Heather W. Forshey - Raleigh, NC
Attorney at Raleigh Divorce Law Firm
Family Law Lawyers in Raleigh, NC
8341 Bandford Way Suite 1 Raleigh, NC 27615
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
20
Years
Experience
Featured Review
"My younger son struggles with mental health issues and is on the Autism spectrum. In 9th grade, he refused to attend school and failed his freshman year of high school. His mom and I had been divorced since he was 4 and live in separate states about..." "My younger son struggles with mental health issues and is on the Autism spectrum. In 9th grade, he refused to attend school and failed his freshman year of high school. His mom and I had been divorced since he was 4 and live in separate states about 750 miles apart. The summer in between 9th and 10th grade, I was able to work out a plan with the school system in NC to allow him to take summer school remotely while he was spending his summer with me. He returned to NC as a sophomore, but again the school refusal surfaced. In the interim, I had reached out to Heather and her team at Raleigh Divorce Law Firm. Over the subsequent 8 months, they worked tirelessly on my behalf to obtain primary custody of my son. While his struggles continued, I remained in active contact with the school counselors, his doctors, Heather and her team, and of course, my son. Eventually, the case was resolved just prior to our scheduled court date and without any further action taken by the state. Fast-forward 2.5 years, and my son has just recently graduated high school on time. What seemed so unlikely when I began the custody transfer process became a reality. No one knows what the future will bring, but I can say that because of the quality of representation and the fierce devotion to advocating for my son that RDLF displayed, he has the opportunity to go to college and to build the life he wants for himself. I cannot thank Heather and her team enough. They literally helped work a miracle! Dominick F. "
Raleigh Family Law Lawyer
Updated: 10/15/2026
Reviews for Heather W. Forshey
AI-generated summary of FindLaw reviews.
Clients consistently praise this attorney and her team for their professionalism, extensive knowledge, and compassionate support during difficult family law matters. Many reviewers highlight excellent communication, strong advocacy, and successful outcomes, often feeling like their only client. The staff is also frequently commended for their helpfulness.
-
-
-
-
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Child Support and Children's Rights
- Custody & Visitation
- Divorce
- Mediation
- Alimony and Spousal Support
- Domestic Violence & Neglect
- Paternity
- Prenuptial Agreements
- State Appellate Practice
- Equitable Distribution
- High Asset Divorce
Attorney Information
Overview
Attorney Heather Williams Forshey has operated Raleigh Divorce Law Firm since May 2010. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Elon University and received her law degree from Wake Forest University. She has been a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist since 2013, and also holds certifications as a family financial mediator and a parenting coordinator.
She was recognized as a North Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2014-2020 and as a Super Lawyer from 2021 - present. She also holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell, the highest level of peer rating for professional excellence for legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Heather has exclusively practiced North Carolina family law since 2006. In that time, she has earned a reputation for providing knowledgeable, highly skilled legal counsel to clients contemplating divorce or struggling with a variety of family law issues. Her firm only handles divorce, domestic issues, appeals of family law issues, and related matters. She is an experienced litigator and has focused her family law practice on the area of child custody and modifications of child custody. She prides herself on tailoring her representation and advice to the unique needs of each case. While the majority of Heather's practice is in Wake County, Heather’s firm also handles cases in Durham, Orange, Franklin, and Harnett counties.
Heather has written manuscripts for and spoken frequently at continuing legal education courses on a variety of family law topics. Recent presentations include “Custody Evaluations: Understanding the Tools and Challenging the Report;” “Advanced Custody and Support Issues-Negotiating and Drafting Parenting Plans;” “Legal Ethics;” “Alienation and Abuse Allegations in Custody Proceedings;” and a national webcast “Parental Alienation and Abuse (Plus Relocation) in Divorce Litigation.”
Heather is also a gifted writer and has written pieces for Attorney at Law magazine on the Gabby Petito murder, the Depp-Heard trial, and the Murdaugh case.
Heather is passionate about the prevention of child abuse and family violence. She became a Guardian ad Litem in 2000 in Alamance County, and worked in family services for the Head Start program before attending law school, where she developed a passion for helping families in crisis that has continued to this day. She continued these efforts with a public interest grant to serve the GAL programs of Lee, Harnett and Johnston Counties during law school. In private practice, she handles some pro bono appellate work for the GAL program. Since 2018, Heather has served as a volunteer or Board Member for Friends of Wake GAL, a nonprofit that supports GAL volunteers and provides services such as private tutoring, orthodontics and summer camp funding to those in the child welfare system.
Awards and Honors
Awards
Honors
- AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell
- Selected to Super Lawyers: 2021 - 2027
- Selected to Rising Stars: 2014 - 2020
- Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell
Other Sources of Feedback About Heather W. Forshey
Included on the 2027 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2026 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2025 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2024 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2023 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2022 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2021 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2020 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2019 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2018 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2017 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2016 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2015 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
- 2014 North Carolina Super Lawyers list
Education
Legal Education
-
Wake Forest University School of Law, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2006
J.D.
