Catherine A. Smith

I attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville for my undergraduate degree and after graduating from law school at the University of Georgia I returned to North Carolina, settling in the Charlotte area. For several years, I worked for a local non-profit as a court-appointed lawyer representing children whose parents were engaged in high-conflict child custody litigation. I saw firsthand how litigation is emotionally damaging to families and can cause permanent fissures in the family dynamics.

If you want to avoid the issues that plague families who litigate their divorce and surrounding family law issues, the collaborative process offers you a peaceful alternative. Since joining Dasher Law, I have focused my law practice solely on “amicable” divorces and collaborative family law solutions. Amicable does not mean that the couple gets along all the time or even that they like each other, but it does mean that they want to move through the divorce process without resorting to the nastygrams and theatrics that many people think to characterize divorce negotiations. I do not litigate any family law matters and focus my legal practice on out-of-court resolutions, which include collaborative divorce, mediation, and arbitration. I am licensed in the state of North Carolina, focus 100% of my law practice on family law matters, and practice mainly in Mecklenburg and Union Counties.   

The collaborative process provides a sanctuary for families to consider all possible solutions to child support, child custody, equitable distribution, and alimony, not just the solutions provided within the confines of the law. The collaborative process is truly client-led. As your lawyer, I’ll educate you on the possibilities the law provides, but the power is in your hands to decide what is the best resolution for your family. Each family can craft a solution that works best for the family as a whole, a solution that is not focused only on what’s best for the individual spouse. The collaborative process allows for families to emerge on the other side of divorce with their dignity and relationships intact.

In my personal life, I love being outside with my kids and husband hiking, biking, camping, and canoeing.

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