Compassion. Diligence. Competence.

Hello and thanks for visiting. My name is Jennifer Payne and I am a family law attorney who has been practicing in Winston-Salem and the surrounding communities since 2010, when I was admitted to the North Carolina Bar. I limit the size of my practice so that your case receives the attention that it deserves.

I am a member of the Forsyth County and North Carolina Bar Associations, as well as the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys. I am also a certified family financial mediator and a trained family collaborative law attorney and I love advocating for other forms of alternative dispute resolution including arbitration and the use of Parenting Coordinators in high-conflict custody cases; although I have litigated for my entire career and have the skills to serve you compassionately in that area if needed. I have also served on the Board of Directors of Phoenix Rising of Winston-Salem, Inc., which is the fundraising arm of Drug Treatment Court in Forsyth County.

I graduated in 2010 from the Wake Forest University School of Law. During law school, I served as a guardian ad litem in Forsyth County, advocating for the best interests of children in high-conflict child custody cases as well as abuse, neglect, and dependency cases in juvenile court. I still work on behalf of children and adults as a guardian ad litem in both child custody court and juvenile court; and as a Parent Defender in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases through the Forsyth County Department of Social Services.

I am particularly interested in helping families through the adoption process, either independent, step-parent, or relative adoption, and have handled the related terminations of parental rights and legitimation issues extensively.  

Before law school, I graduated from North Carolina Central University summa cum laude with a degree in history and a minor in political science in 2005. I completed my coursework toward my master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2007, where I studied public history and performed some of the survey work that served as the basis for the Town of Davidson, North Carolina, to be accepted into the National Register of Historic Places.

When I am not helping my clients, I am spending time with my husband, Chris, and our dogs, and probably thinking about cooking food, reading cookbooks, or actually cooking food.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet you and your family to help you decide what your best options are. Feel free to reach out by email to jennifer@ncpaynelaw.com.