Stella
A. Fields

Before helping attorneys recommend a custody arrangement, Stella Fields wanted to understand a child’s daily life. During her internship at the Children’s Law Center, that meant listening to parents on both sides of a dispute, speaking with others who knew the family, and visiting children’s homes. The experience shaped a conviction she brings to family law: legal decisions should account for the lives and relationships they will affect.

Stella focuses her practice at Smith Debnam on divorce, child custody, child support, and equitable distribution. She recognizes that understanding the legal issues is only part of what clients need. They also need someone who will listen to their concerns, appreciate the emotional weight of their decisions, and help them understand their options. Her goal is for clients to feel informed and involved, with a clear understanding of the steps available to them.

She approaches the attorney-client relationship as a team effort. That begins with learning what matters most to each client and using those priorities to develop a strategy together. Stella values candid conversations about likely outcomes, potential obstacles, and how the other party may respond. She also places importance on clear, consistent communication, including understanding how each person prefers to receive information. She wants clients to feel comfortable confiding in her and confident that they have a voice in decisions about their own lives.

As a participant in Smith Debnam’s Summer Associate Program, Stella worked alongside the firm’s family law attorneys, assisting with tracing financial assets, preparing for emergency custody hearings, and drafting motions and pleadings. She also supported attorneys in construction law and creditors’ rights matters through legal research and writing. Those assignments complemented her work at the Children’s Law Center, where she helped attorneys gather information and develop custody recommendations for the court.

While attending Wake Forest University School of Law, Stella served on the executive team of the Law Ambassadors program. She helped welcome prospective and incoming students through first-year orientation, admitted students’ day, and other events. Making an unfamiliar experience feel more welcoming was a part of her law school involvement she found particularly meaningful.

Outside of work, Stella enjoys watching sports, especially football and baseball, and spending weekends at the lake.