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Valerie Johnson

Valerie is a passionate advocate for injured people and working people in North Carolina. She was raised in Henderson, NC, and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Law School. Valerie taught elementary school between college and law school.

Working people are the focus of Valerie's legal work: you can find her book, North Carolina Workers Compensation Law: A Practical Guide to Success at Every Stage of a Claim, now in its fourth edition. At the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ), the state's largest organization for plaintiffs' lawyers, she serves on the Board of Directors as Education Vice President. Before that, Valerie was the Legislative Vice President. She was also the chair of the NCAJ Workers' Compensation Section in 2013-14. Valerie has been board certified in workers' compensation law since 2000. She is a member of the NC Association of Black Lawyers.

Valerie appreciates the opportunity to serve her profession, and she became a member of the Board of Directors of Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of North Carolina in 2015. She is also proud to be among The National Black Lawyers Top 100.

Valerie did not leave teaching behind when she became a lawyer. She teaches trial advocacy at UNC Law School and has taught workers' compensation law at the Wake Forest University School of Law. Valerie's peers have recognized her: she is listed in Best Lawyers in the areas of workers' compensation and was recognized for her 10 years as a Best Lawyer. She has been listed in North Carolina Super Lawyer Magazine every year since 2006. She was admitted to the National Academy of Social Insurance in 2011 and to the College of Workers Compensation in 2015.

Valerie has been married to her husband Sam for 25 years. They have two children, Alex and Sam III, and a dog named Grace. In November, they appeared on HGTV's Love It or List It and had a lot of fun renovating their Durham home on TV.

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Khari A. Hatchett

I focus primarily on criminal law, family law, estate planning, and business planning. I am happy to meet with and help resolve some of my client's toughest situations. I am committed to ensuring that my clients are informed and well represented.

Alonzo Holloway

AJ Holloway was born and raised in the Myrtle Beach area. He attended Socastee High School, where he earned an International Baccalaureate Diploma. He then attended Clemson University, graduating magna cum laude. AJ went on to earn his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Bar and actively participated in community service and mentoring organizations. Throughout his legal career, he has remained committed to giving back to his community, including participating in the Make-A-Wish Trailblaze Challenge.

AJ began his legal career with the defense firm Gallivan, White & Boyd in Columbia, South Carolina. After several years of representing large corporations, he chose to pursue his passion for advocating on behalf of injured individuals by joining Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman's Columbia office. His experience defending companies gives him valuable insight into how businesses approach litigation, providing a strategic advantage when representing plaintiffs. AJ later returned to Horry County, where he focuses on helping individuals who have been injured through no fault of their own. His practice areas include motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, and premises liability.

In April 2020, AJ was confirmed by the South Carolina Legislature as a Commissioner on the State Ethics Commission, serving a term from 2020 to 2025. In this role, the Commission investigates complaints involving members and candidates of the General Assembly, as well as elected and appointed state and local public officials.

AJ has earned recognition for his professional accomplishments, including being named one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Attorneys in South Carolina. He was also selected for Best Lawyers' 2020 "Ones to Watch" list, highlighting his emerging leadership and excellence in the legal profession.

If you have been injured, AJ and the team at The Derrick Law Firm are dedicated to providing experienced, compassionate representation and helping you pursue the compensation you deserve.

Kawan Lovelace

As a civil rights attorney in NYC, I switched sides because I saw how the system really works.

Before I was a civil rights attorney in NYC, I was a detective. Before I was a detective, I was an Olympic athlete. And long before any of that, I was a Black man in America who understood, deeply and personally, what it means when the system fails the people it’s supposed to protect.

I spent 8 years as an NYPD detective and 2 years as a Bronx prosecutor. For a decade I worked inside the system. I watched the city defend officers who caused real harm to defenseless people. I watched cases disappear. I learned exactly how the city eliminates its problems, quietly, efficiently, and at the expense of Black and brown communities who had nowhere else to turn.

That’s why I left.

I refused to keep defending a system that protects dishonest officers while ordinary people suffer the consequences. So I switched sides. Now I represent victims of false arrest, police brutality, illegal search and seizure, and civil rights violations across New York City, including Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

Everything I learned inside, how arrest reports get written, where the evidence gets buried, how the NYC Law Department builds its defense against wrongful arrest and police misconduct claims, I now use against them. Every day.

This is personal for me. I am a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a husband, and a father. I know what it means to have something worth fighting for. Every client who walks through my door represents someone’s father, mother, son, or daughter.

Your life has value.

What happened to you was wrong. And I will fight like it.

Kelly Castor

Education

Justice Morris Pashman American Inns of Court

Thurgood Marshall School of Law, J.D.

St. Joseph's University

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Licensed in the State of New Jersey, Federal Court, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and US Supreme Court

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French Creole

Biography

“Everything I do is for my clients. They are real people going through real life situations and they need help.”

As an immigrant to the United States, I went through the legal process of immigration along with my parents at the age of eight – we attended court and I was immediately attracted to the poise and style of the attorneys amidst the chaos of immigration court.

Later, at age 12, I was detained by immigration and separated from my mother in Puerto Rico on a return trip to the United States from Martinique. I was interrogated by immigration officers who threatened to return me to France, my birthplace, without my parents if I did not cooperate.

At such a young age, having experienced the feeling of helplessness without legal guidance, and having recalled my earlier positive impression of attorneys helping others, I devoted myself to pursuing a legal career, so as to represent people who needed a compassionate voice and sound legal guidance through unfamiliar and sometimes life-changing circumstances.

Soon after becoming a lawyer, I sought to join an intimate sized law firm that would provide the opportunity to concentrate on partnering closely with clients. For fourteen years I remained with that firm, gaining valuable legal experience and knowledge that allowed me to flourish in a multidisciplinary legal practice. 

In late August 2022, Castor Law LLC was opened to the public prepared to provide "Excellence in Service, Professionalism, with Proven Results."

My practice areas include: Personal Injury; Motor Vehicle Accidents and Injuries; Workers Compensation; Real Estate; Family Law; Divorce; Child Support and Custody; Wills/Probate; Auto Accidents, Slip and Fall, Dog Bites, Workplace Accidents; Estate Planning

I am passionate about forming strong partnerships with my clients to: