THE POWER L I S T
GRAY ELLIS FOUNDER AND PARTNER, ELLIS FAMILY LAW DURHAM Gray Ellis believes perspective is powerful in the practice of law, especially when it involves family issues such as divorce, child custody and support and end of life planning. He believes his effectiveness on behalf of clients is due in part to his own personal experience as a parent who has gone through a separation. “I feel my background makes me a more effective advocate on behalf of our clients and provides an extra layer of determination and understanding about exactly what they are going through when they hire our firm,” he writes on his firm’s website. Founder and managing partner of Ellis Family Law, he has successfully represented individuals and families in their most important legal matters for more than 20 years. He is certified by the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from North Carolina State University and earned his law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law. Gray is also a believer in giving back to both the legal profession and broader communities his practice serves. In addition to chairing the Modern Family Committee of the North Carolina Family Bar, he is a board member of Meals on Wheels Durham and created the Feed the Need Gala, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness and funding to fight nutritional challenges among our elderly population. He regularly speaks before the Self Help Divorce Clinic and the Equitable Distribution Clinic, and he is a guest lecturer at the UNC School of Women and Gender Studies, and the Duke University School of Law.
MARSHA C. KENNEDY MANAGING PARTNER, KENNEDY LAW ASSOCIATES CHARLOTTE Marsha Kennedy says she is committed to not only helping individuals successfully navigate the divorce process, but also helping them rebuild and restore their lives. “Helping people facing divorce is much more than a career to me,” she writes on her firm’s website. As a result of my own separation and divorce as well as helping several of my closest friends, I have become intensely interested and committed to improving the divorce process.” Kennedy is managing partner of Kennedy Law Associates in Charlotte and an N.C. Certified Family Law Mediator. Over the last seven years, she has been working with the Council for Children’s Rights, leading divorce workshops and helping individuals across Charlotte deal with the emotional and legal aspects of ending a marriage. As a licensed Parent Coordinator, she helps individuals in high conflict divorce cases to work together and resolve conflicts in the best interest of their children. “I help parents who are struggling work through the unavoidable conflicts that occur in parenting after separation and divorce,” she writes. She is the author and leader of “Divorce With Dignity,” a series of divorce recovery workshops and seminars throughout the Charlotte area focusing on growth and healing. And she is at work on a set of seminar leadership materials and a book designed to help others lead workshops and further their healing journey. Over the years, Kennedy has been recognized as one of the Mecklenburg Times’ 50 Most Influential Women of Charlotte, received a Commitment to Justice Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Legal Representations Project by Safealliance, and named as a Woman of Outstanding Leadership by the International Women’s Leadership Association. She is a volunteer attorney for the Council for Children’s Rights and the United Family Services Legal Representation Project.
14 | THE POWER LIST: FAMILY LAW
DECEMBER 2022