Clinton law firm adds new face

Sep. 30—Sampsonians have a new and seasoned lawyer here in the county ready to handle cases, primarily in the area of family law.

Kristin Buckner joins as an attorney in the long lasting legacy that is Warrick and Bradshaw which has served Sampson County for over 50 years. With her main focus being on family law, Buckner practices include everything from child custody and support, equitable distribution, alimony, domestic violence, premarital agreements, adoptions and other family law actions.

She even represents the Sampson County Child Support Enforcement Agency and Sampson County Department of Social Services. Buckner also assists clients with wills, trusts and powers of attorney.

"It's been great; I really enjoy the smaller community," Buckner said about working for Warrick and Bradshaw. "My last firm was in Wake County, which I enjoyed; a lot was in downtown Raleigh. It was always a great place to work, but it's just a very different situation. The local community is wonderful here, I've made a lot of good contacts and just really enjoy it."

Longtime firm attorney Frank Bradshaw is the one who brought Buckner on and he shared what the experience has been like having her on the team.

"When we had an opening here, she was on the shortlist of people I wanted," he said. "I've had some interactions with her when she was an attorney in Wake and Johnston County. She took a few cases down here and I had the pleasure of being on the other side of those cases. Seeing her in court, I was always very impressed with her."

"With how prepared she was, her demeanor and how she carried herself, I always had her in mind as a potential," Bradshaw continued. "Of course it helps to recruit attorneys here if they have a connection to this area and she has a close connection being from Johnston County, but also, her husband being from Clinton. So that was also a plus-plus."

"It's very difficult to recruit young attorneys here, particularly if they have spouses or significant others from other areas; competing against Wilmington and Raleigh is always a challenge for Sampson County," he added with a laugh.

Her bio on the Warrick and Bradshaw website shared that Buckner received her bachelor's degree in Communication Studies with a minor in History from University of North Carolina Wilmington. A Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University and Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University. Prior to joining Warrick and Bradshaw, she practiced family law with Triangle Divorce Lawyers, a Raleigh law firm. She has also owned her own law firm in Johnston County and was a hearing officer with the Johnston County Clerk of Court's office where she presided over various types of hearings including adoptions, foreclosures, incompetency and guardianship proceedings and estate matters.

Buckner herself grew up in Johnston County, and is a Clintonian by marriage, having met and fallen in love with her Clinton native husband, Matt, during law school.

"I'm from Smithfield, I grew up there, but my husband is from here," she said. "We are in the process of moving and we're really excited about that. We met in law school, he is also an attorney in Raleigh right now and I think eventually he would like to come back and practice here as well."

Buckner is also a former member of the Junior Women's League of Johnston County, where she served in numerous leadership positions and received the Impact Leadership Award in 2017. In her free time, Buckner enjoys reading, traveling, knitting, and spending time with her family.

While Buckner has been practicing law for years, she shared that it wasn't always what she envisioned for a career. It became her dream along the way as she got more involved with the field throughout her life.

"I don't really know why I decided to become an attorney," she said with a laugh. "I have always enjoyed school and I was in an MBA program and didn't love it. So I was thinking about other things that I would like to do and thought this sounds really interesting. It was a good decision and, most of the time, I'm glad that I did it."

"I started out in estate planning and family law just kind of came naturally when I started my own practice years back."

She's been in the profession ever since and while new to Sampson County, Bradshaw wanted to emphasize that Buckner herself is no newbie.

"I would say that a lot of people and a lot of clients, new and current, think that she's a new attorney and she is not," he said. "On top of having worked in Johnston and Wake County as an attorney, she was the hearing officer in Johnston County, in the clerk's office. So she sort of acted like a judge in those types of hearings, which are types of hearings we represent clients in all time. So she's sat behind the bench as the so called judge clerk. Now she's on the other side, so it's a very good perspective that have, one that I myself have no perspective of."

As for what Buckner has planned for her future at the firm, for now, she's just focusing on the excitement of being in Sampson County.

"(My husband) still has a lot of friends in the area, I do too, and it'll just be nice to be closer and not to commute," she said. "Beyond that, I'm still getting settled in. I've been here since January, so getting settled, and I'm just looking forward to being here."

Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.