Supervising Attorney
Holly Groh brings a wealth of family law experience and a well-honed skill set to her role as supervising attorney at Breeden Law.
Originally from Arizona, Holly is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and Campbell Law School. She has practiced family law in the Triangle for over a decade and built a strong reputation as a truly kind human who really cares about her clients.
Holly believes in building a relationship with each of her clients, learning what matters most to them, and developing a case strategy based on those priorities. She brings a formidable skillset as both a negotiator and a litigator to her role at Breeden Law, and we’ve never worked with anyone who prepared more thoroughly or worked harder for her clients than Holly does. We’re proud to have her on our team as both an attorney and a mentor.
When she isn’t practicing law, you can often find Holly channeling her inner college athlete by leading an adult softball team, watching her kids as a proud softball parent, or cheering for her daughter’s field hockey team.
If she’s not on a ballfield, she is probably reading a good book, playing with her super energetic Australian Shepherd, or indulging in her secret vice – Bravo TV shows. She recently celebrated a milestone birthday with a trip to Costa Rica, and she counts that as one of her favorite vacations so far.
Associate Attorney
Ashley Schwartz went to law school with one goal: to become a family lawyer.
A quick study and a strong advocate for clients, Ashley has a passion for helping our clients create the stable, peaceful homes that they deserve. She is quick to credit the strong women in her life, including her mother and mother-in-law, with helping her achieve her goals, and she is passing that grit and determination along to her daughter.
Outside of her work, Ashley loves to explore the world (especially by hiking) with her family and friends. Some of her favorite trips include Rome, Yellowstone, and Hawaii, but wherever she travels, Ashley believes that the company makes the trip.
Associate Attorney
Isabella’s background is a study in practicing hard, playing harder, and being ready to compete.
A former college athlete, Wake Forest Law graduate, and clerk for the North Carolina Supreme Court, Bella brings the tenacity and the compassion that she learned in those settings to her work on behalf of Breeden Law clients.
She is highly strategic in her legal approach, subscribing fully to the Breeden Law model of working toward positive outcomes for our clients through negotiation when possible, and through litigation when necessary. Bella also understands the personal and economic realities that our clients face, and she does her best to move every family toward a stable, sustainable resolution that will serve their long-term best interests.
When she is not in the office, Bella enjoys spending time with family, eating good food, and self-improvement. Of the places that she has traveled, she especially loves Nags Head, North Carolina, Cinque Terre, Italy, and Melbourne, Australia.
She enjoys watching college sports generally and serves as a rare neutral fan in a firm full of conflicting Tobacco Road rivalries. No one in her home works out harder than her toddler son and the family dog, Oliver, who rests all day so that he can get in a solid two hours of fetch every night.
Associate Attorney
Emmanuel Mijangos joined Breeden Law because his motivation for practicing family law aligns with our firm’s mission: to help people navigate a challenging time in their lives in a way that makes a meaningful, positive impact.
From our first meeting with Emmanuel, we were impressed with his education – North Carolina State University and Campbell Law School is a winning combination for trial lawyers – and with his life experience and negotiating skills.
When his wife encouraged him to go to law school, Emmanuel already had a successful career in a field where reading people, negotiating effectively, and getting agreements across the finish line were key skills.
When he took her advice and enrolled at Campbell Law, Emmanuel threw himself into the opportunities that law school afforded him, honing his trial skills by competing on the Campbell Law Moot Court Team, serving as the Honor Court Deputy Attorney General, and participating in the Campbell Law Innocence Project. He was also a member of the Student Bar Association, an active member of the Campbell Law Republicans, and a member of the Hispanic Law Student Association.
When he is not practicing law, Emmanuel enjoys spending time with his family, traveling anywhere but especially throughout Mexico, reading classic works of fiction, watching Juventus for “real football” and the New England Patriots for American Football, and rooting for the Wolfpack. Like most of us at Breeden Law, Emmanuel loves dogs, and he reports that his Labradoodle, Speedy, is fun loving most of the time – but will hide your shoes if you make him mad.
Associate Attorney
Hunter is pursuing a career in family law because he knows that the divorce process is stressful, and he wants to provide his clients with a sense of comfort and the knowledge that someone is going to be right there to walk them through this challenging time and to fight for them to get the best outcome possible.
Hunter completed his undergraduate degree at East Carolina University and his law degree at Campbell, and he sought out opportunities in family law throughout his education. When he applied to work at Breeden Law, Hunter had perhaps the deepest family law background of any new graduate we have interviewed, and his combination of experience and compassion for clients who are going through stressful legal cases was evident from our first meeting.
When he is not in the office or preparing his cases, you can probably find Hunter hanging out with family and friends, playing pickleball, cooking, or reading.
His favorite books and movies are the Harry Potter series, and his favorite trip so far was to Costa Rica. He roots for the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him a fan group of one in the office, but he shares the firm love of dogs – especially for his Springer English Spaniel/Chihuahua mix named Smudge.