Honors: Member, Moot Court Board 2004-2006
Honors: 2004 Finalist in the George K. Walker Moot Court Competition
Honors: Member of the Criminal Law Moot Court Team
Honors: Editorial Staff Member of the Wake Forest Law Review 2005-2006
Law Review: Wake Forest Law Review, 2004 - 2006
Non Legal Education
-
Elon University, Burlington, North Carolina, 2002
B.A.
Honors: cum laude
Honors: All-American Scholar
Honors: National Dean's List
Major: Psychology
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Owner
Past Positions
- Hilbert Law Firm, Associate, 2009 - 2010
- Crawford & Crawford, Associate, 2007 - 2009
- Herring McBennett Mills & Finkelstein, Associate, 2006 - 2007
Languages
-
English
Classes and Seminars
-
Speaker for NBI on “Custody Evaluations: Understanding the Tools and Challenging the Report,” June 2023
-
Presenter for NBI national webcast “Parental Alienation and Abuse (Plus Relocation) in Divorce Litigation, April 2022
-
Presenter for the North Carolina State Bar’s program “Family Law Issues for Non-Family Law Attorneys,” April 2022
-
Speaker for NBI’s Advanced Custody and Support Issues on the topics “Alienation and Abuse Allegations in Custody Proceedings” and “Legal Ethics,” February 2022
-
Moderator for NBI’s “NC Family Court Judge’s Share Top Mistakes Attorneys Make” Seminar, 2021
-
Speaker for NBI’s Handling the Divorce Case from Start to Finish on the topic “Custody, Visitation and Handling Parental Alienation/Abuse,” February 2020
-
Speaker for NBI’s Advanced Custody and Support Issues on the topics “Negotiating and Drafting Parenting Plans” and “UCCJEA and Relocation Issues in Family Law,” December 13, 2019
-
Moderator for National Business Institute’s “As Judges See It: Top Mistakes Attorneys Make in Family Court,” December 6, 2019
-
Speaker for NBI’s Family Law From A to Z: Successfully Resolve Your Clients' Family Law Issues, February, 2019
-
Moderator for National Business Institute’s “What Family Court Judges Want You to Know” Seminar, December 2018
-
Speaker for NBI December 2016 Family Law course: What Do You Do When?, on topics “When Child and Spousal Support Calculations Get Complicated” and “When Parental and Third-Party Rights are Disputed”
-
Program Chair of the First Annual Family Law Specialization Review CLE, North Carolina Advocates for Justice, September 2015
-
Speaker for “Practicing Family Law in the Triangle: What You Need to Know Now,” September 2014, North Carolina Advocates for Justice
-
Speaker on “Preparation and Use of Financial Affidavits,” September 2012, North Carolina Advocates for Justice
- Speaker on “Preparing the Equitable Distribution of Inventory Affidavits and the Final Equitable Distribution Order,” 2009, Half Moon Seminars - Equitable Distribution Workshop
Pro Bono Activities
- Guardian ad Litem Appellate Advocate
- Board of Directors for the Friends of Wake County Guardian ad Litem Program
- Volunteer for the Wake County In-Court Volunteer Mediation Program
- Host Sponsor for the Light the Way GALA for the Friends of Wake County GAL Program, serving abused and neglected children in Wake County
Published Works
Articles
-
Attorney at Law Magazine — “Funding the Divorce Case: Options for Potential Clients” (2017)
-
Attorney at Law Magazine — “The Trend Toward 50/50 Custody Arrangements” (2014)
-
Wake Forest Law Review — Writer (2006)
-
Wake Forest Law Review — Writer (2005)
-
Wake Forest Law Review — Writer (2004)
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina, 2006
Specialties and Certifications
- NC State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Family Law
- DRC-Certified Family Financial Mediator, Dispute Resolution Commission of NC, 2012
- Certified Parenting Coordinator
Other Affiliations
- North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission — Certified Family Financial Mediator (2012–Present)
- North Carolina Bar Association — Member (2006–Present)
- Wake County Bar Association — Member (2006–Present)
- Family Law Section of NC Academy of Trial Lawyers — Member (2006–2022)
- North Carolina State Bar — Member (2006–Present)
- 10th Judicial District Bar Association — Member (2006–Present)
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice — Member (2006–Present)
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice, Family Law Section — Member (2006–Present)
- North Carolina Bar Association, Family Law Section — Member (2006–Present)
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice — Communications Committee Chair on the Executive Board (2007–2009)
- Wake Women Attorneys (2018–Present)
Photo
Contact
8341 Bandford Way
Suite 1
Raleigh, NC 27615
Phone Number: 919-926-1943
Fax Number: 919-256-3971
Email: Send a message
Disclaimer
Your Profile? Update Now
When viewing a listing, consider the state advertising restrictions to which lawyers and law firms must adhere, as well as our FindLaw.com Legal Directory disclaimer. Some lawyers publish comparative information regarding the services that they provide which may be subject to specific comparative communications restrictions.