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I assist clients with business and commercial transactions, civil litigation and complex dispute resolution, commercial and venture finance, business formations, business purchases and sales, real estate, and tax matters. My typical clients are small-to-medium size privately held businesses, venture investors, and entrepreneurs. Prior to entering private legal practice, I worked for several years in private equity and venture capital. As a lawyer, I combine my legal training with my deep business experience to deliver cost effective legal solutions that are practical and address my clients’ specific business needs.

I am passionate about helping small businesses find creative solutions to real world problems.  The majority of my practice is focused on small business and employment law with some other fun topics in between.  I enjoy helping small businesses develop HR programs for employees that are compliant with state and federal laws, as well as helping counsel small business owners on how to build their businesses within the confines of the law.. When not practicing law, I am an avid runner and skydive enthusiast.  I also enjoy hanging out with my husband and three rescue pets at my home in Raleigh, NC.

About Havenspire Law. Havenspire Law is your legal safe haven; a place where ideas are protected, growth is guided, and small businesses are empowered to build boldly. Founded by Caleb Tarver, Esq., a third-generation small business owner and experienced business attorney, our firm is rooted in entrepreneurship and focused on helping North Carolina businesses and nonprofits thrive.. We provide personalized, concierge-level legal services across every stage of the business journey; from formation to growth, contracts to compliance, and exit planning to estate protection. Our flat-fee model makes legal services accessible, predictable, and aligned with your goals. We proudly serve startups, family-owned businesses, consultants, creatives, and nonprofit leaders throughout the Research Triangle and across North Carolina.. Whether you’re launching your dream, growing a legacy, or planning your next move, Havenspire Law is here to clear the legal path forward.

Kight on Cannabis: The Definitive Word on Weed.. Rod Kight is an award winning lawyer, advocate, and author focusing his efforts on supporting providers, farmers, manufacturers, scientist, laboratories, and the retail industry surrounding the commerce of industrial hemp and legal recreational and medical cannabis. Visit the website: . [Note: Website goes live end of January 2018. Stay tuned!] I have a personal interest in cannabis. I experimented with it recreationally in college and, frankly, continued my “experimentation” off and on into adulthood.. In my mid-thirties I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy treatments. I did not try cannabis as a medical aid at first. This was due to a misplaced belief that trying it as a medical aid would really be nothing more than using my illness as an excuse to get high. However, on a particularly difficult day when I was feeling miserable, I broke down and smoked marijuana with my brother. The experience was stunning and remarkable. Within fifteen minutes I felt significantly better and had an appetite for the first time in days. My flu- like aches subsided and my nausea disappeared. Certainly, I was not 100 percent better. However, I felt well enough to spend a pleasant evening talking with my brother. I ate two helpings of spicy Indian food and slept well enough to regain some lost energy. Had I not smoked marijuana that evening I would have remained in bed, not eaten, and spent most of the night tossing and turning, nauseated and in agony. My energy levels would have continued their steep decline and I would have been worse off for the next treatment.. Cannabis helped me through chemotherapy and I resolved at that time to become an advocate for its legalization. In addition to aiding with side effects of chemotherapy, new research suggests that it may also be important in treatment and even prevention of certain diseases.. I also have a long-time interest in business law. Law students do not typically have “majors” (or “minors”) in legal subjects in the same way that undergraduates do. However, a law student can choose to focus on a specific legal area by taking multiple courses in that area. In my case, I took every business law class that was offered in law school. As a philosophy major in college I was intrigued by the strange implications of being able to create a separate legal individual under the law and the tensions that such an arrangement could create between natural entities (i.e., people) and artificial entities (i.e., corporations). (That issue has been playing out in the Supreme Court recently, but in another context.) The metaphysics of the corporate veil and limited liability fascinated me.. Later, after starting my own law practice, the practical aspects of running a business— bookkeeping, marketing, taxes, employee management, financing, etc.— captivated me. Over the years, my law practice quickly migrated toward bankruptcy law. I eventually became a bankruptcy specialist and have represented numerous businesses through difficult reorganizations. I have also maintained a general business and commercial litigation of this is to say that being a cannabis business lawyer feels natural to me and was probably inevitable. Thank you for reading.

