Your Legal Team

Meet Attorney Virginia R. Hager

After earning her law degree at The College of William and Mary in 1984, Ms. Hager practiced with federally-funded legal services organizations in Ohio and Kentucky before moving to Wilmington in 1990. She was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar on reciprocity and practiced as an associate attorney at a small general practice firm for five years, before opening her own solo practice in 1995. For the past ten years she has limited her practice to divorce, custody, adoption, and other family law matters. Ms. Hager is a founding member of Coastal Collaborative Colleagues, and looks forward to assisting clients in “Doing Divorce Differently.” She is a member of the Family Law Section of the American and North Carolina Bar Associations, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Ms. Hager has long had a special interest in representing victims of domestic violence, and served on the Board of Directors of Domestic Violence Shelter and Services from August 1990 until January 1998, the last two years as President. For several years she was a member of EVOLVE Wilmington, an informal interagency group that works on domestic violence prevention.

Meet Lorie Smith: Paralegal and Operations Manager

Lorie serves Hager Law Office clients far beyond the duties of a typical paralegal. She has been with the firm since 2009. Clients consistently herald her as a compassionate, caring professional who strives to make the process of family law issues as uncomplicated as possible. Ms. Smith has been featured in both USA Today and Paralegal Today. In addition to being accomplished in numerous academic areas, she donates significant time to many worthwhile causes, including serving as an executive board member for the Ten10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in the Cape Fear Region. Education B.S., University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2014 A.A.S., Paralegal, Cape Fear Community College, 2009 Licensed NC Real Estate Broker, Realtor, and Real Estate Divorce Specialist Honors Phi Theta Kappa Vice President, Cape Fear Community College -- North Campus Guistwhite Scholar, 2009 North Carolina State Bar Association Scholarship, 2008 USA Today - All-USA Community College Academic First Team member, 2009 North Carolina Community College Academic Excellence Award, 2009 Student Achievement Award, Cape Fear Community College