Client Care
Amanda Opperman is a New Jersey native who loves life in the South – but still roots for the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Amanda brings her background and experience working in a medical setting to her role as the client care manager at Breeden Law. From consultation to case conclusion, Amanda is great at clarifying legal language and processes for our clients, and she works hard behind the scenes to make the client experience the best that it can be.
When she isn’t at work, Amanda loves being a wife and a mom to two teenagers, as well as a dog mom to a trio of spoiled pooches named Suzie, Reece, and Roxy. She also enjoys working in her garden, cooking, and reading – especially books by Michael Connelly.
Paralegal
Jamie Glover is a born-and-raised North Carolina native, an NC State graduate, and a key member of our legal team.
With years of experience as a family law paralegal and personal experience with some of the issues that our clients face, Jamie is a dynamo who works hard on behalf of every client because she truly cares about every case.
When she is not in our office, Jamie is likely to be working remotely from her Lake Gaston home, spending time with her husband, hanging out with family and friends, rooting for the Wolfpack, and enjoying all of the nature therapy and fun that lake life has to offer.
Paralegal
Nickie brings an outstanding work ethic, empathy that comes from both professional and firsthand family law experience, and a passion to do whatever it takes to obtain the best possible outcome for our clients to her career as a family law paralegal.
After graduating a semester early from East Carolina University, Nickie began working as a paralegal and never looked back. She excels as a member of the Breeden Law legal team by helping clients navigate some of the most uncertain times of their lives, and she loves hearing clients’ gratitude when they reach the other side of their legal matters and can enjoy a more stable, positive future.
Outside of her career, you can find Nickie doing something active – enjoying the ocean with family and friends in Atlantic Beach or traveling to St. Martin and St. Thomas when it is warm, or skiing when it is cold. She also loves going to the park with her son, reading mystery and thriller novels, and binge-watching Netflix.
She also puts her legal skills to good use when answering tough questions about her team loyalties – letting her mom believe that she is a diehard Tar Heel fan while convincing her boyfriend that she loves Duke the way that he does.
One thing that she doesn’t equivocate about, though, is her love for her two rescued pit bull mixes, Lilly and Hallie. Nickie shares that her dogs are polar opposites – Hallie is a go-getter who strives to keep the yard free of all squirrels and cats, while Lilly prefers to sunbathe, lounge, and generally lie around the house.
Executive Assistant
Emmy was born the Dominican Republic, grew up in the DR and in New York, and brings a passion for processes to her work at Breeden Law.
She is a whiz at developing and maintaining the processes that keep us organized, happy, and productive, and her calm, unflappable demeanor is a huge asset to our staff and our clients.
Truly a lifelong learner, when she is not at Breeden Law, you can find Emmy reading multiple books simultaneously and striving to live by her motto: “There is no infinite happiness, but there are infinite opportunities to choose to be.” She also loves spending time with her children and husband, watching Marvel movies, and exploring North Carolina — especially the Outer Banks.
Legal Administrative Assistant
Chelsea brings her education and experience in criminal law and a special interest in advocating for families and children to her role at Breeden Law.
Whether she is making an outstanding first impression or congratulating a client on a successful case conclusion, Chelsea makes sure that the office operates smoothly and efficiently while staying focused on the big picture of serving our clients from their initial consultations to the ends of their cases.
As a certified paralegal with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Chelsea maintains her certification and stays on top of changes in the law by pursuing continuing education every year.
When she isn’t at work, Chelsea enjoys spending time with those closest to her – her husband, her kids, and her Australian Shepherd-Black Lab mix and Shih-Tzu pups. Her favorite pastimes are reading, cheering for the Boston Bruins, and taking road trips.
As a military veteran herself and also the spouse of a soldier, she has truly lived and traveled all over the world. Chelsea’s favorite spots include Washington State and Thailand and her list of places that she plans to visit soon includes Scotland, Ireland, and England.
Social Media Coordinator
Raena is passionate about educating people who are facing divorce and child custody cases because she has firsthand experience with both and can relate to their perspective as they search for a guide through the challenges of the legal process.
She brings experience working with some of the most recognizable brands in the world to her role in the firm, and Raena reports that she finds “shining a light on the amazing team members we have at Breeden Law” and educating herself about both client and attorney perspectives on family law engaging and rewarding.
When she is not at work, you can find Raena in her other full-time role as a busy mother of two children, which often means driving one or both of her kids to sports, school functions, extracurricular activities, and play dates and cheering them on in their pursuits. In her rare free time, Raena enjoys reading, crafting, snowboarding, playing games, traveling, watching movies, and hanging out with her adopted cat Juju – on Juju’s terms and only if Juju feels like it.
As a native Coloradan, Raena cheers hard for the Denver Broncos, and she recommends the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop as her favorite books. So far, Raena’s favorite trip has been to the Eastern Caribbean with her family, and she looks forward to more travel adventures in the future.
Whether she is at the office or at home, helping people reach their potential is the work that Beth really loves.
She sees her role at Breeden Law as working behind the scenes so that our staff members have the tools that they need to deliver a positive client experience and a great value from the first phone call through the conclusion of each case.