Practicing In:. I offer flat-fee consultations. The fee for such consultations depends on the subject matter, but is usually $250.

If not knowing the answer to a question drives you crazy, we have a lot in common. In fact, that was the main reason why I became an attorney. Before law school, I worked as a technology consultant for a Big 4 firm and owned a small business—and I felt apprehensive every time I encountered a legal issue. I found it challenging to find any clear guidance that would help me solve the real-world problems I faced. Additionally, it always seemed that well-intentioned people came out on the losing end too often in court, and that law was only there to penalize the unwary. As a result, I went to law school to get the knowledge I needed to defend myself as a small business owner.. After enrolling at law school, my attitude towards the law changed pretty quickly, largely due to a case from my property law class, Armory v. Delamirie. Here’s a quick rundown: in England back in 1722, a poor, young chimney sweeper found a jewel and went to a jeweler to have it appraised. The jeweler lied about its value, and when the boy demanded the return of the jewel, the jeweler kept it.. While most of the students in the class, myself included, were wrapped up in the legal rules and issues involved in the case, my property professor pointed out a fact that we all overlooked—the chimney sweeper was poor, and had no means or resources to get the jewel back. Somewhere, a compassionate lawyer listened to the devastated child and cared about him enough to represent him without any expectation of a fee—and that lawyer won back the value of the jewel. The lawyer also won back my faith in the legal system, as I realized that the law can immeasurably help people, especially when they are in the hands of an attorney who cares.. Every day, I’m motivated by the desire to help clients—taking their great opportunities, personal dilemmas, or major life changes, and transforming them into defining moments in their lives. I take that job very seriously, and I work hard to earn and maintain the trust of my clients.. Outside the office, I enjoy woodworking, watching movies, and perfecting "Blackbird" by the Beatles on guitar. I also do a lot of volunteer work, mainly with the Union West Rotary Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the American Red Cross.

Attorney Todd Gonyer focuses his practice on serving the business, criminal defense, and personal legal needs of his clients.  After more than fifteen years of practicing law, Todd has had the opportunity to serve as counsel and trusted advisor to a variety of clients, from individuals to large multinational corporations and manufacturers.. Prior to relocating to Charlotte, Todd practiced law for several years with large firms in Kansas City and Cleveland, Ohio.  During his years of practice at these larger firms, he observed that due to their size, structure, and cost, they often were not in a position to represent smaller businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals (particularly in criminal matters).  In opening his own law firm, Todd brings to these clients the sophisticated and savvy counsel they deserve, but with the level of personal attention and lower costs that a larger firm simply cannot provide.. Some of the many legal matters Todd has handled for his clients include breach of contract and commercial litigation, criminal defense and appeals, personal injury (plaintiff and defense), derivative and shareholder disputes, drafting of contracts, business formation and administration, traffic violations, driver's license restoration, non-compete agreements and enforcement, employer workplace intentional torts, civil rights litigations, insurance coverage and disputes, and products liability matters, bankruptcy preference litigation, commercial paper and secured transactions, among others.. Todd is admitted to practice law in North Carolina and Ohio.  He is also admitted to the Missouri and Kansas State bars, however, he is currently registered as inactive in those jurisdictions.  Todd is a member of both the Mecklenburg County Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association.. Todd is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1998.  As a law student Todd served as an Articles Editor of the University of Kansas Law Review, and further had an article he authored on Federal sentencing in criminal drug possession and distribution cases.  See Federal Sentencing in a Post-Chapman World: What is a ‘Mixture or Substance’ Anyhow?, 46 U. Kan. L. Rev. 983 (1998).  Additionally, Todd served on the Paul E. Smith Defender Project, where he represented, met with, and prepared briefs on behalf of inmates seeking state and federal post-conviction relief.. Todd received his undergraduate degree in Political Science Pre-Law from Ohio University in 1995, where he graduated Summa cum laude and with Departmental Honors.  While attending Ohio University in picturesque Athens, Ohio, Todd served as Captain of the university’s boxing team for two years and completed his Honors Thesis on the Political and Social Impacts of the Automobile on Post-World War II America.. When Todd is not busy representing his clients or managing his law office, tries to make the best use of the wonderful Carolina climate.  The mountain and foothills areas of North Carolina are a particular favorite and Todd can often be found riding a motorcycle on one of the many twisty mountain back roads.  Todd’s hobbies include vintage (and not-so-vintage) motorcycle restoration, street and offroad motorcycling; snow skiing, jet-skiing, camping, and reading.

