Barbara and Julie are total professionals and highly recommend them to anyone. They went above and beyond, totally affordable, and met my every need. Thank you so much Barbara for making this a comfortable experience in such a difficult situation.
Barbara is fast, efficient, experienced, caring, and professional. She made sure I understood my options, she walked me through the thorny bits, she provided expert guidance along the away, and she did all of these with a candor and kindness I very much appreciated.
In North Carolina, the law provides for two kinds of spousal support: Post-Separation Support (PSS) and Alimony. Post-separation support is temporary support meant to meet the immediate shorter-term financial needs of a spouse with insufficient income, while alimony is meant to provide support to that spouse over a longer term.
You may have significant differences with your spouse about where your children will live (physical custody), who will make major decisions affecting them (legal custody), and how their financial needs will be met (child support). If that is the case, we will help you develop positive strategies for addressing the needs of your children, and we’ll work to avoid unnecessary and destructive conflict with your spouse whenever possible.
North Carolina has established Child Support Guidelines, a uniform system for calculating child support based on a number of factors, including the following: the gross income of each parent, the number of children, the amount of time each child spends with each parent, as well as payments each parent makes for work-related child care expenses and health insurance premiums for the child. In the majority of cases, child support will be based on the Guidelines.
There are four main areas that you should discuss with your attorney: dividing property and debts (Equitable Distribution), spousal support (post-separation support and alimony), and, if children are involved, child custody and child support. You may need to address short-term financial issues like payment of joint debt, and covering expenses in two households, and making sure children’s support and emotional needs are met. You may want help deciding who will remain in the marital home.
At Durham Family Law Group, we provide the full spectrum of legal services in family law. Whether you are dividing assets or dealing with custody or support in divorce, enhancing your family through adoption, or considering a prenuptial agreement, Julie Woodmansee and Barbara Szombatfalvy offer the legal services and sound professional advice you need.
Barbara dedicated herself to serving families even before she moved to North Carolina and became a lawyer. For a decade she taught at-risk high school students. She also worked with both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, and served as a probation officer with the Washington State Department of Corrections.
Barbara graduated from the North Carolina Central School of Law with honors in 2005. She was an Associate with the family law firm of Donna Ambler Davis in Chapel Hill before she established her own family law practice in May, 2008.
Barbara works to establish strong, positive relationships with her clients and helps them navigate the emotional upheavals of divorce, achieve financial stability, and reduce the stress that divorce places on children. Whether in negotiation or litigation, she is a tough and determined advocate working to protect the best interests of her clients. In 2013, she completed training as a collaborative family law attorney as well as training for Guardian Ad Litem and Parenting Coordinator for the Triangle.
Barbara is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Durham County Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, and the 14th Judicial District Bar.
Barbara enjoys hiking, yoga, and reading, and has been active rescuing and fostering stray and neglected dogs in the Triangle area. She takes great pleasure in exploring all of the great activities – parks, museums, theatres, restaurants – and meeting all the interesting people that Durham has to offer, and she is excited about the dynamic changes occurring in her adopted city.
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Best in the Biz
Barbara and Julie are total professionals and highly recommend them to anyone. They went above and beyond, totally affordable, and met my every need. Thank you so much Barbara for making this a comfortable experience in such a difficult situation.
Posted by Amanda | September 9, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Highly Recommend Barbara
Barbara is fast, efficient, experienced, caring, and professional. She made sure I understood my options, she walked me through the thorny bits, she provided expert guidance along the away, and she did all of these with a candor and kindness I very much appreciated.
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
I highly recommend
Barbara was wonderful throughout what could have been a very difficult time. I found her to be very knowledgeable, calming and level headed, and that was exactly what I needed. Everything went very smoothy. I highly recommend her.
Posted by anonymous | April 9, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Best decision I've ever made
I initially met with Barabara seeking answers to a lot of assumptions that I had regarding my individual circumstances. I was pretty certain that my case was small and simple and therefore wouldn't need her services. What I quickly discovered was every single assumption that I had was not correct and that my case was (like all cases are) totally unique and a bit more complicated than I expected. Barabara not only provided the guidance and info needed for my best interests, but was very transparent during our time working together. For one of the most trying times in my life, working with Barbara gave me the ability to remove the emotion that went along with all of the details of the case. It allowed me to focus on myself and my well-being and gave me the peace of mind that I needed.
