorce and Family Law Resources

Child Support Guidelines

NC Department of Health and Human Services Adoption Manual

The North Carolina Court System Home Page

Local Rules for Guilford County District Court on family law matters in divorce and child custody laws.

Guilford County Child Support Enforcement

North Carolina Child Support Enforcement

Triad Collaborative Family Law Practice Group

Additional Resources

DivorceSource.com

DivorceNet

DivorceCare.com

North Carolina Association of Marriage and Family Therapy

North Carolina Bar Association

The Women's Resource Center

Personal Injury/Medical Malpractice/Workers Comp

Family Law in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Surrounding areas The Rosen Law Firm


Info on Lawyers:
http://www.martindale.com/Results.aspx
http://www.lawyers.com

Guilford County Divorce Support Groups (many are non-denominational although held in churches)

Mount Pleasant UMC

5120 Burlington Rd.
Greensboro, NC

336-697-0444

Lawndale Baptist Church

3505 Lawndale Drive
Greensboro, NC

336-288-3824

Love and Faith Christian Fellowship

4344 Blackberry Rd.
Greensboro, NC

336-632-0205

Christ United Methodist Church

410 North Holden Rd.
Greensboro, NC

336-299-1571

Westover Church

505 Muirs Chapel Rd.
Greensboro, NC

336-299-7374

Guilford County Divorce Support Groups (many are non-denominational although held in churches)

•Friendly Avenue Baptist Church 4800 West Friendly Avenue Greensboro, North Carolina 27410 Phone: 910-292-3567 Contact: Mr. Dennis Woods

•Green Street Baptist Church 303 Rotary Drive High Point , North Carolina 27262 Phone: 910-841-4334 Contact: Mr. Ray Jones

•Guilford College United Methodist Church 1205 Fleming Road Greensboro, North Carolina 27410 Phone: 910-292-5833 Contact: Mr. Bob Boggan

•Lawndale Baptist Church 3505 Lawndale Drive Greensboro, North Carolina 27408 Phone: 910-288-3824 Contact: Rev. Curt Dean

•Evangel Fellowship 507 Balboa Street Greensboro, North Carolina 27405 Phone: 919-275-1416 Contact: Mr. Otis Lockett

•Friendly Avenue Church of Christ 5101 West Friendly Avenue Greensboro, North Carolina 27410 Phone: 919-292-7649 Contact: Mr. Ron Newberry