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Caroline Austin

When you’re navigating the stormy waters of separation or family conflict, it’s not just legal guidance you need; it’s someone who truly sees you. For Caroline Austin, that human connection is the heart of every case she handles. Whether she’s helping a client protect their children, navigate a separation, or unravel a complicated financial picture, Caroline blends meticulous legal analysis with deep empathy, humor, and clarity.

Caroline’s practice focuses on family law matters, including separation agreements, equitable distribution, custody and support disputes, and domestic violence protective orders. She’s also the go-to for prenuptial, postnuptial, and reconciliation agreements, particularly in cases where financial complexity requires a sharp legal eye and a steady hand.

Before joining Smith Debnam, Caroline practiced at a boutique family law firm in Raleigh, where she quickly earned a reputation for her precision and tenacity in tracing hidden assets and uncovering financial discrepancies, often revealing six-figure sums that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. She’s known for being extraordinarily detail-oriented, not just with documents and financial records, but also in picking up the emotional cues that guide how she advocates for each client’s unique goals.

Caroline’s courtroom experience spans multi-day custody trials, but she also thrives in negotiation and mediation, where she helps clients resolve high-conflict matters without escalating the emotional toll. Clients often describe her as the calm in their storm, someone who breaks down legal jargon into plain language, keeps them informed at every turn, and isn’t afraid to use a little humor to lighten even the darkest days.

A graduate of Campbell Law School, Caroline honed her advocacy skills as a legal intern at the Blanchard Community Law Clinic, Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic, and the Craven County District Attorney’s Office. She was honored with the Blanchard Clinic Book Award and was a Dean’s Excellence Scholar. Her commitment to children and families extends beyond the courtroom, as she serves on the Board of Directors for the Project Enlightenment Foundation, an early childhood education and intervention initiative, and chairs its Communications Committee.

Caroline earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama, where she graduated cum laude with a major in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. She’s a self-declared Gilded Age enthusiast with a not-so-secret obsession for architectural history. When she’s not advocating for her clients, you can find Caroline at the beach with her family and her golden retrievers, Cooper and Franklin.