Read less
Posted by anonymous | September 20, 2015
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Highly recommended
I worked with Barbara during my separation and divorce. Throughout the process she gave clear and timely advice. She provided straight-forward answers to my concerns and had a way of posing simple questions that kept me on track. In the end I wound up with a better settlement than even I was expecting! I very much felt that she was my advocate, and have benefited from her guidance.
Read less
Posted by Louis | July 30, 2014
USAF from Louisiana
Barbara and her paralegal Mindy are awesome. I was able to locate Barbara's services online through this website. I noticed she had great reviews. While working with her she lived up to every expectation. She was thoughtful, caring and very attentive. Most of our calls were on the phone, but she handled them everything very professional. Her paralegal was outstanding and respectful in regards to any situation. I would recommend their services for any and everything because not only are they great at their jobs, they are great people.
Read less
Posted by anonymous | June 20, 2014
Courageous Advocate
I had been separated almost a year and had gotten nowhere with two different lawyers when I was handed Barbara Szombatfalvy's card a second time. I met with Barbara for several hours; she asked a lot of questions and understood the issues and what was at stake as well as the law. Numerous emails, phone calls and meetings later, Barbara eventually brought our case before a judge. Barbara Szombatfalvy had the courage to advocate for my family for custody (which was ruled in our favor) and in mediation for property distribution and the terms for divorce. She got us through one hurdle after the next until the divorce was filed less than a year later. I highly recommend Barbara Szombatfalvy as an intelligent, perceptive, articulate, assertive and courageous family lawyer.
Read less
Posted by anonymous | April 27, 2014
A compassionate Advocate
I first met Barbara by email. She was referred to me by another attorney. She took the time to email me over the Christmas holidays even though her office was closed. I really needed to talk with an attorney over the holidays. She was there for me even before she had been hired. She continued to respond to me in a professional and caring manner while she represented my case. Her quiet confidence helped to calm my nerves. May case was resolved in my favor in far less time than what I had expected.
Read less
Posted by Tisha | May 14, 2013
Awesome Attorney
Barbara M. Szombatfalvy is an awesome attorney! I found her in the phonebook after speaking with two other attorneys as I sought information for a consultation for help with child custody. When I spoke with the other two attorneys, they were impatient, impersonal, and rushed me off the phone. However, when I spoke with Barbara, I knew she was the attorney to hire from the initial conversation. She was very patient, knowledgeable, kind, and she listenend to my every concern then gave me sound advice as to the steps I needed to take to obtain the information I needed and to ultimately, get legal counsel. It was something about speaking with her that connected with me and I hired her. My family and I worked closely with Barbara for over a year with the custody case (which we eventually won). She walked us through the entire case and made it all effortless (for such a lengthy case). I would HIGHLY recommend Barbara as a capable and knowledgeable Family attorney. She did excellent work with our case!
Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.
What determines Avvo Rating?
Experience & background
Years licensed, work experience, education
Legal community recognition
Peer endorsements, associations, awards
Legal thought leadership
Publications, speaking engagements
Discipline
Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Family Attorney | Nov 01
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I highly endorse Barbara as a knowledgeable, compassionate and resourceful colleague. She is deeply invested in the well-being of her clients and in obtaining the best outcome possible. She is a generous resource to her fellow lawyers and a credit to our profession."
Family Attorney | Feb 08
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"It is easy for me to endorse Barbara Szombatfalvy. I have referred clients to her, and have worked with her as opposing counsel. She is a passionate advocate for her clients, who works diligently to obtain the best result for them. Whenever she is on the other side of one of my cases, I know that she will be honest, will not run up the fees unnecessarily, and that I will have my work cut out for me!"
Unknown Attorney | May 27
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I am impressed with Ms. Szombatfalvy's thoughtful advice and answers to legal questions on Avvo. She has an in-depth understanding of the law and an ability to communicate legal concepts clearly and effectively. I endorse this lawyer!"
Family Attorney | Apr 05
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I have worked with Barbara as opposing counsel on cases over the years. She is an excellent attorney. Barbara is experienced, knowledgeable, and always professional. She cares about her clients and strives to obtain the best-possible results for them, whether through zealous advocacy in court or thoughtful negotiation."
Family Attorney | Nov 06
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter
"Barbara is an effective, efficient and well-respected attorney in our district. I always enjoy seeing Barbara on the other side and have referred her to friends in need of legal assistance."