Greetings! I've been practicing law since 1996, and always do my utmost to provide my clients with the highest quality legal advice and services. There are 5 key principles which I incorporate into representing my clients:

A veteran entrepreneur in the high-tech space, Marjorie Benbow provides her clients with legal expertise and business sense.  Prior to joining Moretz & Skufca, Ms. Benbow managed the intellectual property at UNC Charlotte when it led the nation in patents issued and successful start-ups formed per research dollar received.  Subsequently, she was the Science and Technology Officer for NC's fourth largest hospital system and the founding Executive Director for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.  Marjorie is an adjunct professor at UNC Charlotte and has taught "Biotechnology and the Law" for its College of Computing & Informatic's Center for Bioinformatics and Genetics.  Marjorie is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and before the US Patent and Trademark Office.  Inspired by her late husband (Colonel (USAR) Hector H. Henry II, MD) passing from a service-connected disability, specifically blood cancer, she became a Veteran's Representative.. When not working, Marjorie focuses on philanthropy.  Selected as one of the 20 Most Dynamic Women in the region by US Airways, Charlotte's 50 Most Influential Women, Women Extraordinaire and winner of the Przirembel Prize for Innovative Collaboration, Marjorie serves on the NC School of Science and Math Board of Trustees, NC Sustainable Energy Association, Charlotte Area Science Network, American Red Cross, Leadership North Carolina, the Institute of Political Leadership and various advisory boards throughout the region.  Marjorie enjoys exercising, gardening, adventuring and supporting our troops.

I believe that the most important part of the attorney-client relationship is trust and honesty.  I strive to provide those qualities, and more, to each of my clients because I fully recongnize that my role has a direct impact on their personal life and well being.  I approach each case with this understanding and therefore work to protect their interests, especially their future interests.

Liz Vennum is the founder and Managing Attorney at Vennum Law in Charlotte, North Carolina. Liz focuses her practice on business litigation. She serves Charlotte companies in various business-related legal matters involving noncompete agreements, operation agreements, trade secrets, and the creation and negotiation of severance packages. Her clients include individuals, entrepreneurs, small businesses and startups.. Liz is a small-business owner as well as a licensed attorney. This provides her with unique insight and experience when it comes to advising and litigating on behalf of business owners and managers. She has litigation and transactional experience, and handles cases in both state and federal court.. Prior to founding Vennum Law, Liz practiced as an associate at a Charlotte-based law firm. Her prior legal experience also includes serving as a legal outreach coordinator for the Campaign for Southern Equality, clerking for a private attorney’s office and interning for the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office.. Outside of running her law practice, Liz enjoys staying active in her legal community. She served on the education committee of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys. As part of this role, she assisted in planning the association’s annual conference, also serving as speaker coordinator and sponsor coordinator. In 2019, Liz was honored to join the Mecklenburg County Bar's Bar Leadership Institute. She also belongs to Women Entrepreneurs of South Charlotte and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).. Liz earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and received her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. She holds a license to practice law in North Carolina.